Microbial faecal pollution of river water in a watershed of tropical Ethiopian highlands is driven by diffuse pollution sources

Journal of Water and HealthTropical communities in the developing world depend heavily on riverine systems for their socioeconomic development. However, these resources are poorly protected from diffuse pollution, and there is a lack of quantitative information regarding the microbial pollution characteristics of riverine water, despite frequently reported gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of our study was to apply faecal taxation (i.e., faecal pellet counting in representative test areas to estimate the potential availability of diffuse pollution sources) in combination with a detailed microbiological faecal pollution analysis in a riverine environment to elucidate the importance of diffuse pollution. To realize this approach, ambient faecal pellets, a multiparametric data set for standard faecal indicator bacteria (SFIB), including Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens spores and enterococci from catchment soil and river water, and a number of riverine water physicochemical variables were analysed during a one-year cycle. We demonstrated that the abundance of ambient faecal pellets, which were consistently counted at reference sites in the catchment, was associated with faecal pollution in the river water. Water SFIB, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, conductivity and total suspended solids were strongly linked with the abundance of ambient faecal pellets in the river catchment, as demonstrated by principal component analysis (PCA). Elevated concentrations of SFIB in the riverine water in the absence of rainfall also suggested the direct input of faecal bacteria into the riverine water by livestock (e.g., during watering) and humans (e.g., during bathing). Statistical analyses further revealed that the microbiological water quality of the investigated riverine water was not influenced by SFIB potentially occurring in the soil. This study demonstrates the importance of diffuse faecal pollution sources as major drivers of the microbiological quality of riverine water in the Ethiopian highlands. In addition, the new successfully applied integrated approach could be very useful for developing predictive models, which would aid in forecasting riverine microbiological quality in tropical developing countriesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Preliminary Evaluation of Slaughter Value and Carcass Composition of Indigenous Sheep and Goats from Traditional Production System in Tanzania

The aim of the pilot study was to evaluate slaughter characteristics and carcass composition of indigenous long fat tailed sheep and Small East African goats purchased from the auction markets slaughtered at 1.5 to 2 yrs of age and 20 kg to 25 kg live weight. The animals were slaughtered according to halal standard procedures. The left half carcasses were jointed into eight wholesale joints, and dissected into muscles, fat and bone, which were weighed separately. Sheep had greater (p<0.05) slaughter BW (22.29 kg vs 20.50 kg) and empty BW (20.17 kg vs 18.67 kg) than goats (p<0.05). Dressing percentages were lower (p<0.001) in sheep than goats when carcass weight was expressed as percentage of slaughter BW (42.31% and 47.15%) and empty BW (46.75% and 51.79%). Sheep carcasses had lower (p<0.001) proportion (66.18% vs 71.64%) of muscles and higher (p<0.001) proportion of fat (7.41% vs 3.44%) than goat carcasses. Sheep had proportionally lighter (p<0.001) shoulder (18.89% vs 22.68%) and heavier (p<0.05) proportion of chump (7.916% vs 6.76%) and main rib (8.12% vs 7.07%). Sheep had more (p<0.001) muscles in the leg (28.83% vs 27.08%) and main rib (7.62% vs 6.36%) than goats. Sheep had less (p<0.001) muscles (20.28% vs 23.56%) in shoulder joints when expressed as percentage of total muscle of carcasses. It is concluded that there are differences in sheep and goat both in terms of carcass and joint yields and composition. The present study also implies that there is need to consider setting different meat cuts and prices for these cuts when one takes into account the differences in muscle distribution within joints in sheep and goats

Processes and dynamics of linkage to care from mobile/outreach and facility‑based HIV testing models in hard‑to‑reach settings in rural Tanzania. Qualitative findings of a mixed methods study

BACKGROUND: Like other countries, Tanzania instituted mobile and outreach testing approaches to address low HIV testing rates at health facilities and enhance linkage to care. Available evidence from hard-to-reach rural settings of Mbeya region, Tanzania suggests that clients testing HIV+ at facility-based sites are more likely to link to care, and to link sooner, than those testing at mobile sites. This paper (1) describes the populations accessing HIV testing at mobile/outreach and facility-based testing sites, and (2) compares processes and dynamics from testing to linkage to care between these two testing models from the same study context. METHODS: An explanatory sequential mixed-method study (a) reviewed records of all clients (n = 11,773) testing at 8 mobile and 8 facility-based testing sites over 6 months; (b), reviewed guidelines; (c) observed HIV testing sites (n = 10) and Care and Treatment Centers (CTCs) (n = 8); (d) applied questionnaires at 0, 3 and 6 months to a cohort of 1012 HIV newly-diagnosed clients from the 16 sites; and (e) conducted focus group discussions (n = 8) and in-depth qualitative interviews with cohort members (n = 10) and health care providers (n = 20). RESULTS: More clients tested at mobile/outreach than facility-based sites (56% vs 44% of 11,733, p < 0.001). Mobile site clients were more likely to be younger and male (p < 0.001). More clients testing at facility sites were HIV positive (21.5% vs. 7.9% of 11,733, p < 0.001). All sites in both testing models adhered to national HIV testing and care guidelines. Staff at mobile sites showed more proactive efforts to support linkage to care, and clients report favouring the confidentiality of mobile sites to avoid stigma. Clients who tested at mobile/outreach sites faced longer delays and waiting times at treatment sites (CTCs). CONCLUSIONS: Rural mobile/outreach HIV testing sites reach more people than facility based sites but they reach a different clientèle which is less likely to be HIV +ve and appears to be less “linkage-ready”. Despite more proactive care and confidentiality at mobile sites, linkage to care is worse than for clients who tested at facility-based sites. Our findings highlight a combination of (a) patient-level factors, including stigma; and (b) well-established procedures and routines for each step between testing and initiation of treatment in facility-based sites. Long waiting times at treatment sites are a further barrier that must be addressed

Combating youth’s unemployment rate by integrating entrepreneurship in middle school education

Abstract Entrepreneurship plays a pivotal role in fostering job creation and economic growth, underscoring the need to encourage and support youth in establishing and developing businesses. In Tanzania, where the unemployment rate stands at 2.75% as of 2021, the rising rate (from 2.2% in 2019) necessitates a profound discussion on education for poverty reduction. This study addresses three key questions: (i) from the international experiences, can the entrepreneurship education be effectively integrated into mainstream secondary schools? (ii) What strategies are preferably employed in other countries to integrate entrepreneurship into secondary education? (iii) Based on international experiences, what contextual approach can be adopted by Tanzania to integrate entrepreneurship into middle school education? By employing the PRISMA framework, document review was primarily employed to gain valuable insights. The findings highlighted the importance of teaching entrepreneurship from an early age, recommending strategies such as extracurricular activities, integration of entrepreneurship into related subjects like computer education, and offering it as a stand-alone subject, all while considering contextual factors. Although challenges persist, it is evident that Tanzania's main hurdle in entrepreneurship education and reducing unemployment lies primarily on political willingness rather than financial capacity

Perceptions of Mental Disorders and Help-Seeking Behaviour for Mental Health Care Within the Maasai Community of Northern Tanzania: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Background: Mental disorders are rapidly becoming more prevalent worldwide and are estimated to contribute up to 15% of the global burden of disease by 2020. In Africa, the help-seeking behaviour for mental health care is complex and is hindered by misconceptions and negative attitudes towards mental disorders. This study aimed to explore perceptions of mental disorders and help-seeking behaviour for mental health care within the Maasai community in northern Tanzania. &nbsp; Methods: This qualitative study enrolled a purposive sample of 41 participants from a Maasai community in Arusha Region, northern Tanzania. Participants included modern health-care providers, religious leaders, traditional practitioners, local government leaders, local Maasai leaders, and workers from nongovernmental organisations dealing with mental health. Local interviewers used interview guides to conduct in-depth interviews and focus group discussions in the local language, Kiswahili. The interviews were completed between April and May 2013. We used content analysis to analyse the qualitative data. &nbsp; Results: Study participants attributed mental disorders to supernatural causes, such as curses, witchcraft, demons, and God’s will. A few participants also mentioned biological causes and risk behaviours, including perinatal insults, head injuries, and drug abuse. Furthermore, we found that the Maasai community seeks mental health care in a sequential and simultaneous manner from 3 sectors, namely, professional health-care providers, traditional healers, and religious leaders. Traditional healers and religious leaders were preferred over professional health-care providers for the treatment of mental disorders. &nbsp; Conclusion: The Maasai have pluralistic help-seeking behaviour for mental health disorders. Integrating traditional healers in the modern health-care system may be beneficial to addressing mental health issues in this setting

The effects of a deferred grazing system on rangeland vegetation in a north-western, semi-arid region of Tanzania

The present study assessed the effects of deferred grazing management on rangeland condition using aboveground biomass, vegetation cover and species composition as indicators of range condition. The experiment was based on traditionally conserved exclosures (ngitili). Data were collected in Shinyanga rural and Meatu districts, Tanzania, from October to November 2011. Five grazing strategies were compared: old private ngitili, young private ngitili, old communal ngitili, young communal ngitili and continuously grazed land. Aboveground biomass was significantly higher in old private ngitili than continuously grazed land, but there was no significant difference in amount of biomass between communal ngitili and continuously grazed land. The mean percentage basal cover was significantly higher in ngitili than continuously grazed land. The duration of protection (old ngitili compared with young ngitili) was not found to have any significant influence on both aboveground herbaceous biomass production and basal cover. The Shannon–Wiener index and Simpson index of diversity revealed no significant differences in species diversity among the different strategies. Both the continuously grazed land and communal ngitili were generally in poor condition and a special rehabilitation programme for improvement of these fragile grazing lands should be investigated.Keywords: biomass, grazing management, ngitili, species diversity, vegetation coverAfrican Journal of Range &amp; Forage Science 2013, 30(3): 141–14

Intermittent preventive treatment against malaria: an update.

Intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) against malaria is a malaria control strategy aimed at reducing the burden of malaria in certain high-risk groups, namely pregnant women and children. Three strategies - IPT in pregnancy (IPTp), infants (IPTi) and children (IPTc) - are reviewed here focusing on the mechanism of action, choice of drugs available, controversies and future research. Drugs for IPT need to be co-formulated, long acting, safe and preferably administered as a single dose. There is no obvious replacement for sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, the most commonly utilized drug combination. All strategies face similar problems of rising drug resistance, falling malaria transmission and a policy shift from controlling disease to malaria elimination and eradication. IPT is an accepted form of malaria control, but to date only IPTp has been adopted as policy

Chemical Composition and Meat Quality Attributes of Indigenous Sheep and Goats from Traditional Production System in Tanzania

The aim of the study was to compare chemical composition and quality attributes of meat between male long fat tailed sheep (n = 17) and Small East African goats (n = 17) existing in Tanzania. Animals of 1.5 to 2 yrs in age and live body weight of 22.59±0.50 kg were purchased from livestock auction markets. Animals were fasted for 18 h and slaughtered according to standard halal procedure. Left carcasses were dissected into muscles, fat and bone and the muscle and fat were mixed together and chemically analysed. Meat quality attributes were measured based on Muscle longissimus thoracis et lumborum excised from right sides of carcasses. Goat carcasses had significant higher (p = 0.0302) moisture content (70.65% vs 66.96%) and lower (p = 0.0027) ether extract (2.49% vs 5.82%) than sheep but there was no significant species differences in protein and ash content. Sheep had lower (p = 0.0157) ultimate pH (5.74 vs 5.88) and higher (p = 0.0307) temperature (3.77°C vs 3.15°C) than goat carcasses. Sheep meat had lower (p = 0.0021) shear force values (29.83 N vs 34.07 N) than goat. Within species, at day 9 of ageing, meat tenderness improved (p = 0.0001) by 44.63% and 34.18% for sheep and goat. Pooled data showed that at d 9 of ageing, meat tenderness improved (p = 0.0001) by 39.25% (from 39.54 N to 24.02 N) compared to tenderness of meat which was not aged at day one of slaughter. The present study demonstrated the differences in chemical composition and quality attributes of meat existing between sheep and goats originated from East Africa