Publications by authors named "Anita Makori"
Article Synopsis
- The WHO aims to eliminate onchocerciasis (river blindness) transmission by 2030, predominantly affecting sub-Saharan Africa, and relies on vector control and mass drug administration of ivermectin for this effort.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess studies on onchocerciasis transmission status in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on criteria such as the presence of elimination reports or long-term ivermectin administration.
- The research involved a thorough search of multiple databases and included a classification system to determine the status of foci regarding transmission elimination, while employing mixed-effects meta-regression models to find contributing factors.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the transmission dynamics of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in northern Kenya, focusing on human and livestock seroprevalence during non-epidemic years.
- A total of 676 human and 1,864 livestock samples were tested, revealing RVF virus exposure rates of 28.4% in humans and 21.7% in livestock, with a very low detection of acute infection (IgM) in livestock.
- Key findings highlight that factors like age and involvement in livestock slaughter increase RVF exposure, while environmental factors like rainfall and elevation also influence seropositivity, indicating a possible ongoing endemic cycle.
Background: Nutrition-sensitive livestock interventions have the potential to improve the nutrition of communities that are dependent on livestock for their livelihoods by increasing the availability and access to animal-source foods. These interventions can also boost household income, improving purchasing power for other foods, as well as enhance determinants of health. However, there is a lack of synthesized empirical evidence of the impact and effect of livestock interventions on diets and human nutritional status in Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Brucellosis is associated with massive livestock production losses and human morbidity worldwide. Efforts to control brucellosis among pastoralist communities are limited by scarce data on the prevalence and risk factors for exposure despite the high human-animal interactions in these communities. This study simultaneously assessed the seroprevalence of brucellosis and associated factors of exposure among pastoralists and their livestock in same households.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: can be transmitted to humans primarily through inhaling contaminated droplets released from infected animals or consumption of contaminated dairy products. Despite its zoonotic nature and the close association pastoralist communities have with their livestock, studies reporting simultaneous assessment of exposure and risk-factors among people and their livestock are scarce.
Objective: This study therefore estimated the seroprevalence of Q-fever and associated risk factors of exposure in people and their livestock.
Article Synopsis
- Applied epidemiological models are key for understanding and managing disease outbreaks like SARS-CoV-2, but their effectiveness relies on local data, quick communication, and policymakers' willingness to utilize them.
- A systematic review of 74 papers on SARS-CoV-2 modeling in Africa highlighted that most studies came from only a few countries, and very few used local data for calibration.
- The findings underscore the importance of enhancing modeling capacity in Africa, as many studies focused on assessing control interventions and identified the transmission rate as a major source of uncertainty in model predictions.