Inclusive education and related policies in special needs schools in South Africa.

Background: Post-apartheid, the education system shifted its focus from a segregated education system to an inclusive education system, which resulted in greater consideration of the role and function of special needs schools. In 2014 the National Department of Basic Education developed and implemented an inclusive approach and policies to provide guidelines on the running of special needs schools (SNS). The study was conducted in six SNS in Ekurhuleni South District, South Africa.

Sero-prevalence of bovine brucellosis in the Bojanala Region, North West Province, South Africa 2009-2013.

Bovine brucellosis affects food safety, food security and human health in rural communities in the North West Province, South Africa. The World Organisation for Animal Health suggests routine sero-surveillance and vaccination of cattle for control and to prevent zoonotic transmission. Although sero-surveillance and subsidised vaccination have been in place for decades, data from Bojanala have not previously been analysed.

Scrotal tick damage as a cause of infertility in communal bulls in Moretele, South Africa.

Calving rate in communal cattle influences both food security and socio-economics in rural households. A previous study indicated that scrotal damage caused by ticks could affect the fertility of communal bulls and reduce the annual calving rate. The objectives of the study were to investigate the annual calving rate in communal herds by counting calves during herd visits, perform breeding soundness examinations on bulls and identify adult ticks attached to their genitalia.

Using participatory risk analysis to develop a song about malaria for young children in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Background: In 2015, malaria infected over 212 million people and killed over 429,000 individuals, mostly children under 5 years of age, with 90% of malaria cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim was to develop an age and culturally appropriate song for Tshivenda-speaking children under 5 years of age to decrease the risk of malaria in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Methods: Document review was used to identify appropriate disease determinants to decrease risk in children < 5 years old in the study area.

Assessment of the Occupational Health and Food Safety Risks Associated with the Traditional Slaughter and Consumption of Goats in Gauteng, South Africa.

Background: This study assessed the occupational health and food safety risks associated with the traditional slaughter of goats and the consumption of such meat in Tshwane, South Africa.

Methods: A convenience sample of 105 respondents agreed to be interviewed using structured questionnaires.

Results: A high proportion (62.

Assessment of Welfare Issues During Traditional Slaughter of Goats in Pretoria, South Africa.

Goats are traditionally slaughtered to celebrate marriages and births, venerate ancestors, address personal problems, or perform a ritual during funerals. The objective of this study was to assess nonhuman animal welfare issues associated with the traditional slaughter of goats in and around Pretoria, South Africa. Participatory research methods were used to interview 105 respondents.

Retrospective analysis of the prevalence of Brucella antibodies in sheep in the Karas Region of Namibia.

In this retrospective study, complete Brucella serology data from the annual national brucellosis testing program and disease investigation for the years 2008-2010 was collated and analyzed to estimate the prevalence of brucellosis in sheep in the Karas Region of Namibia. A total of 22,994 serological results from 762 flocks screened using the Rose Bengal test (RBT) and confirmed using the complement fixation test (CFT) were analyzed. An overall prevalence of 0.

Designing a risk communication strategy for health hazards posed by traditional slaughter of goats in Tshwane, South Africa.

In African societies, traditional slaughter is linked to celebrations like weddings or births, as well as funerals and ancestor veneration. Participants in traditional slaughter of goats are at risk of exposure to hazards during slaughter, food preparation and consumption of goat meat. For risk mitigation strategies to be implemented, identification of the population at risk is required.

Optimal feeding systems for small-scale dairy herds in the North West Province, South Africa.

Land redistribution was legislated in 1994; it was designed to resolve historical imbalances inland ownership in South Africa. Between 2002 and 2006, a longitudinal observational studywas conducted with 15 purposively selected small-scale dairy farmers in a land redistributionproject in Central North West Province. Four farmers left the project over the period.

Toxoplasma in animals, food, and humans: an old parasite of new concern.

All hosts, including humans, can be infected by any one of the three forms of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii that correspond to three morphological stages: tachyzoite, bradyzoite, and sporozoite form. Felids are definitive hosts for T. gondii, which is an intracellular pathogen that infects a wide range of warm-blooded intermediate hosts.

Evaluation of problems and possible solutions linked to the surveillance and control of bovine brucellosis in sub-Saharan Africa, with special emphasis on Nigeria.

Bovine brucellosis is disease of economic and public health significance in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease is distributed worldwide but some countries have been able to eradicate brucellosis from their territories using elaborate brucellosis control and eradication programmes that have been targeted primarily at livestock (the main reservoir host for the disease). This has been achieved mainly by vaccination, test and slaughter, as well as by regular surveillance for early detection of the disease.