Publications by authors named "M A Okeyo"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the cocirculation of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on how SARS-CoV-2 prevalence measures from influenza surveillance align with broader national data.
- Researchers enrolled over 7,300 patients with respiratory illnesses from April 2020 to March 2022, collecting health information and testing respiratory specimens for both viruses.
- The findings show a correlation between SARS-CoV-2 positivity rates from sentinel surveillance and national data, and the study assesses how coinfection impacts severe clinical outcomes in patients.
Purpose: Omicron is rapidly spreading as a new SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC). The question whether this new variant has an impact on SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test (RAT) performance is of utmost importance. To obtain an initial estimate regarding differences of RATs in detecting omicron and delta, seven commonly used SARS-CoV-2 RATs from different manufacturers were analysed using cell culture supernatants and clinical specimens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Five SARS-CoV-2 variants are currently considered as variants of concern (VOC). Omicron was declared a VOC at the end of November 2021. Based on different diagnostic methods, the occurrence of Omicron was reported by 52 countries worldwide on December 7 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSelection based on genomic predictions has become the method of choice for genetic improvement in dairy cattle. This offers huge opportunity for developing countries with little or no pedigree data, and preliminary studies have shown promising results. The African Dairy Genetic Gains (ADGG) project initiated a digital system of dairy performance data collection, accompanied by genotyping in Tanzania in 2016.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluenza surveillance capacity improvements in Africa during 2011-2017.
Influenza Other Respir Viruses
July 2021
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluated influenza surveillance sustainability in Africa from 2011 to 2017, focusing on how external funding cuts affected the systems in place.
- A survey found that 75% of ANISE member countries maintained a high quality of laboratory standards and consistent testing for severe acute respiratory infections, though testing for influenza-like illnesses dropped slightly.
- Notably, half of surveyed countries improved their ability to type influenza B, and weekly reporting to WHO increased, indicating advancements in surveillance despite funding challenges.