The influence of contemporary and emerging factors on blood lead concentrations among young males in conflict with the law: a case study from a middle-income country.

Introduction: Scientific evidence shows that contemporary and emerging factors contribute to high blood lead concentrations in different populations. The study aimed to determine blood lead concentrations and risk factors associated with high blood lead concentrations among young males in conflict with the law.

Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 192 conveniently selected participants from two youth secure (correctional) facilities in Gauteng Province, South Africa.

Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 during a mass sporting event in the City of Cape Town, Western Cape.

Background: Wastewater surveillance has become an important public health tool with numerous research studies indicating its potential for monitoring coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks. The aim of this study was to apply wastewater surveillance as an indicator for COVID-19 to monitor the impact of a mass sporting event in the City of Cape Town. The study compared the same event over 2 years (2022 and 2023).

One Year of Wastewater Surveillance in South Africa Supporting COVID-19 Clinical Findings Across Two Waves of Infection.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been an important tool for the detection of COVID-19 outbreaks. The retrospective analysis of COVID-19 data is vital to understand the spread and impact of the virus as well as to inform future planning and response efforts. In this study, we evaluated the SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in wastewater from 21 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the City of Cape Town (South Africa) over a period of 12 months and compared the (inactive) SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in wastewater between wave 2 (November 2020 to January 2021) and wave 3 (June 2021 to September 2021).

Incidence and transmission of respiratory syncytial virus in urban and rural South Africa, 2017-2018.

Data on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) incidence and household transmission are limited. To describe RSV incidence and transmission, we conducted a prospective cohort study in rural and urban communities in South Africa over two seasons during 2017-2018. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected twice-weekly for 10 months annually and tested for RSV using PCR.

Wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 airport surveillance: key trends at the Cape Town International Airport.

Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater has revealed the role of mobility in the transmission of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and the surveillance of airport wastewater in cities across the world has demonstrated how travel entry points can give an indication of trends in transmission. This study undertook wastewater surveillance at the Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) to assess the use of a WBE approach to provide supplementary information on the presence of COVID-19 at a key air travel entry point in South Africa. Grab wastewater samples (n = 55) were collected from the CTIA wastewater pump station and analysed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method.

Exploring the Association between Ambient Temperature and Daily Hospital Admissions for Diarrhea in Mopani District, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Diarrhea contributes significantly to global morbidity and mortality. There is evidence that diarrhea prevalence is associated with ambient temperature. This study aimed to determine if there was an association between ambient temperature and diarrhea at a rural site in South Africa.

Relations between personal exposure to elevated concentrations of arsenic in water and soil and blood arsenic levels amongst people living in rural areas in Limpopo, South Africa.

Exposure to arsenic even at low levels can lead to adverse health outcomes, however, there is a paucity of research from South Africa in relation to human exposure to arsenic. We investigated long-term exposure of residents in Limpopo province, South Africa, in a cross-sectional study by analysing water, soil and blood arsenic concentrations from two arsenic-exposed (high and medium-low exposure) villages and one non-exposed (control) village. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of arsenic in water, soil and blood amongst the three sites.

Tanapox, South Africa, 2022.

Tanapox is a rarely diagnosed zoonosis known to be endemic to equatorial Africa. All previously reported human cases were acquired within 10° north or south of the Equator, most recently 19 years ago. We describe a human case of tanapox in South Africa (24° south of the Equator).

Environmental exposure to uranium in a population living in close proximity to gold mine tailings in South Africa.

Background: Gold mining activities in South Africa resulted in contamination of residential environment with uranium-rich wastes from mine tailings. Health of the people living around the mine tailings could be affected by uranium exposure due to its hazardous chemotoxic and radiological properties.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess i) uranium (U) concentrations in individual hair samples of children and adults living in close proximity to mine tailings in Northeast- Soweto in Johannesburg, South Africa, and ii) the association between U concentrations in hair and various factors, including zone of residence, socio-demographic and housing characteristics.

Developing a Healthy Environment Assessment Tool (HEAT) to Address Heat-Health Vulnerability in South African Towns in a Warming World.

Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can cause heat-related illnesses and accelerate death, especially in the elderly. We developed a locally-appropriate Healthy Environment Assessment Tool, or 'HEAT' tool, to assess heat-health risks among communities. HEAT was co-developed with stakeholders and practitioners/professionals from the Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM), a setting in which heat was identified as a risk in an earlier study.

Using Wastewater Surveillance to Compare COVID-19 Outbreaks during the Easter Holidays over a 2-Year Period in Cape Town, South Africa.

Wastewater surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has shown to be an important approach to determine early outbreaks of infections. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is regarded as a complementary tool for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 trends in communities. In this study, the changes in the SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in wastewater during Easter holidays in 2021 and 2022 in the City of Cape Town were monitored over nine weeks.

The Association between Apparent Temperature and Hospital Admissions for Cardiovascular Disease in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have a high disease burden both globally and in South Africa. They have also been found to be temperature-sensitive globally. The association between temperature and CVD morbidity has previously been demonstrated, but little is known about it in South Africa.

Delineating the Spread and Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Sublineages (BA.1-BA.5) and Deltacron Using Wastewater in the Western Cape, South Africa.

This study was one of the first to detect Omicron sublineages BA.4 and BA.5 in wastewater from South Africa.

Elevated soil and blood lead levels with increasing residential proximity to a mine tailings facility in Soweto, South Africa.

Mining has long been associated with the release of a range of toxic metals including lead, elevated levels of which have been found in land surrounding mine dumps as far afield as Spain, India, Macedonia and Nigeria. Mining has been a key pillar of economic development in South Africa for around a century and a half, and has left a legacy of major environmental contamination, with the poorest experiencing the highest burden of exposure. The current study was undertaken to ascertain the concentrations of lead in soil and in the blood of adults and children residing at increasing distances from a cluster of large tailings facilities (MTFs) in greater Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sewage surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 at student campus residences in the Western Cape, South Africa.

The current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) diagnostic capacity is limited in defined communities, posing a challenge in tracking and tracing new infections. Monitoring student residences, which are considered infection hotspots, with targeted wastewater surveillance is crucial. This study evaluated the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 targeted wastewater surveillance for outbreak mitigation at Stellenbosch University's student residences in South Africa.

A study protocol to evaluate the impact of a personal and domestic hygiene intervention on lead exposure in a community next to a mine dump.

Background: Lead has been associated with adverse health effects, especially neurocognitive and behavioural effects, in children. Communities living close to mining land are at risk of elevated exposure to lead.

Methods: This paper outlines a before and after intervention study protocol to evaluate the impact of a personal and domestic hygiene intervention on lead exposure in a community located adjacent to a mine dump.

Heavy Metal Contamination of Soil in Preschool Facilities around Industrial Operations, Kuils River, Cape Town (South Africa).

The contamination of soil by heavy metals is a potential health risk, especially among susceptible populations. The aim of this study was to measure the levels of heavy metals, identify the contamination levels and possible sources of heavy metals, and evaluate the health risk caused by heavy metals to the children living in Kuils River. Composite samples of soil were collected at 34 preschools.

Association between Bone Lead Concentration and Aggression in Youth from a Sub-Cohort of the Birth to Twenty Cohort.

Background: An association between blood-lead levels and aggression has been demonstrated in children and adolescent youth in South Africa. However, there are limited studies that have assessed aggression as an outcome for cumulative lead exposure using bone lead concentration. This study aims to assess the association between bone lead concentration and aggressive behaviour among a sample of youth in South Africa.

Household Air Pollution and Respiratory Symptoms a Month Before and During the Stringent COVID-19 Lockdown Levels 5 and 4 in South Africa.

Background: Household air pollution (HAP) is associated with adverse human health impacts. During COVID-19 Lockdown Levels 5 and 4 (the most stringent levels), South Africans remained at home, potentially increasing their exposure to HAP.

Objectives: To investigate changes in fuel use behaviours/patterns of use affecting HAP exposure and associated HAP-related respiratory health outcomes during COVID-19 Lockdown Levels 5 and 4.

Tracking the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern in South Africa using wastewater-based epidemiology.

This study uses wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to rapidly and, through targeted surveillance, track the geographical distribution of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (Alpha, Beta and Delta) within 24 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Western Cape of South Africa. Information obtained was used to identify the circulating variant of concern (VOC) within a population and retrospectively trace when the predominant variant was introduced. Genotyping analysis of SARS-CoV-2 showed that 50% of wastewater samples harbored signature mutations linked to the Beta variant before the third wave, with the Delta variant absent within the population.

Spatial and Temporal Trends of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from Wastewater Treatment Plants over 6 Weeks in Cape Town, South Africa.

Recent scientific trends have revealed that the collection and analysis of data on the occurrence and fate of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater may serve as an early warning system for COVID-19. In South Africa, the first COVID-19 epicenter emerged in the Western Cape Province. The City of Cape Town, located in the Western Cape Province, has approximately 4 million inhabitants.

Classroom Temperature and Learner Absenteeism in Public Primary Schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Children spend a significant proportion of their time at school and in school buildings. A healthy learning environment that supports children should be thermally conducive for learning and working. Here, we aimed to study the relations between indoor classroom temperatures and learner absenteeism as a proxy for children's health and well-being.

Ergonomic Risk Assessment during an Informal Hand-Made Cookware Operation: Extending an Existing Model.

The work conducted in the informal sector is highly variable within and between days. Characterizing ergonomic exposures remains a challenge because of unstructured work settings and schedules. The existing ergonomic risk assessment tools have been widely used in formal work settings with a narrow range of exposure, and for predefined tasks that primarily constitute a daily routine.