Publications by authors named "Mazyanga Mazaba Liwewe"
Article Synopsis
- - The study evaluated the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Zambia from May 2021 to March 2022, focusing on those with a complete vaccination schedule.
- - Researchers included 1,767 HCWs, with 282 fully vaccinated participants, and found that vaccine effectiveness (VE) was 72.7% overall, and higher during the Delta variant period (79.4%) compared to the Omicron period (37.5%).
- - The findings concluded that COVID-19 vaccines were effective in reducing symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 cases when the Delta variant was prevalent, but were less effective during the Omicron variant period.
Background: There has been a reduction in tobacco smoking worldwide except in developing countries. Africa has the lowest prevalence of tobacco use in the world, however, the rising trends amidst the WHO FCTC implementation are worrisome as it is likely to increase the tobacco public health impact in the next decade. The study investigated factors associated with tobacco smoking among adults in Zambia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: North-Western and Western provinces of Zambia were reclassified as low-risk areas for yellow fever (YF). However, the current potential for YF transmission in these areas is unclear.
Aims: To determine the current potential risk of YF infection.
Objective: To determine the distribution of yellow fever (YF) vectors species in Northwestern and Western of Zambia, which sampled mosquitoes inside and outside houses in rural, urban, peri-urban and forest areas.
Methods: Back-pack aspirators spray catches and CDC light traps collected adult mosquitoes including 405 Aedes, 518 Anopheles, 471 Culex and 71 Mansonia. Morphological vector identification and PCR viral determination were done at a WHO Regional Reference Centre (Institute Pasteur Dakar), Senegal.
Background: Dengue fever is a tropical infectious disease caused by dengue virus (DENV), a single positive-stranded RNA Flavivirus. There is no published evidence of dengue in Zambia. The objective of the study was to determine the sero-prevalence and correlates for dengue fever specific IgG antibodies in Western and North-Western provinces in Zambia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In response to the potential threat of an influenza pandemic, several international institutions and governments, in partnership with African countries, invested in the development of epidemiologic and laboratory influenza surveillance capacity in Africa and the African Network of Influenza Surveillance and Epidemiology (ANISE) was formed.
Methods: We used a standardized form to collect information on influenza surveillance system characteristics, the number and percent of influenza-positive patients with influenza-like illness (ILI), or severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and virologic data from countries participating in ANISE.
Results: Between 2006 and 2010, the number of ILI and SARI sites in 15 African countries increased from 21 to 127 and from 2 to 98, respectively.