Seroprevalence and distribution of arboviral infections among rural Kenyan adults: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Arthorpod-borne viruses (arboviruses) cause wide-spread morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa, but little research has documented the burden and distribution of these pathogens.

Methods: Using a population-based, cross-sectional study design, we administered a detailed questionnaire and used ELISA to test the blood of 1,141 healthy Kenyan adults from three districts for the presence of anti-viral Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to the following viruses: dengue (DENV), West Nile (WNV), yellow fever (YFV), Chikungunya (CHIKV), and Rift Valley fever (RVFV).

Results: Of these, 14.

Literacy and recent history of diarrhoea are predictive of Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia in Kenyan adults.

Background: Malaria is one of the most serious health problems in Kenya. In 2004, the Kenya Medical Research Institute and the US Army Medical Research Unit--Kenya surveyed adults in Samburu, Malindi, and Busia districts to determine socioeconomic risk factors for infection.

Methods: Sociodemographic, health, and antimalarial data were collected along with blood for malaria testing.

Influenza: the next pandemic?: A review.

Objectives: To examine existing information on the recent influenza outbreaks in order to create awareness of a possible influenza pandemic and to suggest future research areas in developing control strategies in Kenya.

Data Sources: Review of literature via Internet, articles, journals and un-refereed features from the media and personal communications.

Data Selection: Most published data from 1979 to March 2005 found to reveal cases of influenza outbreaks were included in the review.

The use of short-course zidovudine to prevent perinatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus in rural Kenya.

To determine the feasibility of using short-course zidovudine (ZDV) to prevent mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a breastfeeding population in a rural area in Kenya, pregnant mothers attending clinics in seven health centers in western Kenya between 1996 and 1998 were requested to volunteer for participation in this study. The HIV-infected mothers were given a daily dose of 400 mg of ZDV starting at 36 weeks of gestation and another 300 mg every three hours intrapartum. After delivery, mothers and their children were followed-up and clinically monitored every 3-4 months for two years, and child and mother mortality rates were analyzed.

Maternal immune responses and risk of infant infection with HIV-1 after a short course Zidovudine in a cohort of HIV-1 infected pregnant women in rural Kenya.

Objective: To investigate the effects of short-course nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (Zidovudine, ZDW/AZT) on maternal immune responses and risk of infant infection with HIV-1 among rural-based mothers in western Kenya.

Design: A prospective cohort study involving HIV-1 seropositive pregnant mothers and their infants.

Subjects: One hundred and seven HIV-1 seropositive asymptomatic pregnant women and their infants.