Malaria vector surveillance is required to determine disease transmission dynamics, vector insecticide susceptibility status, suitable control strategies and impact of control interventions. However, capacity and resources for vector surveillance and insecticide resistance monitoring is often inadequate in most countries at risk of vector-borne diseases. Collaborations and linkages between malaria control policy makers and existing research institutions generating vector surveillance research data are often weak, thereby hindering the availability of data for decision-making.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutritional modifications to improve meat quality is targeted by farmers. Bird eye pepper (BEP) contains bio-compounds of physiological significance. The potency of BEP of varying inclusion level and sieve size on meat quality [fatty acid (FA), lipid profile and oxidative stability] of broiler chickens was investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigated the potency of bird eye pepper () of varying proportion and sieve size on growth performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. Two hundred and forty-six 2-wk-old broiler chicks were randomly allotted to six treatment groups (basal diet (B) inclusive × 2) in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement each replicated four times (10 × 10 × 10 × 11) in a completely randomized design. Diets containing BEP of varying proportion (0, 150, and 300 g) and sieve size (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe African Union and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Call to Action in 2022 for Africa's New Public Health Order that underscored the need for increased capacity in the public health workforce. Additional domestic and global investments in public health workforce development are central to achieving the aspirations of Agenda 2063 of the African Union, which aims to build and accelerate the implementation of continental frameworks for equitable, people-centred growth and development. Recognising the crucial role of higher education and research, we assessed the capabilities of public health doctoral training in schools and programmes of public health in Africa across three conceptual components: instructional, institutional, and external.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regarding risky behaviors among adolescents remains scarce, despite the large population (approximately 249 million out of 1.2 billion globally in 2019) of adolescents in the region. We aimed to examine the potential influence of depressive symptoms and school-going status on risky behaviors among adolescents in six SSA countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is very limited data on the extent and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among adults living in sub-Saharan Africa since the global roll-out of vaccines began in 2021. This multi-country survey sought to investigate COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and other predictors of readiness to get vaccinated. We conducted surveys among adults residing in nine urban and rural areas in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania in late 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Sub-Saharan Africa faces prolonged COVID-19 related impacts on economic activity, livelihoods and nutrition, with recovery slowed down by lagging vaccination progress.
Objective: This study investigated the economic impacts of COVID-19 on food prices, consumption and dietary quality in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
Methods: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study using a mobile platform to collect data from July-December, 2021 (round 2).
Introduction: Multimonth dispensing (MMD) enables less frequent clinic visits and improved outcomes for people living with HIV, but few children and adolescents living with HIV (CALHIV) are on MMD. At the end of the October-December 2019 quarter, only 23% of CALHIV receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) through SIDHAS project sites in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, Nigeria, were receiving MMD. In March 2020, during COVID-19, the government expanded MMD eligibility to include children and recommended rapid implementation to minimize clinic visits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV from a fatal illness to a chronic disease. Given the high rate of treatment interruptions, HIV programs use a range of approaches to support individuals in adhering to ART and in re-engaging those who interrupt treatment. These interventions can often be time-consuming and costly, and thus providing for all may not be sustainable.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCOVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among adolescents poses a challenge to the global effort to control the pandemic. This multi-country survey aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa between July and December 2021. The survey was conducted using computer-assisted telephone interviewing among adolescents in five sub-Saharan African countries, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite increasing reports and concerns about the development of resistance to public-health insecticides in malaria vectors, significant progress has been made in the search for alternative strategies to disrupt the disease transmission cycle by targeting insect vectors and thus sustaining vector management. The use of insecticidal plants is a strategy that can be employed and this study investigates the toxicity potential of insecticidal plant oils shortlisted in an ethnobotanical survey on Anopheles gambiae larvae and adult stages. The shortlisted plants parts, the leaves of Hyptis suaveolens, Ocimum gratissimum, Nicotiana tabacum, Ageratum conyzoides, and Citrus sinensis fruit-peel were collected and extracted using a Clevenger apparatus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This multicountry survey assessed the levels and the determinants of the impacts of the pandemic on education and mental health among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa and the potential factors that may exacerbate these adverse impacts.
Methods: A phone survey was conducted among adolescents in nine diverse areas in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania between July and December 2021. Approximately 300 adolescents per area and 2,803 adolescents in total were included.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious negative health and economic impacts in sub-Saharan Africa. Continuous monitoring of these impacts is crucial to formulate interventions to minimize the consequences of COVID-19. This study surveyed 2,829 adults in urban and rural sites among five sub-Saharan African countries: Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ghana.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Continuous monitoring of the pandemic's impact on health service provision and mental health, COVID-19 perceptions, and compliance with prevention measures among health care providers (HCPs) can help with mitigating the pandemic's negative effects.
Methods: A computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) survey was conducted among 1499 HCPs in Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), Nigeria (Lagos and Ibadan), Tanzania (Dar es Salaam), and Ghana (Kintampo). Self-reported mental health, perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and prevention measures available in the workplace were assessed.
Introduction: To identify the specific Anopheles mosquito sibling species responsible for malaria transmission, determine their vectorial potential, and predict suitable control measures, this study investigated genetic identities, human blood feeding, and sporozoite infection rates of endophilic Anopheles mosquitoes in Gaa-Bolorunduro, a cattle rearing community in Kwara State, Nigeria.
Methodology: Monthly pyrethrum spray collections of Anopheles mosquitoes were conducted for one year in addition to PCR characterization of sibling species and ELISA probing of human blood meal and sporozoite infections. Mean numbers and human blood indices (HBI) of the different Anopheles sibling species identified were compared.
This study examined pyrethroid resistance intensity and mechanisms in Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera: Culicidae) populations from Jigawa, North-West Nigeria. Resistance statuses to permethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and alphacypermethrin were determined with both WHO and CDC resistance bioassays. Synergist assay was conducted by pre-exposing the populations to Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) using the WHO method.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalaria is a major public health challenge in Africa with Nigeria accounting for the highest burden of the disease in the world. Vector control has proved to be a highly effective component of malaria control, however, the development and spread of insecticide resistance in major vectors of malaria have been a major challenge. This study assessed resistance mechanisms in Anopheles coluzzii populations from Kosofe, Lagos mainland and Ojo Local Government Areas in Lagos, Nigeria where An.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Decision making process for Official Development Assistance (ODA) for healthcare sector in low-income and middle-income countries involves multiple agencies, each with their unique power, priorities and funding mechanisms. This process at country level has not been well studied.
Methods: This paper developed and applied a new framework to analyze decision-making process for priority setting in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania, and collected primary data to validate and refine the model.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can have far-reaching consequences for developing countries through the combined effects of infection and mortality, and the mitigation measures that can impact food systems and diets. Using a mobile platform, this cross-sectional study evaluated the effect of COVID-19 on food prices and dietary quality for 1797 households in Nouna and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, Addis Ababa and Kersa in Ethiopia, and Lagos and Ibadan in Nigeria. We assessed the consumption of 20 food groups during the previous 7 days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significant health and economic ramifications across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Data regarding its far-reaching impacts are severely lacking, thereby hindering the development of evidence-based strategies to mitigate its direct and indirect health consequences. To address this need, the Africa Research, Implementation Science, and Education (ARISE) Network established a mobile survey platform in SSA to generate longitudinal data regarding knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to COVID-19 prevention and management and to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on health and socioeconomic domains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe public health measures instituted by governments to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may cause developmental and educational losses to adolescents. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its mitigation strategies on adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are unclear. This study aimed to examine adolescents' knowledge, perceptions, and practices related to COVID-19 and the impacts of the pandemic on the daily lives of adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa.
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