Assessing the Malaria Burden and Community Response to the Malaria Control and Management Programs in Omoro District, Northern Uganda.

Malaria remains the leading cause of hospitalization and death in the healthcare system. This study explored the malaria burden and community response to government malaria control programs in Omoro district. This retrospective study involved 576 patient results from purposely selected health facilities data from health center III (HCIII) of Odek, Bobi, and Lapainat and health center IV (HCIV) of Lalogi.

"The peace that I wanted, I got": Qualitative insights from patient experiences of SMART DAPPER interventions for major depression and traumatic stress disorders in Kenya.

SMART DAPPER is an implementation science study responding to mental health treatment gaps for depression and trauma-related disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We report on patient experiences in a study using a Sequential, Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) design to test first and second line non-specialist treatment using psychotherapy (Interpersonal Psychotherapy [IPT] or medication (fluoxetine [FLX]), integrated within public sector primary care in western Kenya. An embedded qualitative study conducted in-depth interviews (n = 17) and three (n = 3) focus group discussions with participants (May to October 2021).

Defining a screening tool for post-traumatic stress disorder in East Africa: a penalized regression approach.

Background: Scalable PTSD screening strategies must be brief, accurate and capable of administration by a non-specialized workforce.

Methods: We used PTSD as determined by the structured clinical interview as our gold standard and considered predictors sets of (a) Posttraumatic Stress Checklist-5 (PCL-5), (b) Primary Care PTSD Screen for the DSM-5 (PC-PTSD) and, (c) PCL-5 and PC-PTSD questions to identify the optimal items for PTSD screening for public sector settings in Kenya. A logistic regression model using LASSO was fit by minimizing the average squared error in the validation data.

Sibling Species Composition and Susceptibility Status of s.l. to Insecticides Used for Indoor Residual Spraying in Eastern Uganda.

Background: Malaria remains one of the most critical disease causing morbidity and mortality in Uganda. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) and the use of insecticide-treated bed nets are currently the predominant malaria vector control interventions. However, the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance among malaria vectors threaten the continued effectiveness of these interventions to control the disease, particularly in high transmission areas.

Utilizing technology: A cross-sectional study on ICT in healthcare in Kericho County, Kenya.

Introduction: The potential for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in healthcare is immense, revolutionizing the delivery of medical services and improving patient outcomes. ICT efficiently manages health information, facilitating electronic health records (EHRs) and streamlined communication among healthcare professionals, leading to significant changes, especially in underserved areas.

Material And Methods: This cross-sectional study took place between March and April 2023 among healthcare professionals in Kericho County, Kenya.

Spatial Distribution of Tsetse Flies and Trypanosome Infection Status in a Vector Genetic Transition Zone in Northern Uganda.

Background: Tsetse flies are vectors of the genus Trypanosoma that cause African trypanosomiasis, a serious parasitic disease of people and animals. Reliable data on the vector distribution and the trypanosome species they carry is pertinent for planning sustainable control strategies. This study was carried out to estimate the spatial distribution, apparent density, and trypanosome infection rates of tsetse flies in two districts that fall within a vector genetic transition zone in northern Uganda.

Apparent density, trypanosome infection rates and host preference of tsetse flies in the sleeping sickness endemic focus of northwestern Uganda.

Background: African trypanosomiasis, caused by protozoa of the genus Trypanosoma and transmitted by the tsetse fly, is a serious parasitic disease of humans and animals. Reliable data on the vector distribution, feeding preference and the trypanosome species they carry is pertinent to planning sustainable control strategies.

Methodology: We deployed 109 biconical traps in 10 villages in two districts of northwestern Uganda to obtain information on the apparent density, trypanosome infection status and blood meal sources of tsetse flies.

Determinants of modern contraceptive prevalence and unplanned pregnancies in Migori County, Kenya: results of a cross-sectional household survey.

Family planning and contraceptive utilization can have significant effects in reducing unplanned pregnancies and improving maternal and child health indicators. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study analyzing survey response data within six sub-locations of Migori County, Kenya in 2018 and 2019. We utilize this survey data to estimate both the prevalence of contraceptive uptake and unwanted pregnancies in the study populations, and to examine the potential role that different factors play in meeting related family planning targets.

Interpersonal psychotherapy delivered by nonspecialists for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder among Kenyan HIV-positive women affected by gender-based violence: Randomized controlled trial.

Background: HIV-positive women suffer a high burden of mental disorders due in part to gender-based violence (GBV). Comorbid depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are typical psychiatric consequences of GBV. Despite attention to the HIV-GBV syndemic, few HIV clinics offer formal mental healthcare.

High insecticide resistances levels in Anopheles gambiaes s.l. in northern Uganda and its relevance for future malaria control.

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the level of insecticide resistance and diversity in Anopheles mosquitoes in northern Uganda. Standard WHO insecticide susceptibility test assays were used to test for susceptibility to 0.5% malathion, 0.

Improving Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Knowledge and Skills to Develop Health Research Capacity in Kenya.

Objectives Information and communication technology (ICT) tools are increasingly important for clinical care and international research. Many technologies would be particularly useful for healthcare workers in resource-limited settings; however, these individuals are the least likely to utilize ICT tools due tolack of knowledge and skills necessary to use them. Our program aimed to train researchers in low-resource settings on using ICT tools and to understand how different didactic modalities build knowledge and skills in this area.

Spatio-temporal distribution of Spiroplasma infections in the tsetse fly (Glossina fuscipes fuscipes) in northern Uganda.

Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) are vectors of parasitic trypanosomes, which cause human (HAT) and animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) in sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, Glossina fuscipes fuscipes (Gff) is the main vector of HAT, where it transmits Gambiense disease in the northwest and Rhodesiense disease in central, southeast and western regions.

The population genomics of multiple tsetse fly (Glossina fuscipes fuscipes) admixture zones in Uganda.

Understanding the mechanisms that enforce, maintain or reverse the process of speciation is an important challenge in evolutionary biology. This study investigates the patterns of divergence and discusses the processes that form and maintain divergent lineages of the tsetse fly Glossina fuscipes fuscipes in Uganda. We sampled 251 flies from 18 sites spanning known genetic lineages and the four admixture zones between them.

A spatial genetics approach to inform vector control of tsetse flies () in Northern Uganda.

Tsetse flies (genus ) are the only vector for the parasitic trypanosomes responsible for sleeping sickness and nagana across sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, the tsetse fly is responsible for transmission of the parasite in 90% of sleeping sickness cases, and co-occurrence of both forms of human-infective trypanosomes makes vector control a priority. We use population genetic data from 38 samples from northern Uganda in a novel methodological pipeline that integrates genetic data, remotely sensed environmental data, and hundreds of field-survey observations.

Genetic diversity and population structure of the tsetse fly Glossina fuscipes fuscipes (Diptera: Glossinidae) in Northern Uganda: Implications for vector control.

Uganda is the only country where the chronic and acute forms of human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness both occur and are separated by < 100 km in areas north of Lake Kyoga. In Uganda, Glossina fuscipes fuscipes is the main vector of the Trypanosoma parasites responsible for these diseases as well for the animal African Trypanosomiasis (AAT), or Nagana. We used highly polymorphic microsatellite loci and a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) marker to provide fine scale spatial resolution of genetic structure of G.

Assessment of Ficam VC (Bendiocarb) Residual Activity on Different Wall Surfaces for Control of Anopheles gambiae s.s. (Diptera: Culicidae) in Northern Uganda.

Insecticide decay rate on different wall surfaces is of importance to indoor residual spray (IRS) programs used as a malaria control intervention. Past IRS operations showed increasing populations of endophilic malaria vectors resting on indoor surfaces from various sites in Uganda following use of Ficam VC (bendiocarb) insecticide; variability of insecticide life was believed to be primarily due to wall surface type. Bendiocarb longevity was tested in the northern Uganda districts of Amuru, Apac, and Pader to assess its residual efficacy on three commonly encountered wall surfaces.

Collaborative Interpersonal Psychotherapy for HIV-Positive Women in Kenya: A Case Study From the Mental Health, HIV and Domestic Violence (MIND) Study.

We examine the efficacy of nonspecialists delivering interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) to HIV-positive (HIV+) women. We describe a case in which local personnel without prior mental health training delivered IPT for the treatment of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder in an HIV+ woman who reported experiencing gender-based violence and was enrolled in HIV care at the Family AIDS, Care, Education and Services program in Kisumu, Kenya.

Evidence of temporal stability in allelic and mitochondrial haplotype diversity in populations of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes (Diptera: Glossinidae) in northern Uganda.

Background: Glossina fuscipes fuscipes is a tsetse species of high economic importance in Uganda where it is responsible for transmitting animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) and both the chronic and acute forms of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). We used genotype data from 17 microsatellites and a mitochondrial DNA marker to assess temporal changes in gene frequency for samples collected between the periods ranging from 2008 to 2014 in nine localities spanning regions known to harbor the two forms of HAT in northern Uganda.

Results: Our findings suggest that the majority of the studied populations in both HAT foci are genetically stable across the time span sampled.

Assessing the effect of decentralisation of laboratory diagnosis for drug-resistant tuberculosis in Kenya.

Setting: Drug susceptibility testing (DST) is recommended in Kenya to identify multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in persons registered for tuberculosis (TB) retreatment. DST is performed at a central laboratory with a two-step growth-based process and a regional laboratory with a simultaneous molecular- and growth-based process.

Objective: To compare proportions of retreatment cases who underwent DST and turnaround times for hospitals referring to the central vs.

Heterogeneity in the prevalence and intensity of bovine trypanosomiasis in the districts of Amuru and Nwoya, Northern Uganda.

Background: Livestock trypanosomiasis, transmitted mainly by tsetse flies of the genus Glossina is a major constraint to livestock health and productivity in the sub-Saharan Africa. Knowledge of the prevalence and intensity of trypanosomiasis is important in understanding the epidemiology of the disease. The objectives of this study were to (a) assess the prevalence and intensity of trypanosome infections in cattle, and (b) to investigate the reasons for the heterogeneity of the disease in the tsetse infested districts of Amuru and Nwoya, northern Uganda.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Trypanosoma brucei in Uganda: implications for the epidemiology of sleeping sickness and Nagana.

Background: While Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is in decline on the continent of Africa, the disease still remains a major health problem in Uganda. There are recurrent sporadic outbreaks in the traditionally endemic areas in south-east Uganda, and continued spread to new unaffected areas in central Uganda. We evaluated the evolutionary dynamics underpinning the origin of new foci and the impact of host species on parasite genetic diversity in Uganda.

The impact of routine cryptococcal antigen screening on survival among HIV-infected individuals with advanced immunosuppression in Kenya.

Objectives: To test the hypothesis that a screening and treatment intervention for early cryptococcal infection would improve survival among HIV-infected individuals with low CD4 cell counts.

Methods: Newly enrolled patients at Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES) in Kenya with CD4 ≤ 100 cells/μl were tested for serum cryptococcal antigen (sCrAg). Individuals with sCrAg titre ≥ 1:2 were treated with high-dose fluconazole.

Assessing mating performance of male Glossina pallidipes (Diptera: Glossinidae) using a walk-in field cage.

To monitor the quality of male tsetse for use in the sterile insect technique (SIT), a field cage test was developed and evaluated. Mating competitiveness was tested with male Glossina pallidipes Austen that emerged from pupae stored for different periods at 15 degrees C. Control males emerged from pupae stored at 23-24 degrees C and emerged at 26.

Field evaluation of a dot-ELISA for the detection and differentiation of trypanosome species in infected tsetse flies (Glossina spp.).

A rapid, visually read, dot-ELISA developed for the detection and differentiation of trypanosome species in tsetse flies (Glossina spp.), was field tested alongside the standard fly dissection method on a range in south eastern Kenya. Of 104 G.