Health care switching behaviour of malaria patients in a Kenyan rural community.

Patients ordinarily use multiple sources of health care. This study reveals the transitions patients in a rural region of Gusii, Kenya are likely to make beyond the homestead in their search for alternatives to combat malaria. Malaria is a very common health problem in the region resulting in enormous human and economic losses.

Policy implications of the inadequate support systems for orphans in western Kenya.

This paper describes the support systems available for orphans in a rural Luo community in Nyang'oma sub-location in Bondo District of Western Kenya. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with orphaned children and their caretakers as well as key informants, and through focus group discussions with orphaned children, widows and community elders. Quantitative data were obtained by questionnaires administered to 100 caretakers of orphaned children.

Sexual behaviour and sexually transmitted diseases among young men in Zambia.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are an increasing public health problem in Zambia. About 200 000 cases of STDs are treated annually in the formal health sector. Young people are the most affected by STDs.

Traditional healers and the treatment of sexually transmitted illnesses in rural Zambia.

Lately there has been increasing interest regarding the practice of traditional healers and their use of indigenous plants to treat illnesses. Twenty-three local healers (n'ganga) in Chiawa, rural Zambia, were interviewed about knowledge, practices, and their use of indigenous plants in the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted illnesses (STIs) among male clients. They were also asked about their perceptions of modern medicine.

Home case management of malaria: an ethnographic study of lay people's classification of drugs in Suneka division, Kenya.

Lay people in malaria-affected regions frequently have to choose from many over-the-counter malaria management drugs, requiring them to be able to identify these medications and distinguish between them. Lay people make these distinctions at two levels - age of the patient and the whether he or she has fever, pain or malaria. Sometimes decisions are based on incorrect information given by friends and relatives, causing prolonged suffering to the patient, exacerbating chloroquine resistance and leading to resistance to the sulfodoxine/pyrymethamine drugs now recommended as first-line treatment in Kenya.

Ecological stress and political coercion in the Sudan.

This article outlines the impact of state intervention on ecological relations in the Sudan. The establishment of large-scale mechanised agricultural schemes; population and livestock concentration around water sources; and the evolution of large urban centres with high demands for firewood and charcoal have all contributed to ecological degradation. These effects have been coupled with the use of coercive measures to displace traditional farmers and pastoralists from their lands in favour of large-scale farming schemes.

Pastoral and environmental security in East Africa.

The most vulnerable people in Third World countries are often accused of destroying forests and fragile ecosystems and of practising destructive forms of agriculture and animal husbandry. The key to environmental sustainability, however, lies in more reliable production and food security at the local level. This article focuses on individual and household security amongst dryland herders in East Africa.