UCT Open Access Journals (Univ. of Cape Town)
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Determinants of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine hesitancy in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
Get PDFBackground: Vaccine hesitancy is a major public health issue that has negatively impacted vaccine uptake in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The reasons why individuals hesitate or refuse to vaccinate are variable and factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy are not well outlined. This review, therefore, aims to identify and describe the determinants of HPV vaccine hesitancy in SSA.Methods: A systematic search was conducted across four electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL and Web of Science) from 2007 until October 2021 and updated in January 2022. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, 13 studies were eligible and were included in the analysis. Data extraction and synthesis were guided by the Health Belief Model. Quality assessment was performed using the NIH and CASP quality assessment tools.Results: The most frequently reported factors influencing HPV vaccine hesitancy included concerns about side effects and infertility; limited knowledge of HPV vaccine, HPV infection, and cervical cancer; lack of awareness of vaccination opportunities; mistrust of health workers, health authorities, and new vaccines; influence by caregivers, peers, community members or respected members of the society and religious and cultural factors. Other factors included accessibility issues (roads in poor condition, transport costs), adolescent absenteeism on vaccination day and dropping out of school.Conclusion: To reduce hesitancy and improve HPV vaccination coverage, vaccination programs need to develop and implement inclusive and context-specific strategies to enhance vaccine confidence, alleviate concerns, engage, and provide appropriate information to stakeholders involved in HPV vaccination, and dispel rumours and misinformation. The capacity of teachers and healthcare providers must be reinforced to equip them with knowledge about HPV vaccines, improve their interpersonal communication skills so that they can be better advocates for the vaccine within their communities.
 
A case of empyema necessitans in a paediatric patient with Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Get PDFEmpyema necessitans is a rare complication of pneumonia in which pus formed in the pleural cavity extends into the surrounding tissue. In children it is mostly caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but other bacterial organisms are implicated occasionally. Early diagnosis through appropriate imaging, cultures and molecular diagnostic tests of samples taken from the lesion is recommended. Outcome is good provided appropriate medical and surgical treatment are provided
Large nocturnal roosting aggregations and mass movements of Whiskered Terns in Liuwa Plain National Park, Zambia
Get PDFThe Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) is little studied in southern Africa. In Zambia, it is primarily found in the south and west of the country, where the Barotse Floodplain and Kafue Flats are known to contain substantial numbers of terns. Although the species is common in Liuwa Plain National Park, there are no high counts. While in Liuwa in July 2021, we observed over 1,600 Whiskered Terns at a nocturnal roost, which was located on floating vegetation in the middle of a pan. In June 2022 we observed three large nocturnal roosts ranging from 400–725 terns as well as large early morning movements of as many as 850 terns dispersing towards floodplains outside Liuwa. Our observation in 2021 represents one of the highest concentrations of Whiskered Terns recorded in southern Africa and those in 2022 suggest terns may commute tens of kilometers to forage during the day but return to Liuwa to roost communally
Enhanced Indoor Environmental Quality and the Link to Individual Productivity and Organisational Performance: A Scoping Review
Get PDFThis paper provides a scoping literature review of research methods that seek to measure individual productivity and organisational performance in office buildings containing enhanced green building features and initiatives that focus on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ).
The paper follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) framework and includes thirty-nine academic papers for the period 2000 to 2020. Different research instruments are discussed, including post-occupancy evaluations (POE), longitudinal surveys, and interviews. Furthermore, a narrative focuses on specific measures, including location, amenities, comfort, engagement, individual productivity, and organisational performance. This provides insight into common research approaches and highlights where lesser used research approaches could be applied in the field of green building features and initiatives (GBFIs), including the assessment of individual productivity and organisational performance. Key findings highlight that individual productivity was measured via self-assessment in previous research. At the same time, there has been no research that has successfully measured organisational performance within the context of GBFIs. Gaps have been identified in the literature concerning the relationship between knowledge-based building occupants and measuring/monetising the implementation of GBFIs. Implications of this research indicate that there are common approaches that highlight both strengths and, more importantly, weaknesses concerning linking GBFIs to individual productivity and organisational performance. Addressing weaknesses that predominantly encompass measuring organisational performance creates the opportunity for future research in this field.
Acquired Body of Knowledge: a Core Valuation Influencing Factor in Inter-valuer Variance
Get PDFConcerns over valuation accuracy and variance cannot be over-flogged, given the somewhat fluid nature of these concepts. It is however, more apt to dig into their fundamental causative factors. This paper realizes that specialist valuer or appraiser has a chain of sequential tasks anchored on his distinguishing competencies. At the heart of this is sufficient knowledge of the attributes of his subject of valuation. Twenty-two (22) Nigerian valuers based within Lagos Metropolis were made to carry out valuation assessment of selected landed and non-landed property assets and were also examined on their perception of the adequacy of their acquired Body of Knowledge (BOK) relevant to each asset category. The variation/dispersion in their valuations is revealed by the Standard Deviation of the distribution, for Landed Property, being 7.77 while that of Non-Landed Property is 32.24; By employing the 10% maximum variation rule of Glover (1985), 9% of the valuers fall outside the limit in respect of Landed Property whereas, the figure rose to 64% for Non-Landed Property assets. This is indicative of remarkably higher internal inconsistencies among respondent valuers on Non-Landed Property Assets. Multiple regression analysis of the results indicated that all the adaptive knowledge variables exert positive influence on valuer’s competence in valuation of both Landed Property and Non-Landed Property Assets. In view of these findings, there is urgent need to review and expand underlying curriculum for training prospective valuers towards aligning theory with practice and enhance their competence across property types
Forestalling Conflict in Compensation of Compulsorily Acquired Customary Land: The Intergenerational Payment Option
Get PDFLand in the traditional African society is owned in collectivism and does not belong to individuals but the entire family which comprises the living, the reverend souls of the ancestors and the generations yet unborn. Meanwhile, when a family land is acquired compulsorily by the government or through the market by private firms, only a few family members of the family enjoy the compensation proceeds. The under-aged family members and the yet unborn generations are usually left out from the compensation proceeds from the family heritage (land). This has resulted in encroachment of land and land conflict to reclaim lost heritage by the then under-aged family members and the “yet unborn” generation when they come of age. It has also resulted in violent land conflicts and delay in projects planned for the acquired land. This paper examines the prospect of using intergenerational compensation (IGC) which will extend payment beyond a generation as a strategy for compensation in the customary land acquisition process. Utilising a qualitative approach, the paper examines the views of representatives of 23 selected indigenous landholding families (ILFs) and key informants in government offices providing land administrative services (GOPLAS) in Lagos State on the concept of intergenerational compensation. The findings reveal the willingness of the ILFs to accept the IGC payment strategy but the GOPLAS were unwilling to support the strategy. It also provides information on reasons for the support and opposition to the strategy and how it can be implemented
Between Official Orthodoxy and Received Wisdom: Explaining Urban House Vacancies in Nigeria :
Get PDFHousing policies demonstrate the importance of shelter in the hierarchy of human needs. Therefore, Nigeria has a history of initiatives, handled by a ministry of housing, to stimulate housing production. However, recently expressed views by the housing minister suggest a new official thinking which, if officially embraced, could have undesirable implications for the sector. The views dispute the much mentioned 20 million-unit housing shortfall; deny the existence of any shortfall because of observed urban vacancies; suggest that all vacant houses are available for use and can be utilised for existent urban needs; and attribute rising urban housing demand exclusively to rural-urban migration. In this paper, these views are examined, particularly because Nigeria has ordinarily not been associated with housing sufficiency; Nigeria’s characteristic situation of rapidly rising rents suggest a supply insufficiency; every vacant house may not be available for occupation; and urban migration can also come from non-rural sources. Data for the study comes from the archives, received wisdom on the operations of the housing industry and empirical findings in housing economics. The findings reveal that a lack of data evidence is enough justification for the minster’s dismissal of the much mentioned 20 million-unit shortfall, but not the complete absence of a shortfall. The assertion that vacancies imply an oversupply is equally unsubstantiated by data and unsupported by received wisdom. Also the view that all vacancies imply availability is misplaced; and the claim that urban migration is entirely of rural origin disregards urban-urban migration. The conclusion is that the claims of an oversupply and absence of a housing shortfall are unfounded, particularly in the absence of data evidence, the same grounds for official dismissal of the 20 million-unit shortfall. The study recommends that the ministry should have a “rethink and understand the problem”, particularly how the housing market works.
 
The Breeding biology of the Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa
Get PDFThe Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus is endemic to South Africa where it typically occurs in high-altitude Mistbelt forests. They are listed as Vulnerable internationally with habitat loss being the primary threat to the species. They nest in natural tree hollows in large forest hardwoods which were the target of historical, exploitative harvesting, and which continue to be harvested legally but on a smaller scale. The breeding biology of the species has been described for the central population, but not yet for the southern population, in the Eastern Cape province, where the stronghold of the population resides. There, few nest sites have been located, and the study of the breeding behaviour and biology is a key knowledge gap in the species in need of conservation. This study aims to characterise natural nesting sites in the Eastern Cape, describe breeding behaviour and investigate breeding success during 2017–2021. A total of 43 nesting sites were located of which 20 were occupied. No pairs attempted breeding in 2019 and breeding success was estimated to be 58%. As found in other parts of the range, Cape Parrots in the study area nest in existing hollows predominantly in large, mature, yellowwood Afrocarpus falcatus trees. Parrots also nest in exotic species. They showed no preference for nest orientation and nested as close as 69 m away from their nearest neighbour. Most nest cavities were inaccessible by field researchers and could only be monitored from the ground, but new methods were found that facilitated the inspection of some nests that were unsafe to climb. Nest characteristics and breeding behaviour information gathered in this study provide a practical foundation for the optimisation of the design and installation of more nest boxes in future, to assist in conservation efforts of this threatened species
Update on acute bacterial meningitis in children
Get PDFAcute bacterial meningitis is a life-threatening infection of the membranes lining the brain. The causative organisms vary according to age and immune status and include group B streptococcus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and Staphylococcus aureus. Neisseria meningitidis is the primary cause of meningitis epidemics and historically has been the main cause of bacterial meningitis in the African Meningitis Belt (AMB). Antibiotic treatment including duration of therapy depends on the causative organism. The recent introduction of a meningococcal conjugate vaccine directed against serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis in childhood immunisation programmes in the AMB has been remarkably successful dramatically reducing the incidence of serogroup A meningitis.  
Impact of COVID-19 in pregnant and lactating women and the implications for their offspring
Get PDFThis commentary briefly discusses COVID-19 in pregnant and lactating women, the mother to child transmission risk, vaccination in pregnant and lactating women and transplacental antibody transfer after COVID-19 vaccination in pregnanc