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Knowledge, attitudes and practices toward female genital schistosomiasis among community women and healthcare professionals in Kimpese region, Democratic Republic of Congo
No full textBackground Chronic infection with Schistosoma haematobium causes female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), which leads to diverse lesions in the female genital tract and several complications, including infertility and a higher risk for HIV transmission. This study aims to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward FGS and associated factors among women and health professionals in the schistosomiasis endemic focus of Kimpese, western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Methods In January 2022, two semi-quantitative questionnaires were administered to 201 randomly selected community women in Kifua II village, and to purposely selected health professionals (20 nurses and 41 doctors) from Kimpese Health Zone. KAP statements were coded using Likert scale, summarized as frequencies and percentages, and assessed for internal reliability using Cronbach s alpha. Associations between the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents and the KAP variables were assessed using Pearson chi-square (χ2) test, Cramer s V (φ) and gamma (γ) coefficients. Results Overall, respondents had high knowledge of schistosomiasis in general but low FGS-specific knowledge (91% versus 45%). Misconceptions concerned the disease transmission, with 30.3% of women and 25% of the nurses believing that FGS is transmitted by drinking untreated water, while 26.8% of the doctors mentioned sexual contact as a mode of FGS transmission. Negative attitudes included considering FGS not a very serious disease (34.8%), feeling uncomfortable during gynaecological examination (35.3%), difficulties avoiding risky water contact (72.1%) and open defecation/urination (41.3%), not intending to share FGS status with their husbands (38.3%) and loved ones (63.6%), and believing that husbands would leave them if they were infertile (31.8%). Regarding practices, 77.6% of women engaged daily in activities involving contact with water. Practices of health professionals were hampered by the lack of equipment and specialized knowledge for FGS diagnosis with only 57% of healthcare workers having a microscope in their facilities. Women s KAPs varied by age, education, marital status, occupation and monthly income. Conclusion This study highlights insufficient knowledge, existing negative attitudes, at risk practices towards FGS by women, and limitations of FGS management by health professionals. These findings can help for tailored health education and WASH strategies, and call for health professional s capacities reinforcement
Avancement du projet de l'inventaire typologique et dendrochronologique des charpentes anciennes en région Bruxelles-Capitale
No full textRapid invasion of the Afrotropics by the New World Florida Calligrapher, <i>Toxomerus floralis </i>(Fabricius, 1798), and the potential for its spread in the palaeotropics.
No full textENFORCE: Expertiserapport ref. exp-595 (plaat 1A - 639542533) & exp-596 (plaat 2A - 639542242) - 25/10/2024
No full textA revision of Afrotropical <i>Asceua </i>(Araneae, Zodariidae), anteating spiders with puzzling distributions
Full text linkThe Afrotropical representatives of the zodariid spider genus Asceua Thorell, 1889 are revised. Apart from the known species A. radiosa Jocqué, 1986 (Comoros, Mayotte) and A. lejeunei Jocqué, 1991 (DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria), six new species are recognized and described: A. arborivaga sp. nov. (♀, Guinea), A. foordi sp. nov., (♂♀, DR Congo, Guinea, South Africa), A. incensa sp. nov. (♂♀, DR Congo), A. luki sp. nov. (♂♀, DR Congo), A. palustris sp. nov. (♀, DR Congo) and A. ventrofigurata sp. nov. (♂♀, Tanzania). A key to the species is provided. Some of the species have a very large distribution, which is unusual in the Zodariidae. The phenomenon is probably linked to the canopy dwelling behaviour, which appears common in the genus but unique for this spider family
Entre planches et poutres : l'étude dendrochronologique des bois mis en oeuvre dans la maison rue du Marché aux Herbes 30 à Bruxelles
No full textThe changing ecosystem of East Africa s Mare Nostrum: Using ichthyology collections to identify the changes in the Lake Victoria region
No full textLe passage de la pierre à la brique à l’abbaye Notre-Dame de Leffe : archéologie et dendrochronologie documentent un chantier entre deux « modes » dans la Meuse moyenne
Full text linkActes du colloque international, Namur (Université de Namur) – Dinant (Centre Culturel), 6-8 décembre 2018
Expanding the swimmer s itch pool of the Benelux: a first record of the neurotropic Trichobilharzia regenti and potential link to human infection
Full text linkBackground Swimmer's itch, an allergic contact dermatitis caused by avian and mammalian blood flukes, is a parasitic infection affecting people worldwide. In particular, avian blood flukes of the genus Trichobilharzia are infamous for their role in swimmer s itch cases. These parasites infect waterfowl as a final host, but incidental infections by cercariae in humans are frequently reported. Upon accidental infections of humans, parasite larvae will be recognized by the immune system and destroyed, leading to painful itchy skin lesions. However, one species, Trichobilharzia regenti, can escape this response in experimental animals and reach the spinal cord, causing neuroinflammation. In the last few decades, there has been an increase in case reports across Europe, making it an emerging zoonosis. Methods Following a reported case of swimmer s itch in Kampenhout in 2022 (Belgium), the transmission site consisting of a private pond and an adjacent creek was investigated through a malacological and parasitological survey. Results Six snail species were collected, including the widespread Ampullaceana balthica, a well-known intermediate host for Trichobilharzia parasites. Shedding experiments followed by DNA barcoding revealed a single snail specimen to be infected with T. regenti, a new species record for Belgium and by extension the Benelux. Moreover, it is the most compelling case to date of the link between this neurotropic parasite and cercarial dermatitis. Additionally, an Echinostomatidae sp. and Notocotylus sp. were isolated from two other specimens of A. balthica. However, the lack of reference DNA sequences for these groups in the online repositories prevented genus- and species-level identification, respectively. Conclusions The presence of T. regenti in Belgium might have severe clinical implications and its finding highlights the need for increased vigilance and diagnostic awareness among medical professionals. The lack of species-level identification of the other two parasite species showcases the barcoding void for trematodes. Overall, these findings demonstrate the need for a Belgian framework to rapidly detect and monitor zoonotic outbreaks of trematode parasites within the One Health context
Pathways for inclusion and participation of diverse museum audiences in the study and conservation of natural history collections
Full text linkThe Citizen Rescuers for Collections (CRESCO) project brings together a team of Belgian biology researchers and curators from the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren) and the Institute of Natural Sciences (Brussels) with twenty-six citizen scientists for the first time. They join forces to make hidden biological museum collections accessible by taking standardized photos of specimens and by transcribing hundred-year-old handwritten collection labels that cannot be processed using Optical Character Recognition programs. CRESCO has pioneered hybrid, online and on-site, citizen science approaches to public participation in digitizing biological museum collections. The project has strengthened the citizen science community of the two museums by achieving gender equality and by reaching out to Ukrainian refugees. It has delivered quality scientific data that could not have been obtained otherwise. This study analyzes the scientific, social, environmental, economic, and political impact of the CRESCO project and argues that on-site participation has significantly more social impact than online participation. It concludes that, in citizen science, museum staff must reflect on participation with ethical concern and attention, emphasizing the importance of physical presence and dialogue