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A Quantitative Risk Assessment of Human Exposure to Brucellosis Through the Consumption of Contaminated Raw Cow Milk in Arusha, Tanzania
Get PDFThe study aimed to assess the risk of exposure to brucellosis through the consumption of cow milk in the Arusha region, of Tanzania. Primary data related to milk consumption was collected through a structured questionnaire from 400 cattle farmers. Data was directly coded and entered into IBM SPSS version 20 and analysed for frequencies and descriptive statistics. Stochastic Monte Carlo simulation in @risk Software (Version 8.1) platform was used to estimate the risk of human exposure to brucellosis through the consumption of contaminated milk.
Results revealed that 96.5% of the population consumed milk in three (3) portions: morning, afternoon, and night. More than 70% of the people in the area consume 500ml-1000ml of milk daily. People in rural settings (71%) reported consuming raw milk, compared to 10% of people in urban settings.
The probability of getting infected with Brucella through the consumption of raw milk was estimated at 0.64 (95%CI 0.333-0.861). The model also predicted the number of people likely to get infected with Brucella in Arusha region in a one-year consumption period to be 1,084,358 (95%CI: 565,000-1458,000) out of 1,694,310 people following consumption of contaminated raw milk. The risk of exposure was estimated to be high when dairy cows were infected with Brucella at the farm and when the milk portions were consumed raw.
The risk of human exposure to the brucella pathogen is high. To reduce the risk of human exposure, there is a need to create awareness about brucellosis in the study communities concerning how the disease is transmitted to humans, its associated effects, and the preventive and control measures. Further studies are required to assess the risk of exposure to brucellosis through other pathways, such as the consumption of soft cheese and contact with cattle
Effects of Different Levels of a Locally Made Probiotic (BiolatemTM ) Administered Through Drinking Water on Growth Performance of Broiler Chickens
Get PDFThis study aimed at determining the growth performance of broiler chickens offered varying amounts of a locally made probiotic (Biolatem™) in drinking water. One hundred and ninety-two (192) day-old chicks were bought from a local hatchery and divided into four groups (n = 48). The groups were randomly allocated to four levels of Biolatem™ viadrinking water (i.e., 0, 5, 8 and 10mL of Biolatem™ per 5L of drinking water). Both the water and feed were offered to the birds in all treatment groups ad libitum from 0 – to 42 days of age. Feed and water intake were monitored daily, and body weights were assessed at 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days of age. Weight gains and feed conversion ratios were calculated weekly. Generally, birds that received Biolatem™ in water showed higher (p < 0.05) total weight gains, daily weight gains and final body weights at 42 days of age than those that consumed water without Biolatem™. Among birds that received Biolatem™, those offered 8mL of Biolatem™ per 5L of drinking water had better performance (
Flirting with Power? Nakafwaya, the Greatest Mwadi (Queen) to Re-Invert the Kingdom of Mwata Kazembe
Get PDFLunda history is not short of reference to women. The marriage between a Lunda queen (Ruweji) and a Luba prince (Cibinda Ilunga) revolutionised precolonial central Africa by merging two dominant political and cultural systems in Central Africa. Arguably, this revolution which led to the first de facto Lunda expansion was caused by a woman, Ruweji. The power of women in Lunda historiography is evident in the making, expansion and sometimes undoing of the Eastern Lunda kingdom of Mwata Kazembe. Kafuti or Nakafwaya is the most respected Lunda queen whose reign coincided with the most tumultuous period in the history of Mwata Kazembe. Marrying five brothers (four being successive Mwata Kazembes-Lunda Kings) was not a simple feat. Notorious, beautiful, sexy and flirtatious, and a master political and military strategist, Nakafwaya’s role in reinverting the Lunda Kingdom of Mwata Kazembe between 1850 and 1900 needs reassessing. The role of women in power brokering and consolidation, and the woman’s ‘flirting’ with power in traditional Lunda society is the main theme in this paper. The article demonstrates that Nakafwaya’s ascension to the Lunda throne gave her real power because the Lunda power structures allowed women to exercise both symbolic and real power. Other positions of power for women in Lunda society will also be discussed. The article reconstructed the status of women in traditional Lunda society by using oral information and the genetic method. That is, by understanding the Mwadiship (Queenship), from its origins to the times of Kafuti, we will illuminate on ‘women and power’ in pre-colonial eastern Lunda society. Thus, the evolution of the Mwadiship will also be understood by placing it within the times or realities and actions of Nakafwaya
Containing the Mushala Rebellion: Strategies and Challenges, 1976-1990
Get PDFThis article examines how the Zambian government responded to the Mushala rebellion in North Western Province between 1976 and 1990. The Mushala rebellion was the consequence of Mushala’s dissatisfaction with President Kaunda’s one-party system, which limited political opposition by force or coercion. His insurgence was also fuelled by Kaunda’s refusal to accord Mushala the position of Director of Game and Fisheries. He was further dissatisfied with what he perceived as government’s failure to fulfil the people’s expectations of national and economic development. In particular, Mushala was infuriated with the marginalisation of the people of North Western Province, a situation he attributed to government’s failure to develop the province. He also wanted political power. The article investigates the strategies and measures the government enacted to contain the rebellion and the challenges it faced in suppressing the revolt. The article argues that the government adopted a two-pronged strategy aimed at winning the cooperation of the local people in its efforts to track down the insurgents, while simultaneously using coercive measures to suppress the rebellion. The article concludes that this strategy was not without its problems. The use of coercive measures, for example, alienated the local population from the government. The locals were thus unwilling to provide critical intelligence about Mushala’s activities. This contributed to the government’s failure to end the rebellion speedily
Another tool in the box: Epidemiological forecasting of floods
Get PDFFloods have been recorded as the most frequent type of natural disaster, constituting 47% of all occurrences and impacting about 2.3 billion individuals globally. In 2019, floods accounted for 43.5% of all deaths due to natural disasters. Floods can have long-lasting detrimental effects on human socio-economic conditions, including public health issues, crop and livestock losses, creating large-scale unemployment, disrupting livelihood activities and wreaking havoc on natural ecosystems. In addition, floods caused extensive damage to infrastructure, and put extra strain on meagre public resources of the developing regions they frequently occur in. The full scope of the destruction caused by floods is often only realised once the waters have receded and the true extent of the devastation is revealed. By using a multi- stakeholder approach, epidemiological forecasts can aid in creating awareness on disaster risk for crop and livestock farmers and public health and strategising on mitigation measures to reduce flood
Effectiveness and common side effects of Dolutegravir compared to Efavirenz-based regimens of combined antiretroviral therapy
Get PDFBackground:
In 2016WHO recommended Dolutegravir, an integrase strand transfer inhibitor, as an alternative first-line treatment regimen to Efavirenz, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. In 2018, Zambia treatment guidelines recommended DTG based-regimens as first-line combinational antiretroviral therapy, and those on Efavirenz based-regimens had to be switched to Dolutegravir based regimens. The study aimed to determine whether there was a difference in time taken for patients to achieve viral suppression between those switched to Dolutegravir versus those initiated on Efavirenz based regimens.
Methods and Materials:
In this Ambispective cohort study, data were collected using the file records of clients from January 2018 to January 2020 and then clinical follow ups and results following up to January 2021. A total of 201 clients were included in this study whose files were resident at the Kitwe Teaching Hospital antiretroviral therapy clinic. Clients included in this study were those who had been initiated on either an EFV-based regimen or a Dolutegravir based regimen. To evaluate the amount of time it takes naïve clients to attain viral suppression
Postural assessment of lumbar lordosis among adult female users and non-users of high heeled shoes in the Accra Metropolis
Get PDFBackground: The use of high- heeled shoes has undoubted effects on posture and gait. High-heeled shoes have been suggested as the main explanation for excessive lumbar lordosis and consequent dominance of low back pain among corporate women. The habitual use of these shoes may be a plausible explanation for this. We aimed to compare the values of lumbar lordotic angles between habitual users and non-users of high heeled shoes.
Methods: A cross sectional study involving a one –time postural assessment of the lumbar spine in the sagittal plane among two groups (the user group who wore high heeled shoes (HHS) and the non-user group who do not wear high heeled shoes to and from work) of women. The flexible curved ruler was used to determine the lumbar lordosis angle. The values recorded were compared between the two groups. Pearson correlation was used to assess the relationship between lordotic angle and the duration of use and height of high-heeled shoes. One-way Analysis of Variance was used to compare the type of heel most frequently worn and lordotic angles while independent sample t-test was used to compare HHS-users and non-users and angle of lordosis. Results: The mean angle for user and non-user groups were 33.08±4.00/Ø and 33.61±3.65/Ø respectively. The average duration of use of HHS was 2.55±1.66 years. Fifty-seven percent of the user group wore high-heeled shoes 3 times a week to work. Majority of the HHS users wore kitten type 12 (46%). There was no significant correlation (r=0.169, p=0.410) between lordotic angle and the duration of use of high-heeled shoes as well as between lordotic angle and the height of high-heeled shoes (r=-0.03, p=0.884). There was also no significant difference (p>0.05) among the type of high-heeled shoes most frequently worn and lordotic angle and no significant difference (p>0.05) between HHS users and non-users and lordotic angle.
Conclusion: Results of this study suggests that habitual use of high-heeled shoes does not have a significant effect on lumbar lordotic angle
Nutritive Value of Selected Naturally Growing Dry Season Pastures in Flood Plains of Kafue River in Southern Zambia
Get PDFWetlands are an important source of pastures for livestock forage in the dry season in arid and semi-arid regions. In this study forage samples were collected during the dry season (September to November) to evaluate the nutritive value for potential to supply livestock requirements during dry season under the transhumance system of livestock production in the Kafue Flood Plains in Mazabuka district of Southern Province. The frequency, height and cover of the grass species in upper and lower parts of the grazing area were measured. Proximate components, fibre fractions and in vitro dry matter digestibility were determined using standard laboratory procedures. The grass species found in the upper land were Acroceras macrum, and Vetiveria nigritana at the frequency of 60 and 56 percent, respectively. Panicum repens, Polygonum spp and Cyperus papyrus are the grass species that were found in the lower area at a frequency of 44, 52 and 80 percent. Ground cover was 69 and 100 % for upper and lower area, respectively. The Crude Protein was significantly different among the species Vetiveria nigritana (7.90%) and Polygonum salicifolium (8.46 %), Cyperus papyrus (6.12%) and were also higher than for Panicum repens (3.37%) and Acroceras macrum (3.32%) (p ˂ 0.05). Crude fiber ranged from 12.8% (Polygonum salicifolium) to 34.6% (Vetiveria nigritana). Polygonum salicifolium had higher in vitro dry matter digestibility (INVDMD) (50.8%) followed by Vetiveria nigritana (46.4%), Cyperus papyrus (44.5%), Panicum repens (39.9%) and Acroceras macrum (39.7%) at (p ˂ 0.05). These results clearly shown that the some of the grass species of the Kafue flat have good nutrition content and therefore are a good source of nutrition for ruminants in the dry seaso
Stakeholders' Perceptions on the National Heritage Conservation Commission Regulatory Framework Managing Mwela Rock Art Site of Kasama District of Zambia
No full textThe study explored the stakeholders’ perceptions of the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) regulatory framework in Cultural heritage management of the Mwela Rock Art Site (MRAS) in Kasama District of Zambia. The study was impelled by the knowledge gap on the regulatory framework at the Mwela rock art site that could have led to the increased destruction and desecration at the rock art site, despite the presence of the NHCC. The researchers employed a qualitative approach to understanding the phenomenon under study thoroughly. Data was collected through interviews and focus group discussions from a sample of 16 participants, out of which five were subjects of the Bemba Royal Establishment (BRE) that include 4 Village Headmen and 1 Village Headwoman, 3 focus group discussions representing three responses from NHCC members, 4 elderly men and 4 elderly women respectively. Typical case study sampling, one of the purposive sampling techniques, was employed to select BRE subjects, NHCC members, and local elders. Data was analysed thematically. The study revealed that a holistic and inclusive regulatory framework would be cardinal in effective cultural heritage management and preservation of the Mwela rock art site. Furthermore, the Mwela rock art site might be desecrated due to the exclusive nature of the regulatory framework being implemented by NHCC in the cultural landscape. Thus, the researchers recommended incorporating indigenous people’s administrative structures and beliefs into formal preservation policies that govern cultural heritage management at MRAS. This study contributes to the enlightenment of regulatory frameworks that govern the management of ecological and cultural heritage landscapes
A SOCIO-STYLISTIC ANALYSIS OF EUPHEMISTIC EXPRESSIONS AND SYMBOLISM IN THE DIRGES OF THE PEOPLE OF LUAPULA PROVINCE
Get PDFAmong the people of Luapula Province (North-eastern Zambia) the life of a deceased relative is eulogised and celebrated through song and dance. These songs are dirges. Dirges are not only lyrical but also poetic in form. They are woven from the ethnic group’s life experiences on various subjects and themes demonstrating the creative and manipulative nature of language. Of importance, is the ability of dirges to serve as a medium for performers to prove that orality is a system through which culture can be transmitted. Dirges are composed and performed orally at funerals. This article focused on exploring the perception of death among the people of Luapula Province through dirges, also known as icimbo camalilo, which are big songs performed at funerals. A socio-stylistic approach was used to analyse the euphemistic expressions and symbolism utilised in dirges to honour the deceased. The findings suggest that the dirges sung in Luapula Province are characterised by the deployment of euphemisms and symbols that are reflective of the region’s way of life. The stylistic qualities in these dirges are based on and drawn from the local context, expressing the anguish of loss, death, the grave, and the significance of the deceased