scholarly journals The neglected role of Faith-based Organizations in prevention and control of COVID-19 in Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (10) ◽  
pp. 784-786
Author(s):  
Phesheya Ndumiso Vilakati ◽  
Simone Villa ◽  
Riccardo Alagna ◽  
Bongani Khumalo ◽  
Sarah Tshuma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Advanced Technologies ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Control

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed health system weaknesses of economically wealthy countries with advanced technologies. COVID-19 is now moving fast across Africa where small outbreaks have been reported so far. There is a concern that with the winter transmission will grow rapidly. Despite efforts of African Governments to promptly establish mitigating measures, rural areas, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, risk being neglected. In those settings, faith-based and other non-governmental organizations, if properly equipped and supported, can play a crucial role in slowing the spread of COVID-19. We describe our experience in two rural health facilities in eSwatini and Ethiopia highlighting the struggle towards preparedness and the urgency of international support to help prevent a major public health disaster.

scholarly journals The Mayor's Political Leadership in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control in Pekanbaru City

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Prihati Prihati ◽  
Arizal Arizal ◽  
Alexsander Yandra
Keyword(s):  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Deficiency Syndrome ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Policy Objectives ◽  
Acquired Immunodeficiency ◽  
And Control ◽  
Made In ◽  
Hiv Aids

The AIDS Commission (KPA) is an institution formed in 2013 that has the function of leading, managing and coordinating efforts to prevent and control the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) which is chaired directly by the Mayor of Pekanbaru. This paper aims to understand, examine in-depth and explain how the Mayor's leadership is in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in Pekanbaru, including Regional Apparatus Organizations, Health Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations. This study uses a qualitative method with informant withdrawal techniques through Stratified Sampling, converted to the Snow Ball technique. This study showed that the mayor leadership in preventing and overcoming AIDS was autocratic due to the policies were made in the form of mayor regulations. The decisions were made only from the Mayor, causing weaknesses including unclear policy objectives, budgeting, and ambiguity regarding oversight by the legislative institution (DPRD) of Pekanbaru. It has an impact on communication, resources, disposition and bureaucratic structures.

A Critical Examination of the State versus Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the Policy Sphere in the Global South: Will the State Die as the NGOs Thrive in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia?

2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sat Obiyan
Keyword(s):  
Service Provision ◽  
Market Failure ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
The State ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract This paper examines the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in service provision with a special focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. First, it reviews the conceptual and taxonomic issues in NGOs. It then proceeds to examine the performance of NGOs in some countries. The paper notes the increased relevance of NGOs in many countries. It, however, argues that any expectation that the NGOs will supplant the state in service provision is likely to be utopian. It contends that just as we have government failure and market failure, we can also have third sector failure. The paper argues for an appropriate balance between the state and NGOs in meeting the needs of the poor. It concludes that while it may be necessary to continue to strengthen the private sector and the third sector, it would be useful to continue to inquire into how the state can be effective.

TRACING THE SEED: SEED DIFFUSION OF IMPROVED POTATO VARIETIES THROUGH FARMERS’ NETWORKS IN CHENCHA, ETHIOPIA

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
YENENESH TADESSE ◽  
CONNY J.M. ALMEKINDERS ◽  
ROGIER P.O. SCHULTE ◽  
PAUL C. STRUIK
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Potato Varieties ◽  
Seed Tubers ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
New Varieties ◽  
Sub Saharan

SUMMARYThere are many prerequisites for potato production to meet its full potential as a food security crop for subsistence farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. One of these is the introduction of improved varieties. Traditionally, the introduction of new varieties is by government agencies or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). To understand the diffusion of seed tubers (seeds) of new potato varieties in farmer networks, we analysed social factors influencing the sharing of seed of improved potato varieties amongst farmers in Chencha, Ethiopia. We interviewed 166 farmers and analysed 146 seed transactions. We used seed flow mapping to visualize seed sharing amongst farmers. We found that the social networks of farmers are differentiated by wealth, gender and religion, and that this differentiation affects the dispersion of new varieties through the farming communities: Wealthier farmers shared seed tubers most frequently and poor farmers did not share seed at all. Seed sharing was influenced by, but not restricted to, gender and religion categories. Most sharing was with relatives (as gifts) and neighbours (in exchange for labour). There weas no equal access to seed for all households because of (i) the targeting of the better off farmers by the NGO (ii) differences in frequency of sharing and (iii) terms and motivation of the transactions. Our results show that wealthy farmers most effectively multiply and share the seed of new varieties with medium wealthy and poor farmers. This study shows that for the introduction of new technologies into a community, its dynamics of social differentiation need to be understood.

scholarly journals Informal Cross Border Trade as a Substratum Marketing System: A Review and Conceptual Framework

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eldrede Kahiya ◽  
Djavlonbek Kadirov
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Marketing System ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
System A ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Border Trade ◽  
Sub Saharan

© The Author(s) 2020. We provide a literature review and a conceptual framework on informal cross border trade in Sub-Saharan Africa. Informal cross border trade (ICBT) refers to commercial exchanges conducted across borders by individuals operating as unregistered sole traders. ICBT is a burgeoning part of the informal markets in Sub-Saharan Africa and its existence and persistence carry substantial socio-economic implications. We use “summarizing” and “delineating” techniques to discuss seven themes of ICBT, and cast them as the manifestations of a substratum marketing system - a foundational structure instead of an auxiliary system. We underline implications for scholarship and for policymakers and non-governmental organizations charged with formulating initiatives to manage both ICBT and formal markets.

scholarly journals Latent class evaluation of the performance of serological tests for exposure to Brucella spp. in cattle, sheep, and goats in Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. e0009630
Author(s):  
Rebecca F. Bodenham ◽  
Stella Mazeri ◽  
Sarah Cleaveland ◽  
John A. Crump ◽  
Folorunso O. Fasina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Serological Tests ◽  
Sheep And Goats ◽  
Parallel Testing ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Control

Background Brucellosis is a neglected zoonosis endemic in many countries, including regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Evaluated diagnostic tools for the detection of exposure to Brucella spp. are important for disease surveillance and guiding prevention and control activities. Methods and findings Bayesian latent class analysis was used to evaluate performance of the Rose Bengal plate test (RBT) and a competitive ELISA (cELISA) in detecting Brucella spp. exposure at the individual animal-level for cattle, sheep, and goats in Tanzania. Median posterior estimates of RBT sensitivity were: 0.779 (95% Bayesian credibility interval (BCI): 0.570–0.894), 0.893 (0.636–0.989), and 0.807 (0.575–0.966), and for cELISA were: 0.623 (0.443–0.790), 0.409 (0.241–0.644), and 0.561 (0.376–0.713), for cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively. Sensitivity BCIs were wide, with the widest for cELISA in sheep. RBT and cELISA median posterior estimates of specificity were high across species models: RBT ranged between 0.989 (0.980–0.998) and 0.995 (0.985–0.999), and cELISA between 0.984 (0.974–0.995) and 0.996 (0.988–1). Each species model generated seroprevalence estimates for two livestock subpopulations, pastoralist and non-pastoralist. Pastoralist seroprevalence estimates were: 0.063 (0.045–0.090), 0.033 (0.018–0.049), and 0.051 (0.034–0.076), for cattle, sheep, and goats, respectively. Non-pastoralist seroprevalence estimates were below 0.01 for all species models. Series and parallel diagnostic approaches were evaluated. Parallel outperformed a series approach. Median posterior estimates for parallel testing were ≥0.920 (0.760–0.986) for sensitivity and ≥0.973 (0.955–0.992) for specificity, for all species models. Conclusions Our findings indicate that Brucella spp. surveillance in Tanzania using RBT and cELISA in parallel at the animal-level would give high test performance. There is a need to evaluate strategies for implementing parallel testing at the herd- and flock-level. Our findings can assist in generating robust Brucella spp. exposure estimates for livestock in Tanzania and wider sub-Saharan Africa. The adoption of locally evaluated robust diagnostic tests in setting-specific surveillance is an important step towards brucellosis prevention and control.

Analysis of COVID-19 Prevention and Control Modes and Effects

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 628-665
Author(s):  
Jian Zhou ◽  
◽  
Xiaohui Lu ◽  
Liang Ye ◽  
Yu Shao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Treatment ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Cluster Analysis ◽  
And Control ◽  
First Contact ◽  
South Europe

This study evaluates COVID-19 prevention and control policies. Based on the simulation, we compare the effects of two major policies: contact restriction and active treatment. Through regression and cluster analysis, we classified 169 countries and regions in the world into 10 groups, among which five groups accounted for the major proportion: the ones with the labels “CHN (China) mode,” “SE (South Europe) mode,” “ENE-SSA (East & North Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa) mode,” “US (United States) mode,” and “DEU (Germany) mode”). Differences in the effects of the prevention and control of COVID-19 in typical countries in each mode are comprehensively investigated. The conclusions of this study can be summarized as follows: First, contact restriction outperforms active treatment in curbing the spread of COVID-19. Second, “CHN mode” ranks the highest level of epidemic control and emphasizes epidemic prevention and control more than economic stimulus, which is the opposite of the “US mode”. Regression analysis reveals that the differences in epidemics worldwide are caused by policy differences among modes.

scholarly journals Funding paediatric surgery procedures in sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian O Ekenze
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Procedures ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Paediatric Surgery ◽  
International Agencies ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Out Of Pocket Payments ◽  
Full Text Review ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Mean Cost

BackgroundIn sub-Saharan Africa, there is a growing awareness of the burden of paediatric surgical diseases. This has highlighted the large discrepancy between the capacity to treat and the ability to afford treatment, and the effect of this problem on access to care. This review focuses on the sources and challenges of funding paediatric surgical procedures in sub-Saharan Africa. MethodsWe undertook a search for studies published between January 2007 and November 2016 that reported the specific funding of paediatric surgical procedures and were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. Abstract screening, full-text review and data abstraction were completed and resulting data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. ResultsThirty-five studies met our inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The countries that were predominantly emphasized in the publications reviewed were Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda. The paediatric surgical procedures involved general paediatric surgery/urology, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, oncology, plastics, ophthalmology, orthopaedics and otorhinolaryngology. The mean cost of these procedures ranged from 60 to 21,140 United States Dollars (USD). The source of funding for these procedures was mostly out-of-pocket payments (OOPs) by the patient’s family in 32 studies, (91.4%) and medical mission/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in 21 (60%) studies. This pattern did not differ appreciably between the articles published in the initial and latter 5 years of the study period, although there was a trend towards a reduction in OOP funding. Improvements in healthcare funding by individual countries supported by international organizations and charities were the predominant suggested solutions to challenges in funding.ConclusionWhile considering the potential limitations created by diversity in study design, the reviewed publications indicate that funding for paediatric surgical procedures in sub-Saharan Africa is mostly by OOPs made by families of the patients. This may result in limited access to some procedures. Coordinated efforts, and collaboration between individual countries and international agencies, may help to reduce OOP funding and thus improve access to critical procedures.

scholarly journals Co-Circulation of Multiple Serotypes of Bluetongue Virus in Zambia

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 963
Author(s):  
Herman M. Chambaro ◽  
Michihito Sasaki ◽  
Edgar Simulundu ◽  
Isaac Silwamba ◽  
Yona Sinkala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nucleic Acid ◽  
Bluetongue Virus ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
High Seroprevalence ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Control

Bluetongue (BT) is an arthropod-borne viral disease of ruminants with serious trade and socio-economic implications. Although the disease has been reported in a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, there is currently no information on circulating serotypes and disease distribution in Zambia. Following surveillance for BT in domestic and wild ruminants in Zambia, BT virus (BTV) nucleic acid and antibodies were detected in eight of the 10 provinces of the country. About 40% (87/215) of pooled blood samples from cattle and goats were positive for BTV nucleic acid, while one hartebeest pool (1/43) was positive among wildlife samples. Sequence analysis of segment 2 revealed presence of serotypes 3, 5, 7, 12 and 15, with five nucleotypes (B, E, F, G and J) being identified. Segment 10 phylogeny showed Zambian BTV sequences clustering with Western topotype strains from South Africa, intimating likely transboundary spread of BTV in Southern Africa. Interestingly, two Zambian viruses and one isolate from Israel formed a novel clade, which we designated as Western topotype 4. The high seroprevalence (96.2%) in cattle from Lusaka and Central provinces and co-circulation of multiple serotypes showed that BT is widespread, underscoring the need for prevention and control strategies.

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