scholarly journals Genomic surveillance reveals the spread patterns of SARS-CoV-2 in coastal Kenya during the first two waves

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles N. Agoti ◽  
Lynette Isabella Ochola-Oyier ◽  
Khadija Said Mohammed ◽  
Arnold W Lambisia ◽  
Zaydah R de Laurent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Transmission Networks ◽  
Coastal Kenya ◽  
Local Sample ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Commercial Center ◽  
Local Transmission

The transmission networks of SARS-CoV-2 in sub-Saharan Africa remain poorly understood. We analyzed 684 genomes from samples collected across six counties in coastal Kenya during the first two waves (March 2020 - February 2021). Up to 32 Pango lineages were detected in the local sample with six accounting for 88.0% of the sequenced infections: B.1 (60.4%), B.1.1 (8.9%), B.1.549 (7.9%), B.1.530 (6.4%), N.8 (4.4%) and A (3.1%). In a contemporaneous global sample, 571 lineages were identified, 247 for Africa and 88 for East Africa. We detected 262 location transition events comprising: 64 viral imports into Coastal Kenya; 26 viral exports from coastal Kenya; and 172 inter-county import/export events. Most international viral imports (61%) and exports (88%) occurred through Mombasa, a key coastal touristic and commercial center; and many occurred prior to June 2020, when stringent local COVID-19 restriction measures were enforced. After this period, local transmission dominated, and distinct local phylogenies were seen. Our analysis supports moving control strategies from a focus on international travel to local transmission.

scholarly journals Prevalence of mastitis in Nigerian livestock: a Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-29
Author(s):  
Hussaini Ojagefu Adamu ◽  
Rahimat Oshuwa Hussaini ◽  
Cedric Obasuyi ◽  
Linus Irefo Anagha ◽  
Gabriel Oscy Okoduwa
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategies ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Ecological Development ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Control And Management ◽  
The Impact

AbstractMastitis is a disease of livestock that directly impede livestock production and thus hindering the socio-ecological development of sub-Saharan Africa. Studies have estimated the prevalence of this disease in 30% of Africa countries, with Ethiopia having the highest prevalence. The coverage is low, despite the wide livestock and dairy farms distribution in Africa. Furthermore, estimated economic losses due to the impact of mastitis are lacking in Nigeria. The disease is endemic in Nigeria as indicated by the available data and there are no proposed management plans or control strategies. This review is thus presented to serve as a wakeup call to all parties involved to intensify efforts towards the diagnosis, control, and management of the disease in Nigeria.

scholarly journals Maintaining paediatric cardiac services during the COVID-19 pandemic in a developing country in sub-Saharan Africa: guidelines for a “scale up” in the face of a global “scale down”

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 1588-1594
Author(s):  
Ogochukwu J. Sokunbi ◽  
Ogadinma Mgbajah ◽  
Augustine Olugbemi ◽  
Bassey O. Udom ◽  
Ariyo Idowu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scale Up ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Continent ◽  
Tertiary Centre ◽  
The Face ◽  
Scale Down ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
International Experts

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic is currently ravaging the globe and the African continent is not left out. While the direct effects of the pandemic in regard to morbidity and mortality appear to be more significant in the developed world, the indirect harmful effects on already insufficient healthcare infrastructure on the African continent would in the long term be more detrimental to the populace. Women and children form a significant vulnerable population in underserved areas such as the sub-Saharan region, and expectedly will experience the disadvantages of limited healthcare coverage which is a major fall out of the pandemic. Paediatric cardiac services that are already sparse in various sub-Saharan countries are not left out of this downsizing. Restrictions on international travel for patients out of the continent to seek medical care and for international experts into the continent for regular mission programmes leave few options for children with cardiac defects to get the much-needed care.There is a need for a region-adapted guideline to scale-up services to cater for more children with congenital heart disease (CHD) while providing a safe environment for healthcare workers, patients, and their caregivers. This article outlines measures adapted to maintain paediatric cardiac care in a sub-Saharan tertiary centre in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic and will serve as a guide for other institutions in the region who will inadvertently need to provide these services as the demand increases.

scholarly journals Plasmodium vivax from Duffy-Negative and Duffy-Positive Individuals Shares Similar Gene Pool in East Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kepple ◽  
Alfred Hubbard ◽  
Musab M Ali ◽  
Beka R Abargero ◽  
Karen Lopez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasmodium Vivax ◽  
East Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Road Density ◽  
Genetic Characteristics ◽  
Plasmodium Vivax Malaria ◽  
Genetic Clusters ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Duffy Negative

Abstract Plasmodium vivax malaria was thought to be rare in Africa, but an increasing number of P. vivax cases reported across Africa and in Duffy-negative individuals challenges this conventional dogma. The genetic characteristics of P. vivax in Duffy-negative infections, the transmission of P. vivax in East Africa, and the impact of environments on transmission remain largely unknown. This study examined genetic and transmission features of P. vivax from 107 Duffy-negative and 305 Duffy-positive individuals in Ethiopia and Sudan. No clear genetic differentiation was found in P. vivax between the two Duffy groups, indicating between-host transmission. P. vivax from Ethiopia and Sudan showed similar genetic clusters, except samples from Khartoum, possibly due to distance and road density that inhibited parasite gene flow. This study is the first to show that P. vivax can transmit to and from Duffy-negative individuals and provides critical insights into the spread of P. vivax in sub-Saharan Africa.

scholarly journals Study of the genetic heterogeneity of SAT-2 foot-and-mouth disease virus in sub-Saharan Africa with specific focus on East Africa

2007 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sahle ◽  
R.M. Dwarka ◽  
E.H. Venter ◽  
W. Vosloo
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Foot And Mouth Disease ◽  
Mouth Disease ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Western Africa ◽  
Mouth Disease Virus ◽  
Foot And Mouth ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Unrelated Strain

The epidemiology of serotype SAT-2 foot-and-mouth disease was investigated in sub-Saharan Africa by phylogenetic analysis using the 1D gene encoding the major antigenic determinant. Fourteen genotypes were identified of which three are novel and belong to East Africa, bringing the total number of genotypes for that region to eight. The genotypes clustered into three lineages that demonstrated surprising links between East, southern and south-western Africa. One lineage was unique to West Africa. These results established numerous incursions across country borders in East Africa and long term conservation of sequences for periods up to 41 years. Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda have all experienced outbreaks from more than one unrelated strain, demonstrating the potential for new introductions. The amount of variation observed within this serotype nearly equalled that which was found between serotypes; this has severe implications for disease control using vaccination.

M-Kopa Solar: Lighting up the Dark Continent

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charu Rastogi
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Mobile Payments ◽  
Energy Delivery ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Dark Continent ◽  
Solar Lighting ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Grave Problem

M-Kopa Solar is a pay-as-you-go provider of solar home systems, catering to low-income, off-grid customers in East Africa. The company goes by the tagline, ‘Power for Everyone’. Using mobile payments system and an innovative approach to energy delivery, M-Kopa succeeded in building a business which solved a grave problem for the poorest of the poor and has the potential to become a billion dollar enterprise. The case begins with a description of the background in which M-Kopa is operating. It goes on to explain how M-Kopa used the infrastructure gap in sub-Saharan Africa as an opportunity and propagated solar power as an alternative to traditional energy. Finally, it lays out the challenges M-Kopa may face on its expansion spree.

scholarly journals Research on Invasive Nontyphoidal Salmonella Disease and Developments Towards Better Understanding of Epidemiology, Management, and Control Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S127-S129
Author(s):  
Samuel Kariuki ◽  
Ellis Owusu-Dabo
Keyword(s):  
Burden Of Illness ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Disease Entity ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Diagnostic Strategies ◽  
Disease Epidemiology ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Control

Abstract During the 11th International Conference on Typhoid and Other Invasive Salmonelloses held in Hanoi, Vietnam, a number of papers were presented on the burden of disease, epidemiology, genomics, management, and control strategies for invasive nontyphoidal Salmonella (iNTS) disease, which is increasingly becoming an important public health threat in low- and middle-income countries, but especially in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA). Although there were minor variations in characteristics of iNTS in different settings (urban vs rural, country to country), it was observed that iNTS has gained greater recognition as a major disease entity in children younger than 5 years. Renewed efforts towards greater understanding of the burden of illness, detection and diagnostic strategies, and management and control of the disease in communities in sSA through the introduction of vaccines will be important.

Molecular evidence for the assignment of the Cameroonian freshwater crab genus Louisea Cumberlidge, 1994, to the Afrotropical subfamily Potamonautinae Bott, 1970 (Crustacea: Potamoidea: Potamonautidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4286 (3) ◽  
pp. 439 ◽  
Author(s):  
PIERRE A. MVOGO NDONGO ◽  
NEIL CUMBERLIDGE ◽  
THEODOR S. POETTINGER ◽  
THOMAS VON RINTELEN ◽  
JOSEPH L. TAMESSE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Africa ◽  
Arabian Peninsula ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Freshwater Crab ◽  
Continental Islands ◽  
The Family ◽  
Molecular Studies ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Zoogeographical Region

The family Potamonautidae Bott, 1970, currently comprises 19 genera assigned to two subfamilies (Potamonautinae Bott, 1970, and Deckeniinae Hilgendorf, 1869) based on morphological and molecular studies (Cumberlidge 1999; Daniels et al. 2006a, 2015; Cumberlidge et al. 2008; Cumberlidge & Ng 2009). All members of this family are endemic to the Afrotropical zoogeographical region that includes most of continental Africa plus the continental islands of Madagascar, the granitic Seychelles, Socotra, and the southern Arabian Peninsula. Seven genera from sub-Saharan Africa are presently assigned to Potamonautinae (see Cumberlidge et al. 2008; Daniels et al. 2015): Erimetopus Rathbun, 1894, Liberonautes Bott, 1955, Louisea Cumberlidge, 1994, Potamonautes Bott, 1970, Potamonemus Cumberlidge & Clark, 1992, Sudanonautes Bott, 1955, and Platythelphusa A. Milne-Edwards, 1887. Twelve genera from West and East Africa, Seychelles, and Madagascar are assigned to Deckeniinae (see Cumberlidge et al. 2008; Meyer et al. 2014; Daniels et al. 2015): Deckenia Hilgendorf, 1869, Seychellum Ng, Števčić & Pretzmann, 1995, Globonautes Bott, 1959, Afrithelphusa Bott, 1969, Boreas Cumberlidge & Sternberg, 2002, Foza Reed & Cumberlidge, 2006a, Hydrothelphusa A. Milne-Edwards, 1872, Madagapotamon Bott, 1965, Malagasya Cumberlidge & Sternberg, 2002, Marojejy Cumberlidge, Boyko & Harvey, 2000, Skelosophusa Ng & Takeda, 1994, and Glabrithelphusa Meyer, Cumberlidge & Koppin, 2014. 

scholarly journals Feasibility of Rapid Case Ascertainment for Cancer in East Africa: An Investigation of Community-Representative Kaposi Sarcoma in the Era of Antiretroviral Therapy.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aggrey Semeere ◽  
Helen Byakwaga ◽  
Miriam Laker-Oketta ◽  
Esther Freeman ◽  
Naftali Busakhala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Research ◽  
East Africa ◽  
Kaposi Sarcoma ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Case Ascertainment ◽  
Community Representative ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Record Review

BACKGROUND: Rapid case ascertainment (RCA) refers to the expeditious and detailed examination of patients with a potentially rapidly fatal disease shortly after diagnosis. RCA is frequently performed in resource-rich settings to facilitate cancer research. Despite its utility, RCA is rarely implemented in resource-limited settings and has not been performed for malignancies. One cancer and context that would benefit from RCA in a resource-limited setting is HIV-related Kaposi sarcoma (KS) in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: To determine the feasibility of RCA of KS, we searched for all potential newly diagnosed KS among HIV-infected adults attending three community-based facilities in Uganda and Kenya. Searching involved querying of electronic medical records, pathology record review, and notification by clinicians. Upon identification, a team verified eligibility and attempted to locate patients to perform RCA, which included epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory measurements. RESULTS: We identified 593 patients with suspected new KS. Of the 593, 171 were ineligible, mainly because biopsy failed to confirm KS (65%) or KS was not new (30%). Among the 422 remaining, RCA was performed within 1 month for 56% of patients and within 3 months for 65% (95% confidence interval: 59 to 70%). Reasons for not performing RCA included intervening death (47%), inability to contact (44%), refusal/unsuitable to consent (8.3%), and patient re-location (0.7%). CONCLUSIONS: We found that RCA, an important tool for cancer research in resource-rich settings, is feasible for the investigation of community-representative KS in East Africa. Feasibility of RCA for KS suggests feasibility for other cancers in Africa.

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