Examining local perspectives on the influence of climate change on the health of Hamer pastoralists and their livestock in Ethiopia

AbstractThis study explores the perceived influence of climate change on the health of Hamer pastoralists and their livestock in south-western Ethiopia. A combination of focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted with Hamer communities as well as local health workers, animal health workers and non-governmental organisation (NGO) staff. Thematic framework analysis was used to analyse the data. Reductions in rangeland, erratic rainfall, recurrent droughts and loss of seasonality were perceived to be the biggest climate challenges influencing the health and livelihoods of the Hamer. Communities were travelling greater distances to access sufficient grazing lands, and this was leading to livestock deaths and increases in ethnic violence. Reductions in suitable rangeland were also precipitating disease outbreaks in animals due to increased mixing of different herds. Negative health impacts in the community stemmed indirectly from decreases in livestock production, uncertain crop harvests and increased water scarcity. The remoteness of grazing lands has resulted in decreased availability of animal milk, contributing to malnutrition in vulnerable groups, including children. Water scarcity in the region has led to utilisation of unsafe water sources resulting in diarrhoeal illnesses. Further, seasonal shifts in climate-sensitive diseases such as malaria were also acknowledged. Poorly resourced healthcare facilities with limited accessibility combined with an absence of health education has amplified the community’s vulnerability to health challenges. The resilience and ambition for livelihood diversification amongst the Hamer was evident. The introduction of camels, increase in permanent settlements and new commercial ideas were transforming their livelihood strategies. However, the Hamer lack a voice to express their perspectives, challenges and ambitions. There needs to be collaborative dynamic dialogue between pastoral communities and the policy-makers to drive sustainable development in the area without compromising the values, traditions and knowledge of the pastoralists.

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Integrating Depression Care Within NCD Provision in Bangladesh and Pakistan: A Qualitative Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-38130/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jerome Wright ◽

Papiya Mazumdar ◽

Deepa Barua ◽

Silwa Lina ◽

Humaira Bibi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Workers ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

Screening Tools ◽

Hospital Environment ◽

Depression Care ◽

Framework Analysis ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Motivation Factors ◽

Co Morbidity ◽

Depression Intervention

Abstract Background: Co-morbidity of depression with other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worsens clinical outcomes for both conditions. Low- and middle-income countries need to strengthen mechanisms for detection and management of co-morbid depression within NCDs. The BEACON study explored the acceptability and feasibility of integrating a brief depression intervention (behavioural activation, BA) into NCD services in healthcare facilities in Bangladesh and Pakistan.Methods: Face-to-face qualitative interviews were conducted with 43 patients and 18 health workers attending or working in NCD centres in four healthcare facilities in Bangladesh and Pakistan, and with three policy makers in each country. The interviews addressed four research questions (1) how NCD care is delivered, (2) how NCD patients experience distress, (3) how depression care is integrated within NCD provision, and (4) the challenges and opportunities for integrating a brief depression intervention into usual NCD care. The data were analysed using framework analysis, organised by capability, opportunity and motivation factors, cross-synthesised across countries and participant groups.Results: Patients and health workers described NCD centres as crowded and time pressured, with waiting times as long as five hours, and consultation times as short as five minutes; resulting in some patient frustration. They did not perceive direct links between their distress and their NCD conditions, instead describing worries about family and finance including affordability of NCD services. Health worker and policy maker accounts suggested these NCD centres lacked preparedness for treating depression in the absence of specific guidelines, standard screening tools, recording systems or training. Barriers and drivers to integrating a brief depression intervention reflected capability, opportunity and motivation factors for all participant groups. While generally valuing the purpose, significant challenges included the busy hospital environment, skill deficits and different conceptions of depression.Conclusions: Given current resource constraints and priorities, integrating a brief psychological intervention at these NCD centres appears premature. An opportune first step calls for responding to patients’ expressed concerns on service gaps in provisioning steady and affordable NCD care. Acknowledging differences of conceptions of depression and strengthening psychologically informed NCD care will in turn be required before the introduction of a specific psychological intervention such as BA.

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The baseline characteristics and interim analyses of the high-risk sentinel cohort of the Vietnam Initiative on Zoonotic InfectiONS (VIZIONS)

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/srep17965 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Juan J. Carrique-Mas ◽

Ngo T. Tue ◽

Juliet E. Bryant ◽

Karen Saylors ◽

Nguyen V. Cuong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Health Workers ◽

Animal Health ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Community Based ◽

Wild Pigs ◽

Exotic Animals ◽

Zoonotic Infections ◽

Set Up ◽

Bamboo Rat

Abstract The Vietnam Initiative for Zoonotic Infections (VIZIONS) includes community-based ‘high-risk sentinel cohort’ (HRSC) studies investigating individuals at risk of zoonotic infection due to occupational or residential exposure to animals. A total of 852 HRSC members were recruited between March 2013 and August 2014 from three provinces (Ha Noi, Dak Lak and Dong Thap). The most numerous group (72.8%) corresponded to individuals living on farms, followed by slaughterers (16.3%) and animal health workers (8.5%). Nasal/pharyngeal and rectal swabs were collected from HRSC members at recruitment and after notifying illness. Exposure to exotic animals (including wild pigs, porcupine, monkey, civet, bamboo rat and bat) was highest for the Dak Lak cohort (53.7%), followed by Ha Noi (13.7%) and Dong Thap (4.0%). A total of 26.8% of individuals reported consumption of raw blood over the previous year; 33.6% slaughterers reported no use of protective equipment at work. Over 686 person-years of observation, 213 episodes of suspect infectious disease were notified, equivalent of 0.35 reports per person-year. Responsive samples were collected from animals in the farm cohort. There was noticeable time and space clustering of disease episodes suggesting that the VIZIONS set up is also suitable for the formal epidemiological investigation of disease outbreaks.

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How organisations promoting vaccination respond to misinformation on social media: a qualitative investigation

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-019-7659-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Maryke S. Steffens ◽

Adam G. Dunn ◽

Kerrie E. Wiley ◽

Julie Leask

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Professional Associations ◽

Local Health ◽

Framework Analysis ◽

Vaccination Rates ◽

Beliefs And Values ◽

Risk Of Disease ◽

Multiple Challenges

Abstract Background Vaccination misinformation is associated with serious public health consequences, such as a decrease in vaccination rates and a risk of disease outbreaks. Although social media offers organisations promoting vaccination unparalleled opportunities to promote evidence and counterbalance misinformation, we know relatively little about their internal workings. The aim of this paper is to explore the strategies, perspectives and experiences of communicators working within such organisations as they promote vaccination and respond to misinformation on social media. Methods Using qualitative methods, we purposively sampled 21 participants responsible for routine social media activity and strategy from Australian organisations actively promoting vaccination on social media, including government health departments, local health services, advocacy groups, professional associations and technical/scientific organisations. We conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews to explore their perspectives and practices. Applying Risk Communication principles as a lens, we used Framework Analysis to explore the data both inductively and deductively. Results Organisations promoting vaccination face multiple challenges on social media, including misinformation, anti-science sentiment, a complex vaccination narrative and anti-vaccine activists. They developed a range of sophisticated strategies in response, including communicating with openness in an evidence-informed way; creating safe spaces to encourage audience dialogue; fostering community partnerships; and countering misinformation with care. Conclusions We recommend that communicators consider directly countering misinformation because of the potential influence on their silent audience, i.e. those observing but not openly commenting, liking or sharing posts. Refutations should be straightforward, succinct and avoid emphasizing misinformation. Communicators should consider pairing scientific evidence with stories that speak to audience beliefs and values. Finally, organisations could enhance vaccine promotion and their own credibility on social media by forming strong links with organisations sharing similar values and goals.

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Climate Change and Drought: Impact of Food Insecurity on Gender Based Vulnerability in District Tharparkar

The Pakistan Development Review ◽

10.30541/v57i3pp.307-321 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 57 (3) ◽

pp. 307-321 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Manzoor Hussain Memon ◽

Naveed Aamir ◽

Nadeem Ahmed

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Water Scarcity ◽

Work Load ◽

Jel Classification ◽

Arid Ecosystems ◽

Global Changes ◽

The People ◽

Gender Based ◽

Arid Desert

Climate change has now become a reality that has intensified the sufferings of people living in arid ecosystems. Decrease in rainfall, rise in temperature and increase in the frequency of extreme events are some of the changes observed in the semi-arid desert of district Tharparkar. For thousands of years, people of Tharparkar are coping with drought and aridity of the land by using indigenous knowledge. However, global changes in the climatic pattern and deterioration of social and economic conditions have pushed the inhabitants of this arid region into extreme vulnerable situation. This paper investigates the link between climate-induced natural disasters, particularly drought, from the perspective of changing climate patterns which have resulted in food insecurity and water scarcity. The paper analyses the rainfall pattern in the last 38 years—dividing it into two periods i.e. from 1975-1994 and 1995-2014. The findings of the paper have challenged the prevailing notions about aridity and rainfall patterns in Tharparkar district. The research found that there is an increase in average annual precipitation in the district with erratic patterns. Thus, the nature of drought in the district has changed from its historic pattern of less or no rainfall to more but erratic rainfall that is more threatening to livelihoods of the people that in turn have multiplier effect on water and food insecurity. In particularly, women are more vulnerable in the absence of social security and lack of basic necessities for their survival amidst drought. For instance, traditionally the burden of managing water resources falls on women, which leads to an increased work load during the time of drought and also water scarcity. JEL Classification: Q54, Q56, Q25, I30 Keywords: Climate, Environment and Development, Drought, Water, Poverty

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Water scarcity and sustainability in the arid area of North America: Insights gained from a cross border perspective

Regions & Cohesion ◽

10.3167/reco.2017.070103 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 6-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alejandro Yáñez-Arancibia ◽

John W. Day

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

North America ◽

Water Scarcity ◽

Economic Change ◽

American Southwest ◽

Arid Area ◽

Border Region ◽

Cross Border ◽

Sharp Focus ◽

The Face

The arid border region that encompasses the American Southwest and the Mexican northwest is an area where the nexus of water scarcity and climate change in the face of growing human demands for water, emerging energy scarcity, and economic change comes into sharp focus.

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Coping with water scarcity in Kashafroud G-WADI Basin, Iran: climate change or growing demands?

Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions ◽

10.3724/sp.j.1226.2013.00096 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 96

Author(s):

Torabi Palatkaleh Sedigheh ◽

Sadeghi Niloofar ◽

Estiri Kobra ◽

Ashouri Meisam

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Water Scarcity

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Public Perceptions of Climate Change in the Peruvian Andes

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13052677 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 2677

Author(s):

Adrian Brügger ◽

Robert Tobias ◽

Fredy S. Monge-Rodríguez

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Low Income ◽

Public Perceptions ◽

Climate Impacts ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

High Mountain ◽

Peruvian Andes ◽

Food Shortages ◽

Education Levels

How people subjectively perceive climate change strongly influences how they respond to its challenges. To date, relatively little is known about such perceptions in the Global South. This research examines public perceptions of climate change in the Peruvian Andes, a semi-arid high-mountain region that is highly exposed and vulnerable to adverse effects of climate change. Based on questionnaire data collected through face-to-face interviews (N = 1316), we found that respondents identify various climate-related issues as the most important challenges for their country. Many of these issues are related to water. Respondents also noticed more subtle changes and expected them to continue (e.g., extreme temperatures, food shortages). Climate impacts were clearly seen as negative, which was also reflected in the presence of emotions. When compared to previous research, more respondents had personally experienced extreme weather events (80%) and they were more certain that the climate is already changing, is caused by human activity, and is affecting distant and close places similarly. A comparison of the perceptions along different socioeconomic characteristics suggests that more vulnerable groups (e.g., rural, low income and education levels) tended to perceive climate change as more consequential, closer, and as a more natural (vs. anthropogenic) phenomenon than those from less vulnerable groups. The salience of water-related problems and personal experiences of climate-related events, as well as differences between various subgroups, could be used to improve measures to adapt to the consequences of climate change by correcting misconceptions of the population and of decisionmakers.

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Dryland Degradation and Expansion: Implications for Mexican Policies from the Earth System Perspective

Environmental Policy and Law ◽

10.3233/epl-201024 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-4

Author(s):

Gabriel Lopez Porras

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Science Policy ◽

Land Degradation ◽

Water Scarcity ◽

Large Scale ◽

Earth System ◽

Sustainable Land Management ◽

System Perspective ◽

The Earth

Despite international efforts to stop dryland degradation and expansion, current dryland pathways are predicted to result in large-scale migration, growing poverty and famine, and increasing climate change, land degradation, conflicts and water scarcity. Earth system science has played a key role in analysing dryland problems, and has been even incorporated in global assessments such as the ones made by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. However, policies addressing dryland degradation, like the ‘Mexican programme for the promotion of sustainable land management’, do not embrace an Earth system perspective, so they do not consider the complexity and non-linearity that underlie dryland problems. By exploring how this Mexican programme could integrate the Earth system perspective, this paper discusses how ’Earth system’ policies could better address dryland degradation and expansion in the Anthropocene.

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A proposal to leverage high-quality veterinary diagnostic laboratory large data streams for animal health, public health, and One Health

Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation ◽

10.1177/10406387211003088 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 104063872110030

Author(s):

Craig N. Carter ◽

Jacqueline L. Smith

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Data Streams ◽

One Health ◽

Animal Health ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Large Data ◽

Health Impact ◽

The United States ◽

Zoonotic Diseases ◽

Diagnostic Laboratory

Test data generated by ~60 accredited member laboratories of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) is of exceptional quality. These data are captured by 1 of 13 laboratory information management systems (LIMSs) developed specifically for veterinary diagnostic laboratories (VDLs). Beginning ~2000, the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) developed an electronic messaging system for LIMS to automatically send standardized data streams for 14 select agents to a national repository. This messaging enables the U.S. Department of Agriculture to track and respond to high-consequence animal disease outbreaks such as highly pathogenic avian influenza. Because of the lack of standardized data collection in the LIMSs used at VDLs, there is, to date, no means of summarizing VDL large data streams for multi-state and national animal health studies or for providing near-real-time tracking for hundreds of other important animal diseases in the United States that are detected routinely by VDLs. Further, VDLs are the only state and federal resources that can provide early detection and identification of endemic and emerging zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases are estimated to be responsible for 2.5 billion cases of human illness and 2.7 million deaths worldwide every year. The economic and health impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is self-evident. We review here the history and progress of data management in VDLs and discuss ways of seizing unexplored opportunities to advance data leveraging to better serve animal health, public health, and One Health.

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Community health worker models in South Africa: a qualitative study on policy implementation of the 2018/19 revised framework

Health Policy and Planning ◽

10.1093/heapol/czaa172 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Joshua P Murphy ◽

Aneesa Moolla ◽

Sharon Kgowedi ◽

Constance Mongwenyana ◽

Sithabile Mngadi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Policy Implementation ◽

Community Health ◽

Resource Constraints ◽

Health Workers ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Programme Implementation ◽

Healthcare Facilities

Abstract South Africa has a long history of community health workers (CHWs). It has been a journey that has required balancing constrained resources and competing priorities. CHWs form a bridge between communities and healthcare service provision within health facilities and act as the cornerstone of South Africa’s Ward-Based Primary Healthcare Outreach Teams. This study aimed to document the CHW policy implementation landscape across six provinces in South Africa and explore the reasons for local adaptation of CHW models and to identify potential barriers and facilitators to implementation of the revised framework to help guide and inform future planning. We conducted a qualitative study among a sample of Department of Health Managers at the National, Provincial and District level, healthcare providers, implementing partners [including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who worked with CHWs] and CHWs themselves. Data were collected between April 2018 and December 2018. We conducted 65 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with healthcare providers, managers and experts familiar with CHW work and nine focus group discussions (FGDs) with 101 CHWs. We present (i) current models of CHW policy implementation across South Africa, (ii) facilitators, (iii) barriers to CHW programme implementation and (iv) respondents’ recommendations on how the CHW programme can be improved. We chronicled the differences in NGO involvement, the common facilitators of purpose and passion in the CHWs’ work and the multitude of barriers and resource limitations CHWs must work under. We found that models of implementation vary greatly and that adaptability is an important aspect of successful implementation under resource constraints. Our findings largely aligned to existing research but included an evaluation of districts/provinces that had not previously been explored together. CHWs continue to promote health and link their communities to healthcare facilities, in spite of lack of permanent employment, limited resources, such as uniforms, and low wages.

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