scholarly journals Globalization and Public Health in Rural Zones: Lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (Fall/Winter) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Benjamin Poku ◽  
Jean-Leopold Kabambi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Rural Regions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
African Populations ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Sub Saharan

Distant rural regions of Sub-Saharan Africa are often coveted by foreign investing companies for their natural resources. However, the rural populations do not always take advantage of the economic benefits resulting from those investing activities. These increasing activities do not leave without harming the health of rural communities as they rely on community-based traditional and ancestral practices such as fishing and hunting, traditional medicine, spiritual ceremonies, among others, to survive. We aimed to analyze selected indicators of public health in rural zones highly impacted by globalization factors using existing database and literature research. Given the complexity of the situation, efforts and strategies to mitigate the negative effect of globalization on the health of rural communities must include not only urgent and binding commitment of all stakeholders but also a multi-sectorial long-term approach to increase the health of rural Sub-Saharan African populations while taking advantages of local know-how.

A cholera outbreak among semi-nomadic pastoralists in northeastern Uganda: epidemiology and interventions

2011 ◽  
Vol 140 (8) ◽  
pp. 1376-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. CUMMINGS ◽  
J. F. WAMALA ◽  
M. EYURA ◽  
M. MALIMBO ◽  
M. E. OMEKE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Female Gender ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Cholera Outbreak ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Nomadic Pastoralists ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Water And Sanitation Infrastructure ◽  
Sanitation Infrastructure ◽  
Village Health Teams

SUMMARYIn sub-Saharan Africa, many nomadic pastoralists have begun to settle in permanent communities as a result of long-term water, food, and civil insecurity. Little is known about the epidemiology of cholera in these emerging semi-nomadic populations. We report the results of a case-control study conducted during a cholera outbreak among semi-nomadic pastoralists in the Karamoja sub-region of northeastern Uganda in 2010. Data from 99 cases and 99 controls were analysed. In multivariate analyses, risk factors identified were: residing in the same household as another cholera case [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 6·67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2·83–15·70], eating roadside food (aOR 2·91, 95% CI 1·24–6·81), not disposing of children's faeces in a latrine (aOR 15·76, 95% CI 1·54–161·25), not treating drinking water with chlorine (aOR 3·86, 95% CI 1·63–9·14), female gender (aOR 2·43, 95% CI 1·09–5·43), and childhood age (10–17 years) (aOR 7·14, 95% CI 1·97–25·83). This is the first epidemiological study of cholera reported from a setting of semi-nomadic pastoralism in sub-Saharan Africa. Public health interventions among semi-nomadic pastoralists should include a two-faceted approach to cholera prevention: intensive health education programmes to address behaviours inherited from insecure nomadic lifestyles, as well as improvements in water and sanitation infrastructure. The utilization of community-based village health teams provides an important method of implementing such activities.

scholarly journals Scaling-up health insurance through community- based health insurance schemes in rural sub- Saharan African communities

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ufuoma John Ejughemre
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Seek Health Care ◽  
Community Based Health Insurance ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Sub Saharan

Context: The knotty and monumental problem of health inequality and the high burden of diseases in sub-Saharan Africa bothers on the poor state of health of many of its citizens particularly in rural communities. These issues are further exacerbated by the harrowing conditions of health care delivery and the poor financing of health services in many of these communities. Against these backdrops, health policy makers in the region are not just concerned with improving peoples’ health but with protecting them against the financial costs of illness. What is important is the need to support more robust strategies for healthcare financing in these communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: This review assesses the evidence of the extent to which community-based health insurance (CBHI) is a more viable option for health care financing amongst other health insurance schemes in rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Patterns of health insurance in sub-Saharan Africa: Theoretically, the basis for health insurance is that it allows for risk pooling and therefore ensures that resources follow sick individuals to seek health care when needed. As it were, there are different models such as social, private and CBHI schemes which could come to bear in different settings in the region. However, not all insurance schemes will come to bear in rural settings in the region. Community based health insurance: CBHI is now recognized as a community-initiative that is community friendly and has a wide reach in the informal sector especially if well designed. Experience from Rwanda, parts of Nigeria and other settings in the region indicate high acceptability but the challenge is that these schemes are still very new in the region. Recommendations and conclusion: Governments and international development partners in the region should collect- ively develop CBHI as it will help in strengthening health systems and efforts geared towards achieving the millennium development goals. This is because it is inextricably linked to the health care needs of the poor. 

A Comparative Analysis of Collaborative Environmental Management of Natural Resources in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Study of Cameroon and South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 512-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regis Musavengane ◽  
Henry Bikwibili Tantoh ◽  
Danny Simatele
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Collaborative Community ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Governance Processes

In Africa, rural communities thrive on social capital and tend to have a number of commonalities that force them to share natural, physical and social resources. It has been a trend in sub-Saharan Africa to have either formal or informal collaborative management agreements to manage common pool resources (CPRs) to accommodate different actors and interests. This paper draws lessons from past and contemporary collaborative schemes in Cameroon and South Africa to enhance the practice and governance processes of natural resources in sub-Saharan Africa in order to promote sustainable development. Using research methods inspired by the tradition of participatory research to collect field-based data and complemented by reflections on previous and existing studies, the paper highlights the importance and benefits of participatory democracy as opposed to representational democracy in co-management of natural resources in rural spaces. It further discusses the need to redefine the roles of national and local governments, the youths and women in ensuring effective participation and the essence of unifying the judicial and culture. To guarantee sustainability of collaborative community-based natural resources, the paper emphasises the role and importance of youth and women empowerment. These issues have been discussed within the broader sustainability discourse.

scholarly journals Highly Localized Enrichment of Trypanosoma brucei Parasites Using Dielectrophoresis

Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 625
Author(s):  
Devin Keck ◽  
Callie Stuart ◽  
Josie Duncan ◽  
Emily Gullette ◽  
Rodrigo Martinez-Duarte
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Trypanosoma Brucei ◽  
Serological Test ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Field Gradients ◽  
High Enrichment ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Sub Saharan

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness, is a vector-borne neglected tropical disease endemic to rural sub-Saharan Africa. Current methods of early detection in the affected rural communities generally begin with general screening using the card agglutination test for trypanosomiasis (CATT), a serological test. However, the gold standard for confirmation of trypanosomiasis remains the direct observation of the causative parasite, Trypanosoma brucei. Here, we present the use of dielectrophoresis (DEP) to enrich T. brucei parasites in specific locations to facilitate their identification in a future diagnostic assay. DEP refers to physical movement that can be selectively induced on the parasites when exposing them to electric field gradients of specific magnitude, phase and frequency. The long-term goal of our work is to use DEP to selectively trap and enrich T. brucei in specific locations while eluting all other cells in a sample. This would allow for a diagnostic test that enables the user to characterize the presence of parasites in specific locations determined a priori instead of relying on scanning a sample. In the work presented here, we report the characterization of the conditions that lead to high enrichment, 780% in 50 s, of the parasite in specific locations using an array of titanium microelectrodes.

scholarly journals Relative burdens of the COVID-19, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID BELL ◽  
Kristian Schultz Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Life Years ◽  
African Populations ◽  
Life Years Lost ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Hiv Aids

Objectives: While the COVID-19 pandemic has had considerable global impact, recorded mortality in sub-Saharan Africa has been relatively low. Ensuring the public health response creates overall benefit is therefore critical. However, the highly age-dependent nature of COVID-19 mortality makes comparisons of disease burden challenging unless considered in terms of metrics that incorporate life years lost and time lived in adverse health. We therefore assessed the relative disease burdens of COVID-19 and the three major epidemic-causing pathogens; malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, in sub-Saharan Africa. Design: We compared estimates of 2020 disease burdens in sub-Saharan African populations in terms of mortality and Disability-Adjusted Life Years lost (DALYs) for COVID-19, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, applying known age-related mortality to UN estimates of sub-Saharan population age structure. We further compared exacerbations of these diseases predicted to occur through the COVID-19 public health response. Data was derived from public sources, predicted disease exacerbations from those published by international agencies. Main outcome measures: Mortality and DALYs lost Results: For sub-Saharan African populations north of South Africa, recorded COVID-19 DALYs lost in 2020 was 2.0%, 1.2% and 1.3% of those estimated for tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria respectively. The predicted exacerbations alone of each of these comparator diseases were greater than the estimated COVID-19 burden. Including South Africa and Lesotho, COVID-19 DALYs lost were ≤6% of each of these predicted disease burdens and dominated by them in all age groups below 70 years. Conclusions: The analysis here suggests a relatively low impact from COVID-19. While all four epidemics continue, concentration on COVID-19 runs a high risk of increasing the overall health burden, further increasing global inequities in health and life expectancy, and needs to be guided by clear economic evaluation.

Misconceptions Associated with Children Living with Albinism: Evidence from the Gutu District, Zimbabwe

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Ringson
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Genetic Condition ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Stigma And Discrimination ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Depth Interviews

Misconceptions surrounding the genetic condition of albinism persist in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, including Zimbabwe. Studies on albinism have been carried out in different contexts around the globe, but little is known so far about the effects of the misconceptions of albinism in the rural communities of Zimbabwe. This study examines the effects of the misconceptions of albinism in the Gutu District of Zimbabwe. Twenty-five participants were interviewed, consisting of caregivers and children living with albinism in the Gutu District. In-depth interviews were used to gather data concerning their experiences of the misconceptions associated with albinism, the ways these misconceptions have affected them and the ways in which they attempt to mitigate these effects. Results of the study show that, although there are initiatives and programmes advocated by various stakeholders for children living with albinism, the misconceptions are still escalating. Furthermore, the study reveals stigma and discrimination as the major effects of the misconceptions in the lives of children living with albinism. In conclusion, the study recommends the establishment of a community-based protection model for people living with albinism, which integrates all stakeholders involved in mitigating the challenges that emerge from the misconceptions of albinism in Zimbabwe.

Sovereign Wealth Funds and Long-Term Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boubacar Diallo ◽  
Fulbert Tchana Tchana ◽  
Albert G. Zeufack
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sovereign Wealth Funds ◽  
Sub Saharan
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