scholarly journals Effect of Lymphatic Filariasis and Hookworm Infection on Pregnancy Course and Outcome in Women Living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérémy T. Campillo ◽  
Emmanuel B. Chabot ◽  
Naomi-Pitchouna Awaca-Uvon ◽  
Jean-Paul Tambwe ◽  
Godefroy Kuyangisa-Simuna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Postpartum Hemorrhage ◽  
Premature Birth ◽  
Neonatal Death ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Wuchereria Bancrofti ◽  
Median Number ◽  
Helminth Infections ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
History Of

Little is known about the effect of helminth infections on the natural gynecological and pregnancy course. Our goal was to assess the relationship between Wuchereria bancrofti and hookworm (HW) infections with pregnancy course and outcome in a group of 82 women living in a rural area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Demographics and information on gynecological and obstetrical histories were collected retrospectively with standardized questionnaires. Wuchereria bancrofti and HW infections were diagnosed using a filarial antigen-detection test and the Kato–Katz method, respectively. Analyses consisted of multivariable logistic regressions adjusting for age, number of deliveries, and history of anthelmintic treatment (HAHT). The median age of study participants was 35 (interquartile range [IQR]: 30–44) years, and the median number of deliveries was five (IQR: 3–7). Wuchereria bancrofti and HW infection rates were 44.5% and 43.3%, respectively. Filarial antigenemia and HW infection were not significantly associated with the number of deliveries. The proportions of women with a history of pregnancy resulting in neonatal death, miscarriage, premature birth, and postpartum hemorrhage were 56%, 44%, 23%, and 36%, respectively. History of pregnancy associated with neonatal death was less frequent in women with HAHT, tended to be more frequent in women with filarial antigenemia, and was not associated with HW infection. None of the three other pregnancy events studied (miscarriage, premature birth, and postpartum hemorrhage) were associated with filarial antigenemia or HW infection. The positive association found between HAHT and lower risk of neonatal death warrants investigation in larger groups of women.

Studying National Commemoration and Political Celebrations in Africa: The Online Archive African Independence Days

2020 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. vii-xxviii
Author(s):  
Marie-Christin Gabriel ◽  
Carola Lentz
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Online Archive ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many

AbstractThe Department of Anthropology and African Studies (ifeas) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz hosts a comprehensive archive on African Independence Day celebrations. Created in 2010, the archive is one of the outcomes of a large comparative research project on African national days directed by Carola Lentz. It offers unique insights into practices of as well as debates on national commemoration and political celebrations in Africa. The archive holds more than 28,000 images, including photographs, newspaper articles, documents, and objects from twelve African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Namibia, Nigeria, and Tanzania. It primarily consists of an online photo and newspaper archive (https://bildarchiv.uni-mainz.de/AUJ/; https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-ifeas-eng/departmental-archives/online-archive-african-independence-days/); some of the material is also stored in the physical archive on African Independence Days at ifeas as well as in the department's ethnographic collection (https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-ifeas-eng/ethnographic-collection/). Most of the material concerns recent celebrations, but the collection has been complemented by some documentation of earlier festivities. Archives hold many stories while they also have a story to tell in their own right. This article discusses both aspects. It first traces the history of the Online Archive African Independence Days at ifeas. It then provides an overview of the different categories of material stored in the archive and tells a few of the many stories that the photos, texts and objects contain. We hope to demonstrate that the archive holds a wealth of sources that can be mined for studies on national commemoration and political celebrations in Africa, and, more generally, on practices and processes of nation-building and state-making.

scholarly journals Genetic legacy of state centralization in the Kuba Kingdom of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

2018 ◽  
Vol 116 (2) ◽  
pp. 593-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy van Dorp ◽  
Sara Lowes ◽  
Jonathan L. Weigel ◽  
Naser Ansari-Pour ◽  
Saioa López ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Central Province ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Genetic Patterns ◽  
Genetic Impact ◽  
Genome Wide Data ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
History Of ◽  
State Centralization

Few phenomena have had as profound or long-lasting consequences in human history as the emergence of large-scale centralized states in the place of smaller scale and more local societies. This study examines a fundamental, and yet unexplored, consequence of state formation: its genetic legacy. We studied the genetic impact of state centralization during the formation of the eminent precolonial Kuba Kingdom of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the 17th century. We analyzed genome-wide data from over 690 individuals sampled from 27 different ethnic groups from the Kasai Central Province of the DRC. By comparing genetic patterns in the present-day Kuba, whose ancestors were part of the Kuba Kingdom, with those in neighboring non-Kuba groups, we show that the Kuba today are more genetically diverse and more similar to other groups in the region than expected, consistent with the historical unification of distinct subgroups during state centralization. We also found evidence of genetic mixing dating to the time of the Kingdom at its most prominent. Using this unique dataset, we characterize the genetic history of the Kasai Central Province and describe the historic late wave of migrations into the region that contributed to a Bantu-like ancestry component found across large parts of Africa today. Taken together, we show the power of genetics to evidence events of sociopolitical importance and highlight how DNA can be used to better understand the behaviors of both people and institutions in the past.

scholarly journals The Kilwa Massacre: Critical Analysis for a Southern Criminology

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 135-147
Author(s):  
Kim Lah ◽  
Anthony Collins
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Structural Violence ◽  
Colonial Power ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Criminal Violence ◽  
Political Interests ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
History Of ◽  
International Systems

This paper explores the 2004 Kilwa massacre in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through a decolonial perspective, explaining how the massacre is situated within the history of colonial power and global capitalist relations. As such, the convergence of mining and political interests that created the context in which this violence was possible is examined, rather than the specific human rights abuses committed during the massacre. This approach highlights how such acts of violence are an ongoing factor of colonial and postcolonial exploitation, as well as the difficulties in holding the responsible parties accountable. This investigation shows the importance of developing a decolonial Southern criminology that contextualizes human rights abuses within local and international systems of power and locates acts of criminal violence within the broader networks of structural violence.

Belgian Rule and its Afterlives: Colonialism, Developmentalism, and Mobutism in the Tanganyika District, Southeastern DR-Congo, 1885–1985

2017 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 47-68
Author(s):  
Reuben Loffman
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Labor History ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Dr Congo ◽  
Unfree Labor ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Cold War

AbstractThe arrival of Belgian rule in the late nineteenth century initiated significant changes in the labor history of Tanganyika, a province in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as well the discursive regimes used to legitimize these transformations. After the colonial conquests, unfree labor was justified by paternalistic rather than mythical discourses. Although unfree labor was less common in the postcolonial period, the state forced farmers to sell crops at low prices and build roads for no remuneration. In the Cold War context, the language and practice of developmentalism mediated the coercive practices of the independent Congolese state (known as Zaïre, 1971–1997). The floundering Zaïrian government expanded its presence in Tanganyika due to its partnership with USAID. USAID's rhetoric and practice was influenced by a “bottom up” approach to agricultural production, but the cuts to its funding in the 1980s meant it struggled to soften Mobutu's coercive administration.

scholarly journals Community-based survey on helminth infections in Kwilu province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and implications for local control strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. e0008745
Author(s):  
Raquel Inocencio da Luz ◽  
Sylvie Linsuke ◽  
Clémentine Roucher ◽  
Alain Mpanya ◽  
Jane Nyandele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Control ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Helminth Infections ◽  
Republic Of The Congo

scholarly journals Association of Previous Measles Infection With Markers of Acute Infectious Disease Among 9- to 59-Month-Old Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 531-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayley R Ashbaugh ◽  
James D Cherry ◽  
Nicole A Hoff ◽  
Reena H Doshi ◽  
Vivian H Alfonso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Clinical Markers ◽  
Long Term Effect ◽  
Maternal Recall ◽  
Acute Infectious Disease ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
History Of ◽  
Measles Vaccination

Abstract Background Transient immunosuppression and increased susceptibility to other infections after measles infection is well known, but recent studies have suggested the occurrence of an “immune amnesia” that could have long-term immunosuppressive effects. Methods We examined the association between past measles infection and acute episodes of fever, cough, and diarrhea among 2350 children aged 9 to 59 months whose mothers were selected for interview in the 2013–2014 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Classification of children who had had measles was completed using maternal recall and measles immunoglobulin G serostatus obtained via dried-blood-spot analysis with a multiplex immunoassay. The association with time since measles infection and fever, cough, and diarrhea outcomes was also examined. Results The odds of fever in the previous 2 weeks were 1.80 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25–2.60) among children for whom measles was reported compared to children with no history of measles. Measles vaccination demonstrated a protective association against selected clinical markers of acute infectious diseases. Conclusion Our results suggest that measles might have a long-term effect on selected clinical markers of acute infectious diseases among children aged 9 to 59 months in the DRC. These findings support the immune-amnesia hypothesis suggested by others and underscore the need for continued evaluation and improvement of the DRC’s measles vaccination program.

scholarly journals Prevalence of colonization by Streptococcus agalactiae among pregnant women in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (09) ◽  
pp. 1195-1200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kashosi T Mitima ◽  
Steve Ntamako ◽  
Achippe M Birindwa ◽  
Ntakwinja Mukanire ◽  
John M Kivukuto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Agalactiae ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Colonization Rate ◽  
Education History ◽  
Positive Serology ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
History Of

Introduction: Maternal vaginal colonization by Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) has an important impact on neonatal health but has not been studied in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The aim of this study was to determine its frequency and influencing factors. Methodology: Vaginal samples (n = 509) for bacteriological analysis were collected from women in Bukavu, eastern DR Congo, during their third trimester of pregnancy, along with information about age, education and socio-economic status, and medical and obstetric-gynecological history. Results: The overall GBS colonization rate was 20%. Colonization was significantly associated with low education, history of urinary infection during the pregnancy, history of premature childbirth or abortion, and HIV-positive serology, but was not significantly associated with socio-economic level or parity. Conclusions: The GBS colonization rate is similar to that found elsewhere on the continent. Further studies, with follow-up of neonates of infected mothers and evaluation of prevention/treatment strategies, are needed.

scholarly journals Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 transmission dynamics in rural villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with high nonhuman primate exposure

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. e0008923
Author(s):  
Megan Halbrook ◽  
Adva Gadoth ◽  
Anupama Shankar ◽  
HaoQiang Zheng ◽  
Ellsworth M. Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nonhuman Primate ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Foamy Virus ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Simian Foamy Virus ◽  
Rural Villages ◽  
Subtype B ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
History Of

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has a history of nonhuman primate (NHP) consumption and exposure to simian retroviruses yet little is known about the extent of zoonotic simian retroviral infections in DRC. We examined the prevalence of human T-lymphotropic viruses (HTLV), a retrovirus group of simian origin, in a large population of persons with frequent NHP exposures and a history of simian foamy virus infection. We screened plasma from 3,051 persons living in rural villages in central DRC using HTLV EIA and western blot (WB). PCR amplification of HTLV tax and LTR sequences from buffy coat DNA was used to confirm infection and to measure proviral loads (pVLs). We used phylogenetic analyses of LTR sequences to infer evolutionary histories and potential transmission clusters. Questionnaire data was analyzed in conjunction with serological and molecular data. A relatively high proportion of the study population (5.4%, n = 165) were WB seropositive: 128 HTLV-1-like, 3 HTLV-2-like, and 34 HTLV-positive but untypeable profiles. 85 persons had HTLV indeterminate WB profiles. HTLV seroreactivity was higher in females, wives, heads of households, and increased with age. HTLV-1 LTR sequences from 109 persons clustered strongly with HTLV-1 and STLV-1 subtype B from humans and simians from DRC, with most sequences more closely related to STLV-1 from Allenopithecus nigroviridis (Allen’s swamp monkey). While 18 potential transmission clusters were identified, most were in different households, villages, and health zones. Three HTLV-1-infected persons were co-infected with simian foamy virus. The mean and median percentage of HTLV-1 pVLs were 5.72% and 1.53%, respectively, but were not associated with age, NHP exposure, village, or gender. We document high HTLV prevalence in DRC likely originating from STLV-1. We demonstrate regional spread of HTLV-1 in DRC with pVLs reported to be associated with HTLV disease, supporting local and national public health measures to prevent spread and morbidity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document