SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence in healthcare workers and administrative and support staff: The first-wave experience at three academic hospitals in the Tshwane district of Gauteng Province, South Africa

AbstractAlthough synanthropic rodents such as the indigenous species, Mastomys coucha, and the invasive species, Rattus norvegicus, R. rattus and R. tanezumi, are well-known to be hosts to various micro- and macroparasites, their helminth parasite fauna is poorly studied in South Africa. In an attempt to remedy the situation, the aim of the present study was to investigate the helminth fauna of these sympatric rodent species, which were obtained from the informal settlements of Alexandra, Tembisa, Diepsloot and residential suburbs of Pretoria and Hammanskraal, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Helminths were recovered from the urinary bladder, liver and gastrointestinal tract and were identified morphologically and molecularly. The recovered nematodes were all rodent-specific and included Aspiculuris tetraptera, Eucoleus sp., Heterakis spumosa, Mastophorus muris, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Protospirura sp., Strongyloides ratti, Syphacia obvelata, Syphacia muris, Trichuris sp. and Trichosomoides crassicauda. Syphacia obvelata, a commensal nematode of laboratory rodents, was recovered from indigenous M. coucha. Strobilar stages of cestodes recovered included Hymenolepis diminuta, Hymenolepis nana and Inermicapsifer madagascariensis. Recovered metacestodes were strobilocerci of Hydatigera taeniaeformis from all three invasive Rattus species and coenurostrobilocerci of Hydatigera parva from M. coucha. An acanthocephalan, Moniliformis moniliformis, was recovered from R. rattus only. All rodent species examined showed high helminth infection prevalence (≥70%) with equal or higher nematode than cestode prevalence. Mastomys coucha, however, showed significantly lower cestode prevalence than Rattus species where they co-occur. Interspecific transmission of helminths likely occurs between invasive and indigenous rodents, and these rodents harbour several helminths that have zoonotic implications.

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Hepatitis B vaccination coverage in healthcare workers in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Vaccine ◽

10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.03.001 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 29 (25) ◽

pp. 4293-4297 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Rosemary J. Burnett ◽

Guido François ◽

M. Jeffrey Mphahlele ◽

John G. Mureithi ◽

Patricia N. Africa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Hepatitis B ◽

Vaccination Coverage ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Hepatitis B Vaccination ◽

Gauteng Province

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Ascertaining the Role of Leadership on Employee Satisfaction in Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province of South Africa Using Qualitative Research

International Journal on Leadership ◽

10.21863/ijl/2015.3.2.009 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Kingstone Mutsonziwa ◽

Philip Serumaga-Zake

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Employee Satisfaction ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Social Research ◽

Labour Productivity ◽

Working Environment ◽

Gauteng Province ◽

Career Growth ◽

Quantitative Results ◽

Mixed Approach

This paper is based on the study a Doctor of Business Leadership (DBL) thesis titled A Statistical Model for Employee Satisfaction in the Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province. The purpose of this study was to identify the attributes that affect employee satisfaction in the Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province, South Africa. In order to address the overall objective of this study, the researcher used a two-tiered (mixed) approach in which both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were used to complement and enrich the results. This paper is only based on the qualitative component of the study on leadership aspects based on six leaders (two from Social research and four from Market research) that were interviewed. The leaders were selected based on their knowledge of the industry and the expertise they have. Participation in the survey was voluntary. This paper illustrates the power of the qualitative techniques to uncover or unmask the leadership aspects in the Market and Social Research Industries and also gives the human touch to the quantitative results. It was found that leadership and management within the Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province must ensure that they are accommodative in terms of mentoring their subordinates. The industry is driven by quality driven processes and strong leadership. More importantly, issues of a good working environment, remuneration, career growth, and recognition must always be addressed in order to increase employee satisfaction, reduce staff turnover, and attempt to optimize labour productivity. The qualitative findings also help a deeper understanding of leadership within the industry.

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Municipal asset operations and maintenance performance in metropolitan and rural municipalities in Gauteng Province and Vhembe District Local Municipalities, South Africa

Cogent Engineering ◽

10.1080/23311916.2021.1935409 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 1935409

Author(s):

Peter Bikam ◽

James Chakwizira

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Gauteng Province ◽

Local Municipalities ◽

Operations And Maintenance ◽

Rural Municipalities ◽

Vhembe District ◽

Maintenance Performance

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Increasing hepatitis B vaccination coverage of healthcare workers — global lessons for South Africa

Current Opinion in Immunology ◽

10.1016/j.coi.2021.03.010 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 71 ◽

pp. 6-12

Author(s):

Rosemary Joyce Burnett ◽

Angela Dramowski ◽

Edina Amponsah-Dacosta ◽

Johanna Catharina Meyer

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Hepatitis B ◽

Vaccination Coverage ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Hepatitis B Vaccination

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COVID-19 serological testing for Healthcare Workers in Lombardy, Italy

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.351 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

G Del Castillo ◽

A Castrofino ◽

F Grosso ◽

A Barone ◽

L Crottogini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Geographical Area ◽

Healthcare Facility ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Infection Prevalence ◽

Serological Testing ◽

Prevention Policy ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Serological Tests ◽

Screening Process

Abstract Issue COVID-19 pandemic began in Italy on February 20th, 2020. Since the beginning of the emergency Healthcare Workers' (HCWs) involvement was prominent, mainly due to direct assistance to COVID-19 patients. Therefore, we implemented a prevention policy for HCW screening through serological and RT-PCR testing. Description of the problem HCW screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection is essential for prevention and control of the pandemic. Lombardy's Healthcare authorities settled a screening process for HCWs divided into three steps: 1) body temperature assessment at the beginning and the end of work shift, if fever > 37.5 °C was present the HCW was sent back home and a nasopharyngeal swab was performed; 2) progressive recruitment for serological testing; 3) on those positive to IgG a nasopharyngeal swab was performed and tested for viral RNA by RT-PCR. Results Among 79185 HCW tested, 9589 (12%) were positive on serological IgG testing. Of the 9589 positive a nasopharyngeal swab was performed on 6884. Of these 358 (5%) tested positive and the remaining 6526 (95%) negative to RT-PCR. We calculated a Positive Predictive Value of 5.2%. The rate of positive serological tests for each Healthcare facility varied between 0% and 78%. Five percent of all facilities, belonging to Brescia, Bergamo and Cremona area, reported a positivity rate higher than 40% in HCWs. A second cluster (18% of all facilities), involving the same geographical area, reported a rate between 20% and 40%, whereas the remaining facilities (76%) of the region a rate <20%. Lessons Serological IgG testing can be, if followed by immediate nasopharyngeal swab testing, a valid screening intervention on asymptomatic HCWs especially in a high infection prevalence setting. Key messages Serological IgG testing can be, if followed by immediate nasopharyngeal swab testing, a valid screening intervention on asymptomatic HCWs. Infection prevention in HCW may benefit from a screening campaign especially in high prevalence settings.

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