ABSTRACT Eimeria species are important coccidian parasites worldwide causing significant economic losses from clinical and subclinical coccidiosis in poultry. Vaccines for its control in Nigeria are imported without consideration of the local species often resulting in vaccine failure. This study determined the prevalence of and characterised the Eimeria species present in Oyo and Ogun States towards an effective control and prevention of coccidiosis. A semi-structured questionnaire was admin...
ABSTRACT Schools are great platforms where children can learn hygiene skills, behaviours and practices, and when these become part of children’ daily lives, this may lead to a positive impact in families and communities at large. However, effective hygiene promotion in school can be severely affected if sanitation facilities are not adequately managed. UNICEF indicated that, despite the provision of water to schools in Ohangwena region, there are still a high proportion of schools without ...
Abstract Background: Unacceptably high maternal and perinatal mortality remains a major challenge in many low-income countries. Early detection and management of danger signs through improved access to maternal services are highly needed for better maternal and infant outcomes. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of an interactive mobile messaging alert system on improving knowledge on danger signs, birth preparedness, and complication readiness practices among pregnant wome...
ABSTRACT Namibia has achieved great success in the reduction of malaria case numbers from over 500 per 1000 population in 2000 to between 1 -2 per 1000 population in 2013 (MoHSS-NVDCP, 2009). The gains in the reduction of malaria case numbers have seen the country transitioning from the control phase of malaria epidemiology to the pre-elimination phase, and has subsequently adopted the goal of malaria elimination by 2020 (MoHSS-NVDCP, 2010; Pindolia et al., 2012). Since the year 2008, there ...
ABSTRACT Phenomena such as urbanisation and individual traits such as health literacy, affect people’s exposure and vulnerability to coronary artery disease risk factors. Namibia, as a developing country, is no exception. Although studies have indicated significant effects of predictor variables such as knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) on coronary artery diseases, none has been reported in the Namibian context. The purpose of this study was to determine and describe the knowledge, ...
Background:Cancer in children in Tanzania is a concerning health issue, yet there is a shortage of information about the experiences of the guardians of children who receive cancer treatment. Objective:To explore concerns and needs of support among guardians of children on cancer treatment in Dares Salaam, Tanzania. Method:Using a qualitative design,3 focus group discussions were held with 22 guardians of children aged 9 to 17 years. Guardians were recruited from Muhimbili National Hospital, ...
ABSTRACT In this study, the researcher explored and described the views of health care professionals who are managing children with foetal alcohol syndrome at public health facilities in the Khomas Region in Namibia. The purpose of this research project was to develop and evaluate foetal alcohol syndrome guidelines. This study was qualitative, explorative, descriptive, and contextual in nature and was conducted in four phases.
ABSTRACT Communication is the ideas and information exchanged and actions or reactions that arise from that exchange and contact. What really defines the communication is the relationship between the communicator and the recipient. Therefore, for a good nurse-patient relationship to be established, nurse patient communication must be effective. The study described in this paper was to thoroughly investigate the factors influencing communication between registered nurses and patients at Inter...
ABSTRACT Background: Globally, malnutrition is a public health problem and more than one-third of mortality among children aged below five years is attributable to malnutrition. Therefore a comprehensive nutritional assessment for early diagnosis of malnutrition and care is important. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a health facility (dispensary) among children aged below five years of age. A total of 302 children were randomly selected from twelve dispensaries in Chamwi...
Abstract The aim of this study was threefold. Firstly, it aimed to find out how single, young adult women in rural Owambo communities appraised their premarital pregnancy at that time when they found out they were pregnant and subsequent reappraisals thereof. Secondly, it intended to investigate whether these women feel stigmatized, isolated and marginalized. Thirdly, the study also aimed at examining how the past and present perceptions of their premarital pregnancy have contributed to how ...
ABSTRACT Trypanosomosis is a vector-borne, tropical disease that causes mortality and morbidity in livestock and humans. In this study we investigated the risk factors for trypanosome infection in cattle in the Maasai Steppe of northern Tanzania. We assessed the influence of age, sex, herd size and history of treatment against trypanosomosis as risk factors of trypanosome infection. Cattle blood samples were collected from 150 cattle in three villages in the vicinity of Tarangire National P...
ABSTRACT Background: Reports on systematic evaluation of the impact of antiretroviral therapy(ART) on patients’ hospitalisation in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) and Tanzania in particular are scarce. We aimed at documenting the trends of hospital admissions at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) following scale up of free access to ART in Tanzania. Methods: Records for all admissions at MNH from June 2005 to June 2015 were reviewed. We extracted data from Hospital Information Management System...
ABSTRACT Epilepsy is the most common serious and chronic neurological disorder worldwide. Lack of knowledge and negative attitudes among teachers towards epilepsy causes stigmatization and discrimination of children diagnosed with epilepsy on a daily basis. Teachers in Namibia do not receive formal training on epilepsy, which may lead to them missing partial epileptic seizures, especially on undiagnosed children. Little is known about the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Namibian teache...
ABSTRACT Rabies kills over 55,000 people worldwide annually of which about 97% die resulting from the bite(s) of rabid dogs. Despite the free annual vaccination of dogs in Namibia and Ohangwena region in particular, rabies is still on the increase in both animals and humans. We conducted this study to establish the level of protection against rabies in the vaccinated domestic dogs through antibody testing. Furthermore, the study assessed the level of people’s knowledge on rabies. A descrip...
ABSTRACT Cancer has become a global health burden accounting for about 8.2 million deaths every year worldwide. Cancer patients or people, who experience symptoms similar to that of cancer in Namibia’s rural settings, may endure suffering for months and may even die without receiving medical attention, due to the lengthy distance between the rural areas and the nearest medical centre and the long referral process. It may even take more time to get the correct medical attention for t partic...