scholarly journals Occurrence of Theileria parva infection in cattle on a farm in the Ladysmith district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa : article

Author(s):  
B.E. Thompson ◽  
A.A. Latifa ◽  
M.C. Oosthuizen ◽  
M. Troskie ◽  
B.L. Penzhorn

Theileria parva causes widespread morbidity and mortality in cattle in endemic regions. An outbreak of theileriosis occurred on a farm near Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, which is not a declared Corridor disease-infected area. A survey of Red Brangus cattle from all age groups and areas of the farm was performed. Transmission of the parasite from infected animals on the farm to susceptible animals by tick transmission and tick-stabilate injection, was attempted. The survey indicated high numbers of animals with antibody titres to T. parva but only 6 infected animals, based on real-time PCR and RLB analysis. The transmission experiments failed to transmit the parasite. The study shows the difficulty in elucidating a source of infection and determining the dynamics of new infections in a herd where multiple possible sources are present and treatment with tetracyclines has taken place.

2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C H Vaughan Williams

Objectives. To analyse mortality trends from deaths registered at Mosvold Hospital, Ingwavuma, KwaZulu-Natal, and possible impact of programmes to treat and prevent HIV infection. Design. Longitudinal study of death certifications from 2003 to 2008. Setting. Mosvold Hospital mortuary, Ingwavuma. Subjects. Counterfoils of form 83/BI-1663, Notification/Register of Death/Stillbirths (Republic of South Africa, Department of Home Affairs), completed at Mosvold Hospital from January 2003 to December 2008. Outcome measures. Age at death, cause of death, patterns of deaths grouped by age, gender and cause of death. Results. AIDS-related deaths were the cause of 53% of deaths, particularly affecting the 20 - 59-year and under-5 age groups. Since 2005 there has been a decline in deaths in the 20 - 59 age group and an increase in average age at death. Conclusions. The decrease in mortality from 2005 may be associated with antiretroviral roll-out reducing mortality from AIDS-related illnesses.


Author(s):  
S. B.A.S. Yusufmia ◽  
N. E. Collins ◽  
R. Nkuna ◽  
M. Troskie ◽  
P. Van Den Bossche ◽  
...  

Theileria parva, the most important bovine theilerial species in sub-Saharan Africa, causes widespread mortality and morbidity in endemic areas. A survey was conducted using buffy-coat specimens from 60 apparently healthy adult communally herded Nguni-type cattle at the northeastern edge of the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park to determine, by means of PCR and Reverse Line Blot (RLB) hybridisation, the occurrence of Theileria and Babesia species. The presence of Trypanosoma species was determined using PCR-RFLP. Results showed that 6.7 % of the specimens were positive for Theileria parva. This significant finding suggests that cattle in South Africa, and not only African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer), may be subclinical carriers of T. parva. Other species identified were T. mutans (83.3 %), T. velifera (70.0 %), Theileria sp. (sable) (46.8 %) and T. taurotragi (1.7 %). Two specimens (3.3 %) were positive for Babesia bovis and single specimens (1.7 %) positive for B. bigemina and B. rossi, respectively. Mixed infections, of up to 4 species, were common (65.0 %). Only 1 specimen was found to be positive for Trypanosoma vivax, and 2 for T. theileri, of which only the first species is pathogenic.


Author(s):  
Michelle Pascoe ◽  
Zenia Jeggo

In South Africa, isiZulu is the most widely spoken home language. However, research on children’s speech acquisition in isiZulu is minimal and there are no published speech assessments that speech-language therapists can use to identify children with speech sound disorders acquiring this language. In our research we aimed to document speech sound acquisition of 32 isiZulu-speaking children aged two years, six months to six years, five months in rural KwaZulu- Natal, South Africa. An isiZulu speech assessment was developed and used to assess the children’s speech in terms of phonetic acquisition, word shape and phonological processes. In the study, the implosive, plosives, nasals, affricates and vowels were mastered by the youngest children. The click /!ɡ/, approximant /l/ and fricative /ɦ/ may be among the last consonants to develop: they had not been mastered by the oldest group. Two-syllable structures were mastered early while structures of four/five syllables were still developing at 6;5. Participants in the older age groups could produce target words more accurately and used fewer phonological processes. The findings are discussed in relation to normative data from other Bantu languages. Knowledge of isiZulu speech sound development will assist clinicians working with isiZulu-speaking children in assessing and managing their speech difficulties: an important step towards ensuring that speech-language therapy services are relevant to all children in South Africa.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0238563
Author(s):  
Gabriela Mejia-Pailles ◽  
Ann Berrington ◽  
Nuala McGrath ◽  
Victoria Hosegood

Background In South Africa, large increases in early adult mortality during the 1990s and early 2000s have reversed since public HIV treatment rollout in 2004. In a rural population in KwaZulu-Natal, we investigate trends in parental mortality and orphanhood from 2000–2014. Methods Using longitudinal demographic surveillance data for a population of approximately 90,000, we calculated annual incidence and prevalence of maternal, paternal and double orphanhood in children and adolescents (<20 years) and, overall and cause-specific mortality of parents by age. Results The proportion of children and adolescents (<20 years) for whom one or both parents had died rose from 26% in 2000 to peak at 36% in 2010, followed by a decline to 32% in 2014. The burden of orphanhood remains high especially in the oldest age group: in 2014, 53% of adolescents 15–19 years had experienced the death of one or both parents. In all age groups and years, paternal orphan prevalence was three-five times higher than maternal orphan prevalence. Maternal and paternal orphan incidence peaked in 2005 at 17 and 27 per 1,000 person years respectively (<20 years) before declining by half through 2014. The leading cause of parental death throughout the period, HIV/AIDS and TB cause-specific mortality rates declined substantially in mothers and fathers from 2007 and 2009 respectively. Conclusions The survival of parents with children and adolescents <20 years has improved in tandem with earlier initiation and higher coverage of HIV treatment. However, comparatively high levels of parental deaths persist in this rural population in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly among fathers. Community-level surveillance to estimate levels of orphanhood remains important for monitoring and evaluation of targeted state welfare support for orphans and their guardians.


2013 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
V.N. Sukati ◽  
R. Hansraj

Purpose:   To provide epidemiological data on ocular injuries among patients utilising the provincial hospitals eye care clinics in urban KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.  This data can be used in the future planning and intervention for ocular injuries at provincial hospitals.Methods:  Record cards of 220 ocular injury patients seen at two selected urban provincial hospitals over a period of four years were reviewed.Results:   Male presentation was higher (79.1%) compared to females (20.9%). The  Black  population (85.9%) experienced more ocular injuries than other race groups.  The 21 to 30 age group incurred more injuries (32.3%) than other age groups.  Open globe injuries occurred more frequent (56.4%) than closed globe injuries (43.6%).  The frequent type of injury was blunt trauma/contusion (32.7%).  More than half of the injuries were from solid objects (56.4%) followed by assaults (16.4%).  The home was the common place to incur an injury (72.2%).  Twenty four patients (10.9%) required surgical intervention at initial presentation.  One hundred and fifty eight (71.8%) patients returned for follow up examination.  Twenty five percent of the patients remained with poor vision following treatment.  Conclusion:   Ocular trauma due to burns is usually bilateral while that due to blunt trauma and intra ocular foreign bodies are generally unilateral.  Solid objects were the most frequent cause of ocular injury and injuries due to this cause were most often incurred in the home. (S Afr Optom 2013 72(3) 119-126)


2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khangelani Zuma ◽  
Khanyisile Manzini ◽  
Neo Mohlabane

Background: South Africa is experiencing one of the worst HIV epidemics, which varies by province and by districts within each province.Objective: To explore and compare HIV trends and patterns between two provinces in South Africa. Method: ‘Know your epidemic’ synthesis suggests that HIV prevalence is rising in older age groups and falling in younger people. Using secondary data analyses of population-based and antenatal care surveillance (ANC) surveys, we explored trends and patterns in HIV prevalence in KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape.Results: Even though KwaZulu-Natal has the highest HIV prevalence in the country (15.5% compared with 3.8% in the Western Cape), there is considerable recent decline (6%) in HIV prevalence in KwaZulu-Natal, compared with a 2% increase in the Western Cape, based on ANC data, in youth aged 15 to 24 years. These results are consistent with those from a population-based survey where a decline of 0.3% in HIV prevalence in KwaZulu-Natal was observed as compared with an increase of 0.7% in Western Cape youth. Both ANC results and population-based surveys conducted in different years show a decline in HIV prevalence amongst youth in KwaZulu-Natal compared with an increase in the same age group in the Western Cape. HIV infection in this age group is associated with recent infection, thus indicating an increasing epidemic in the Western Cape compared with KwaZulu-Natal.Conclusion: Interventions aimed at curbing infections such as sexual abstinence and condom promotion in this age group need to be implemented extensively in the Western Cape. These should include HIV counseling and testing campaigns. Agtergrond: Suid-Afrika ondervind een van die ergste MIV-epedemies, wat verskil ten opsigte van elke provinsie en distrik en binne elke provinise. Doelstelling: Om MIV-voorkoms en -patrone tussen twee provinises in Suid-Afrika te ondersoek en vergelyk.Metode: ‘Ken jou epidemie’ sintese dui daarop dat die voorkomssyfer van MIV in ouer ouderdomsgroepe styg en daal by jonger mense. Ons het sekondêre data analieses van bevolkingsgebaseerde en swangerskapsorg waarnemingsopnames (ANC) gebruik om neigings en patrone in MIV-voorkoms in Kwa-Zulu Natal en die Wes-Kaap, vas te stel.Resultate: Ofskoon Kwa-Zulu Natal die hoogste voorkoms in Suid-Afrika (15.5% vergelyk met 3.8% in die Wes-Kaap) het, is daar ‘n aansienlike onlangse afname (6%) in die voorkoms van MIV in Kwa-Zulu Natal waargeneem, vergelyk met die 2% verhoging in die Wes-Kaap, gebasseer op ANC data, in jongmense in die ouderdomsgroep 15–24 jaar. Hierdie resultate is konsekwent met dié van die bevolkingsgebaseerde opname, waar ‘n afname van 0.3% in MIV-voorkoms in Kwa-Zulu Natal waargeneem is, vergelyk met ‘n toename van 0.7% in die jeug van die Wes-Kaap. Altwee die ANC-resultate en die bevolkings-gebaseerde opnames wat in verskillende jare uitgevoer is, wys ’n afname in MIV-voorkoms onder die jeug in Kwa-Zuly Natal vergelyk met ’n toename onder dieselfde ouderdomsgroep in die Wes-Kaap. MIV-infeksie onder hierdie ouderdomsgroep word verbind met ’n onlangse infeksie, wat ’n toename van die epidemie in die Wes-Kaap, vergelyk met Kwa-Zulu Natal aandui.Gevolgtrekkings: Ingryping, wat daarop gemik is om infeksies soos seksuele onthouding en die reklame van kondome vir hierdie ouderdomsgroep, behoort wyd in die Wes-Kaap geimplementeer te word. Hierdie behoort voorligtings- en toetsveldtogte in te sluit.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thusile Mabel Gqaleni ◽  
Busisiwe Rosemary Bhengu

Critically ill patients admitted to critical-care units (CCUs) might have life-threatening or potentially life-threatening problems. Adverse events (AEs) occur frequently in CCUs, resulting in compromised quality of patient care. This study explores the experiences of critical-care nurses (CCNs) in relation to how the reported AEs were analysed and handled in CCUs. The study was conducted in the CCUs of five purposively selected hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A descriptive qualitative design was used to obtain data through in-depth interviews from a purposive sample of five unit managers working in the CCUs to provide a deeper meaning of their experiences. This study was a part of a bigger study using a mixed-methods approach. The recorded qualitative data were analysed using Tesch’s content analysis. The main categories of information that emerged during the data analysis were (i) the existence of an AE reporting system, (ii) the occurrence of AEs, (iii) the promotion of and barriers to AE reporting, and (iv) the handling of AEs. The findings demonstrated that there were major gaps that affected the maximum utilisation of the reporting system. In addition, even though the system existed in other institutions, it was not utilised at all, hence affecting quality patient care. The following are recommended: (1) a non-punitive and non-confrontational system should be promoted, and (2) an organisational culture should be encouraged where support structures are formed within institutions, which consist of a legal framework, patient and family involvement, effective AE feedback, and education and training of staff.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanusha Raniga ◽  
Barbara Simpson ◽  
Ntokozo Mthembu

In contemporary South Africa, partnerships between service providers in government, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and community based organisations have been identified as a means to strengthen communities and the sustainability of social services. However, the unequal power relations that exists between and within these organisations often leads to fragmentation, duplication, and lack of coordination of social services. Using Fowler’s (1998) conceptualisation of authentic partnerships, this qualitative phase of a larger study explored the challenges of building authentic partnerships in Bhambayi, a predominantly informal settlement in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Individual interviews and a focus group held with nine service providers revealed that intraorganisational challenges, cross-boundary and inter-organisational relations as well as political influences were obstacles to the development of authentic partnerships. The article suggests that open communication, clarity of roles and mutual trust between service providers is vital.


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