Spatial Distribution Analysis of Community Radio Stations For Promoting Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Agriculture Under COVID-19 Scenario, Southern Province, Zambia

Community Radio Stations (CRS) play an important role in information dissemination at local and context specific levels. This study analyzes the spatial distribution of the CRS and their role in promoting sustainable in agriculture in times of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). The study's methodological approach included geospatial mapping of CRS in Arc GIS 10.3, surveys and interviews with key informants (n=39). In addition, the data was analyzed using SPSS 28.0 for frequency and descriptive analysis and excel for graphical outputs. The study finds 19 CRS in 13 districts and their radii completely cover the Southern Province of Zambia. Out of the time allocated to agricultural programs, an average of 47% is on climate change adaptation measures in local languages. However, the CRS have limited access to experts to provide information and programs sponsorship. This study has established that CRS have potential in disseminating climate change adaptation measures. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of the CRS noticed an increase in demand for agricultural programs during the COVID-19 era, with the rapid growth of CRS. The study recommends stakeholders collaboration to provide appropriate information to enhance the climate agricultural programmes on CRS and address challenges of limited access to experts and associated costs.

Rural Road Connectivity and Local Economic Activity: Evidence from Sri Lanka’s Integrated Road Investment Program

This study evaluated the economic impact of the Integrated Road Investment Program (iRoad) financed by the Asian Development Bank in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka.

Using geospatial models to map zero-dose children: factors associated with zero-dose vaccination status before and after a mass measles and rubella vaccination campaign in Southern province, Zambia

IntroductionDespite gains in global coverage of childhood vaccines, many children remain undervaccinated. Although mass vaccination campaigns are commonly conducted to reach these children their effectiveness is unclear. We evaluated the effectiveness of a mass vaccination campaign in reaching zero-dose children.MethodsWe conducted a prospective study in 10 health centre catchment areas in Southern province, Zambia in November 2020. About 2 months before a national mass measles and rubella vaccination campaign conducted by the Ministry of Health, we used aerial satellite maps to identify built structures. These structures were visited and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) and measles zero-dose children were identified (children who had not received any DTP or measles-containing vaccines, respectively). After the campaign, households where measles zero-dose children were previously identified were targeted for mop-up vaccination and to assess if these children were vaccinated during the campaign. A Bayesian geospatial model was used to identify factors associated with zero-dose status and measles zero-dose children being reached during the campaign. We also produced fine-scale zero-dose prevalence maps and identified optimal locations for additional vaccination sites.ResultsBefore the vaccination campaign, 17.3% of children under 9 months were DTP zero-dose and 4.3% of children 9–60 months were measles zero-dose. Of the 461 measles zero-dose children identified before the vaccination campaign, 338 (73.3%) were vaccinated during the campaign and 118 (25.6%) were reached by a targeted mop-up activity. The presence of other children in the household, younger age, greater travel time to health facilities and living between health facility catchment areas were associated with zero-dose status. Mapping zero-dose prevalence revealed substantial heterogeneity within and between catchment areas. Several potential locations were identified for additional vaccination sites.ConclusionFine-scale variation in zero-dose prevalence and the impact of accessibility to healthcare facilities on vaccination coverage were identified. Geospatial modelling can aid targeted vaccination activities.

Knowledge on Newborn Life Support among the Healthcare Providers in a Tertiary Care Maternity Hospital in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka

Introduction. The newborn life support (NLS) is a set of educational guidelines established by the academies of Paediatrics that outline the proper procedures for resuscitation of a newborn. The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge on NLS among the healthcare providers (HCPs) in a tertiary care maternity hospital in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Methods. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out among doctors, nurses, and midwives, using a self-administered questionnaire. Comparison of knowledge among different categories was made using the chi-square test. Total sample of 191 consisted of 118 (61.8%) nurses, 33 (17.3%) midwives, and 36 (18.8%) doctors. The majority of HCPs (76.7%) had good knowledge of NLS; however, following guidelines on NLS among HCPs was poor (33%). According to the category, 91% of doctors and 78% of nurses had good knowledge, whereas only 48% of midwives had good knowledge. The difference of knowledge on NLS among different categories of HCPs was statistically significant ( p < 0.001 ). Only 33% of HCPs had good knowledge of following NLS guidelines. Of them, 52% were doctors, 31% were nurses, and only 18% were midwives. The difference in adherence to NLS guidelines among different categories of HCPs was highly significant statistically ( p = 0.003 ). Conclusion. The majority of the healthcare providers had good knowledge of NLS. There was a significant difference in the level of knowledge on NLS among different categories of HCPs. Gaps in the knowledge in following guidelines of NLS were noted in the majority. Newborn resuscitation has to be included in nursing and midwifery curricula, and training on NLS is essential in the orientation programs for newly recruited HCPs in maternity hospitals.

Brucella Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors in Occupationally Exposed Humans in Selected Districts of Southern Province, Zambia

Background: Brucellosis is a neglected debilitating zoonosis widely recognized as an occupational health hazard. The seroprevalence of human anti-Brucella antibodies in high-risk populations, as well as their risk factors, have not been well-documented in Zambia. This study aimed at estimating the Brucella seroprevalence in herdsmen and abattoir workers and assess the associated risk factors.Methods: A cross-sectional seroepidemiological study was carried out between May and December 2020 among abattoir workers and herdsmen in Namwala, Monze and Choma districts of Southern Province in Zambia. Seroprevalence was assessed by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (i-ELISA) or competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) while a questionnaire was administered to obtain epidemiological data.Results: A total of 153 individuals were recruited in the study. The overall Brucella seroprevalence was 20.3% (95% CI: 14.6–27.5). Seropositivity among herdsmen and abattoir workers was 14.4% (95% CI: 9.2–21.8) and 46.4%, (95% CI: 28.8–65.0), respectively. Comparable seropositive results among districts showed Namwala with 26.9%, which was the highest, seconded by Monze 19.0%, and the least was Choma with 11.36%, seropositivity. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that occupation, age category, and district of residence were predictors of being seropositive to Brucella spp. antibodies. The odds of abattoir workers being seropositive to Brucella antibodies were 8.6 (95% CI: 2.6–28.2) higher than that of herdsmen being the reference group. The odds of age category 17–50 years being seropositive to Brucella antibodies were 7.0 (95% CI: 0.7–72.2) higher than being &lt;16 years as the reference group. The odds of one having attained primary level of education being seropositive to Brucella were 1.3 (95% CI: 0.1–14.7) or secondary level of education were 6.2 (95% CI: 0.5–72.6) or tertiary level of education were 5.1 (95% CI: 0.2, 113.3) higher than that of no level of education as the reference group. Furthermore, the odds of a respondent being seropositive to Brucella antibodies were 4.5 (95% CI: 1.3–15.7) for Namwala and 4.9 (95% CI: 1.1–21.7) for Monze higher than that of Choma as the reference group.Conclusion: Anti-Brucella antibodies are prevalent among herdsmen and abattoir workers in the study areas of Zambia (20.26%), a sign of exposure to Brucella pathogens. Type of profession, age and level of education seem to influence the exposure to Brucella pathogens. This zoonosis should be considered as one of the differential diagnosis in humans presenting intermittent fever, malaria-like signs and general pain in humans.

Temporal and spatial analysis of Plasmodium falciparum genomics reveals patterns of connectivity in a low-transmission district in Southern Province, Zambia

Understanding temporal and spatial dynamics of ongoing malaria transmission will be critical to inform effective interventions and elimination strategies in low transmission regions approaching elimination. Parasite genomics are being used as a tool to monitor epidemiologic trends, including assessing residual transmission across seasons or importation of malaria into these regions. Southern Province, Zambia is a low-transmission setting with seasonal malaria. We genotyped 441 Plasmodium falciparum samples using molecular inversion probes at 1,832 positions across the genome, using dried blood spots collected from 2012-2018 from 8 health centers in the catchment area of Macha Hospital in Choma District. We show that highly related parasites persist across multiple seasons, suggesting that the persistence of malaria is at least in part fueled by parasites seeding across the dry season. In addition, we identify clusters of clonal parasites that are dissimilar to the general population, suggesting that introduction of parasites from elsewhere may contribute to the continued malaria burden. We identified signals of population size fluctuation over the course of individual transmission seasons, suggesting a ramp-up of malaria transmission from a seasons beginning. Despite the small spatial scale of the study (2,000 sq km), we identified an inverse relationship between genetic relatedness of parasite pairs and distance between health centers, as well as increased relatedness between specific health centers. These results, leveraging both genomic and epidemiological data, provide a comprehensive picture of fluctuations in parasite populations in this pre-elimination setting of southern Zambia.

Ruminants reveal Eocene Asiatic palaeobiogeographical provinces as the origin of diachronous mammalian Oligocene dispersals into Europe

Faunal provincialism between the North and South parts of Eastern Asia is shown to have been in place since the late Eocene. This provincialism structured the mammalian dispersals across Eurasia for millions of years and provides insights into both palaeonvironments and palaeoclimate zonation. In addition, this study reveals the oldest record of a crown ruminant (Iberomeryx from Shinao, China). Ecologically, as well as economically, ruminant artiodactyls are one of the most important large mammal groups today. The revision of the ruminants from the Shinao Formation, from the Caijiachong marls and Xiaerhete, resulted in two new taxa and shows that the different provinces were populated by distinct taxa living in different environments, dominated by the monsoon in the South and drier conditions in the North. Evaluating this result in a Eurasian context demonstrates that the dispersals from Asia to Europe was complex. These results confirm that there were at least two dispersal events, distinct in space and time: the Grande-Coupure from Northern and Central Asia along the North ca. 34 Mya and the Bachitherium dispersal event from the Southern province along a southerly route ca. 31 Mya.