Many societal and environmental changes occurred between the 2nd millennium BC and the middle of the 2nd millennium AD in Western Africa. Key amongst these were changes in land use due to the spread ...and development of agricultural strategies, which may have had widespread consequences for the climate, hydrology, biodiversity, and ecosystem services of the region. Quantification of these land-use influences and potential feedbacks between human and natural systems is controversial, however, in part because the archaeological and historical record is highly fragmented in time and space. To improve our understanding of how humans contributed to the development of African landscapes, we developed an atlas of landuse practices in western Africa for nine time-windows over the period 1800 BC-AD 1500. The maps are based on a broad synthesis of archaeological, archaeobotanical, archaeozoological, historical, linguistic, genetic, and ethnographic data, and present land use in 12 basic categories. The main differences between categories is the relative reliance on, and variety of, domesticated plant and animal species utilized, and the energy invested in cultivating or keeping them. The maps highlight the irregular and frequently non-linear trajectory of land-use change in the prehistory of western Africa. Representing an original attempt to produce rigorous spatial synthesis from diverse sources, the atlas will be useful for a range of studies of human-environment interactions in the past, and highlight major spatial and temporal gaps in data that may guide future field studies.
Flood-related fatalities and associated economic losses have increased in Southern West Africa (SWA). The increased flood-associated damages highlighted the growing global concern for developing ...early warning forecast and control flood events in the region. This review has documented flood case studies in twelve countries within the area through a review of available literature. The Goddard Scattering Algorithm (GSCAT) methodology was adopted to investigate the contribution of Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs) to the selected flood cases. We comprehensively reviewed sixteen high-impact rainfall events within SWA and specifically explored the contributions of MCSs to these floods. This review pointed out critical research gaps in the context of limited documentation of the bulk of flood cases in the region. Also, the need for more studies into what meteorological events cause floods in the region. Our findings showed that the floods had at least 31% and not more than 60% MCSs contributions in the area. Therefore, the study recommends increased flood case studies and more research that establishes the synoptic and dynamic environments of flood cases within South-Western Africa.
Local ecological knowledge has filled baseline gaps in conservation biology, providing important information that has contributed to resource management policies both on land and at sea. Marine ...ecosystems are globally threatened by overfishing, yet we know little on if and how fishers perceive changes in fisheries composition through time. This is particularly important in developing nations where people rely on fishery resources as their main source of food and income. We interviewed 178 artisanal fishers to collect information regarding their perceptions on the trends and composition of reef fisheries in São Tomé and Príncipe islands, a marine biodiversity hotspot. In addition, we investigated the relative contribution of the possible factors causing changes in these reef fish assemblages according to fishers' perceptions. Of six reef fish species assessed, five exhibited significant declining catch trends. We found a declining trend in individual body size for targeted species based on reports from older (mean ± S.E. = 43.3 ± 2.6 kg) and younger (21.0 ± 0.7 kg) fishers' generations. Generations also differed in their perceptions of declines over time, all of the very experienced fishers reported decline, while only one-third of inexperienced fishers did so. The main causes for fish catch changes identified by experienced fishers (>40 years of fishing practice) were the increasing number of fishers (25%), destructive fishing practices (mainly blast fishing) (18%) and industrial fishing (29%). Our results suggest the occurrence of the shifting baseline syndrome phenomena among traditional fishers and provide baseline information for the conservation and management of São Tomé and Principe marine ecosystems.
•We report the occurrence of the shifting baseline syndrome (SBS) among traditional fishers of São Tomé and Príncipe islands.•Our analyses have covered 178 artisanal fishers distributed across four fishers’ generations in different local communities.•We assessed the relative contribution of factors causing changes in the reef fish assemblages according to fishers’ perceptions.•Older and younger generations differed in their perceptions of declines over time, with most unexperienced fishers not reporting declines.•Our results suggest the occurrence of the shifting baseline syndrome phenomena among traditional fishers of São Tomé and Principe.
This timely book draws on unique African experiences to explore the intersection between mental health and African communitarianism in the context of COVID-19, giving voice to the perspectives of ...vulnerable populations facing pre-existing challenges such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Advancing knowledge and contributing to the global debate about the effects of the pandemic on the psychological well-being of African people, chapters critique the role of media, information, misinformation, and disinformation during this period on individual- and community-based mental health. Using a holistic approach, the book highlights the need to prioritise the localising of mental health systems and clinical services to provide a better standard of care and comprehensive, context-specific mental health interventions that consider the heterogeneity within and between African regions. The book demonstrates through nuanced evidence and analysis that communitarian perspectives allow African societies to balance collective solidarity with individual well-being to benefit overall mental health. Ultimately drawing on communal values and localised knowledge to cultivate resilience to fight the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 in Africa, the book will be of interest to scholars, postgraduate students and researchers exploring psychology, philosophy of mental health, and public health policy more broadly, as well as and cultural studies and the sociology of pandemics.
During 2015-2016, Cape Verde, an island nation off the coast of West Africa, experienced a Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak involving 7,580 suspected Zika cases and 18 microcephaly cases. Analysis of the ...complete genomes of 3 ZIKV isolates from the outbreak indicated the strain was of the Asian (not African) lineage. The Cape Verde ZIKV sequences formed a distinct monophylogenetic group and possessed 1-2 (T659A, I756V) unique amino acid changes in the envelope protein. Phylogeographic and serologic evidence support earlier introduction of this lineage into Cape Verde, possibly from northeast Brazil, between June 2014 and August 2015, suggesting cryptic circulation of the virus before the initial wave of cases were detected in October 2015. These findings underscore the utility of genomic-scale epidemiology for outbreak investigations.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
As malaria continues to be a significant global public health concern, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, Chinese workers in Africa are at increased risk of malaria. The effectiveness of malaria ...prevention measures implemented by Chinese companies and workers is a question that may correlate with the malaria infection rate in this population. This study explored the use and effectiveness of malaria prevention measures for Chinese employees in West Africa to provide a reference for companies and individuals on improving malaria prevention and control.
Using a cross-sectional approach, we surveyed 256 participants in 2021, mainly from Nigeria, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Senegal in West Africa. The survey duration is from July to the end of September 2021. We selected two companies from the 2020 ENR "World's Largest 250 International Contractors" list, which featured 6 Chinese companies, all of which are state-owned and have a 61.9% market share in Africa. The participants were Chinese workers with more than a year of work experience in construction companies in Africa. A 20-minute WeChat-based structured online questionnaire was used to obtain information on malaria infection status and malaria prevention measures. Descriptive statistical analysis, chi-square test, principal components analysis, and ordinal logistic regression analysis are used to analyze the data obtained. The difference in Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.
Ninety six (37.5%) participants contracted malaria more than once within a year. The principal components analysis found a low correlation between public and individual preventive measures. No significant correlation was found between public preventive measures and malaria infection (p > 0.05), while standardized use of mosquito nets (P = 0.016) and pesticide spraying (P = 0.047) contributed significantly to fewer malaria infections at the individual level, but the removal of vegetation around houses (P = 0.028) at the individual level related to higher malaria infection.
In our sample of Chinese construction workers going to Africa, some individual preventive measures had a stronger association with malaria prevention than a variety of public environmental measures. Furthermore, individual and public preventive measures were not associated with each other. Both of these findings are surprising and require further investigation in larger and more diverse samples. This- study provides important clues about the challenges that risk reduction programs face for migrant workers from China and elsewhere.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Most disability research is conducted in high-income countries, despite much of the world’s population living in low- and middle-income countries. Given the flexible nature of qualitative research, ...studies using this methodology have the potential to provide important insights into how disability is perceived across the globe. The aim of the current study was to synthesize the results of disability research in Western Africa to elucidate prominent themes and identify methodological and participant characteristics. Secondary purposes were to evaluate the quality of included studies. A total of 223 studies were included in this meta-synthesis. Findings reveal a diversity of disability-related themes and a need to increase transparency in reporting qualitative research. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Efficient interruption of Ebola virus disease (EVD) transmission chains critically depends on reliable and fast laboratory diagnosis. We evaluated the performance of the EBOLA Virus Antigen Detection ...K-SeT (EBOLA Ag K-SeT), a new rapid diagnostic antigen test in field settings.
The study was conducted in a field laboratory located in Freetown (Sierra Leone) by the Italian National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘L. Spallanzani’ and the EMERGENCY Onlus NGO. The EBOLA Ag K-SeT was tested on 210 residual plasma samples (EVD prevalence 50%) from patients hospitalized at the EMERGENCY Ebola treatment center in Goderich (Freetown), comparing the results with quantitative real-time PCR.
Overall, the sensitivity of EBOLA Ag K-SeT was 88.6% (95% confidence interval (CI), 82.5–94.7), and the corresponding specificity was 98.1% (95% CI, 95.5–100.7). The positive and negative predictive values were 97.9% (95% CI, 95.0–100.8) and 89.6% (95% CI, 84–95.2), respectively. The sensitivity strongly increased up to 98.7% (95% CI, 96.1–101.2) for those samples with high virus load (≥6.2 log RNA copies/mL).
Our results suggest that EBOLA Ag K-SeT could represent a new effective diagnostic tool for EVD, meeting a need for resource-poor settings and rapid diagnosis for individuals with suspected EVD.
HIV is highly prevalent in men who have sex with men (MSM) in West Africa. Many MSM in the region also have sex with women (MSMW). Accordingly, they are a potential bridge subpopulation for HIV ...transmission to women. We aimed to evaluate the proportions and characteristics of West African MSMW at high behavioral risk of acquiring HIV from male partners and transmitting it to female partners (HBRMF). The cohort ANRS-12324 CohMSM Study included 630 HIV-negative MSM in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and Togo. Among MSMW (i.e., with ≥ 1 female partner) in the cohort, HBRMF was identified using trajectory models based on seven at-risk sexual practices with male and female partners, including inconsistent condom use, multiple partnerships, and receptive same-sex anal intercourse. To assess the relevance of using trajectory models, we compared the proportions of participants who seroconverted during the cohort follow-up among those at HBRMF and those not at HBRMF. Factors associated with HBRMF were identified using a generalized estimation equation logistic regression model accounting for longitudinal data. Approximately half (47%) of the 304 MSMW (22% of all CohMSM study participants) were at HBRMF. This group accounted for 75% of the 28 HIV seroconversions observed during follow-up (
p
= 0.001). HBRMF was positively associated with being aged < 25 years (aOR 95% CI 1.67 1.23–2.27), being sexually attracted only to men (1.97 1.38–2.78), feelings of loneliness (1.92 1.38–2.65), and homonegative violence score (1.22 1.05–1.41). HBRMF was negatively associated with having had both stable and casual female partners in the previous 6 months (0.34 0.20–0.60 vs. only a stable female partner). HBRMF tended to be negatively associated with having ≥ 4 sexual intercourses with female partners in the previous four weeks (0.54 0.27–1.06 vs. no intercourse). Establishing official relationships with women might be a strategy for young and/or stigmatized MSMW to comply with social pressure to display a heterosexual lifestyle. However, this seems to increase the risk of HIV transmission to female partners. In the present study, almost half of MSMW were at HBRMF. This result stresses the need to adapt HIV research and prevention to MSMW and their female partners.
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