ABSTRACT Water is indispensable for life since it is a major basic need and is also important for economic activities. Information on the challenges of water supply and its socioeconomic impacts is important as it forms a vital baseline for the detection of the positive impacts, the main challenges related to it and how to cope and deal with them. This study investigated the challenges of water supply and its socio-economic impacts in Githurai ward. The study was carried out between Decembe...
ABSTRACT Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years after the introduction of complementary feeds, is considered as the standard norm for infant feeding. Although the benefits of breastfeeding have long been known, studies on the composition of human milk are still ongoing. Considering that breast milk is the sole source of the nutrition for the infant in the first six months of life, it is essential to have accurate and up to date dat...
ABSTRACT Lack of access to clean drinking water adversely the public health. Kawangware location is undergoing rapid expansion in population, economic growth and urbanization. One of the challenges of this growth is pressure on public water supply. The inconsistent and inadequate water supply for the inhabitants has led to majority of the population relying on ground water for domestic and commercial uses more so, on shallow wells which seem to be relatively cheaper to construct. This has inc...
ABSTRACT Various strategies that block malaria transmission from an infected human host to a female Anopheline mosquito that involve killing of the blood fed mosquito have been studied as a potential strategy to control malaria. These include the immunization of animal hosts with either whole homogenized blood fed mosquito midguts or their extracts. In 1939, William Trager first demonstrated anti-vector immunity by immunizing guinea pigs and rabbits with extracts of the tick Dermacentor varia...
ABSTRACT Immune defects caused by Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection could alter the course of secondary infection and dysregulated innate immune responses could contribute to a more rapid disease progression. The prevalence of HCV and HIV co-infection in Kenya varies with different risk groups. Currently, there is parity of data on the prevalence of HIV/HCV co-infection in Kenya. It is also not known how the CD4+ and CD8+ counts correlate with HIV vir...
ABSTRACT Effects of Psychosocial Support on ART Adherence and Clinical Outcomes of HIV Patients at Kwale and Machakos, Kenya The effects of psychosocial support on ART adherence and clinical outcomes following an HIV diagnosis have been well documented in western countries where linkages between HIV-related treatment and psychosocial support programs are well established, little is known about those who become engaged with such services in countries of the world where comprehensive HIV-relate...
ABSTRACT Household hazardous waste possess physical, chemical or biological characteristics, which requires special handling and disposal procedures to avoid risk to health and/or environmental effects. The pastoral population of Mandera county has been treated in health facilities with complains of poisoning or reaction resulting from hazardous substances. Health effects of exposure to household hazardous waste could also take time to manifest in people who are exposed to it, such as develo...
ABSTRACT Motorcycle taxis have become a popular means of transportation which generates income for many riders in Kenya. However, there are various factors which expose riders to internal and external shocks and stresses which inevitably influences the riders’ socio-economic wellbeing (SEWB). Studies that have been conducted so far largely focus on “social vices” allegedly being committed by motorcycle taxi riders (MTRs) hence a persistent knowledge gap about SEWB of riders’. Acknow...
ABSTRACT Maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality are major public health concerns in most developing countries and in under resourced settings. Provision of safe motherhood is of utmost importance in the reduction of maternal mortality. Increasing the proportion of babies that are delivered in health facilities is an important factor in reducing the health risks to both the mother and the baby. The main objective of the study was to assess the level of health facility utilization for ch...
ABSTRACT There has been a growing concern on the effect of heavy backpack on health among school going children who are at an important stage of their growth and development. Grade-based learning has pushed many students to carrying heavy backpacks hence leaving them exposed to musculoskeletal problems. The objective of this study was to measure the backpack weight carried by pupils in Starehe sub-county in order to assess the effects of backpack weight on musculoskeletal pain. A descriptive...
ABSTRACT Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is the practice of feeding the infant for the first six months of life on breast milk only. This is the standard way of feeding the infants six months and below as per WHO/UNICEF recommendations.Globally, many studies have shown thatthere is increasing number of mothers who do not follow this practice for the full period of six months with, rates of as low as 13% in America, 20% in West and Central Africa and 32% in Kenya. Despite the serious consequenc...
ABSTRACT The co-existence of under nutrition and over nutrition in the same country (double burden) is a global public health challenge that is becoming a problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, little information is available on this trend in Kenya and more so in the urban poor. The purpose of the study was to assess the nutritional status of children under-five years of age living in Mlolongo informal settlement and the caregiver feeding practices and Socio-economic factors that influence t...
ABSTRACT Malaria, a blood parasitic disease is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity particularly among children and pregnant women because they are most at risk in many developing countries, especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the deaths due to malaria could be averted if care-takers recognized the signs and symptoms of malaria and instituted appropriate measures without delay. Early recognition followed by correct management is a key strategy for malaria control in endemic...
ABSTRACT Healthcare workers are at risk of medical sharps injuries, which according to the Kenya national policy on injection safety, 58% of healthcare workers have suffered these injuries. This study was conducted with the aim of establishing occupational risk factors contributing to injury by medical sharps among healthcare workers at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. The objectives of this study were to; determine the frequency and severity of injuries from medical sharps; assess...
ABSTRACT Mangrove forests have been destroyed as a result of human activities and this is a threat to the mangrove ecosystem and the living things depending on them. Research on the current status, utilization, succession and zonation of mangrove ecosystem was conducted along Mida Creek, Coast Province, Kenya from September 2009 to February 2010. Objectives were to: assess the changes in the floristic composition of the mangrove forest; identify the most preferred mangrove species; investiga...