ABSTRACT Introduction Tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus are public health challenges globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) Global report on diabetes reiterated that diabetes is a well-known risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) and that diabetes is associated with poor tuberculosis treatment outcomes, while tuberculosis is linked with deteriorating glycemic control. Namibia is among the top 30 high TB burden countries in the world (WHO, 2016) and added to that is the increasing prevalenc...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium that can asymptomatically colonize a woman’s vagina and up to 31% of pregnant women are colonized worldwide. Furthermore, vaginal colonization with E. coli is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth and stillbirth. It is also associated with neonatal sepsis or meningitis when transmitted to the foetus through amniotic fluid or to the neonate during delivery. To date in Namibia data on the colonization a...
ABSTRACT Respiratory infections represent a major global health problem, and occurrences of respiratory diseases have been increasing in Southern Africa countries including Namibia due to anthropogenic activities. This study was conducted in Tsumeb, a municipal township located in the Northern part of Namibia. It aimed at determining the prevalence of respiratory ailments among the residents, identify risk factors associated with the prevalence and recommend appropriate measures to prevent ex...
Abstract The impacts of teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections among the youth such as dropout from school, long term effects and death is felt by most people worldwide. As a result of this, teenagers are in need of information regarding sexuality and safer sex to enable them to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections and to prevent unintended pregnancies. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe knowledge, atti...
ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to analyse the Physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters, evaluate the performance of domestic sewage ponds at the Accra sewage treatment plant at Legon. The aim is to assess the suitability of the final effluent for irrigation and the quality of sludge for agriculture use. A total of 36 wastewater samples and forty-eighty (48) sludge samples were therefore taken for six (6) consecutive months from the sedimentation tank (inlet) and maturation po...
ABSTRACT A significant proportion of people in semi-arid regions depend on climate variables and agroecosystem services to sustain their livelihoods. These livelihoods are threatened by the deterioration of agroecosystem services and climate variability. Recently, many communities exhibit low levels of adaptive capacity due to maladaptation and the lack of understanding of the patterns of vulnerabilities. This study examined the scope and nature of vulnerability and adaptation strategies of s...
ABSTRACT Forests are considered to be a strategic resource for national development and have great importance on a nation’s environment. Despite increasing concern over the loss of tropical forests and the significant local and international efforts to find solutions to the problems, the rate of deforestation in the tropics continues to increase. Though Ghana’s timber export is the fourth largest industry after gold, tourism and cocoa, her primary rain forest has reduced drastically over...
ABSTRACT Coastal zones are considered as one of the productive zones of the world. With diverse ecosystems, they provide humankind with immense ecological services. However, coastal aquatic ecosystems have been increasingly threatened as a result of population growth and increased rate of economic development. To address this issue, there is the need to reshape attitude and practices in the current rate of development, for the mutual benefit of aquatic ecosystems and human societies. This st...
Abstract Introduction and Background: From Everett Rogers‟ theory of Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) and Yrjö Engeström‟s Activity Systems Model (ASM), this thesis attempts to create models of South African Primary Care doctors‟ Internet usage, with a view to improving the delivery of Primary Care in South Africa. It identifies the problems associated with the South African Primary Care doctors‟ access to information, communication with colleagues, communication with patients, the pa...
ABSTRACT Globally, chemical fertilizers cause serious environmental pollution and health hazards. Studies have shown that compost, a product of biodegradable organic matter, is not popular among Nigerian farmers because of its low quality. Improving compost quality is a challenge and supplementing it with natural fortifiers may be safer than opting for chemical fertilizers. This study was therefore designed to explore the effect of nutrient-rich alternatives on quality of compost made from ma...
ABSTRACT The large-scale use of agrochemicals has raised environmental and human health concerns. A comprehensive intervention strategy for improving agro-chemical safety among rice farmers in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebony State which comprises six communities (Agbja, Ndiebor, Ezza-Inyimegu, Ibeagu, Mgba-ukwu and Ndieze) is lacking. This study is carried out in light of the crucial importance of rice in the attainment of food security status. The study was designed to (i) assess the di...
ABSTRACT Apart from contributing to the degradation of lagoons, litter on the banks of coastal lagoons reduces their aesthetic values and denies them of their functions in ecosystem conservation and sustainability – a condition that results in the disappearance of coastal lagoon. The main objective of the study is to assess the litter load on the banks of coastal lagoons (Kpeshie, Mukwei, Sakumo II, Gao and the Keta) located along the eastern coast of Ghana over a six month period (i.e. fro...
ABSTRACT The study investigated the perceptions of the inhabitants of Whein Town on the effects of the activities of Whein Town Sanitary landfill in Monrovia, Liberia, and evaluated real time health hazards posed on the community. The Whein Town Engineered Landfill was developed with an integrated solid waste management motive. Even though the landfill lifespan expired at the end of 2016, active landfill activities are still ongoing. Liners may have deteriorated, thereby resulting in infiltra...
ABSTRACT Since the latter part of the 20th Century to date, climate change has received considerable global attention due to its threats on all sectors of the global economy, particularly agriculture. Sub-Saharan Africa, for which Ghana is part, is considered as most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and variability due to its low adaptive capacity and dependent on predominantly rain-fed agriculture. Farmers in Ghana and beyond are not only prone to climatic stressors but also to n...
ABSTRACT One of the greatest threats to agriculture and global food security today is climate variability. Various studies have shown how both human and environmental systems are adapting to the adverse impacts of climate variability. However, most of these studies failed to recognize indigenous knowledge of smallholder farmers and how this could influence conventional scientific adaptation strategies. Recent adaptation studies have either concentrated on indigenous strategies or conventiona...