School-wide publications

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dspace.njala.edu.sl/handle/20.500.144402/177

Browse

Filters

2010 - 20172

Advanced Search

Filter by

Settings

End date: 2019Has files: Yes

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Participation of women and children in hunting activities in Sierra Leone and implications for control of zoonotic infections
    (Public Library of Science, 2017-07-27) Bonwitt, Jesse
    The emergence of infectious diseases of zoonotic origin highlights the need to understand social practices at the animal-human interface. This study provides a qualitative account of interactions between humans and wild animals in predominantly Mende villages of southern Sierra Leone. We conducted fieldwork over 4 months including participant and direct observations, semi-structured interviews (n = 47), spontaneously occurring focus group discussions (n = 12), school essays and informal interviews to describe behaviours that may serve as pathways for zoonotic infection. In this region, hunting is the primary form of contact with wild animals. We describe how these interactions are shaped by socio-cultural contexts, including opportunities to access economic resources and by social obligations and constraints. Our research suggests that the potential for exposure to zoonotic pathogens is more widely distributed across different age, gender and social groups than previously appreciated. We highlight the role of children in hunting, an age group that has previously not been discussed in the context of hunting. The breadth of the "at risk" population forces reconsideration of how we conceptualize, trace and monitor pathogen exposure.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Enabling methods for community health mapping in developing countries
    (BioMed Central, 2010-10-29) Ansumana, Rashid
    BACKGROUND: Spatial epidemiology is useful but difficult to apply in developing countries due to the low availability of digitized maps and address systems, accurate population distributions, and computational tools. A community-based mapping approach was used to demonstrate that participatory geographic information system (PGIS) techniques can provide information helpful for health and community development. RESULTS: The PGIS process allowed for the rapid determination of sectional (neighborhood) boundaries within the city of Bo, Sierra Leone. When combined with data about hospital laboratory visits, a catchment area for one hospital in Bo could be established. A survey of households from within the catchment area determined that the average population per household (about 6 individuals) was similar to that found in the 2004 census. However, we also found that the average house was inhabited by more than one household, for an average of 17.5 inhabitants per residential building, which is critical information to know when estimating population size using remote imagery that can detect and enumerate buildings. CONCLUSIONS: The methods developed in this paper serve as a model for the involvement of communities in the generation of municipal maps and their application to community and health concerns.