School-wide publications
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dspace.njala.edu.sl/handle/20.500.144402/152
Browse
20 results
Filters
Advanced Search
Filter by
Settings
Search Results
Item Genetic diversity of coffee germplasm in Sierra Leone: implications for conservation and breeding programs(Maximum Academic Press, 2023) Lahai, Paul MusaGlobal coffee production is dominated by Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee) and C. canephora (Robusta coffee) due to their relatively high-yielding and quality attributes as opposed to other coffee species. Despite these advantages, production of Arabica and Robusta coffee is facing mounting challenges though not limited to increasing prevalence and severity of biotic and abiotic stresses. These challenges bring forth an indication that the global coffee crop portfolio requires diversification to ensure resilience to the key challenges for sustainable production.Sierra Leone is in the center of genetic diversity of genus Coffea, and the countryhosts rich coffee genetic resources. The C. stenophylla, C. affinis and possibly other wild relative species are indigenous to Sierra Leone and these species offer great potential for a new coffee market and income generation. However, moreefforts of conservation and genetic improvement on these species, are needed to realize these opportunities.The objective of this paper is to review the coffee genetic resources in Sierra Leone with an emphasis on the wild coffee species including their conservation status, and the phenotypic and molecular characterization. We also presented perspectives for future genetic improvement of C. stenophylla, and discussed breeding methods,combiningability, and molecular marker-assisted prediction of hybrid vigor. Moreover, with the availability of recently developed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers on C. stenophylla, we suggest that new technologies of molecular breeding, such as genomic selection can significantly accelerate the breeding progress and deliver improved varieties with high yield, good adaptability, and disease resistance.Item Antimicrobials: a global alliance for optimizing their rational use in intra-abdominal infections (AGORA)(BioMed Central, 2016-07-14) Sartelli, MassimoIntra-abdominal infections (IAI) are an important cause of morbidity and are frequently associated with poor prognosis, particularly in high-risk patients. The cornerstones in the management of complicated IAIs are timely effective source control with appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Empiric antimicrobial therapy is important in the management of intra-abdominal infections and must be broad enough to cover all likely organisms because inappropriate initial antimicrobial therapy is associated with poor patient outcomes and the development of bacterial resistance. The overuse of antimicrobials is widely accepted as a major driver of some emerging infections (such as C. difficile), the selection of resistant pathogens in individual patients, and for the continued development of antimicrobial resistance globally. The growing emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms and the limited development of new agents available to counteract them have caused an impending crisis with alarming implications, especially with regards to Gram-negative bacteria. An international task force from 79 different countries has joined this project by sharing a document on the rational use of antimicrobials for patients with IAIs. The project has been termed AGORA (Antimicrobials: A Global Alliance for Optimizing their Rational Use in Intra-Abdominal Infections). The authors hope that AGORA, involving many of the world's leading experts, can actively raise awareness in health workers and can improve prescribing behavior in treating IAIs.Item The Perfomance of Sierra Leone Youths in the Execution of the Technical Skills of Soccer(2017-12-31) Sesay, Adikali KabaThe development of football in Sierra Leone is dependent upon the availability of players with the tactical, technical and mental capacity to exhibit the appropriate skills and techniques when required. The study focuses on the technical component of the skills and techniques required. Technical ability and technical performance of skills like shooting, heading, passing and dribbling were major components of this research. Youths within the age bracket of 13-18 years were used as respondent or participants to the research. Relevant literatures were reviewed to ascertain how useful they are to the present research. The participants were drawn from all the districts within the country and all the areas of player were also taken into consideration. The stratified and simple random sampling and after the data was collected, the statistical package for social sciences was used to make analysis of the findings. Although age is considered as a factor that will aid players in executing those skills during the research, however, the results proved that different age limit has specific area were they performed better than the other areas.Item SPATIAL VARIATIONS IN INFANT AND CHILD MORTALITY LEVELS IN SIERRA LEONE(2013-11-05) Kandeh, Borbor SamaThe general research objectives of this project were to calculate and map levels of infant, child and adult mortality in the administrative districts of Sierra Leone using 1974 census data, followed by a correlational analysis of these levels with certain key social variables. These were the distribution of medical facilities, the distribution of the population with no formal schooling and malaria endemicity by district. The results showed an estimated infant mortality rate of 215 in 1971 for Sierra Leone. The proportion of children dying before their fifth birthday was pegged at -3582 also for 1971- In relation to other African Countries, Sierra Leone was in the category of countries with very high infant and child mortality levels. Infant and child mortality levels in the administrative areas of Sierra Leone were in general very high but in addition showed some differences in levels. Only the Western Area had an infant mortality rate below 160 in 1971. The highest infant mortality rate was in Pujehun District (272). The pattern is the same when one examines the proportion of children dying before their fifth birthday, with the Western Area having the lowest (.2630) and Pujehun District having the highest (.4431). Attempts at explaining the regional variation in mortality levels by the distribution of health facilities, the percentage of the population with no formal schooling and malaria endemicity failed to provide any significant results once the Western Area was excluded from the analysis.Item Lockdown measures in response to COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa: A rapid study of nine countries(openRxiv, 2020-07-11) Haider, NajmulLockdown measures have been introduced worldwide to contain the transmission of COVID-19. This paper defines the term lockdown and describes the design, timing and implementation of lockdown in nine countries in Sub Saharan Africa: Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It also discusses the manner in which lockdown is enforced, the need to mitigate the harms of lockdown, and the association between lockdown and the reported number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. While there are some commonalities in the implementation of lockdown, a more notable finding is the variation in the design, timing and implementation of lockdown measures across the nine countries. We found that the number of reported cases is heavily dependent on the number of tests done, and that testing rates ranged from 9 to 21,261 per million population. The reported number of COVID-19 deaths per million population also varies, but is generally low when compared to countries in Europe and North America. While lockdown measures may have helped inhibit some community transmission, the pattern and nature of the epidemic remains unclear. Of concern are signs of lockdown harming health by affecting the functioning of the health system and causing social and economic harms. This paper highlights the need for inter-sectoral and trans-disciplinary research capable of providing a rigorous and holistic assessment of the harms and benefits of lockdown.Item Implications of Prevalence and Intensity of Soil-Transmitted Helminthes (STHs) on Rural Farmers’ Productivity in Selected Districts of Sierra Leone(Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 2023-03-31) Ngegba, Mohamed PaulSoil-transmitted Helminths (STH) are among the most prevalent parasitic diseases that impair childhood physical and mental growth, hence hindering economic development. The study was a cross-sectional-designed survey, conducted in three districts in Sierra Leone between December and March 2022 on 625 individual farmers to determine: 1) the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths; 2) the intensity of soil-transmitted helminths; 3) the effect of the prevalence and intensity on farm productivity, and 4) the implication of these effects on agricultural extension service delivery and the rural livelihood of the selected districts. Stool samples were collected from male and female farmers in fifteen chiefdoms in the selected districts and analyzed using the Kato-Katz technique. A total of 625 individuals were included, among whom 172 (27.0%) were vegetable farmers, 224 (35.8%) were tree-crop farmers and 226 (36.2%) were rice farmers. The result indicates a prevalence of parasitic infection among farmers shown by 58.4% eggs/ova in stool from the three districts. STH prevalence is higher in Bo (64.0%), Koinadugu (56.9%), and Kailahun (51,7%). STH infections, in various ways, affected extension services, delivery and the livelihoods of individual farmers. The recommendation is that farmers and children be periodically dewormed for STH infection in rural areas.Item Rabies Virus in Sierra Leone: Challenges and Recommended Solutions for Elimination by 2030(IntechOpen, 2021-09-21) Suluku, RolandThe objective of this write-up is to find possible solution control canine rabies virus in Sierra Leone and other low-income countries in the world. Rabies is a viral disease affecting both humans and animals in Sierra Leone. The country has no policy on dog ownership and management, two veterinarians, limited access to rabies vaccines and human immunoglobin, and a lack of information about the disease in the country despite increasing dog bite cases and death. There is no wildlife specialist to initiate wildlife vaccination. Continuous vaccination increased awareness, trained personnel in veterinary and wildlife, development of policies on responsible dog ownership and by-laws and increase financial support from the government and private sector will help Sierra Leone eliminate rabies in the first half of the twenty-first century.Item Measuring coverage of maternal and child health services using routine health facility data: a Sierra Leone case study(BioMed Central, 2021-09-01) Maïga, AbdoulayeBACKGROUND: There are limited existing approaches to generate estimates from Routine Health Information Systems (RHIS) data, despite the growing interest to these data. We calculated and assessed the consistency of maternal and child health service coverage estimates from RHIS data, using census-based and health service-based denominators in Sierra Leone. METHODS: We used Sierra Leone 2016 RHIS data to calculate coverage of first antenatal care contact (ANC1), institutional delivery and diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus 3 (DPT3) immunization service provision. For each indicator, national and district level coverages were calculated using denominators derived from two census-based and three health service-based methods. We compared the coverage estimates from RHIS data to estimates from MICS 2017. We considered the agreement adequate when estimates from RHIS fell within the 95% confidence interval of the survey estimate. RESULTS: We found an overall poor consistency of the coverage estimates calculated from the census-based methods. ANC1 and institutional delivery coverage estimates from these methods were greater than 100% in about half of the fourteen districts, and only 3 of the 14 districts had estimates consistent with the survey data. Health service-based methods generated better estimates. For institutional delivery coverage, five districts met the agreement criteria using BCG service-based method. We found better agreement for DPT3 coverage estimates using DPT1 service-based method as national coverage was close to survey data, and estimates were consistent for 8 out of 14 districts. DPT3 estimates were consistent in almost half of the districts (6/14) using ANC1 service-based method. CONCLUSION: The study highlighted the challenge in determining an appropriate denominator for RHIS-based coverage estimates. Systematic and transparent data quality check and correction, as well as rigorous approaches to determining denominators are key considerations to generate accurate coverage statistics using RHIS data.Item COVID-19—Zoonosis or Emerging Infectious Disease?(Frontiers Media, 2020-11-26) Haider, NajmulThe World Health Organization defines a zoonosis as any infection naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans. The pandemic of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been classified as a zoonotic disease, however, no animal reservoir has yet been found, so this classification is premature. We propose that COVID-19 should instead be classified an “ emerging infectious disease (EID) of probable animal origin .” To explore if COVID-19 infection fits our proposed re-categorization vs. the contemporary definitions of zoonoses, we reviewed current evidence of infection origin and transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 virus and described this in the context of known zoonoses, EIDs and “spill-over” events. Although the initial one hundred COVID-19 patients were presumably exposed to the virus at a seafood Market in China, and despite the fact that 33 of 585 swab samples collected from surfaces and cages in the market tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, no virus was isolated directly from animals and no animal reservoir was detected. Elsewhere, SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in animals including domesticated cats, dogs, and ferrets, as well as captive-managed mink, lions, tigers, deer, and mice confirming zooanthroponosis. Other than circumstantial evidence of zoonotic cases in mink farms in the Netherlands, no cases of natural transmission from wild or domesticated animals have been confirmed. More than 40 million human COVID-19 infections reported appear to be exclusively through human-human transmission. SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 do not meet the WHO definition of zoonoses. We suggest SARS-CoV-2 should be re-classified as an EID of probable animal origin.Item Evaluating the cascade of care for hypertension in Sierra Leone(Wiley, 2021-08-04) Geraedts, Tessa J. M.OBJECTIVE: To assess the care for hypertension in Sierra Leone, by the use of a cascade-of-care approach, to identify where the need for healthcare system interventions is greatest. METHODS: Using data from a nationwide household survey on surgical conditions undertaken in 1956 participants ≥18 years from October 2019 to March 2020, a cascade of care for hypertension consisting of four categories - hypertensive population, those diagnosed, those treated and those controlled - was constructed. Hypertension was defined as having a blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg, or self-reported use of antihypertensive medication. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate factors associated with undiagnosed hypertension. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension was 22%. Among those with hypertension, 23% were diagnosed, 11% were treated and 5% had controlled blood pressure. The largest loss to care (77%) was between being hypertensive and receiving a diagnosis. Male sex, age and living in a rural location, were significantly associated with the odds of undiagnosed hypertension. There was no significant difference between men and women in the number of patients with controlled blood pressure. Adults aged 40 or older were observed to be better retained in care compared with those younger than 40 years of age. CONCLUSION: There is a significant loss to care in the care cascade for hypertension in Sierra Leone. Our results suggest that increasing awareness of cardiovascular risk and risk factor screening for early diagnosis might have a large impact on hypertension care.