University of Zambia

About: University of Zambia is a education organization based out in Lusaka, Lusaka, Zambia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 2593 authors who have published 4402 publications receiving 122411 citations. The organization is also known as: UNZA.

Emergency care and health systems: consensus-based recommendations and future research priorities

Abstract: The theme of the 14th annual Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference was "Global Health and Emergency Care: A Research Agenda." The goal of the conference was to create a robust and measurable research agenda for evaluating emergency health care delivery systems. The concept of health systems includes the organizations, institutions, and resources whose primary purpose is to promote, restore, and/or maintain health. This article further conceptualizes the vertical and horizontal delivery of acute and emergency care in low-resource settings by defining specific terminology for emergency care platforms and discussing how they fit into broader health systems models. This was accomplished through discussion surrounding four principal questions touching upon the interplay between health systems and acute and emergency care. This research agenda is intended to assist countries that are in the early stages of integrating emergency services into their health systems and are looking for guidance to maximize their development and health systems planning efforts.

Unsafe induced abortions among adolescent girls in Lusaka.

Abstract: Our aim in this study was to describe adolescent girls’ circumstances underlying the decision to resort to unsafe induced abortions. Thirty-four Zambian girls aged 13 to 19 years admitted to University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka were interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions. Results revealed that most of the girls were single, in school, reached higher grades, mainly nulliparous, and had very low knowledge of contraceptive use. Reasons given for performing unsafe abortions were fear of facing personal shame and social stigma following premarital pregnancies, such as parental disapproval, abandonment by partner, and expulsion from school. A blend of traditional and modern methods and medicines were used to abort. Limited access to contraception and the stigma attached to premarital pregnancies and abortions are likely to continue to compel girls to rely on clandestine abortions if comprehensive adolescent reproductive health services are not provided...

Early Kongo-Portuguese Relations: A New Interpretation

Abstract: One of the most durable myths of the history of central Africa is that of the early subversion and domination of the kingdom of Kongo by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. Its original statement was made by James Duffy in 1959 and was amplified by Basil Davidson two years later. According to this argument the Portuguese had found a well-developed kingdom of Kongo when they reached the mouth of the Zaire River in 1483, and had entered into an alliance with the ruler. The alliance, first made with king Nzinga a Nkuwu (baptized as Joao I in 1491) and strengthened and continued with his son Mvemba a Nzinga (better known under his baptized name of Afonso I, 1506-1543) involved a partnership in which Portuguese settled in Kongo and provided technological and military assistance to Kongo in exchange for trade, mostly in slaves. As a result of this exchange Kongo adopted Christianity, and for a time the two kings addressed each other as “Brother.” But the alliance, despite its good beginning, was rapidly upset by the greed of the Portuguese settlers, who saw the situation merely as an opening for quick riches through the slave trade. As a result the higher aims of the Portuguese court were subverted--first because the Portuguese, with a higher level of development, were able to benefit from their position more than Kongo; secondly because Lisbon was unable to control its settlers in Kongo or Sao Tome. In the end there was a massive involvement of Portuguese in Kongolese affairs and a breakdown of authority in Kongo.

Treatment of Young Children with HIV Infection: Using Evidence to Inform Policymakers

Abstract: CITATION: Prendergast, A. J. et al. 2012. Treatment of young children with HIV infection : using evidence to inform policymakers. PLoS Medicine, 9(7): e1001273, doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001273.

Costs, revenues and profits: an economic analysis of smallholder tobacco farmer livelihoods in Malawi

Abstract: Background The preservation of the economic livelihood of tobacco farmers is a common argument used to oppose tobacco control measures. However, little empirical evidence exists about these livelihoods. We seek to evaluate the economic livelihoods of individual tobacco farmers in Malawi, including how much money they earn from selling tobacco, and the costs they incur to produce the crop, including labour inputs. We also evaluate farmers9 decisions to contract directly with firms that buy their crops. Methods We designed and implemented an economic survey of 685 tobacco farmers, including both independent and contract farmers, across the 6 main tobacco-growing districts. We augmented the survey with focus group discussions with subsets of respondents from each region to refine our inquiries. Results Contract farmers cultivating tobacco in Malawi as their main economic livelihoods are typically operating at margins that place their households well below national poverty thresholds, while independent farmers are typically operating at a loss. Even when labour is excluded from the calculation of income less costs, farmers9 gross margins place most households in the bottom income decile of the overall population. Tobacco farmers appear to contract principally as a means to obtain credit, which is consistently reported to be difficult to obtain. Conclusions The tobacco industry narrative that tobacco farming is a lucrative economic endeavour for smallholder farmers is demonstrably inaccurate in the context of Malawi. From the perspective of these farmers, tobacco farming is an economically challenging livelihood for most.