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.

Harmful lifestyles' clustering among sexually active in-school adolescents in Zambia.

Abstract: HIV is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Zambia. Like many other African nations with high HIV burden, heterosexual intercourse is the commonest mode of HIV spread. The estimation of prevalence and factors associated with sexual intercourse among in-school adolescents has potential to inform public health interventions aimed at reducing the burden of sex-related diseases in Zambia. We carried out secondary analysis of the Zambia Global School-Based Health Survey (GSHS) 2004; a cross sectional survey that aims to study health-related behaviors among in-school adolescents. We estimated frequencies of relevant socio-demographic variables. The associations between selected explanatory variables and self-reported history of sexual intercourse within the last 12 months were assessed using logistic regression analysis. Data from 2136 in-school adolescents who participated in the Zambia Global School-Based Health Survey of 2004 were available for analysis. Out of these respondents, 13.4% reported that they had sexual intercourse in the past 12 months prior to the survey; 16.4% and 9.7% among males and females respectively. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, with age less than 15 years as the referent the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of having engaged in sexual intercourse in adolescents of age 15 years, and those aged 16 years or more were 1.06 (95% CI 1.03–1.10) and 1.74 (95% 1.70–1.79) respectively. Compared to adolescents who had no close friends, adolescents who had one close friend were more likely to have had sexual intercourse, AOR = 1.28 (95% CI 1.24–1.32). Compared to adolescents who were not supervised by their parents, adolescents who were rarely or sometimes supervised by their parents were likely to have had sexual intercourse, and adolescents who were most of the time/always supervised by their parents were less likely to have had sexual intercourse; AORs 1.26 (95% CI 1.23–1.26) and 0.92 (95% CI 0.90–0.95) respectively. Compared to adolescents who did not smoke dagga, adolescents who smoked dagga 1 or 2 times, and those who smoked dagga 3 or more times in their lifetime were 70% and 25% more likely to have had sexual intercourse, respectively. Adolescents who drank alcohol in 1 or 2 days, and those who took alcohol in 3 or more days in a month preceding the survey were 12% and 9% more likely to have had sexual intercourse, respectively, compared to adolescents who did not drink alcohol in the 30 days prior to the survey. Furthermore, adolescents who had been drunk 1 or 2 times, and who had been drunk 3 or more times in a life time were 14% and 13% more likely to have had sexual intercourse compared to those who have never been drunk in their lifetime. We identified a constellation of potentially harmful behaviours among adolescents in Zambia. Public health interventions aimed at reducing prevalence of sexual intercourse may be designed and implemented in a broader sense having recognized that sexually active adolescents may also be exposed to other problem behaviours.

Cattle owners' awareness of bovine tuberculosis in high and low prevalence settings of the wildlife-livestock interface areas in Zambia

Abstract: Background: Awareness of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) by cattle owners is of extreme importance to policy makers when considering mitigation However, to our knowledge, little is known on cattle owners' awareness of BTB in Zambia Similarly, such knowledge is uncommon within and outside Africa The current study investigates the epidemiological characteristics of BTB in Zambian cattle in relation to awareness by cattle owners in high and low cattle BTB prevalence settings A cross sectional study was designed and data was gathered based on 106 cattle owners and cattle herds; subjected to an interviewer-administered questionnaire and comparative intradermal tuberculin test using a cut-off for positivity of 4 mm, respectively Results: Reported levels of cattle and wildlife contact by respondents was at 40%, 582% and 18%, were relatively proportional to herd level prevalence of cattle BTB at 648%, 581% and 59% in Blue lagoon, Lochinvar and Kazungula respectively Although 42/106 (396%) of cattle owners had heard of BTB, only 3 (7%) had an idea on how the disease was spread Cattle contact with wildlife was associated with high levels of awareness by cattle owners (χ2 = 435, df = 2, P < 0001) Awareness of BTB in low prevalence settings was lower compared to high prevalence settings Conclusions: Our study has revealed low levels of awareness among cattle owners on BTB These results could be useful for policy makers when planning mitigation measures to consider awareness levels by cattle owners for effective implementation Such information is useful for determining sensitisation programs for cattle owners before mitigation These results further provide useful insights that disease control is a multi-factorial process with cattle owners as an integral part that can support policy implementation

Effect of cotrimoxazole on causes of death hospital admissions and antibiotic use in HIV-infected children.

Abstract: Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis reduces morbidity and mortality in HIV-1-infected children but mechanisms for these benefits are unclear. CHAP was a randomized trial comparing cotrimoxazole prophylaxis with placebo in HIV-infected children in Zambia where background bacterial resistance to cotrimoxazole is high. We compared causes of mortality and hospital admissions and antibiotic use between randomized groups. Of 534 children (median age 4.4 years; 32% 1-2 years) 186 died and 166 had one or more hospital admissions not ending in death. Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis was associated with lower mortality both outside hospital (P = 0.01) and following hospital admission (P = 0.005). The largest excess of hospital deaths in the placebo group was from respiratory infections [22/56 (39%) placebo versus 10/35 (29%) cotrimoxazole]. By 2 years the cumulative probability of dying in hospital from a serious bacterial infection (predominantly pneumonia) was 7% on cotrimoxazole and 12% on placebo (P = 0.08). There was a trend towards lower admission rates for serious bacterial infections in the cotrimoxazole group (19.1 per 100 child-years at risk versus 28.5 in the placebo group P = 0.09). Despite less total follow-up due to higher mortality more antibiotics (particularly penicillin) were prescribed in the placebo group in year one [6083 compared to 4972 days in the cotrimoxazole group (P = 0.05)]. Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis appears to mainly reduce death and hospital admissions from respiratory infections supported further by lower rates of antibiotic prescribing. As such infections occur at high CD4 cell counts and are common in Africa the role of continuing cotrimoxazole prophylaxis after starting antiretroviral therapy requires investigation. (authors)

Taenia solium Infections in a Rural Area of Eastern Zambia-A Community Based Study

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Taenia solium taeniosis/cysticercosis is a parasitic infection occurring in many developing countries. Data on the status of human infections in Zambia is largely lacking. We conducted a community-based study in Eastern Zambia to determine the prevalence of human taeniosis and cysticercosis in a rural community. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Stool and serum samples were collected from willing participants. Geographical references of the participants' households were determined and household questionnaires administered. Taeniosis was diagnosed in stool samples by coprology and by the polyclonal antibody-based copro-antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (copro-Ag ELISA), while cysticercosis was diagnosed in serum by the B158/B60 monoclonal antibody-based antigen ELISA (sero-Ag ELISA). Identification of the collected tapeworm after niclosamide treatment and purgation was done using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). A total of 255 households from 20 villages participated in the study, 718 stool and 708 serum samples were collected and examined. Forty-five faecal samples (6.3%) were found positive for taeniosis on copro-Ag ELISA while circulating cysticercus antigen was detected in 5.8% (41/708) individuals. The tapeworm recovered from one of the cases was confirmed to be T. solium on PCR-RFLP. Seropositivity (cysticercosis) was significantly positively related to age (p = 0.00) and to copro-Ag positivity (taeniosis) (p = 0.03) but not to gender. Change point analysis revealed that the frequency of cysticercus antigens increased significantly in individuals above the age of 30. Copro-Ag positivity was not related to age or gender. The following risk factors were noted to be present in the study community: free-range pig husbandry system and poor sanitation with 47.8% of the households visited lacking latrines. CONCLUSIONS: This study has recorded high taeniosis and cysticercosis prevalences and identified the need for further studies on transmission dynamics and impact of the disease on the local people.