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.

The Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery: Defining a model for antimicrobial stewardship-results from an international cross-sectional survey

Abstract: Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASPs) have been promoted to optimize antimicrobial usage and patient outcomes, and to reduce the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms. However, the best strategies for an ASP are not definitively established and are likely to vary based on local culture, policy, and routine clinical practice, and probably limited resources in middle-income countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate structures and resources of antimicrobial stewardship teams (ASTs) in surgical departments from different regions of the world. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in 2016 on 173 physicians who participated in the AGORA (Antimicrobials: A Global Alliance for Optimizing their Rational Use in Intra-Abdominal Infections) project and on 658 international experts in the fields of ASPs, infection control, and infections in surgery. The response rate was 19.4%. One hundred fifty-six (98.7%) participants stated their hospital had a multidisciplinary AST. The median number of physicians working inside the team was five [interquartile range 4–6]. An infectious disease specialist, a microbiologist and an infection control specialist were, respectively, present in 80.1, 76.3, and 67.9% of the ASTs. A surgeon was a component in 59.0% of cases and was significantly more likely to be present in university hospitals (89.5%, p < 0.05) compared to community teaching (83.3%) and community hospitals (66.7%). Protocols for pre-operative prophylaxis and for antimicrobial treatment of surgical infections were respectively implemented in 96.2 and 82.3% of the hospitals. The majority of the surgical departments implemented both persuasive and restrictive interventions (72.8%). The most common types of interventions in surgical departments were dissemination of educational materials (62.5%), expert approval (61.0%), audit and feedback (55.1%), educational outreach (53.7%), and compulsory order forms (51.5%). The survey showed a heterogeneous organization of ASPs worldwide, demonstrating the necessity of a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach in the battle against antimicrobial resistance in surgical infections, and the importance of educational efforts towards this goal.

The church, labour and the press in zambia: the role of critical observers in a one-party state

Abstract: Introduction THE RIGHT TO CRITICIZE one s government is regarded as one of the fundamental features of a democracy. This seems at first glance to be incompatible with the existence of one-party states. Indeed, the very mention of one-party states to one only familiar with current Western parliamentary systems stirs up feelings about a political system totally suffocated by the heavy-handedness of authoritarianism. Even wellinformed critics and supporters of one-party states tend to paint the dark side of their experiences when describing these states. In the case of postcolonial African states, this view is not surprising; the Ghanaian, Busia, observed that the one-party state had been achieved through various ways in different countries, by mergers, dissolution, absorption, or suppression of opposition parties. As far as West Africa is concerned, Professor Arthur Lewis finds it significant that no party now in power went to the polls in a free election seeking a mandate to create a single-party system .... Sirlgle-party power was seized, not granted by voters. 1 Except for Tanzania and a handful of other African states, all African countries emulated the West African example of imposing one-party constitutions on their people. In Zambia, for example, a national commission was established prior to the introduction of a one-party state in 1973. The commission was charged among other things, with the responsibility of assessing opinions and receiving suggestions from various groups across the country regarding the proposed one-party state structure.2 This gesture, however, was not a substitute for a referendum or a popular poll on the issue. Additionally, the repressive orientation found in most of these states and subsequent military coups have tended to confirm Western fears about one-party states and to promote stereotyped images of their 'sham' democracy. Consequently, objective studies of democratic experiments and developments in one-party states of Africa have been extremely rare. 3

White farmers, black tenants and landlord legislation: Southern Rhodesia 1890–1930

Abstract: The theme of this paper is the array of legislation controlling African tenancy on white-owned farmland. This legislation spread from South Africa (the Cape, 1869; Natal, 1896; Transvaal, 1887; Orange Free State, 1893; Southern Rhodesia, 1908; Nyasaland, 1917; Kenya, 1918). In each case, the legislation had a common purpose-to deny to Africans use of white-owned land, except in the capacity of labourers. In each case, the form the legislation took, although derived from South African practice, was determined by the particular constellation of forces in the political economy at the time. The core of this study is an examination of the Southern Rhodesia Private Locations Ordinance of 1908, and of its application. There are three levels of discussion. At the regional level, I have drawn on recent published and on some unpublished material which seems to me to be worth bringing together. At the level of white Rhodesian politics, I have looked in more detail at the manipulations which went into the making and implementation of the legislation. And at the local level, I have examined its implementation in one particular district, MelsetterChipinga, in the south-east of what was formerly Southern Rhodesia. Labour tenancy was a relation of serfdom which emerged wherever white farmers with limited capital took land from agricultural peoples. It is argued in this essay that in the colonial context it was inherently an unstable relation of production. The development of capitalism in urban, rural and mining areas tended to undermine all forms of tenancy, and tended to create landless proletariats, both urban and rural. But while an effective attack was mounted on other forms of African tenancy on white-owned land, white farmers, by virtue of their disproportionate influence in the

Couple experiences of provider-initiated couple HIV testing in an antenatal clinic in Lusaka, Zambia: lessons for policy and practice

Abstract: Background: Couple HIV testing has been recognized as critical to increase uptake of HIV testing, facilitate disclosure of HIV status to marital partner, improve access to treatment, care and support, and promote safe sex. The Zambia national protocol on integrated prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) allows for the provision of couple testing in antenatal clinics. This paper examines couple experiences of provider-initiated couple HIV testing at a public antenatal clinic and discusses policy and practical lessons. Methods: Using a narrative approach, open-ended in-depth interviews were held with couples (n = 10) who underwent couple HIV testing; women (n = 5) and men (n = 2) who had undergone couple HIV testing but were later abandoned by their spouses; and key informant interviews with lay counsellors (n = 5) and nurses (n = 2). On-site observations were also conducted at the antenatal clinic and HIV support group meetings. Data collection was conducted between March 2010 and September 2011. Data was organised and managed using Atlas ti, and analysed and interpreted thematically using content analysis approach. Results: Health workers sometimes used coercive and subtle strategies to enlist women’s spouses for couple HIV testing resulting in some men feeling ‘trapped’ or ‘forced’ to test as part of their paternal responsibility. Couple testing had some positive outcomes, notably disclosure of HIV status to marital partner, renewed commitment to marital relationship, uptake of and adherence to treatment and formation of new social networks. However, there were also negative repercussions including abandonment, verbal abuse and cessation of sexual relations. Its promotion also did not always lead to safe sex as this was undermined by gendered power relationships and the desires for procreation and sexual intimacy. Conclusions: Couple HIV testing provides enormous bio-medical and social benefits and should be encouraged. However, testing strategies need to be non-coercive. Providers of couple HIV testing also need to be mindful of the intimate context of partner relationships including couples’ childbearing aspirations and lived experiences. There is also need to make antenatal clinics more male-friendly and responsive to men’s health needs, as well as being attentive and responsive to gender inequality during couselling sessions.

Combined prevalence of impaired glucose level or diabetes and its correlates in Lusaka urban district, Zambia: a population based survey

Abstract: Background Developing countries are undergoing an epidemiological transition, from Communicable or Infectious to 'Non-Communicable' diseases (NCDs), such that cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer, and diabetes were responsible for 60% of all deaths globally in 2005, with more than 75% of these deaths occurring in developing countries. A survey was conducted to determine among other objectives the prevalence of diabetes and its association with physical fitness and biological factors.