University of Zimbabwe

About: University of Zimbabwe is a education organization based out in Harare, Harare, Zimbabwe. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The organization has 4378 authors who have published 6800 publications receiving 160720 citations. The organization is also known as: UZ & University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

Neonatal hypothermia levels and risk factors for mortality in a tropical country.

Abstract: Objective To determine the prevalence of hypothermia, factors associated with hypothermia and risk factors for mortality in hypothermic newborn infants. Study design Cross sectional descriptive study. Study site Harare Central Hospital Neonatal Unit (NNU). Subject Three hundred and thirteen consecutive newborn infants admitted to the NNU for care. Study factors Temperature on admission to the NNU, mode of delivery, time of delivery, age on admission to the NNU, birth weight, sex, birth before arrival, need for resuscitation. Results Prevalence of hypothermia on admission was 85% with a mean axillary temperature of 34.3 degrees C (SD= 1.6). Median age on admission was 120 minutes and there was a case fatality rate of 18.3%. The need for resuscitation, age at admission to NNU, time of delivery, birth weight, sex and being born before arrival were not significantly associated with being hypothermic. The only factors that were associated with mortality were babies being born before arrival and birth weight below 1 500 gms. Age at admission to NNU, sex, time of delivery and need for resuscitation were not significantly associated with mortality. Conclusion Neonatal hypothermia on admission remains a major problem in our population. There is need to increase awareness among nursing staff and mothers about the serious consequences of hypothermia particularly in very low birth weight newborns. Training in this area is called for.

Maternal versus paternal orphans and HIV/STI risk among adolescent girls in Zimbabwe.

Abstract: The AIDS epidemic has contributed to a drastic increase in the number of orphans in Zimbabwe. Orphans (whether orphaned by AIDS or other causes) have been shown to have economic and educational disadvantages as well as poor reproductive health outcomes. We recruited a convenience sample of 200 girls in a peri-urban area of Zimbabwe to examine the impact of orphan status (compared to non-orphans) on household composition, education, risk behaviour, pregnancy and prevalent HIV and HSV-2 infection. In our population, maternal orphans were more likely to be in households headed by themselves or a sibling, to be sexually active, to have had an STI, to have been pregnant and to be infected with HIV. Paternal orphans were more likely to have ever been homeless and to be out of school. Our findings suggest that maternal care and support is important for HIV prevention. This finding corroborates previous research in Zimbabwe and has implications for intervention strategies among orphan girls.

Parks-people conflicts: the case of Gonarezhou National Park and the Chitsa community in south-east Zimbabwe

Abstract: National parks have been the centre piece of international conservation strategies in developing countries. The expansion in the network of national parks has enabled the conservation of biodiversity and habitats but the acquisition of vast areas into the park system has often been achieved through the displacement of resident local communities. Displaced people are exposed to a variety of impoverishment risks and this stokes up animosity towards parks. The research reported here seeks to understand the key issues involved in the occupation of a section of Gonarezhou National Park by Headman Chitsa’s people. The paper examines how the interplay between the history of displacement and dispossession, demographic pressures, limited economic opportunities, the ‘fast track’ land reform programme and dynastic politics are fomenting the land conflict between Gonarezhou and Chitsa community. Secondary actors with diverse interests have also come into the fold. Official efforts to resolve the conflict using a top-down approach have yielded little success. This culminated in a shift towards the use of traditional mechanisms of resolving a chieftaincy dispute as a step towards addressing the broader parks-people land conflict. Lessons from the case study are, inter alia, that interventions aimed at resolving parks-people conflicts should be alive to local culture, livelihood needs and power dynamics and, to the extent possible, eschew forcible relocations. Finally, we draw attention to the need to address the wider contradiction between policies promoting wildlife conservation and those promoting agriculture. The article is written to share lessons with readers interested in parks-people conflicts.

An Education and Counseling Program for Preventing Breast-Feeding–Associated HIV Transmission in Zimbabwe: Design and Impact on Maternal Knowledge and Behavior

Abstract: International guidance on HIV and infant feeding has evolved over the last decade. In response to these changes, we designed, implemented, and evaluated an education and counseling program for new mothers in Harare, Zimbabwe. The program was implemented within the ZVITAMBO trial, in which 14,110 mother-baby pairs were enrolled within 96 h of delivery and were followed at 6 wk, 3 mo, and 3-mo intervals. Mothers were tested for HIV at delivery but were not required to learn their test results. Infant feeding pattems were determined using data provided up to 3 mo. Formative research was undertaken to guide the design of the program that included group education, individual counseling, videos, and brochures. The program was introduced over a 2-mo period: 11,362,1311, and 1437 women were enrolled into the trial before, during, and after this period. Exclusive breast-feeding was recommended for mothers of unknown or negative HIV status, and for HIV-positive mothers who chose to breast-feed. A questionnaire assessing HIV knowledge and exposure to the program was administered to 1996 mothers enrolling after the program was initiated. HIV knowledge improved with increasing exposure to the program. Mothers who enrolled when the program was being fully implemented were 70% more likely to learn their HIV status early (<3 mo) and 8.4 times more likely to exclusively breast-feed than mothers who enrolled before the program began. Formative research aided in the design of a culturally sensitive intervention. The intervention increased relevant knowledge and improved feeding practices among women who primarily did not know their HIV status.

Novel and Promiscuous CTL Epitopes in Conserved Regions of Gag Targeted by Individuals with Early Subtype C HIV Type 1 Infection from Southern Africa

Abstract: Characterization of optimal CTL epitopes in Gag can provide crucial information for evaluation of candidate vaccines in populations at the epicenter of the HIV-1 epidemic. We screened 38 individuals with recent subtype C HIV-1 infection using overlapping consensus C Gag peptides and hypothesized that unique HLA-restricting alleles in the southern African population would determine novel epitope identity. Seventy-four percent of individuals recognized at least one Gag peptide pool. Ten epitopic regions were identified across p17, p24, and p2p7p1p6, and greater than two-thirds of targeted regions were directed at: TGTEELRSLYNTVATLY (p17, 35%); GPKEPFRDYVDRFFKTLRAEQATQDV (p24, 19%); and RGGKLDKWEKIRLRPGGKKHYMLKHL (p17, 15%). After alignment of these epitopic regions with consensus M and a consensus subtype C sequence from the cohort, it was evident that the regions targeted were highly conserved. Fine epitope mapping revealed that five of nine identified optimal Gag epitopes were novel: HLVWASREL, LVWASRELERF, LYNTVATLY, PFRDYVDRFF, and TLRAEQATQD, and were restricted by unique HLA-Cw*08, HLA-A*30/B*57, HLA-A*29/B*44, and HLA-Cw*03 alleles, respectively. Notably, three of the mapped epitopes were restricted by more than one HLA allele. Although these epitopes were novel and restricted by unique HLA, they overlapped or were embedded within previously described CTL epitopes from subtype B HIV-1 infection. These data emphasize the promiscuous nature of epitope binding and support our hypothesis that HLA diversity between populations can shape fine epitope identity, but may not represent a constraint for universal recognition of Gag in highly conserved domains.