{"title":"Indoors man-biting mosquitoes and their implication on malaria transmission in Mpwapwa and Iringa Districts, Tanzania.","authors":"L E G Mboera, S M Magesa, F Molteni","doi":"10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45111","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Entomological surveys were carried out in six villages at different altitudes in Mpwapwa and Iringa Districts in central Tanzania in March 2002. A total of 1291 mosquitoes were collected. Of these, 887 mosquitoes were collected by light traps and 404 by indoor pyrethrum spray catch technique. Seventy-nine percent (1026) were Anopheles gambiae s.l., 0.2% (N = 3) were An. funestus, and 20.3% (N = 262) were Culex quinquefasciatus. Other species including Cx cinereus, An. coustani and Aedes spp accounted for 0.5% of the mosquito population. In Iringa, more mosquitoes were collected by pyrethrum spray catch than light trapping technique. The light trap catch: spray catch ratio in Iringa and Mpwapwa was 1:1.15 and 2.5:1, respectively. Indoor pyrethrum spray catch gave an overall estimate of An. gambiae density of 8 and 0.6 mosquitoes per room in Iringa and Mpwapwa, respectively, whereas light trap collections gave an overall respective density of An. gambiae of 63.9 and 2.9 mosquitoes per room. The densities of house entering mosquitoes were found to range from 0 to 135 in Iringa and from 2.6 to 3.5 per room in Mpwapwa. An.funestus mosquitoes were collected in Iringa only. None of the dissected An. gambiae collected in the two districts was infected with malaria sporozoites. Despite low mosquito densities and absence of infective mosquitoes in our study, the two districts are malaria epidemic prone, thus a continuous surveillance is critical for a prompt response to any impending outbreak. Further longitudinal studies are required to determine the transmission potential of the malaria mosquitoes in the two districts.</p>","PeriodicalId":87458,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania health research bulletin","volume":"8 3","pages":"141-4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45111","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"27246617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S M Kinung'hi, I I Malele, S N Kibona, L E Matemba, J K Sahani, C Kishamawe, T D K Mlengeya
{"title":"Knowledge, attitudes and practices on tsetse and sleeping sickness among communities living in and around Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.","authors":"S M Kinung'hi, I I Malele, S N Kibona, L E Matemba, J K Sahani, C Kishamawe, T D K Mlengeya","doi":"10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45115","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A study was undertaken to investigate knowledge, attitudes and practices about sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis) among communities living in and around Serengeti National Park (SENAPA). Structured questionnaires were administered to a total of 1490 consenting participants. Of the respondents, 924 (62%) knew sleeping sickness, and 807 (87.3%) knew the right place to seek healthcare. Of 924 who knew sleeping sickness, 386 (42%) said the disease was present in the areas they live. Most respondents (85.4%) knew that sleeping sickness infections were acquired in the bush and forest. The most common (69.3%) sources of information about sleeping sickness were relatives and friends. Symptoms of sleeping sickness mentioned included abnormal sleep (45.2%), fever (35.3%), body malaise (14.5%), headache (7.6%) and lymph node enlargement (6.1%). Of 1490 people interviewed 90.4% knew tsetse flies and 89.8% had been bitten by tsetse flies. The majority (86.6%) of the respondents knew that sleeping sickness is transmitted through a tsetse bite. Activities that exposed people to tsetse bites included working in tsetse infested bushes/forests, grazing livestock in tsetse infested areas and hunting game animals. In conclusion, communities living in and around SENAPA were knowledgeable about tsetse and sleeping sickness. The communities can thus understand and support community based tsetse and sleeping sickness control programmes to ensure success.</p>","PeriodicalId":87458,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania health research bulletin","volume":"8 3","pages":"168-72"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45115","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"27247643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Community knowledge on HIV/AIDS and its relationship with sexual practices in Tabora and Igunga Districts, Western Tanzania.","authors":"G M Nkya, C Sindato, J Mcharo, S N Kibona","doi":"10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>HIV/AIDS represents one of the critical challenges to human development in sub Saharan Africa. This study was carried out to assess the knowledge of HIV/AIDS and its relationship with sexual practices among communities in Tabora and Igunga Districts in western Tanzania. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods, which included interviews and group discussions. A total of 568 participants (female = 49%; males = 51%) were involved in the study. Two hundred and eighty-four of the respondents were adults (> 25 years) and 284 were youths of 12 - 25 years. The results showed although the knowledge of the disease and its prevention was high (90%) among the community, some gaps regarding the knowledge on modes of transmission were observed. About 17.2% of the respondents reported to have multiple sexual partners and only about half of the respondents reported the use of condoms. The level of education correlated significantly with the individual knowledge on HIV/AIDS (P = 0.003). There was no significant difference between urban and rural communities on their knowledge on HIV/AIDS (P > 0.05). Health education on HIV/AIDS prevention needs to be strengthened and improved to include cognitive behavioural interventions that emphasize attitude changes, negotiation skills and decision-making skills that could be effective in changing and maintaining safe sexual behaviour.</p>","PeriodicalId":87458,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania health research bulletin","volume":"8 3","pages":"173-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45116","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"27247644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G M Saied, W H El-Metenawy, M S Elwan, N R Dessouki
{"title":"Urine carcinoembryonic antigen determination in urinary bladder bilharziasis predicts carcinoma in patients with premalignant lesions: observation of 43 cases in Egypt.","authors":"G M Saied, W H El-Metenawy, M S Elwan, N R Dessouki","doi":"10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45108","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Both urinary bilharziasis and urothelial neoplasia are associated with increased production of tissue carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Urine and serum CEA were determined in 43 patients with urinary bladder carcinoma including 22 post bilharzial and 21 non-biharzial cases, in addition to 10 normal control cases. A significant increase was detected in both urine and serum CEA levels with bladder carcinoma compared to control cases. Urinary CEA was significantly elevated in 86% of bilharzial versus 62% in nonbilharzial bladder carcinoma. Only 10.5% of control cases had urinary CEA elevation. The mean urinary CEA in bilharzial was higher than that of nonbilharzial carcinoma, but the difference was not statistically significant. There was a definite relationship between urine CEA and the stage of malignancy; the higher the stage, the higher the level of urine CEA. No relationship could be detected between the stage of malignancy and serum CEA, or between the grades of malignancy and urine or serum CEA levels. In conclusion, urinary CEA is more useful than serum CEA in the early detection of bilharziasis-associated urothelial carcinoma.</p>","PeriodicalId":87458,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania health research bulletin","volume":"8 3","pages":"122-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4314/thrb.v8i3.45108","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"27246614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
L E G Mboera, M L Kamugisha, S F Rumisha, H A Msangeni, V Barongo, E Molteni, A Y Kitua
{"title":"The relationship between malaria parasitaemia and availability of healthcare facility in Mpwapwa district, central Tanzania.","authors":"L E G Mboera, M L Kamugisha, S F Rumisha, H A Msangeni, V Barongo, E Molteni, A Y Kitua","doi":"10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14266","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14266","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A study was carried out in six villages located at different altitudes in Mpwapwa district of central Tanzania to determine malaria parasitaemia and transmission levels in villages with or without health care facilities. A total of 1119 schoolchildren (age = 5.9-12.3 years) were examined for malaria parasitaemia. Plasmodiumfalciparum was the predominant malaria species accounting for 92.8% of all species. The average malaria prevalence rate among schoolchildren was 25.8% (range 1.5-53.8%). The geometric mean parasite densities for P.falciparum was 361 (N = 286). Higher malaria prevalence was observed in villages at lower (< 1000 m) than at intermediate (1000-1500m) or higher (> 1500m) altitudes. Schoolchildren in areas with health care facilities were less at risk of acquiring malaria by 33.4% as compared with those living in areas without health facilities. Mean packed cell volume in schoolchildren was 38.5% (range = 35.2-41.0%). Splenomegaly was observed in 18.1% (0-40.2%) of the schoolchildren examined and it was higher among those in villages without health care facilities. Anopheles gambiae sensu lato was the only malaria vector found in the district and was found in all villages and at all altitudes. Sporozoite rate in An. gambiae s.l. ranged from 0-10.5%, with the lowland villages recording the highest rates. This study indicates that altitude and geographical accessibility to healthcare service are important determinants of malaria infection among rural communities in Tanzania.</p>","PeriodicalId":87458,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania health research bulletin","volume":"8 1","pages":"22-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14266","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26324328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B T A Maegga, A K Kalinga, S W Chacha, M Kibona, J Mwayawale, K Jangson
{"title":"Malaria in Bulambya, Ileje district, south-west Tanzania.","authors":"B T A Maegga, A K Kalinga, S W Chacha, M Kibona, J Mwayawale, K Jangson","doi":"10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14265","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14265","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study was carried out to determine malaria situation in Bulambya Division, Ileje district in southwest Tanzania. Outpatient attendance records from 1999 to 2002 were examined for malaria cases in eleven health facilities. A cross-sectional study to determine malaria prevalence and its potential vectors was done in May 2004. Blood samples were collected from 502 schoolchildren from 16 primary schools and examined microscopically for malaria parasites. Indoor resting mosquitoes were collected in ten houses in each of the ten villages covered. Health facility data for 1999 showed the highest (60.7%) and lowest (11.5%) annual malaria morbidity rates were recorded at Itumba and at Ibaba, respectively. Malaria parasitaemia rate among schoolchildren ranged from 0-36.7%; the lowest prevalence was observed in the high altitude mountainous range and the highest in the lower altitude plateaux. Of 1,504 mosquitoes caught, 205 (13.6%) were female Anopheles gambiae s.l., 215 (14.3%) An. funestus and 68.9% were culicines. Data from both health facility records and school surveys indicate that there is high malaria morbidity in the lower plateaux (1100 to =1350 m), around Itumba and Isongole, where indoor anopheles mosquito densities were relatively higher than in the higher altitudes (> 1,350 m) around Ibaba. In the lower altitude range, there was less malaria on steep slopes than on flat terrain. Further studies are recommended to closely monitor malaria situation in these epidemic prone highlands of southwest Tanzania.</p>","PeriodicalId":87458,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania health research bulletin","volume":"8 1","pages":"17-21"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14265","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26324327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessment of quality of chloroquine tablets sold by drug vendors in Abeokuta, Nigeria.","authors":"O A Idowu, S B Apalara, A A Lasisi","doi":"10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14271","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14271","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":87458,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania health research bulletin","volume":"8 1","pages":"45-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14271","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26323637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
W H Makunde, M L Kamugisha, R A Makunde, M N Malecela-Lazaro, A Y Kitua
{"title":"Implication of diethylcarbamazine induced morbidity and the role of cellular responses associated with bancroftian filariasis pathologies.","authors":"W H Makunde, M L Kamugisha, R A Makunde, M N Malecela-Lazaro, A Y Kitua","doi":"10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14264","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14264","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pre and post-diethylcarbamazine treatment clinical expression, microfilaraemia prevalence and cellular responses were investigated in individuals in Tanga, Tanzania. Fifty-seven male individuals (aged = 15 years old) were identified for further studies on IL-4, IL-6, IL-8. IFN-gamma, IL-beta, TNF-alpha and nitric oxide in plasma and hydrocoele fluid. Microfilarial prevalence in the examined individuals was 12% with a geometric mean intensity (GMI) of 838 mff/ml in a community with a population of 1018 individuals. Microfilaraemic hydrocoele stage II and III were the most frequent pathologies observed with prevalence of 17.5% and 42. 1 %, respectively. All study individuals treated with diethylcarbamazine (DEC) standard dose of 6 mg/kg experienced post-treatment adverse events. There was no direct relationship between elevated IL-6 and the occurrence and severity of clinical adverse effects post-treatment. The findings from this study suggests that, blood elevated cytokine profile is not the main etiological factor in the inflammatory responses developing after treatment of bancroftian filariasis infections and pathology with DEC. Plasma levels of cellular (cytokines) responses during treatment revealed a proportion of symptomatic patients. Prior to treatment, patients with hydroecoele had high levels of IL-6 than those without the pathology. In conclusion these findings do not support the hypothesis that pro-inflammatory cytokines are directly responsible for adverse events to DEC chemotherapy in bancroftian filariasis infections and pathologies such as hydrocoele, lymphoedema and elephantiasis.</p>","PeriodicalId":87458,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania health research bulletin","volume":"8 1","pages":"11-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14264","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26324326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Copper and lead levels in two popular leafy vegetables grown around Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania.","authors":"B E Chove, W R Ballegu, L M Chove","doi":"10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14269","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A study was carried out to determine the levels of two heavy metals, Lead (Pb) and Copper (Cu), in two popular leafy vegetables grown around Morogoro Municipality in Tanzania. Vegetable samples of Pumpkin leaves (Cucurbita moschata) and Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis) were collected from three sites and analysed for their concentrations of the two metals using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The three sites, namely Mazimbu, Kihonda and Towelo are located within a 10 km perimeter. The site selection was based on the anticipated levels of contamination of the water used for irrigation. The results showed that the levels (mg/100g dry weight) ranged from 0.885 to 1.39 for Copper and 0.05 to 0.315 for Lead. The levels of Lead and Copper varied between the vegetable varieties and from site to site. Vegetables from Mazimbu showed higher concentration levels of the two metals compared to the other sites in both varieties. Towelo vegetables had relatively low concentrations. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in levels of the two metals across the sites but there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the levels of Copper between the two vegetable varieties from all the three sites. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the levels of Lead between the vegetable varieties. The levels of both Lead and Copper in the two vegetables were found to be below the maximum permissible levels recommended by FAO/WHO for the two metals in vegetables.</p>","PeriodicalId":87458,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania health research bulletin","volume":"8 1","pages":"37-40"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14269","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26323635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Maternal weight gain in second and third trimesters and their relationship with birth weights in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania.","authors":"C N M Nyaruhucha, J M Msuya, B Ngowi, D M Gimbi","doi":"10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14270","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14270","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A prospective study was carried out to determine the relationship between weight gain in the second and third trimesters with the corresponding birth weights in Morogoro, Tanzania. A total of 270 pregnant women who gave birth to singleton deliveries and their consecutive newborns were randomly selected from among women who were attending one antenatal clinic. Average weight gains in second and third trimesters were 2.45 +/- 0.68 and 2.14 +/- 0.43 kg, respectively (a total of 4.59 +/- 1.11 kg) for the two trimesters. Weight gains per week were 0.47 +/- 0.16 and 0.33 +/- 0.13 kg for the second and third trimesters, respectively. Weight gain in the two trimesters was lower than the expected value for the same period. Results from Pearson correlation analysis found a positive correlation (P < 0.001) between birth weight and variables such as maternal age, gestational period, parity, weight gain in both second and third trimester, birth length and sex of an infant. Multiple regression analysis indicated that birth weight (dependent variable) was significantly affected by maternal weight gain in the third trimester, maternal age (both at P < 0.05) and birth length (P < 0.001). The incidence of low birth weight was about 8% and was significantly higher among infants of teenager mothers. It appears that despite of possibility of some physiological adaptations, which tend to protect the foetus when the woman is subjected to inadequate weight gain during pregnancy, weight gains in the second and third trimesters are important in determining the birth weight.</p>","PeriodicalId":87458,"journal":{"name":"Tanzania health research bulletin","volume":"8 1","pages":"41-4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2006-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4314/thrb.v8i1.14270","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"26323636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}