Impact of common skin diseases on children in rural Côte d'Ivoire with leprosy and Buruli ulcer co-endemicity: A mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Skin-related neglected tropical diseases (skin NTDs) occur against a background of a very high prevalence of common skin diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we examined the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) and the impact of common skin diseases in children living in a leprosy and Buruli ulcer (BU) co-endemic district in a west African country of Côte d'Ivoire, in order to help inform disease control efforts for skin NTDs. METHODS AND PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: Fourteen focus group discussions (FGDs) with schoolchildren, 5 FGDs with parents of a child affected with skin disease(s), and 27 in-depth semi-structured interviews with key personnel were conducted. The Children's Dermatology Quality of Life Index (CDLQI) questionnaire was applied to 184 schoolchildren with skin diseases. We found that there was ignorance or neglect towards skin diseases in general, due to their high prevalence and also the perceived minimal impact on children's daily lives. While the median score for the CDLQI questionnaire was 5 (IQR 2-9) out of 30, a range of scores was observed. Symptoms such as pruritus and experiencing bullying by classmates contributed to reduction in their quality of life. Poor hygiene was considered as a major cause of skin diseases. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Despite their high impact on affected populations, we observed a high level of ignorance and neglect toward common skin diseases. There is a critical need to increase awareness of skin diseases, or skin health promotion, which supports changing of the health-seeking behaviour for skin conditions. This will aid in early detection and treatment of the skin NTDs, in addition to providing benefits for those affected by other skin diseases. Educational opportunities should be utilized to their utmost. One would be associated with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) strategies, but careful messages need to be developed and delivered.

Relationship between meiotic behaviour and fertility in backcross-1 derivatives of the [(Gossypium hirsutum × G. thurberi)2 × G. longicalyx] trispecies hybrid.

Wild cotton species are an important source of desirable genes for genetic improvement of cultivated cotton Gossypium hirsutum Linnaeus, 1763. For the success of such an improvement, chromosome pairings and recombinations in hybrids are fundamental. The wild African species G. longicalyx Hutchinson & Lee, 1958 could be used as donor of the desirable trait of fiber fineness. Twelve BC1 plants obtained from the backcrossing of [(G. hirsutum × G. thurberi Todaro, 1877)2 × G. longicalyx] (AhDhD1F1, 2n = 4x = 52) trispecies hybrid (HTL) by G. hirsutum (cv. C2) (AhAhDhDh, 2n = 4x = 52) were investigated for meiotic behaviour and plant fertility. Their chromosome associations varied as follows: (2.5 to 11.5) I + (17 to 22) II + (0.31 to 1.93) III + (0.09 to 1.93) IV + (0 to 0.07) V + (0 to 0.14) VI. Their pollen fertility ranged from 4.67 to 32.10 %. Only four BC1 plants produced a few seeds through self-pollination. The remaining BC1 were totally self-sterile and usually presented the highest number of univalents. All BC1 materials produced BC2 seeds (0.44 to 6.50 seeds per backcross) with the number of seeds negatively correlated with the number of univalents (R2 = 0.45, P < 0.05). Most BC1 plants gave significantly finer fiber compared to the cultivated G. hirsutum. SSR markers showed a segregation of wild alleles among the backcross derivatives and Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) revealed presence of entire chromosomes of G. longicalyx as well as recombinant chromosomes in the backcross derivatives. The significance and details of these results are presented and the prospects of successfully exploiting these plant materials are discussed.

[Sociodemographic factors associated with incomplete immunization of children aged 12 to 59 months in six West African countries]. / Facteurs sociodémographiques associés à la vaccination incomplète des enfants de 12 à 59 mois dans six pays d’Afrique de l’ouest.

Every year, thousands of children worldwide remain unimmunized or partially immunized, especially in developing countries. It therefore appears important to examine soda-demographic factors associated with incomplete immunization of children in West Africa. The present cross-sectional study examined factors associated with incomplete immunization of children aged 12 to 59 months in Cote d'lvoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Liberia, based on Demographic and Health Surveys data. The findings of the study showed that birth at home, absence of access of mothers to media, no religion, poverty, and illiteracy were associated with incomplete immunization of children. Health officials should take these immunization status predictors into account when making policies and immunization strategies in countries included in this study in order to achieve immunization coverage targets.

[Sociodemographic factors associated with incomplete immunization or children aged 12 to 59 months in six West African countries]. / Facteurs sociodémographiques associés à la vaccination incomplète des enfants de 12 à 59 mois dans six pays d’Afrique de l’ouest.

INTRODUCTION: Every year, thousands of children in the world remain unimmunized or partially immunized, especially in developing countries. It therefore appears important to examine sociodemographic factors associated with incomplete immunization of children in West Africa. METHODS: This cross-sectional study examined factors associated with incomplete immunization of children aged 12 to 59 months in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Liberia based on Demographic and Health Survey data. RESULTS: The findings of the study showed that birth at home, mothers with no access to media, no religion, poverty, and illiteracy were associated with incomplete immunization of children. DISCUSSION: Health officials should take these immunization status predictors into account when developing policies and immunization strategies in countries included in this study in order to achieve immunization coverage targets.