Evaluating the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Schistosomiasis Amongst School-Aged Children in Low- and Middle-Income Communities: Ehlanzeni District Municipality, South Africa, 2015-2021.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and identify risk factors of schistosomiasis among school-aged children in low- and middle-income communities. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to review patient records of school-age children. Data on gender, age, sub-district, area residing in, patient status, history of bilharzia, presence of blood in the urine, and schistosomiasis diagnoses were collected. The data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. Logistic regression was employed to determine the factors associated with schistosomiasis. The overall prevalence of schistosomiasis in the study population was 75%, with higher prevalence observed among male children (89%), children aged between 10 and 14 years (59%), urban areas (51%), and rural-dominated districts, particularly Bushbuckridge (42%) and City of Mbombela (51%). Age, especially 10-14 years old (p ˂ 0.01; 95%CI: 1.98-2.29), a history of bilharzia (p = 0.01; 95%CI: 1.15-1.96), and the presence of blood in urine (p ˂ 0.01; 95%CI: 2.02-2.40) were significantly associated with schistosomiasis while being a female child was found to be a protective factor (AOR: 0.35; CI 0.35-0.41). This study underscores the importance of implementing robust screening procedures and the necessity for health education to mitigate the high prevalence of schistosomiasis and prevent its further spread.

Infection prevention knowledge and practices among healthcare workers at a health facility in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of infection prevention practices among healthcare workers. Prioritizing this crucial aspect of healthcare can mitigate the spread of infectious diseases and ensure the well-being of our healthcare heroes and their communities. The purpose of the research was to investigate the knowledge and practice of infection prevention and control. The study was a cross-sectional study that used self-administered paper-based questionnaires. The study sample of 316 eligible healthcare workers was selected using stratified sampling. Data was entered into EPI Info version 7.2 and exported to SPSS version 27 for analysis. The ethics committees of the university and the hospital approved the study. The majority of participants 116 (36.7%) were nurses. The mean age was 34.79 years ± 8.37, 118 (37.30%) were male while 198 (62.7%) were female. Only 169 (53.9%) knew the recommended duration for hand washing. 132 (41.8%) of healthcare workers believed needles should be recapped following use. Healthcare workers were twice as likely to wash their hands before contact and five times more likely to wash their hands after contact with a patient, their bedding, or after a procedure (AOR 1.82, 95% CI 1.04-3.20), (AOR 4.51, 95% CI 1.76-11.54) respectively. Personal protective equipment (PPEs) were twice as likely to be unavailable (AOR 2.39, 95% CI 1.31-4.37). The findings revealed suboptimal knowledge and practice of hand hygiene indicating the need for healthcare workers to be trained on Infection Prevention and Control. PPE(s) must be provided for healthcare workers to improve compliance with IPC practices.

Social and Environmental Determinants of Diarrheal Diseases among Children under Five Years in Epworth Township, Harare.

Children five years or younger in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are severely affected by diarrheal disease, especially in the sub-Saharan region. Hence, this study aimed at determining the prevalence and determinants of diarrhoea disease among children under 5 years in Epworth Township, Zimbabwe. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at a local clinic in Epworth Township, Harare. A convenience sampling strategy was used to recruit study participants for participation, and 386 children were enrolled in the study. The majority were male children (n = 229; 59.3%), whereas there were more female caregivers (n = 370; 95.9%) than male caregivers (n = 16; 4.1%). The prevalence of diarrhoea disease in the study was 25.1%. The determinants associated with diarrhoea were being partially vaccinated (AOR 2.38, CI: 95% 2.80-8.22), collecting water more than 1 kilometre from a household (AOR 4.55; CI: 95% 2.10-9.85), and using untreated water (AOR 6.22; CI: 95% 2.13-18.20). The age of the caregiver (being older than 21) and using a clean water container (AOR 0.05; CI: 95% 0.02-0.13) were protective factors. Provision of primary health care, especially the prevention of a disease through immunization and rendering environmental health services, could reduce the prevalence of diarrhoea in disadvantaged townships.

Assessment of Anti-Bacterial Effectiveness of Hand Sanitizers Commonly Used in South Africa.

Hand sanitizers are used as an alternative to hand washing to reduce the number of viable microorganisms when soap and water are not readily available. This study aimed to investigate the anti-bacterial effectiveness of commercially available hand sanitizers and those commonly used in healthcare and community settings. A mapping exercise was done to select and procure different hand sanitizers (n = 18) from retailers. Five microorganisms implicated in hospital-acquired infections were selected and tested against each hand sanitizer: Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. Twenty-one volunteers were recruited to do a handprint before and after applying the hand sanitizer. Only four out of eighteen hand sanitizers (22%) were effective against all tested bacterial species, and an equal number (22%) were completely ineffective. Seven hand sanitizers with a label claim of 99.99% were only effective against E. coli. Only five hand sanitizers (27%) effectively reduced bacteria on participants' hands. This study showed that only a fifth of hand sanitizers were effective against selected microorganisms. The findings raise a concern about the effectiveness of hand sanitizers and their role in infection, prevention, and control if not well regulated.

Estimation of rainwater harvesting potential for emergency water demand in the era of COVID-19. The case of Dilla town, Southern, Ethiopia.

Safe and adequate quantity of water is crucial for the implementation of infection prevention and control measures during the prevention of COVID-19. Rainwater harvesting could be an optional water source to fulfill or support the emergency water demand in areas where there is abundant rainfall. The study aimed to assess the rainwater harvesting potential and storage requirements for households and selected institutions and to determine its adequacy to satisfy the emergency water demand for the prevention of COVID-19 in Dilla town, Southern Ethiopia. Rainwater harvesting potential for households and selected institutions were quantified using 17 years' worth of rainfall data from the Ethiopian Meteorology Agency. To address the rainfall variability, we computed the confidence limits of monthly harvest-able rainwater potential using confidence intervals about the mean as well as confidence intervals using Coefficient of Variation (COV) of monthly rainfall. The storage requirements were also estimated by considering the driest and west seasons and months. The average annual rainfall in Dilla town was 1464 mm. Households with a roof area of 40 and 100 m2 have the potential to harvest 7.2-39.66 m3 and 19.11-105.35 m3 of rainwater respectively. Similarly, the rainwater harvesting potential for the selected institutions was in the range of 34524.5-190374.5, 4070.8-14964.8 , 1140.4-6288.6, 4561.7-25154.3, 5605.8-14152.8 , and 402.4-2219.1 m3 of rainwater for colleges, vocational schools, secondary schools, primary schools, Dilla University Referral Hospital and health centers respectively. These institutional rainwater harvesting potentials can address, 24-132.2, 222.4 -817.8, 59.4-327.3, 34.6-190.9, 94.5-238.5, and 28.2-155.7 % of the colleges, vocational schools, secondary schools, primary schools, Dilla University referral hospital, and, health centers emergency water demand respectively. Rainwater can be an alternative water source for the town in the prevention and control of COVID-19. Further applied researches must be conducted that can address the rainwater quality and treatment for ease of use.