RESUMO
This study investigates the impacts of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on smallholder farmers and their coping strategies in three contrasting Low- and Middle-Income Countries. The case studies include Brazil (South region), Madagascar (Atsimo Atsinanana region), and Tanzania (Morogoro/Eastern Tanzania). These countries were chosen because i) the economies are strongly influenced by the agricultural sector; ii) their national food security is strongly affected by smallholder production, and, iii) they represent a set of contrasting government responses to COVID-19 including the denial of the pandemic. Data were collected through semi-structured household interviews in all three countries in rural areas. COVID-19 induced effects were found in all three countries, including in Brazil and Tanzania where both national governments initially neglected the existence of COVID-19 and introduced few containment measures only. Here, mobility and trade restrictions of other countries impact also on agricultural trade and production in countries in which governments took less action to COVID-19 and also people remained home and practiced social distancing even if no official government policy was issued. The findings in all three countries suggest that the COVID-19 crisis had negatively affected smallholders' agricultural production, leading to a vicious cycle of low production, low incomes, and higher food insecurity. Results of this study raise the thorny issue of how best to balance containment of pandemic and future shocks against the well-being of the vulnerable rural population in lower- and middle-income countries; especially considering also the degree of global interconnected and the potential of polices to effect people beyond the national scale.
RESUMO
Introducción: Los accidentes biológicos son eventos de alto riesgo por la probabilidad de infección con agentes como virus de inmunodeficiencia humana o hepatitis B. A estos están expuestos los estudiantes de medicina, un evento prevalente que requiere seguimiento constante. Objetivo: Caracterizar los accidentes biológicos de los estudiantes de medicina de una universidad privada de Bucaramanga durante el primer semestre de 2011. Materiales y métodos: Estudio transversal de aplicación de encuesta a toda la población estudiantil. Se realizó análisis univariado y bivariado comparando edad, sexo, nivel académico, capacitación y vacunación con haber sufrido accidente biológico durante el primer semestre académico de 2011. Resultados: La incidencia de accidentes biológicos fue del 6,8%, lo que da 3,42 accidentes por cada mil semanas-estudiante. De los 23 eventos caracterizados, 9 (39,1%) fueron pinchazos, 7 (30,4%) salpicaduras en piel no intacta, 5 (21,7%) salpicaduras en mucosas, y 2 (8,7%) cortaduras. Hubo 277 (66,4%) encuestados que informaron un esquema completo de vacunación contra hepatitis B, y el 33,6% restante tienen al menos una dosis. Solo 251 (59,9%) respondieron recibir algún tipo de capacitación sobre bioseguridad. El análisis bivariado no encontró asociación entre edad, sexo o nivel académico. No obstante, 5 estudiantes de ciencias básicas y clínicas médicas presentaron más de un evento en el semestre, situación no presentada en los estudiantes de clínicas quirúrgicas. Conclusión: La incidencia de accidentes biológicos ha disminuido, sin embargo, los niveles académicos básicos tienen una alta incidencia y reincidencia, lo cual requiere nuevas estrategias de intervención para seguir disminuyendo el riesgo.
Introduction: Biological accidents are high risk events due to the probability of acquiring agents such as HIV or HB. Medical students are exposed to these events and should be followed over time. Objective: To characterize biological accidents in medical students of a private university in Bucaramanga during the first semester of 2011. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study with a survey applied to all student population. Univariate and bivariate analysis was done comparing age, sex, academic level, biosafety training and vaccination, with suffering a biological accident during the first semester of 2011. Results: In this population the prevalence of biological accidents was 6.8%, which means 3.42 events for every thousand weeks per student. Of the 23 events found, 9 (39.1%) were prick, 7 (30.4%) non-intact skin splash, 5 (21.7%) mucosal splash, and two (8.7%) cutting. 277 (66.4%) respondents have full hepatitis B vaccination schedule, and 33.6% have at least one dose. Only 251 (59.9%) responders have some degree of training in biosafety. No association between age, sex or academic level was found in the bivariate analysis. However, 5 students from basic levels and 5 from medical practice levels suffered more than one event in the academic period, situation that didn't happened on the surgical levels students. Conclusion: Biological accidents prevalence has decreased. However, basic academic levels have a high prevalence and recidivism, which requires new intervention strategies to further decrease the risk.
