CLINICAL MEDICINE & SURGERY

This study assessed the management practices for controlling porcine cysticercosis (PC) on pig farms and in pork at the slaughter slabs in two counties (Busia and Kakamega) of Western Kenya. A total of 162 pig-rearing households at the farm level, 26 butcher owners, and 26 slaughter slab workers at the slaughter slab level were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the “Statistical Analysis System” (SAS) programme. Results indicated that the frequent management practices used at the farm level (p<0.05) were rearing pigs under free range (69.1%), latrine ownership by households (87.7%), and use of pit latrines (72.8%) in households. At the slaughter level (p<0.05), results of the butcher owners (76.9%) and slaughter slab workers (62.5%) revealed that meat inspection was not practiced adequately in the two areas of study. The results imply that slaughtered pigs for human consumption were not adequately inspected, and thus, the study recommends fo...

Background: The demand for pork is increasing in Africa with the increasing need for animal protein in the household diets. But pork safety and quality remains a pervasive concern that needs intervention to assure consumers of protection from Porcine Cysticercosis (PC) contamination. This study assessed among farmers, butcher-owners and consumers in Western Kenya about their awareness, attitudes and perceptions about safety practices regarding risk of PC. Materials and Methods: Data were obtained using structured questionnaires in cross-sectional survey interviews with 162 farmers, 26 butcher-owners and 92 consumers from Busia and Kakamega Counties. The data were in binary response, so were analyzed with Chi - square test. Results: Only two in ten farmers had knowledge of Taenia solium parasite (24.1%), risk factors in PC transmission (21.6%) and could associate pig management system with PC (17.3%). A larger proportion (p<0.01) of the butcher owners perceived pork from slaughter...

Plasmodium falciparum is the most popular and deadly malaria parasite in Kenya. Its transmission is dependent on numerous biotic and abiotic factors. Biotic factors include mosquito and malaria parasite density in the population and the proximity to mosquito breeding sites. Abiotic factors include socio-economic background of the population and malaria intervention strategies. These factors differ from one location to another and from one social setting to another. These variations ultimately influence malaria transmission in diverse locations and settings and limit the success in global approach to malaria control. This paper reviews the influence of both biotic and abiotic factors in relation to malaria transmission and the current status of these factors over time in Kenya. We hypothesize that changes in biotic and abiotic factors is responsible for the alteration in the mosquito and the Plasmodium falciparum density and distribution, hence malaria transmission in Kenya. An insig...

Introduction Livestock keeping in peri-urban areas nourishment security and gives effectively convertible resources that empower the poor to have money to cover school fees, medicinal costs and day to day financial requirements (Schiere, 2000). Embracing peri-urban livestock rearing empowers the poor to broaden livelihood opportunities with available choices to the susceptible groups. Food safety is a growing concern in the peri-urban areas dependent on food chains (Shimshoni, 2017). Safe, good quality sustenance is vital to food security, general wellbeing and monetary improvement since it promotes trade. The production of safe food of animal origin is the task of livestock farmers, animal feed suppliers, public health officials and extension agents who are deemed stakeholders. Majority of livestock keepers in the peri-urban focuses are susceptible groups of female headed family units, youths, retired individuals, widows and the less educated who regularly utilize tainted water for domesticated animals because of poverty and scarcity of resources. The wastewater and fertilizer residue released locally are of ecological concerns (FAO, 2007).

Food safety is a growing concern in the peri-urban areas dependent on food chains (Shimshoni, 2017). Safe, good quality food is key to food security, public health and economic development since it promotes trade (FAO, 2008). The production of safe food of animal origin is a responsibility of livestock farmers, animal feed suppliers, and public health and extension officers, who are the stakeholders. Majority of those keeping livestock in peri-urban slums are vulnerable groups of female-headed

Analysis of heavy metals in top soil samples from Nzoia sugarcane farms in Western Kenya found elevated levels of heavy metals in the soils with mean concentrations (mg kg⁻¹ dry weight) of 142.38, 59.12, 73.35, 116.27, 409.84 (dry season) and 144.22, 50.29, 72.14, 158.81, 368.83 (wet season) for Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn and Fe, respectively, compared with a control soil sample from an adjacent field where fertilizers are not applied having mean concentrations of 117.27, 61.87, 63.68, 123.49, 282.93 (dry season) 108.00, 50.68, 66.10, 114.23, 167.01 (wet season), respectively. The heavy metal loads in the sugarcane farms were above international standards. The levels of the same metals in the fertilizers used in the sugarcane farms were within acceptable international standards. A risk assessment of the continued use of phosphate fertilizer (DAP) in the farms based on a 50-year period, did not exceed international threshold. The soil pH values (6.18 dry season and 5.66 wet season) were low comp...

BackgroundLactational mastitis is an extremely painful and distressing inflammation of the breast, which can seriously disrupt breastfeeding. Most of the evidence on the frequency of this condition and its risk factors is from high-income countries. Thus, there is a crucial need for more information on lactational mastitis and its associated factors in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).MethodsWe used data from representative, community-based cross-sectional household surveys conducted with 3,315 women from four countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania) who reported ever-breastfeeding their last child born in the two years before the survey. We first estimated country-specific and pooled prevalence of self-reported lactational mastitis and examined mastitis-related breastfeeding discontinuation. Additionally, we examined factors associated with reporting mastitis in the pooled sample using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression accounting for clustering at the country level a...