Covid-19: People who skipped childhood TB vaccine at higher risk

The common vaccine administered to protect children from tuberculosis has shown significant association with reduced risk of Covid-19 deaths, experts say.

 

Information from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi), the vaccine known as Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) produces life-long enhanced immunity against other respiratory diseases such as Covid-19.

 

“The researchers found that every 10 per cent increase in BCG index was associated with a 10.4 per cent reduction in Covid-19 mortality,” the information on the Gavi website reads.

 

The agency which is behind Covid-19 vaccine development and global sharing, says there are ongoing studies in countries such as Netherlands and Australia to determine how exactly the BCG protects people from Covid-19 death.

 

“This means that we will only know for certain if BCG vaccine works against Covid-19 once results of a number of clinical trials have been fully scrutinised,” the vaccine agency wrote.

 

BCG is approved for use in Uganda by National Drug Authority.

Uganda discusses plan to introduce digital health passport

Written by Tonny Abet

All inbound and outbound travellers to Uganda will have to present digitally verified proof of a negative Covid-19 test if the government accepts a new proposal from the African Union.

The African Union and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have come up with Trusted Traveller (TT) initiative, an online system designed to authenticate and verify travellers' Covid-19 certificates to curb the cross-border spread of Covid-19 infection in the continent.

As of Wednesday, a total of 3,308,919 cases and 80,939 Covid-19 deaths had been reported in the continent, according to Africa CDC.

Asked on Tuesday by this reporter about Uganda’s position, Dr Diana Atwine, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health said their teams are still discussing and that a clear position will be communicated.

“They [African Union] presented the proposal and our teams are reviewing. It is after the reviewing process is completed that I shall know [whether Uganda will adopt it],” Dr Atwine said. 

To adopt the initiative, the Ministry will have to set specific restrictions and test requirements in the online system, register and monitor testing laboratories, according to information from the website of the Africa CDC.

Africa CDC said laboratories will have to issue Covid-19 certificates with Trusted Travel codes that can be readily verified by airlines and border point health authorities to ensure the integrity of presented certificates.

Currently, some Covid-19 test results are presented on printed paper and so are susceptible to forgery. Some countries such as Kenya already adopted the technology, according to last week's report by the Daily Nation.

In Uganda, the cumulative confirmed cases stood at 38,534 and deaths at 305 as of Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Health statistics.    

How it works

“Passenger obtains this information and goes to a laboratory to get tested according to the requirements laid out by the Public Health Authority [of the country],” the information on the Afric CDC website reads.

It adds: “The laboratory operator generates special seals for digital test results that are verifiable through the Trusted Travel portal. The passenger can go to the airlines’ website to validate the test result for a clearance code or the passenger can get to the airport and validate the test result code with the help of the Airline Agent to obtain the clearance code just ahead of travel.”

Upon arrival in the destination country, the port official verifies the clearance code and then allows the passenger or traveller through, according to the agency. 

Kenya approves commercial farming of GM cotton

BY TONNY ABET

Cabinet of Kenya government yesterday approved the commercial farming of BT cotton following successful completion of field trials conducted for five years.

Bt cotton is a genetically modified pest resistant plant cotton variety, which produces an insecticide to combat bollworm

According to yesterday’s press release, the commercial farming of BT cotton is set to ensure farmers earn more from the crop through increased production.

“It will also boost the manufacturing pillar of the Big 4 Agenda where Kenya seeks to establish itself as a regional leader in textile and apparel production,” read the press release.

Museveni Tips Farmers How To Succeed In The Face Of Climate Change

“Plan for the rains and climate changes, but do not entirely rely on nature in farming,” Museveni tells farmers.

In a Facebook post on last Sunday, the president wrote sharing with farmers his insights on how to succeed in farming in the face of changing climate.

In the post, Museveni articulated that modern farming requires a whole new way of thinking and new sets of tactics for one to thrive.

“Water and pasture can be permanently harnessed and preserved in one place,” Museveni wrote.

He emphasized that farmers need to grow and preserve food for animals just like they do for themselves irrespective of the weather pattern.

According to Museveni, modern agriculture is about seizing and bringing nature under control.

“Modern farming demands that humanity must tame nature and preserve water at all times both for their animals and for irrigation to ensure the growth of pasture and foodstuffs,” the president highlighted.

He added that preserving these will guarantee the feeding of their stock irrespective of the changing climate.

The president's insight comes at a time when heavy down pour is being experienced in most parts of the country. 

According to the information from Rain Water Harvesting Handbook of Uganda's Ministry of Water and Environment, water harvesting is lowly practiced in the country despite the high annual precipitation in most regions.

Rain water harvesting is highly practiced in developed countries like German and Australia.

Different Water Harvesting Technologies in Uganda

Rain Barrels

This is one of the commonest methods in Uganda which involves installing a barrel at a gutter down pour to collect water.

·         Whereas this method is easily implemented because of the availability of barrels and the fact that they don't take up much space, the carrying capacity of barrels are usually very low.

"Dry" System                                                                                                                                 

This is a form of rain barrel set up only differing in the fact that it involves a larger storage volume. In this widely used technology, collection pipe dries after each rain event since it empties directly into top of the tank. This method allows for huge volumes of water to be stored and is thus good for areas where rainfall pattern is unpredictable.

However, the size of your roof being the determining factor for the maximum possible volume of water, it is always hard to fill the tanks which are either plastics or concrete constructions.

"Wet" System

This is spreading technology in Uganda. The method involves locating the collection pipes underground. The tanks are always concrete made constructed underground.

The rain water will fill the underground piping and the water will rise in the vertical pipes until it spills into the tank.

The ability to collect from your entire collection surface and multiple gutters makes this method the choicest. However, the technology is very expensive especially the construction process for underground tanks.

Top 7 Fruits that Boost Memory and Sustain Focus

Getty Images

The road to success can get bumpy and life-sapping to wind along. But with constant acquisition of knowledge, self-optimisation and determination, one can become unstoppable. Having clear focus and a robust memory are some of the unrivalled secrets of the super-achievers.

So whether you want to hasten your career development, improve your general work performance, hit the project reporting deadline with a sparkling write up, or perform better in class, having a robust memory is going to be pivotal. And this is going to be a great read for you.

The researchers in Naturopathy have discovered foods that have nutrients which improve brain power and optimise memeory. Naturopathy is a system of the alternative approaches that treat diseases without the use of synthetic drugs.

Kamukama Kabikiire, a Makerere University alumnus is a renown Ugandan researcher in alternative medicine and he unveils some of the best foods for your improved brain efficiency.

"There are manifold brain foods locally available in Uganda that you should be eating to feed both your body and brain," says the researcher. "With a mix of fruits, vegetables, oils, and even chocolate, there's definitely something for everyone."

Avocado

According to Kamukama, these green powerhouses are not only packed with good fats _monosaturated fats_ which keep your skin glowing but they are also amazingly rich in vitamin K and folate which ensure a good flow of blood to the brain. "A good flow of blood to the brain means your brain gets enough nourishment of sugar and other essential nutrients to optimise its alertness," explains Kamukama.

Beets

"Eaten as salads or blended with other fruits to make a natural juice, nutrients in beets help beat up inflammation in the brain," says Kamukama, continuing,"The beets are also very rich in antioxidants." He explains that these antioxidants help rid your blood of toxins making blood entering your brain clean enough for its perfect working.

The researcher also revealed that cow-hoof -locally known as Molokony or ekigere in Uganda; Broccoli; Groundnut (Peanut); Silverfish oil and Tumeric -locally known as ebinzaali are other great brain-boosting packets of nutrients you should consider in your food menu.



Article by Abet Tonny
Tonny is science writer in Uganda with interest in health and the environment.


Source:
1. Book: Self Medication with Foods and Herbs that Fight Diseases by Kamukama Kabikiire

Limited Support from Husbands Fueling Maternal Mortality in Uganda

Photo Credit: weforum.org

No woman should die while giving life. But at the current rate of 336 deaths per 100,000 live births, Uganda does not only have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world but it is also manifesting as a very risky corner of the planet for one to be a fertile woman. 

A number of factors continue to sustain the maternal mortality rate in Uganda as one of the highest in the global scale. According to the Uganda Health Alliance, an advocacy group for health, poor policy implementation; inadequate financing; inadequate lifesaving commodities; inadequate human resources in terms of numbers, skill, and quality of care are leading factors fueling maternal deaths in the country.

The Alliance further position some cultural practices and social norms and beliefs such as the unsupportiveness of husbands to be contributing prodigiously to maternal mortality as the country rank as 11th out of 183 countries.

In Uganda, husbands are key decision-makers in the household, effectively determining women's access to health services. When husbands retract from taking active role in antenatal care, such as refusing to provide the transport fair to the pregnant wife, the chance that the woman endures to go for all the required hospital visits can be greatly compromised. 

A recent research study in Kabale District

A recent research study conducted in Kabale District, Western Uganda by prominent researchers, Florence Muheirwe and Said Nuhu, had some shocking findings which are stimulating health experts and policymakers to rethink programmes that reach out to men for the maternal and child health agenda. 

In a quest to explore the community perspective towards the participation of men in maternal and child health care, the researchers immersed themselves in the remote areas of Kabale District to dig out the reality.

Household questioners, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, direct field observation and document review were employed to reach the goal of the research study.

Key in the intriguing report published in the BMC Public Health journal, hospital issues were generally perceived as women's affairs among the male study participants. Out of 124 respondents, the largest portion, 55% (66) defended that male participation in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) care was irrelevant.

 "Most men do not accompany their partners to family planning, antenatal care and during labour, or delivery," the scientists wrote in the report. "The scene of childbirth is considered as so shameful for husbands to witness." The researchers further revealed that the influence of peers also plays a key role in discouraging supportive husbands.

On the other side of the focus group discussion: experts at health centre revealed that the major challenge of male involvement in MCH is the fact that a number of men in the area live a careless life of drinking in bars and yet always claiming to be so busy to offer any attention or care to the expecting mother.

“This is a maternity ward for women, what will I be doing there as a man since men do not get pregnant? Even this facility is full of female nurses; I cannot tell them my health problems.” A husband in Kabale District.

And with the newly devised approach where antenatal care service is primarily accorded to expecting mothers accompanied by their partners will only mean more women shall be left out disheartened and unattended to. This will simply mean more pregnancy and delivery-related complications and deaths in the country.

In their summary, the researchers advised that community education and health sensitisation to change the prevailing socio-cultural attitudes and perceptions of men should be prioritised by the Ministry of Health and other players in the health sector. 

"Making use of community social gatherings would be helpful in demystifying misconceptions, change perceptions and attitude, consequently encouraging male participation over time," the researchers wrote in their recommendation.

Article by Abet Tonny, a Science Writer in Uganda.