Does persistent active trachoma mandate antibiotic mass drug administration? A comparison of prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular with that of conjunctival infection and anti-chlamydial antibodies, Western Province, Zambia.

Background: The evaluation unit comprising Kaoma, Luampa, and Nkeyema districts, Western Province, Zambia, has persistent active trachoma. In 2023, we sought to compare the evaluation unit-level prevalence of the active trachoma sign, trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF), to that of conjunctival Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infection and anti-Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) seropositivity.

Methods: We conducted a cluster-sampled cross-sectional survey.

Assessing trachoma elimination progress in districts with persistent trachoma, Western Province, Zambia.

Background: Trachoma is a public health problem in Zambia. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) in 1-9-y-olds and of trachomatous trichiasis (TT) in ≥15-y-olds after the implementation of trachoma elimination interventions to determine if the trachoma elimination thresholds had been achieved: <5% for TF in 1-9-y-olds and <0.2% TT for ≥15-y-olds.

Correction: Moonga et al. Application of a Sensitive Capture Sequencing Approach to Reservoir Surveillance Detects Novel Viruses in Zambian Wild Rodents. 2024, , 1754.

The authors wish to make the following correction to this paper [...

Respiratory pathogens detected in specimens collected for COVID-19 surveillance in Zambia.

Background: In Zambia, knowledge on the landscape of respiratory pathogens that circulated during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is limited.

Aim: This study investigated respiratory pathogens that circulated in Zambia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Setting: Nasopharyngeal specimens collected between July 2020 and July 2021 for COVID-19 testing in hospitals, ports of entry, persons seeking certificates for international travel and in communities were used.

Wastewater Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Zambia: An Early Warning Tool.

Wastewater-based surveillance has emerged as an important method for monitoring the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater in Zambia. We conducted a longitudinal study in the Copperbelt and Eastern provinces of Zambia from October 2023 to December 2023 during which 155 wastewater samples were collected.

Surveillance and Phylogenetic Characterisation of Avian Influenza Viruses Isolated from Wild Waterfowl in Zambia in 2015, 2020, and 2021.

In recent years, the southern African region has experienced repeated incursions of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs), with wild migratory birds being implicated in the spread. To understand the profile of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) circulating in Zambia, we surveyed wild waterfowl for AIVs and phylogenetically characterised the isolates detected in 2015, 2020, and 2021. A total of 2,851 faecal samples of wild waterfowl were collected from Lochinvar National Park in the Southern Province of Zambia.

What is the prevalence of COVID-19 detection by PCR among deceased individuals in Lusaka, Zambia? A postmortem surveillance study.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of COVID-19 postmortem setting in Lusaka, Zambia.

Design: A systematic, postmortem prevalence study.

Setting: A busy, inner-city morgue in Lusaka.

Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Rift Valley Fever in Livestock from Three Ecological Zones of Malawi.

The epidemiology of Rift Valley fever (RVF) is poorly understood in Malawi. Here, a cross-sectional study was conducted (March-June 2020) to investigate the seroprevalence and potential risk factors of RVF virus (RVFV) in cattle, goats, and sheep in three ecological zones of Malawi. A total of 1523 serum samples were tested for anti-RVFV IgG and IgM antibodies by ELISA.

COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness during a Prison Outbreak when Omicron was the Dominant Circulating Variant-Zambia, December 2021.

During a COVID-19 outbreak in a prison in Zambia from December 14 to 19, 2021, a case-control study was done to measure vaccine effectiveness (VE) against infection and symptomatic infection, when the Omicron variant was the dominant circulating variant. Among 382 participants, 74.1% were fully vaccinated, and the median time since full vaccination was 54 days.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Rift Valley Fever among Livestock Farmers in Selected Districts of Malawi.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral zoonosis whose cases go unreported in endemic areas without active surveillance. Information on the knowledge, attitude, and practice of RVF among livestock farmers remains speculative in Malawi. A cross-section survey using a semi-structured questionnaire ( = 400) was conducted in eight districts of Malawi to capture information on knowledge, attitude, and management practices (KAP) regarding RVF.

Detection of Tick-Borne Bacterial and Protozoan Pathogens in Ticks from the Zambia-Angola Border.

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs), including emerging and re-emerging zoonoses, are of public health importance worldwide; however, TBDs tend to be overlooked, especially in countries with fewer resources, such as Zambia and Angola. Here, we investigated , , and Apicomplexan pathogens in 59 and 96 adult ticks collected from dogs and cattle, respectively, in Shangombo, a town at the Zambia-Angola border. We detected and in 15.

Influenza A and D Viruses in Non-Human Mammalian Hosts in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the prevalence and current knowledge of influenza A virus (IAV) and influenza D virus (IDV) in non-human mammalian hosts in Africa. PubMed, Google Scholar, Wiley Online Library and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE-WAHIS) were searched for studies on IAV and IDV from 2000 to 2020. Pooled prevalence and seroprevalences were estimated using the quality effects meta-analysis model.

Serologic and molecular evidence for circulation of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in ticks and cattle in Zambia.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne zoonosis with a high case fatality rate in humans. Although the disease is widely found in Africa, Europe, and Asia, the distribution and genetic diversity of CCHF virus (CCHFV) are poorly understood in African countries. To assess the risks of CCHF in Zambia, where CCHF has never been reported, epidemiologic studies in cattle and ticks were conducted.

Avian Influenza Viruses Detected in Birds in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review.

In the recent past, sub-Saharan Africa has not escaped the devastating effects of avian influenza virus (AIV) in poultry and wild birds. This systematic review describes the prevalence, spatiotemporal distribution, and virus subtypes detected in domestic and wild birds for the past two decades (2000-2019). We collected data from three electronic databases, PubMed, SpringerLink electronic journals and African Journals Online, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol.