An important aspect of the new sustainable development goals (SDGs) is a greater emphasis on reducing the health impacts from ambient air pollution in developing countries. Meanwhile, the burden of human disease attributable to ambient air pollution in sub-Saharan Africa is growing, yet estimates of its impact on the region are possibly underestimated due to a lack of air quality monitoring, a ...

As is the case with many other veterinary schools in sub-Saharan Africa, the development of the University of Zambia (UNZA) Veterinary School has been supported largely by aid from the developed countries in the form of general expenditure grants, staff training scholarships and technical assistance. The three major pillars of the policies which have governed interactions between UNZA and donor...

BACKGROUND Vaginal fistula is a serious medical disorder characterised by an abnormal opening between the vagina and the bladder or rectum, which results in continuous leakage of urine or stool. The burden of this disorder in sub-Saharan Africa is uncertain. We estimated the lifetime and point prevalence of symptoms of vaginal fistula in this region using national household surveys based on sel...

Background: The objective of this review was to explore and identify feasible, socially acceptable and effective adolescent sexual and reproductive health education (ASRHE) programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: Four databases were searched to identify studies conducted within the past 15 years which evaluate the effectiveness of ASRHE programs in sub-Saharan Africa. The databases searched we...

Following large-scale roll-out of antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa, the non-clinical efficacy of antiretroviral therapy has received little attention. We aimed to systematically review virological efficacy and drug-resistance outcomes of programmes of antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa. 89 studies with heterogeneous design, definitions, and methods were identified. Overall...

BACKGROUND Despite the introduction of HPV vaccines, the incidence of HPV-related cancers (cervical, penile, anal, vulvar, vagina, head, and neck) in sub-Saharan Africa has been rising. The increasing incidence of these HPV-related cancers has been attributed to changes in lifestyle-related risk factors, most notably sexual behavior. The main objective of this study is to map evidence on the di...

Objectives. The objectives of this study were to identify the randomised controlled trials in breast cancer occurring in low and middle income countries (LMICs) generally and within Sub-Saharan Africa specifically, to describe the current status and identify opportunities for further research in these areas. Materials and Methods. Data for this study were obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov. The s...

Women in sub-Saharan Africa bear a disproportionate burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, which is exacerbated by their role in society and biological vulnerability. The specific objectives of this article are to (i) determine the extent of gender disparity in HIV infection; (ii) examine the role of HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) awareness and sexual behaviour...

INTRODUCTION Meningitis is one of the leading causes of death among patients living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. There is no widespread tracking of the incidence rates of causative agents among patients living with HIV, yet the aetiologies of meningitis are different than those of the general population. METHODS We reviewed the scientific literature published in PubMed to determine the inc...

Children may be affected by HIV/AIDS in numerous ways. When parents fall ill from HIVrelated infections, household income falls or is diverted to medical expenses, food insecurity increases and children may have to drop out of school to take on care responsibilities. When parents die, children are orphaned and, besides coping with grief at the loss of their mother or father, they face new care ...