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The analysis of feedback effects between continental surfaces and the atmosphere is a key element in the understanding of African monsoon dynamics. For this reason, the monitoring of surface parameters, in particular soil moisture, is essential. Satellite remote sensing appears to be the most suitable means of obtaining data relevant to such parameters. The present paper presents the results of...

The dynamics of many epidemiological models for infectious diseases that spread in the sexually active population presents a crucial period: the period of the influx or recruitment of susceptible. In this paper, we assume that the recruitment of susceptible is done among the juvenile group. We propose a dynamical system to modelize the disease spread, and we study the dynamical behavior of this...

OBJECTIVE To predict the subnational spatial variation in the number of people infected with Schistosoma haematobium in Burkina Faso, Mali and the Niger prior to national control programmes. METHODS We used field survey data sets covering a contiguous area 2750 x 850 km and including 26,790 school-age children (5-14 years old) in 418 schools. The prevalence of high- and low-intensity infectio...

ER GI A N ew s vo l. 4 nr 2 • 2 00 1 9 A rapidly accessible new source of woodfuel for local people could be the small patches of eucalyptus planted by Kinyara on their estate in areas not suitable for sugarcane. Originally these trees were planted to discourage illegal homes being built on the land. Using them as woodfuel would give them a more positive function. Furthermore, government polici...

Early marriage, defined as marriage before the age of 18, is mainly practiced in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where over one third of African girls and nearly a half of South Asian girls are married during childhood. In subSaharan Africa, the highest rates of child marriage are found in West Africa, in countries such as Niger, Chad and Mali. However, in East Africa, the numbers of girls m...

Two main reasons prompted the authors to write this paper. First, outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) have occurred repeatedly in Mali and neighbouring countries during the last decade. Secondly, there is a pressing need for control strategies, since the first molecular epidemiological studies of FMD virus in West Africa have demonstrated that FMD transmission across national boundaries i...

BACKGROUND Antibodies that protect against Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria are only acquired after years of repeated infections. The B cell biology that underlies this observation is poorly understood. We previously reported that "atypical" memory B cells are increased in children and adults exposed to intense Pf transmission in Mali, similar to what has been observed in individuals infected...

BACKGROUND Maternal mortality is high in Mali. Nevertheless, there are few studies on this topic from rural areas, and current estimates are mostly based on studies from urban settings. Our objective was to estimate the maternal mortality ratio in Kita, rural Mali. METHODS Using the "sisterhood method", we interviewed participants aged 15-50 years from 20 villages in Kita, Mali, and thereby c...