Abstract
Background:Initiating breastfeeding during the first hour after birth and continuing breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months prevents childhood infections such as diarrhoea. Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first 6 months of life of the baby is recognised globally as the best and the most effective intervention to ensure the survival of babies. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of EBF and its predictors among mothers of 0 to 6 months infants from pastoralists and hunters’ community in Manyara region-Tanzania.Methods:This was a community-based analytical cross-sectional study that involved 342 mothers of 0 to 6 months infants who were randomly selected through 4 stage multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Collected data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Binary Logistic Regression analysis was used to establish factors associated with EBF practices.Results:The prevalence of EBF among postnatal women from hunters and pastoralists societies was 47.1% at 95% CI=41.7%-52.5%. After adjusted for confounders, the predictors of EBF practice were age of infants (0–1 months, AOR = 2.838 at 95% CI = 1.326–6.075, p=.007), age of mothers (26-35 years, AOR=1.851 at 95% CI= 1.059–3.234, p=.031), Level of education of infants’ mothers (primary education, AOR= 2.374 at 95% CI= 1.321–4.265, p=.004) and knowledge on exclusive breast feeding, AOR=2.51 at 95% CI= 1.435–4.393, p=.001.Conclusion:Majority of mothers from pastoralists’ and hunters’ societies were not practising EBF. Predictors of EBF practice were; the age of infants, maternal age, level of education of the mother and knowledge on exclusive breastfeeding. Poor EBF practice was mainly contributed to low level of knowledge about the EBF. The low level of knowledge could have been contributed by poor access to maternal services. Nature of living (lack of permanent settlement) of the study population could have contributed to low access to maternal services. An innovative interventional study is highly recommended to come up with strategies that will improve knowledge on EBF and practice of EBF
Highlights
Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by female Aedes mosquitoes which are commonly found in tropical and subtropical areas
A total of 255 participants were enrolled out of 662 patients who were subjected to dengue test
The findings from this study suggest that patients with dengue have leucopoenia compared to non-dengue febrile patients
Summary
Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by female Aedes mosquitoes which are commonly found in tropical and subtropical areas. Dengue is associated with haematological derangements and itindicates the severity of the disease. These changes have not been well elucidated in Tanzanian patients. The aim of this study was to determine these derangements among dengue patients admitted at Kairuki hospital in Dar es salaam, and compare these changes with non- dengue febrile patients. Methods: A retrospective cross sectional study was conducted among patients who were suspected to have dengue; tested for dengue IgM and their Complete Blood Count were tested during the index illness This information was obtained from Kairuki hospital laboratory database. Dengue patients had relatively low mean total white blood cell counts compared to non-dengue patients (Student’s test= -2.7; p value=.007). Conclusion: Patients with dengue had significantly low total white blood cell and lymphocyte count compared to non-dengue febrile patients. In 2017, it was estimated that 105 million people got infected with dengue, with 41,000 deaths, and an estimated incidence rate of 1,371 per 100,000 population. Variations in temperature, travel, rainfall, and degree of urbanisation are major influencers of transmission. Severe dengue is among the leading infectious cause of morbidity in Latin America and some Asian countries.
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