Areas Of Angola Research Articles

Usefulness of real-time PCR for urogenital schistosomiasis diagnosis in preschool children in a high-prevalence area in Angola.

Urogenital schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma haematobium is highly endemic in the municipality of Cubal in Angola. Currently, diagnosis is based on the observation of S. haematobium eggs in urine samples by microscopy but this method has low sensitivity. Few studies have been performed using molecular techniques in high-prevalence areas for the detection of S. haematobium. The objective of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of real-time PCR as a diagnostic technique for urogenital schistosomiasis among preschool-age children and its correlation with morbidity data. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Cubal, Angola, involving 97 urine samples from preschool-age children analyzed by the dipstick test, microscopic examination of filtered urine, and real-time PCR. The diagnosis of urogenital schistosomiasis was based on microscopy and/or real-time PCR results. Clinical and ultrasonography evaluation was performed to rule out complications of schistosomiasis. We detected a total of 64.95% of samples positive by real-time PCR and 37.11% by microscopy. The sensitivity of parasitological diagnosis of urogenital schistosomiasis by real-time PCR and microscopy was 95.45% and 54.55%, respectively, and the sensitivity of real-time PCR compared with microscopy was 91.67%. A positive real-time PCR result was significantly related to older age (mean = 3.22 years), detection of eggs by microscopy, and abnormal urine dipstick results (18.56% with proteinuria, 31.96% with leukocyturia, and 31.96% with microhematuria) (p-value<0.05). Ultrasound analysis showed that 23.94% of children had urinary tract abnormalities, and it was significantly related to the real-time PCR diagnosis (p-value<0.05). Real-time PCR is a more sensitive technique than microscopy for urinary schistosomiasis diagnosis in preschool-age children in Cubal. This increase in sensitivity would allow earlier diagnosis and treatment, thus reducing the morbidity associated with schistosomiasis in its early stages.

An updated herpetofaunal species inventory of Iona National Park in southwestern Angola

Angola has experienced an incredible increase of the knowledge of its herpetofauna over the past decade. However, accurate biodiversity inventories remain deficient for certain regions of particular conservation interest. We therefore provide an updated checklist of Iona National Park&amp;rsquo;s herpetofauna, with 75 recorded species, including five amphibians and 70 reptiles, 40 of these recorded for the first time in Iona National Park. These species comprise ~80% of the reptile diversity of Namibe Province. Therefore, this work recognises Iona National Park as the most reptile-diverse protected area in Angola and is potentially one of the richest in southern Africa. Consequently, this work enhances the importance of specific conservation plans in the area and the need for further investigation into the hidden biodiversity of this region.

Spatial and Temporal Trends of Burnt Area in Angola: Implications for Natural Vegetation and Protected Area Management

Fire is a key driver of natural ecosystems in Africa. However, human activity and climate change have altered fire frequency and severity, with negative consequences for biodiversity conservation. Angola ranks among the countries with the highest fire activity in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we investigated the spatial and temporal trends of the annual burnt area in Angola, from 2001 to 2019, and their association with terrestrial ecoregions, land cover, and protected areas. Based on satellite imagery, we analyzed the presence of significant trends in burnt area, applying the contextual Mann–Kendall test and the Theil–Sen slope estimator. Data on burnt areas were obtained from the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) burnt area product and the analyses were processed in TerrSet. Our results showed that ca. 30% of the country’s area burned every year. The highest percentage of annual burnt area was found in northeast and southeast Angola, which showed large clusters of decreasing trends of burnt area. The clusters of increasing trends were found mainly in central Angola, associated with savannas and grasslands of Angolan Miombo woodlands. The protected areas of Cameia, Luengue-Luiana, and Mavinga exhibited large areas of decreasing trends of burnt area. Conversely, 23% of the Bicuar National Park was included in clusters of increasing trends. Distinct patterns of land cover were found in areas of significant trends, where the clusters of increasing trends showed a higher fraction of forest cover (80%) than the clusters of decreasing trends (55%). The documentation of burnt area trends was very important in tropical regions, since it helped define conservation priorities and management strategies, allowing more effective management of forests and fires in countries with few human and financial resources.

Malnutrition and its associated factors: a cross-sectional study with children under 2 years in a suburban area in Angola

BackgroundThe prevalence of child malnutrition in Angola is still very high, and little is known about its associated factors. The aim of this study was to identify these factors in children under 2 years in a suburban area of the country’s capital city.MethodsWe used data from a cross-sectional population-based study conducted in 2010. The outcomes studied were stunting and underweight. Multivariable analysis was conducted; prevalence ratios were estimated by Poisson regression with robust variance using a hierarchical model.ResultsOf the children studied (N = 749), 232 [32.0% (95% CI: 28.7–35.5%)] were stunted and 109 [15.1% (95% CI: 12.6–17.9%)] were underweight. In multivariable analysis, occurrence of diarrhea (PR 1.39 [95% CI: 1.07–1.87]) and the death of other children in the household (PR 1.52 [95% CI: 1.01–2,29]) were associated with stunting and underweight, respectively. In the model composed only of distal and intermediate factors, the primary caregiver not being the mother increased the prevalence of stunting by 42% (PR 1.42 [95% CI: 1.10–1.84], and a mother’s working outside the house while not being self-employed was associated with its reduced prevalence (PR 0.55 [95% CI: 0.34–0.89]). In the intermediate model, each additional month of delay in the onset of prenatal care increased the relative prevalence of underweight by 20% (PR 1.20 [95% CI: 1.03–1.40]).ConclusionsDespite the high prevalence rates of stunting and underweight, relatively few risk factors were identified for these conditions, suggesting that collective exposures are likely to play a major role in causing malnutrition in Angola. The individual factors identified can be useful for the development of strategies to deal with this public health problem.

Practice of exclusive breastfeeding and its associated factors in a suburban area in Angola: a cross-sectional study.

Exclusive breastfeeding for six months is one of the measures with highest impact on prevention of child deaths. The determinants of breastfeeding practices are complex and differ between populations. This study aimed to identify factors associated with the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in a suburban area in Angola. Population-based cross-sectional study in the municipality of Cacuaco, Luanda. A random sample of children under two years of age and their mothers was included. -Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated using Poisson regression based on a hierarchical model. 749 children and their mothers were surveyed, including 274 children under six months. Theprevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among children under six months was 51.5% (95% confidence interval, CI, 46.3-56.6%). Four variables were positively associated with exclusive breastfeeding at ages of under six months: number of prenatal visits (PR 1.11 for each visit after the first one; 95% CI 1.04-1.18), maternal occupation (other occupations versus self-employed) (PR 1.54; 95% CI 1.05-2.26), younger child age (PR 0.77 for each month; 95% CI 0.71-0.84) and female child (PR 1.34; 95% CI 1.02-1.76). Our findings showed that the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding at six months was satisfactory, according to international recommendations. Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding practices that had never been surveyed before in Angola were identified through this study. These data are particularly relevant in the context of high infant mortality and may be useful in planning actions aimed at improving child health through promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, in Angola and other countries.

The Kwanhama partitioned by the border and the Angolan perspective of cross-border identity

ABSTRACTThe Kwanhama, whose ancient kingdom occupies a vast area in Angola and in Namibia, are one of the African cases of people partitioned by the establishment of colonial borders. This division, along with the profound transformations of the last decades in the region – war, displacement and conditioned circulation – shaped the way a common identity has acquired different features in both countries. In the (under-researched) Angolan side, cross-border identity has progressively concentrated on the idea of a split between the two countries, as the Kwanhama king, Mandume, is believed to be buried on both sides of the border; and at the same time on the notion of a common belonging across the border. Based on data collected through fieldwork interviews in the Cunene province in Angola, this article adds to the discussion of the apparently ambiguous ideas of partitioned and shared notions of belonging.

Comparison of findings using ultrasonography and cystoscopy in urogenital schistosomiasis in a public health centre in rural Angola.

Schistosomiasis is a chronic disease caused by infection with parasitic worms of the genus Schistosoma. In sub-Saharan Africa, infections with S. haematobium are most common. Cystoscopic examination (CE) has been accepted as the goldstandard test for detecting the late manifestations of schistosomiasis, including urothelial cancer of the bladder. However, this procedure is invasive and 10-40% of tumours may remain undetected. A non-invasive examination and a new generation of biomarkers are needed for better monitoring of the disease. To assess the usefulness of ultrasound (US) scans for monitoring of structural urinary tract disease by local public health services in areas of Angola in which urogenital schistosomiasis is endemic. A cohort of 80 S. haematobium-infected patients was selected in order to compare changes in the bladder wall detected by US with those observed on CE. There was a notable correlation between the findings observed on CE and US. Patients with lesions of the bladder mucosa such as neoplasms, ulcers or granulomas detected by CE also had changes in bladder wall thickness on US. The results support increased use of portable US machines for non-invasive examination of the bladder by local general practitioners. US examination should be an integral part of the investigation of haematuria and used in all S. haematobium control programmes. General practitioners may find it useful for more accurate diagnosis of haematuria and to identify bladder wall alterations in both adults and children in schistosomiasis-endemic regions.

Teacher training colleges in the rural areas of Angola

The Aid for the Development of the People by the People (ADPP), a non-governmental organization (NGO), in collaboration with Angola’s Ministry of Education, has set up a network of secondary schools to train teachers to work in primary schools in the rural areas of Angola. These schools, called Training Colleges for the Teachers of the Future (CTFs), are involved in training a new type of teacher. This article discusses this educational practice, the main aim of which is to train primary teachers to work in the rural areas where too few trained teachers are willing to be posted. The authors describe the measures taken to better meet the needs of the rural areas in terms of teachers who have been properly trained and are motivated to work in such an environment, and then go on to analyse the reasons underlying the success of the CTF programme, specifically the fundamental differences from the state-run teacher training colleges, the way this new practice forms part of the overall reform of the education system and its role in the Education for All (EFA) initiative, and the fight against poverty.

Guiding Tradition King Ishindi's Royal Collection

The University of Iowa's (Stanley) African art collection contains a number of important nineteenth century Lunda-Chokwe royal items created during these peoples’ period of territorial and political expansion in areas of Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. Based on recent field documentation, this essay considers the Stanley art objects in comparison to a collection of similar works currently housed in the palace and royal treasury of Lunda paramount chief Ishindi of Zambia. This essay will explore the contextual differences a museum vs. a royal treasury represents and suggests what the “life” of historic art objects in the Stanley collection may have been. This exploration will help create a picture of the original/ceremonial context for the museum pieces and provide a deeper understanding of the efficacy and function of the works of art.

Angola, ares de transformação

Relato a experiência de trabalhar um ano na zona rural de Angola num projeto de saúde materno-infantil com a Organização Não-Governamental Médecins Du Monde. Descrevo, de forma pessoal, algumas intervenções do projeto, assim como alguns resultados alcançados. Por fim, exponho alguns questionamentos e contradições em relação a este projeto e, mais amplamente, em relação ao trabalho de assistência ao desenvolvimento de países da África subsaariana

‘Here in the city, everything has to be paid for’: locating the community in peri‐urban Angola

The following article is a preliminary summary of research carried out for ADRA and the Development Workshop Angola about communities, solidarity and collective action in peri‐urban areas of Angola. Full reports in Portuguese and English will be published as Development Workshop Occasional Papers. The strategies of development organisations in Angola have increasingly focused on ‘strengthening civil society’ and ‘governance’. This is positive, though they cannot be seen as magic formulae. The many changes in Angolan society (before and after Independence) have had the result of weakening social cohesion, and migration to peri‐urban areas as one of the most important changes. This makes it more difficult to develop the relationships of trust and the mechanisms of accountability that are the basis of a strong civil society and good governance. Strategies need to directly address these issues rather than assume that they exist.

Factors in the social organization of the Luvale

SYNOPSIS The present account is the first to be prepared giving an outline of the social organization of the Luvale (or Lwena) of north western Northern Rhodesia and adjacent areas of Angola. The clans, matrilineal kinship unit, social distance within the latter, secondary patrilineal affiliations and links created by marriage, factors determining residence of the individual, tribal factors making for cohesion, and friendship contracts, are discussed. Considerable use of Luvale aphorisms is introduced to show how various features of Luvak society appear to the Luvale themselves and it is suggested that these are a useful supplement to bare structural analysis. The implications of marriage in relation to social organization are considered, and modern developments in them described. It is suggested in conclusion that although certain factors formerly important in social organization are losing their importance to‐day, it would be wrong to regard social organization as a whole as decaying. It is rather adapt...