Children Of School-going Age Research Articles

Policies, Multi-Stakeholder Approaches and Home-Grown School Feeding Programs for Improving Quality, Equity and Sustainability of School Meals in Northern Tanzania

Malnutrition among children of school-going age is a challenge of serious concern in developing countries especially Sub-Saharan Africa. Many programs focus on mothers and under-5-year-old children, leaving the school going age unattended. It has been shown that school meals can reduce school absenteeism, improve concentration in class and reduce early dropouts. In Tanzania, successful home-grown school feeding programs are localized in few areas but have not been scaled-out. The objective of this study was to analyze the policy and organizational environment which enables or promotes home-grown school feeding approaches. The study consisted of a systematic review, key informant interviews and focus group discussions in Arumeru and Babati Districts, Tanzania. In total, 21 key informant interviews with 27 participants and 27 focus group discussions with 217 participants were conducted. The results show that Tanzania lacks a clear policy on school feeding; there are no guidelines for school meal quality, participation in school feeding programs is not mandatory, leading to many students being left out and going hungry. Students in private schools tend to be better off than those in public schools in terms of provision and quality of school meals. We recommend that policies and practices are developed based on positive experiences of home-grown school feeding programs implemented in Tanzania by the World Food Programme and Project Concern International and emphasize that these policies need to be developed in a multi-sectoral manner. A conceptual framework for improving home-grown school feeding in public schools in Tanzania highlights four critical components: leadership and public awareness; operational modalities; contributions from parents; and meal diversity and nutrition. The home-grown school feeding model provides mechanisms to improve diversity of meals and their nutritional value, increase participation of communities and inclusion of students. Parents will still be responsible for the largest part of food supplies, but the model also requires participation of multiple stakeholders, and provision of natural resources such as land and water by the local government for production of nutritious food for young students. Minimum levels of social protection are recommended to ensure that no student is denied school meals.

Implementation of the Free and Compulsory Primary Education Policy in Public Schools in Ogun State, Nigeria: Evaluation

The launching of the Universal Basic Education scheme in Nigeria in 1999 was the country’s response to the global call for universalization of access to basic education. The Universal Basic Education Act, enacted in May 2004, serves as the legal framework for the programme and it provided for primary education to be free and compulsory. Much has been done by different tiers of government to ensure the achievement of this objective. This study evaluated the extent to which primary education was free and compulsory in public schools in Ogun State, Nigeria between 2004 and 2012. The findings show that though tuition was free, pupils still paid for Development Levy and Parent Teachers Association Levy. The findings also show that parents purchased textbooks, exercise books, uniforms, sandals, socks and other school materials for their wards. Furthermore, the results show that more than half a million children of school-going age in the state were out of school during the 2012 – 2013 academic session. These show that primary education was neither free nor compulsory in the state during the period under study. The implication is that Nigeria’s objective of achieving national primary education goals within the global EFA context had not been achieved.Keywords: Evaluation, Implementation, Policy, Primary Education, Basic Education

Qualitative analysis of refractive errors in school children

Purpose: To study the refractive errors and its implication on the quality of life; among the children in the semi urban population. Materials and Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among the 500 children (5-15 years), over a period of 6 months. Observations: All patients examined for unaided visual acuity using snellens chart. After visual acuity, subjected to dilated retinoscopy and fundoscopy. Conclusions: It was concluded that clear need to have regular and simple vision testing of children of school going age, so as to detect visual abnormalities at an earlier stage thereby preventing long term visual disabilities. Regular school health programs regarding visual acuity improves scholastic performance of children. Keywords: Refractive errors, School children, Semi-urban population.

Prevalence of Malnutrition (Overweight and Underweight) in Children Aged 10-13 Years in Schools in Manipal and Utopia, Karnataka

Background. Malnutrition is a major health problem in India. It mostly affects children of school going age with serious health problems putting them at an increased risk for developing chronic diseases later in life. This study aims to study the prevalence of malnutrition (overweight and underweight) in children aged 10-13 years in schools in Manipal and Utopia, Karnataka.
 
 Materials and Methods. In this study, a total 400 students were studied. Their anthropometric measurements like height, weight, BMI and MUAC, dietary pattern, physical activity level, and child eating behavior. Questionnaire was used to note the student’s information. The data collected was subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS version 21, Diet Cal, and Anthroplus1.0.4.
 
 Results. It was observed that in the childhood category 10-13 years there were 222 (55.5%) male and 178(44.5%) female. According to the BMI for age 53.4% of them falls under the normal category; 22.3% falls under the mild wasting category; About 18.3% falls under the obese category and 8% falls under the moderate wasting category. There is no students falling under the severe wasting and overweight category according to the BAZ classification. When the height for age was done for all the children, about 36.3% falls under normal height; About 35.5% falls under mild stunting; 19.3% falls under the moderate stunting; 8.3% falls under the severe stunting category; and 1% falls under tall category according to the HAZ classification. 
 
 Conclusions. In conclusion, mild stunting and wasting was observed among children. There are no students falling under the severe wasting and overweight category according to the BAZ classification.

Implementation of Inclusive Child Friendly Primary Schools Policy in Nyandarua County, Kenya

The main problem addressed by this study was the implementation of inclusive child friendly primary schools policy in Nyandarua County. The Inclusive Child Friendly Schools (CFS) policy has become the vehicle through which the government is providing quality education for all children in school by creating a learning environment where all children can learn, all children want to learn, and all children feel included in the classrooms and schools. However, studies show that the conditions in schools are not adequately adapted to accommodate the diversity of learners and even many more children of school going age are left out of school. These challenges generated the objectives of the study which were to examine the practice in public primary schools in line with the inclusive CFS policy and suggestion of appropriate strategies for implementation of inclusive CFS in public primary schools. To achieve this, the study utilized a descriptive survey using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Data collection instruments entailed questionnaires, interview schedule, focus group discussions, observation schedule and document analysis which were first piloted to improve validity and reliability and the accruing data was then analyzed thematically as per the study objectives. The findings of the study indicated that there was a substantial gap between CFS policy expectations and its actual day to day practice in the schools. Schools had the CFS messages engraved but had not made a significant alteration in the line with the policy. From these study findings, the paper presented several policy recommendations including adopting CFS policy to internal contexts so that individual schools look for ways of developing and utilizing selfassessment indicators of CFS at the school levels. Though the area of CFS is relatively new, it was hoped the study could shed light on the way forward for inclusive child friendly school programme in Kenya.

Lessons to Be Learnt For Policy Planners on Promoting Health Education on Childhood Fever Management: Evidence from a Cohort of Children with Dengue Fever

Introduction Dengue fever has been a public health challenge in Sri Lanka. Many of the home-based secondary preventive measures are influenced by the parental knowledge on fever. This study was done to describe the level of knowledge on fever among parents and its associations with the events of child’s dengue episode with the view of exploring the components that should be covered in related health educational messages. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in six general medical wards of the premier children’s hospital in Sri Lanka. Parents who were the bystanders of children admitted as suspected cases of dengue according to the surveillance guidelines, consisted the study population. The sample size was determined with a statistical formula. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used. Data collection was done by two trained data collectors. Descriptive statistics and the chi square test were used with a significance level of 5%. Prior ethics approval was obtained. Results Study sample included 423 parents with a response rate of 99.5%. Most were parents of children of school going age (64.8%) and majority were mothers (97.6%). In more than half (50.4%), the level of knowledge was unsatisfactory. The level of knowledge was significantly associated with the education level (p<0.05), but not with the gender or the employment status (p>0.05) of the parents. A higher knowledge was further associated with a higher utilization of thermometer, and the administration of the correct anti-pyretic dosage and early laboratory diagnosis (p<0.05). Conclusions and Recommendations A higher level of knowledge on fever is associated with favourable clinical events in the dengue episode. The level of knowledge on fever must be improved irrespective of the gender and the employment status of the parents prioritizing those with a lower level of education. Public health interventions must be implemented by regular updating of public health staff’s knowledge on prevention of dengue, fever management their implications on laboratory diagnosis and treatment costs through in service training and in empowering the field health staff in disseminating relevant health education messages to the community.

The Impact of Illicit Mining on School Dropout: A case of Senior High Schools in Asante Akim Municipality

Studies indicate that there is a continuous relation between illicit mining and children’s education. This study therefore, sought to examine the ramification of illicit mining on school dropout in the Asante Akim Central Municipality, Ghana. The correlational research design was used in the study. The purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select the respondents. A sample size of 360 was chosen for the study. Linear regression, ANOVA and standard deviation were used to analyse the data. The study found the three leading factors that accounted for students to enter into illicit mining to be Poverty (M=3.9222, SD=1.19169), perceived lack of employment opportunities after school (M=3.5972, SD=1.42657) and disinterest towards schooling (M=3.5611, SD=1.38501). The study further found a significant positive relationship between illicit mining and school dropout (R = 0.178, p < 0.05), students’ academic performance (R=.206, p < 0.05,) and health risk and diseases (R=.312, p < 0.05). Effective implementation of legal framework to prevent children of school-going age from mining activities is imperative to ameliorate this educational menace. Again, vocational and technical education must be intensified to give such students employable skills in the shortest possible time.

Comparison of the Snellen and Spectrum LogMAR visual acuity charts in schoolgoing children

ackground: This article is part of a doctoral study conducted by Dr T.I. Metsing under the supervision of Dr W. Jacobs and Dr R. Hansraj. Aim: To investigate the equivalence of a standard Snellen chart to that of the Spectrum LogMAR chart amongst children of school-going age. Setting: The study was conducted through the University of Johannesburg, with data collected from the district of Ekurhuleni in the province of Gauteng, in South Africa. Methods: Visual acuity (VA) data on uncompensated distance was collected from three randomly selected schools in Gauteng from 206 children aged between 6 and 17 years (mean age and standard deviation of 10.13 ± 2.45 years). Unaided monocular and binocular VAs were measured using the Snellen chart (SC) at 6 m and the Spectrum LogMAR chart (SLC) at 3 m. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. Results: The mean VAs of both eyes (BE), right eye (RE) and left eyes (LEs) obtained using the SLC of 0.84 minutes (6/5), 0.91 (6/5.5) and 0.96 (6/5.8), respectively, fell within the normal ranges of 6/6 or better. The mean VA scores of BE, RE and LEs obtained using the SC were 1.07 min (6/6.4), 1.11 min (6/6.7) and 1.18 (6/7.1), respectively, and fell below 6/6. The difference in the mean VAs scores for the SC and SLC of BE, RE and LE were found to be statistically significant ( p = 0.00). Conclusion: Monocular and binocular mean VAs for the SLC were found to be one line better than that for the SC. The slightly better performance of the SLC could be attributed to potential theoretical advantages of the LogMAR chart.

Prevalence of hypertension among school going adolescent boys in Najafgarh, Delhi, India

Hypertension is a global epidemic. Hypertension has become an increasingly important medical problem in children and adolescents. Evidence shows that hypertension begins in childhood and its associated risk factors like obesity, unhealthy eating habits also emerge in children of school going age. To study the prevalence of hypertension among school going adolescent boys in Najafgarh, Delhi and to find out the factors associated with hypertension among them. A cross-sectional study was planned in which a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information from the study participants. A total of 600 adolescent boys of 9th to 12th classes from four different schools in Delhi, were included in the study over a period of 12 months. Blood pressure, height, weight and waist circumference were measured for all children. Data was analyzed using SPSS software version 21.0 and for qualitative data analysis a chi-square (χ2) test was used. The mean age of study subjects was 15.1 years. The majority of the study subjects, 372 (62%), were in the age group of 14-16 years. Among the study subjects, 44 (7.3%) had pre-hypertension and 26 (4.3%) had hypertension. Hypertension was significantly higher in those with a family history of hypertension and who were overweight/obese. The prevalence of hypertension was significantly high among adolescents of Delhi. Obesity and family history of hypertension were identified as important risk factors prevalent in the study population.

Reference percentile for height, weight and BMI among children/adolescents of Karachi Pakistan

Pakistani children of school going age significantly differed from WHO references in which overweight and obesity were significantly higher and underweight was lower than normal when compare to WHO references. Due to this huge discrepancy and lack of data, there was a dire need to establish age appropriate BMI ranges for Pakistani population. The basic aim of the study is to find out the BMI ranges among the school going children/adolescents of Karachi Pakistan. A cross sectional study was conducted among children belonging to different ethnic groups in primary, middle, secondary schools and Maddarsa (religious educational institutes) of Karachi. Height in centimeters (cm) and weight in kilogram (kg) were measured. BMI was calculated using height and weight. WHO’s BMI graph was used to find out the percentile for labelling underweight, normal healthy individual, overweight and obese. A total of about 1244 samples of children and adolescents aged seven to eighteen years were included. The mean age of the study participants was 12.96±2.8 years, in which boys having mean age of 13.1±2.7 years while for girls mean age was 12.66±2.8 years. The mean height (cm) and weight (kg) among the study participants were 146.92±15.84 and 41.20±15.69 respectively. Among younger age group, the girls were taller than the boys but after reaching the age of 15 the girls having approximately the same height up to the age of 18th and as for boys, the findings were vice versa. Majority of the participants reported normal BMI while for over abnormality, the higher prevalence of participants being overweight rather than underweight when comparing with the WHO references. Measures must be taken to assess what current set up is doing right, and then it must be implemented at a larger scale.

Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals: Poverty Reduction and Primary Education in Sindh Province of Pakistan

Background: This study intends to discuss the status of Millennium Development Goals and analyze the role of microfinance in the improvement of the first two important goals of poverty reduction and achieving universal primary education in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Methods: The data were collected at the end of the year 2015 when the deadline of previous millennium development goals (MDGs) was coming to an end. This study was conducted in the population of Mirpurkhas district of Sindh province and randomly selected 350 households from different villages. Results: The results show the low socioeconomic status of people living in rural areas of the Sindh province of Pakistan. Household poverty was 30% in the study area and people were living in a poor rural infrastructure environment. The study has found low literacy rates with 53% male and 17% female literacy. The majority (97%) of households had access to government primary schools in the area but more than half (51%) of children of school-going age were not enrolled. In logistic regression analysis, a significant association of poverty was noted with the education of household head, land ownership and microcredit loans. Conclusion: The results of the study show that there was a significant role of microfinance in achieving poverty reduction, but overall indicators of poverty and education remained unachieved due to inconsistent policies and weak institutional structure in the study population.Keywords: Microfinance, Poverty, Rural, Agriculture Credit, Sindh, Pakistan.

Prevalence of Lactose Intolerance and its Association with Malnutrition in Children

Abstract: Introduction: Lactose Intolerance is an important indicator of under nutrition, as studied in many setting. More than 60% especially in older school going children had a hypolactasia and half of them had Lactose intolerance. Another dimension of the problem could be lactose intolerance leading to underweight. Objectives: 1. To determine the prevalence of Lactose intolerance in 5-15 years of age group. 2. To determine the peak age group that is most susceptible to lactose intolerance in children of 05 years to 15 years of age. 3. To find out association of lactose intolerance with malnutrition. Methodology: This is a cross sectional study design where a randomly selected 220 children of school going age were provided with lactose drink and their intolerance was assessed by H2 breath test. The child ingests a load of carbohydrate 2 gram/kg maximum 50 gram and the breath is collected in sealed plastic containing and limited interval up 2 hour after ingestion. The hydrogen content of the gas can be easily measured and is reported in particle per min.(ppm) and that’s how malabsorption of any lactose can be evaluated.Results: Results of this study shows 31% percent prevalence in children, who had Lactose intolerance in-group of 220 symptomatic children. In this study the highest number of Lactose Intolerance was found in oldest age group that is more than eleven years and 33% in lowest age group (less than 8 years of age). The numbers of tolerant and intolerant children in normal height group were 73% and 27% respectively. Stunted group had 42% intolerant and 58% tolerant Children. But when tolerant group (Negative HBT) was observed the difference in stunted and normal height group children was statistically significant (p = 0.034). Difference in the number of intolerant children (Positive HBT) in stunted group and normal height group was not statistically significant. 25.9% were underweight, amongst them 37% were intolerant and 63% were tolerant, but on the other hand 74.1% normal weight children, whose weight was above the 80% of median, 28.8% were intolerant and 71.2% were tolerant. This also indicates that underweight children had more intolerance in comparison to normal weight children but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.26). Conclusion: It is possible that nutritional status may affect lactose absorption, so that lactose mal-absorbers may be less well nourished than lactose absorbers. We could not fully link up the lactose intolerance and under-nutrition, but we can recommend on the bases of finding in this research that whenever new policies of combating malnutrition were framed, use of milk in supplementation program should be used with caution.

School Screening For Scoliosis in the Eastern Part of Nepal

Background: Scoliosis is common in children of school going age particularly in the adolescents. This condition is asymptomatic and often children present in the advanced stage of this condition with large deformity. Therefore, early detection avoids the problems associated with large curves. Material and Methods: Retrospective analysis of data obtained from screening of eight schools in the eastern part of Nepal between April 2016 and May 2017 was done; Morang district (5 schools) and Sunsari district (3 schools). A consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, a trained Physiotherapist and an Orthopaedic nurse conducted school screening for scoliosis using the Adam’s forward bend test in the Morang district while the latter two were involved in screening in the Sunsari district. The data collected included demographics, number of positive cases and treatment prescribed. Results: 5505 children {2840 boys (51.6%) and 2665 girls (48.4%)} were screened for scoliosis in this period. Majority of patients were from the Morang district (86.2%). All six children (five girls and one boy) who were found to have positive Adam’s forward test had adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. One child had a curve of 35 degrees and bracing was started. Rest of the children had curves less than 25 degrees and were kept on regular follow up. The referral rate was 1.1 per 1000 children screened for scoliosis. Conclusion: Though the overall prevalence of scoliosis appears to be less in our population, school screening is still important for two main reasons. This may be the only way to detect cases early so that treatment can be instituted before deformity becomes large. Secondly, this activity would also spread awareness about this little known condition in the community. Journal of Nobel Medical College Volume 7, Number 1, Issue 12, January-June 2018, Page: 37-40

Schistosoma haematobium, Plasmodium falciparum infection and anaemia in children in Accra, Ghana

BackgroundUrinary Schistosomiasis and malaria are endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. There are public health concerns and implications of these parasites. This study sought to assess the prevalence of malaria, urinary schistosomiasis, and anaemia in children of school going age in two municipalities in Ghana.MethodsA cross-sectional study design was used to investigate the prevalence of S. haematobium, P. falciparum infection and the haemoglobin concentration of respondents. A total of 404 (231 males and 173 females) school children between ages 9 - 14 years (mean age 11.8 ± 1.4 years) were recruited for the survey. Urine and blood samples were collected using standard operating procedures for urinary schistosomiasis and malaria diagnosis. Haemoglobin concentration was measured using a Hemocue® Hb 201 m.ResultsThe prevalence of mono-infection was 4.7 and 12.9% for S. haematobium and P. falciparum respectively with a small proportion (0.9%) of the respondents infected with both parasites. The prevalence of anaemia in the study population was 59.9%. The risk of developing anaemia was not associated with being infected with any of the parasites. All co-infected children had anaemia.ConclusionHigh prevalence of anaemia was observed within the study population. Prevalence of malaria was higher compared to schistosomiasis. Interventions to address the high levels of anaemia is required within the community.

Assessing an isiZulu questionnaire with educators in primary schools in Pietermaritzburg to establish a baseline of knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

BackgroundAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a significant childhood disorder and has a growing prevalence rate across the world. It has been identified in children from a wide range of racial groups, ethnicities and socio-economic groups, making it a globally relevant disorder. However, a lack of research on ASD in Africa makes it difficult to determine the prevalence rate, presentation and level of knowledge regarding the disorder locally. Therefore, assessing knowledge of ASD amongst professionals is a useful starting point for research in countries where research on ASD is limited. Educators in particular are a vital resource due to the likelihood of their early identification of developmental delays in children of school going age. Awareness studies reveal that professionals have poor awareness of ASD and therefore what educators in South Africa know about ASD needs to be established.MethodsThis study translated the Knowledge about Childhood Autism among Health Workers (KCAHW) questionnaire that was originally designed by Bakare and colleagues (Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health 4:17, 2008). The isiZulu KCAHW questionnaire was then used to investigate the level of knowledge of ASD amongst educators in Edendale, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Fifty (50) educators consented to complete the questionnaire and the data was analysed using the statistical programme SPSS.ResultsThe results suggested that educators have an adequate baseline knowledge of ASD but their knowledge was found to be lacking in specific detail. The mean total score for the educator sample was 13.08 (out of a possible 19) which suggested that educators in Edendale, Pietermaritzburg knew 68% of the symptoms covered in the questionnaire.ConclusionsThe isiZulu KCAHW questionnaire appears to be a useful measure for use in the South African context. It provided significant information regarding educator knowledge of ASD in Edendale, Pietermaritzburg. However, the analysis also showed that whilst the educators had an adequate general knowledge of ASD, they lacked specific insight into the disorder, particularly with regards to etiology and age of onset. Furthermore, the results showed that there is an opportunity for further research and interventions to develop knowledge of ASD within the local context in South Africa.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12887-016-0721-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

THE CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED BY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS WITH REGARD TO THE PROVISION OF SCHOOL HEALTHCARE SERVICES IN TSHWANE SUB-DISTRICT, GAUTENG PROVINCE

Children of school-going age are faced with multiple challenges that need professional interventions from educators and healthcare providers. This study sought to explore and describe the challenges experienced by healthcare providers with regard to the provision of school healthcare in the Tshwane sub-district, Gauteng Province. A qualitative, descriptive phenomenological design was used because of its holistic and contextualised nature. The population consisted of healthcare providers who were working in collaboration with the school health nurses, as well as being members of the community. These participants were conveniently and purposefully selected. Twenty-two healthcare providers were selected. Data were collected through the use of individual interviews until data saturation was attained. The interviews were based on the question: What are the challenges you health programmes, and the care provided to HIV positive children of schoolgoing age. It was evident that the challenges school health service providers faced included limited resources, inconsistency in existing school health service rendering, and poor collaboration between the stakeholders involved. These challenges create a major barrier for the delivery of school health services in South Africa. The participants recommended that partnerships and collaboration should be established in order to establish a healthy educational environment and promote frequent and sustained school visits.experience as healthcare provider regarding the provision of school health services in the Tshwane sub-district, Gauteng Province? Researchers followed the adapted Colaizzi's method (1978) of data analysis in Polit and Beck (2012). All transcripts were read repeatedly and the data was reviewed, coded and categorised into the sections applicable to the problem statement. From the challenges experienced three main themes evolved by health care providers and these included: the need for early and frequent school health visits, the lack of collaboration in school visits.

CHILDREN ATTENTION DEFICT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

Objective: To determine the frequency of functional impairment in the domainof “school and learning” among school going age children with ADHD. Study Design: Crosssectionalstudy. Setting: Neuropsychiatry OPD at National Institute of Child Health (NICH),Karachi. Period: April 2012 to October 2012. Methodology: A total 122 child and adolescentpatients of school going age i.e. 05-15 years diagnosed as having ADHD were included in thestudy. A Proforma was used to denote demographic details of the patients. Impairment in thedomain of “school and learning” was measured by using the Weiss Functional ImpairmentRating Scale – Parent Report (WFIRS-P). Results: of the total 122 patients 74% were malesand 26% were females. 61% were studying in primary school whereas 28% either never wentto school or had quit school. overall the domain of school and learning was impaired in about48% of children with females’ representation being slightly more (50%) compared to males(46%). within the domain of school and learning maximum number of children were impairedin keeping up with schoolwork and needing tutoring (61%); whereas the least frequency ofimpairment was observed in being suspended or expelled from school (30%). Conclusions:ADHD causes functional impairment among children of school going age in the domain ofschool and learning.

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

Hand foot and mouth disease is an acute viral illness caused by the Coxsackie virus. The contagious nature of the disease is threatening as the disease primarily affects the children of school going age. As the name suggests, typical lesions will be seen over the hands, feet and in the oral cavity. The child gets irritated, febrile and lethargic. Oral lesions can add up to the general weakness as the child becomes reluctant to food. Diagnosis can be made based on the clinical features alone. As the disease outbreaks were reported from neighbouring countries like China and other South Eastern countries, awareness amongst the dentists, general physicians and dermatologists usually can play a role in reducing the suffering of the patient. This case report describes about a 3 year old male child presenting with typical ulcerative lesions over the hands, feet and oral mucosa.

MONITORING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF EMERGENT INFLUENZA A H1N1 2009 VIRUSES IN RABAT, MOROCCO DURING 2009 - 2010

Background. Immediately after the outbreak of novel influenza A (H1N1) in the United States of America and Mexico, World Health Organization declared a global pandemic (pH1N1). A global monitoring system was set up in Morocco to control the dissemination of the virus and its impact on the public health. This study aims to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of influenza like illness (ILI) patients and confirmed pH1N1 cases diagnosed in the Research and Analysis Medical Laboratory (LRAM) between November 23rd 2009 and March 7th 2010. Methods. A total of 300 nasopharyngeal swabs from ILI patients were screened for seasonal influenza A and pH1N1 viruses by real-time RT-PCR. For each patient, clinical and epidemiological information were recorded. Results. pH1N1 was confirmed in 149 ILI patients (49.7%). This study showed a peak in week 50/2009. The mean age of pH1N1 cases was 13.4 years and children between 5 and 14 years are the most affected cases (82/149). The most common symptom was the cough reported in 83% of pH1N1 positive cases, followed by headache and asthenia. Among the 149 pH1N1 confirmed cases, 10 had asthma and all of them are children. Conclusion. During the pandemic period, pH1N1 was the predominant influenza A subtype. This study indicates that pH1N1 was widespread and the highest risk group is the children of school-going age (aged 5–14). These results can be used for future planning strategies for influenza and strengthening the influenza monitoring system for better management of the infection and limiting the development of complicated diseases.

The Teaching and Learning of Data-Handling in Primary Schools: South African Experience

South Africa has achieved a lot in term of accessibility to education. According to the Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE, 2008), almost all children of school-going age (7 to 13 years) are enrolled in schools in South Africa. However, there are still some gaps between success and access in term of performance in some subjects especially mathematics. In fact the results of students in mathematics according to the Southern Eastern African Consortium for Monitoring Education Quality (SACMEQ) were of great concern. Therefore, the study explores some factors that affect the teaching and learning of data handling in mathematics at primary school. The study succinctly examines factors such as inability of the educators to explain and understand the curriculum according to Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS) that is, Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK); Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) and Pedagogic Knowledge (PK), lack of qualified teachers to teach mathematic, lack of mathematics problem solving skills, language difficulties, inadequate statistical qualifications, and poor mastery of the prerequisite skills, fact and concepts. The study however, recommends among others that; the mathematics teachers should endeavour to identify what constitute challenges in mathematics. Especially in data handling oriented concepts, and devote more time to each of them in order to enhance students achievement, government needs to intensify teacher development to prepare educators for the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) and pay special attention to the training of principals/educators DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p814