Malawi Research Articles

Seasonal Maize yield forecasting in South and East African Countries using hybrid Earth observation models

Climate change still adversely affects agriculture in the sub-Saharan Africa. There is need to strengthen early action to bolster livelihoods and food security. Most governments use pre- and post-harvest field surveys to capture statistics for National Food Balance Sheets (NFBS) key in food policy and economic planning. These surveys, though accurate, are costly, time consuming, and may not offer rapid yield estimates to support governments, emergency organizations, and related stakeholders to take advanced strategic decisions in the face of climate change. To help governments in Kenya (KEN), Zambia (ZMB), and Malawi (MWI) adopt digitally advanced maize yield forecasts, we developed a hybrid model based on the Regional Hydrologic Extremes Assessment System (RHEAS) and machine learning. The framework is set-up to use weather data (precipitation, temperature, and wind), simulations from RHEAS model (soil total moisture, soil temperature, solar radiation, surface temperature, net transpiration from vegetation, net evapotranspiration, and root zone soil moisture), simulations from DSSAT (leaf area index and water stress), and MODIS vegetation indices. Random Forest (RF) machine learning model emerged as the best hybrid setup for unit maize yield forecasts per administrative boundary scoring the lowest unbiased Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.16 MT/ha, 0.18 MT/ha, and 0.20 MT/ha in Malawi's Karonga district, Kenya's Homa Bay county, and Zambia's Senanga district respectively. According to relative RMSE, RF outperformed other hybrid models attaining the lowest score in all countries (ZMB: 25.96%, MWI: 28.97%, and KEN: 27.54%) followed by support vector machines (ZMB: 26.92%, MWI: 31.14%, and KEN: 29.50%), and linear regression (ZMB: 29.44%, MWI: 31.76%, and KEN: 47.00%). Lastly, the integration of VI and RHEAS information using hybrid models improved yield prediction. This information is useful for NFBS bulletins forecasts, design and certification of maize insurance contracts, and estimation of loss and damage in the advent of climate justice.

First Report of Vascular Wilt on Peanut in Mexico Caused by Fusarium incarnatum.

During the fall of 2020, wilt symptoms were presented in a commercial peanut field (Arachis hypogaea L.), variety 'CHAMPS' in Buenavista de Benito Juárez, México (18.460501 N, 98.627100 W). A peanut field was scout 80 days after planting, and plants presenting symptoms of root and crown rot, vascular chlorosis, and tissue death, were sampled. Disease incidence was estimated at 55% of the field. Isolations of the pathogen were made from stem and root tissues. These samples were disinfected by immersion in 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) for 3 min and immersion in 70% ethanol for 1 min with 3 rinses with sterile distilled water. Subsequently, 0.5 cm fragments were removed and placed on media of potato dextrose agar (PDA) and Rose Bengal. Petri dishes were incubated in complete darkness at 26 °C for 7 days. Abundant aerial white mycelium was observed, which turned tan to brown and showed a slightly orange color on the back of the plate. Finally, pure cultures were obtained by single sporing (Aslam et al. 2020). Colonies identified as Fusarium spp. (Leslie and Summerell, 2006) were sub cultured on PDA agar media and Spezieller Nährstoffarmer (Pérez-Vázquez et al. 2022) to observe microscopic characteristics of ten isolates. Colonies of a representative strain (MA-PET-03) produced hyaline septate hyphae, macroconidia dorsoventrally curved, tapering towards both ends of 51-57 × 4.6-5.4 μm (n = 80) with most having 7 septa. Microconidia were unicellular, nonseptate, hyaline, and ovoid, 12.4-20.6 × 3.6-4.1 μm (n = 80). Chlamydospores were abundant and globose 5-11 μm diam (n = 80), intercalary, and solitary in short chains (Figure 1). The observed microscopic characteristics correspond to the description of Fusarium incarnatum (Khoa et al. 2006; Leslie and Summerell, 2006; Xia et al. 2019). The molecular analyses were done with genomic DNA extracted as previously reported by Pérez et al. (2022). A region from the translation elongation factor gene was PCR amplified using EF688/EF1251 primers (Alves et al. 2008) and from the calmodulin (CMDA) gene, using CALDF1 and CALDR1 primers (Noel et al. 2022). The corresponding PCR products were purified with the Gen Elute™ PCR Clean-Up Kit from Sigma-Aldrich Co. (St. Louis Mo. USA) and sequenced at Macrogen Inc. (Seoul, South Korea). The phylogenetic analysis was inferred using the Bayesian Inference method with 1 million generations, final standard deviation was 0.008516. The nucleotide substitution model for Calmodulin (CMDA) was GTR + G and for TEF1 GTR + I + G. This analysis showed that strain MA-PET-03 shared 100% identity (Figure 2) with F. incarnatum ex-type strain CBS 132.73 (CMDA: MN170342; TEF1: JMN1704761) from Pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica) in Malawi Africa. The sequences of strain MA-PET-03 were deposited in GenBank (CMDA: OQ679820; TEF1: OQ679821). The pathogenicity tests were carried out with a total of 20 peanut plants, variety 'CHAMPS', 18 days after having been sown in groups of five seeds in 250 g plastic pots, containing a sterilized mixture of Peatmoss and Agrellite (1:1 v./v), with four repetitions. The seeds were inoculated by immersion in 20 mL of spore suspension (106 conidia/mL) isolated from F. incarnatum for 10 min. The plants were maintained in a greenhouse (70% relative humidity and 28 °C) until the appearance of disease symptoms of. Likewise, 10 control plants were inoculated with sterile water. The experiment was repeated twice. The symptoms developed 15 days after inoculation, the plants presented symptoms of chlorosis, wilting of leaves, stems, and roots, a manifestation similar to that observed in the field, while the control plants remained healthy. F. incarnatum was consistently reisolated from inoculated stems and roots and identified by the microscopic characteristics described above. Peanut leaf blight and wilt disease caused by F. incarnatum has been reported in India (Thirumalaisamy et al. 2019). This first report emphasizes that this phytopathogen is a new threat for peanut producers in Mexico, which is why our finding suggests the need to seek new strategies for its control.

Viral metagenomics unveils MW (Malawi) polyomavirus infection in Brazilian pediatric patients with acute respiratory disease.

Viral metagenomics has been extensively applied for the identification of emerging or poorly characterized viruses. In this study, we applied metagenomics for the identification of viral infections among pediatric patients with acute respiratory disease, but who tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Twelve pools composed of eight nasopharyngeal specimens were submitted to viral metagenomics. Surprisingly, in two of the pools, we identified reads belonging to the poorly characterized Malawi polyomavirus (MWPyV). Then, the samples composing the positive pools were individually tested using quantitativepolymerase chain reactionfor identification of the MWPyV index cases. MWPyV-positivesamples were also submitted to respiratory virus panel testing due to the metagenomic identification of different clinically important viruses. Of note, MWPyV-positivesamples tested also positive for respiratory syncytial virus types A and B. In this study, we retrieved two complete MWPyV genome sequences from the index samples that were submitted to phylogenetic inference to investigate their viral origin. Our study represents the first molecular and genomic characterization of MWPyV obtained from pediatric patients in South America. The detection of MWPyV in acutely infected infants suggests that this virus might participate (coparticipate) in cases of respiratory symptoms. Nevertheless, future studies based on testing of a larger number of clinical samples and MWPyV complete genomes appear to be necessary to elucidate if this emerging polyomavirus might be clinically important.

Extending the Conceptualization of Destination Brand Experiences

Tourism research has flourished over the last decade, providing novel insights and deepening the literature on destination branding and tourism experiences. Consequently, the initial conceptualization of destination brand experience (DBE) as a four-dimension concept may not fully capture the field’s expanded knowledge-base. The present study seeks to extend the conceptualization of DBE into six main dimensions (i.e., relational; spiritual, sensory, cognitive, affective, and behavioral) and provide empirical support for this extended conceptualization from a sample of tourists at Lake Malawi in Africa. The study contributes by providing support to the relevance of “relational” and “spiritual” dimensions as additional components of DBE. It offers insights to destination marketing organizations toward facilitating relational and spiritual dimensions that may be particularly relevant when tourists seek recovery and social experiences as travel and tourism re-emerges from the pandemic.

Note on giant white land snail Burtoa nilotica Pfeiffer, 1861 (Family: Achatinidae) of Domwe Island from cape maclear, Southeast Arm of Malawi (13°59'39.8"S 34°50'38.4"E)

The present investigation of giant white land-snail Burtoa nilotica Pfeiffer, 1861 have recorded at Domwe Island from Cape Maclear, Southeast Arm of Malawi at a depth of 2 meter. B. nilotica were reported to 13°59'39.8"S 34°50'38.4"E, Domwe Island, Republic of Malawi.

Revisiting Malaya: Uncovering Historical and Political Thoughts in Nusuntara ed. by Show Ying Xin and Ngoi Guat Peng (review)

Reviewed by: Revisiting Malaya: Uncovering Historical and Political Thoughts in Nusuntara ed. by Show Ying Xin and Ngoi Guat Peng Liaw Siau Chi Revisiting Malaya: Uncovering Historical and Political Thoughts in Nusuntara. Edited by Show Ying Xin and Ngoi Guat Peng. Petaling Jaya: SIRD, 2020. 511 pp. ISBN: 9789672165774 After joining the Singapore and Malaysia Office of the Inter-Asia School in Singapore, Dr Ngoi Guat Peng initiated a conference entitled 'Revisiting Malaya: Political and Historical Thoughts' in Kuala Lumpur in 2014 and another conference entitled 'Revisiting Malaya 2.0 International Conference: Links and Fractures in Political and Historical Thoughts' in Yogyakarta in 2016. At that time, Dr Show Ying Xin was the research assistant of the project. Ngoi and Show selected some English conference papers, facilitated the translation into Chinese and published them in Renjian Thought Review, a journal in Taiwan. They subsequently did the same to several Chinese conference papers and published them in the Journal of Inter-Asia Cultural Studies. Producing translations of academic papers is one of the best ways for scholars to share their ideas despite the language barriers that stem from different backgrounds in terms of nationality, culture, and community. This also benefits the public by providing easy access to scholarly points of view. However, the current academic evaluation mechanism for scholars does not consider the production of quality translated academic papers. Ngoi and Show deserve great credit for their contribution on initiating the translations. The initial edition of this book Chong fan Ma lai ya:zheng zhi yu li shi si xiang (重返马来亚：政治与历史思想), was written in Chinese and published in 2017. It contains the transcript of the panel discussions in 2014. The English edition of the book was published in 2020, and it compiled papers presented in 2014 and 2016. It took almost six years to construct a communication channel for academics [End Page 234] from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines to exchange ideas and to facilitate better research to be carried out in different countries. In the Chinese edition's introduction by the editors, Ngoi (魏月萍 & 苏颖欣, 2017, p. X) defines the term 'revisit' as not just confined to the literal meaning of 'return' or to 'visit again' the history. It aims to reflect, redefine, and to a large extent, to reconceptualise. Both editors have credited this to Chen Kuan-Hsing's 'Asia as a method', and Show (pp. 3–5) has elaborated in detail what is the implication of 'Malaya as a method'. 'Here, we seek to explicitly address problems such as colonialism and its ruminations, the intervention of the global Cold War in local realities, as well as the historical links and fractures that emerged during the process of subjectivity recognition and formation during the last century' (p. 4). In this sense, 'Malaya' is not a simple geographical location or a nation-state territory but a concept of epistemology. This book is beneficial to those with an interest in historical and regional research, especially comparative studies on Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Some may feel that the subject matter of this book is too divergent. The implication is clear. When choosing one historical topic in a country within this region, we need counterparts to complete the story. However, this book is a collection of conference and subsequently published papers. As Jomo K. S. pointed out, not all contributors adopted 'Malaya as a method' to articulate the discourse (p. xiv). For the benefit of the readers, the editor arranged the twenty-one articles into five main topics, namely, envisioning Malaysia, Malaysia in art and literature, anticolonial struggle and nationalism, imagined communities in the Malay world, the nation-state and beyond. The historical processes of Malaya's independence and the formation of Malaysia are full of challenges and tension. Its influence on neighbouring areas and their reaction is the topic of many essays in this book. For the left-wing in Singapore, embracing Malaya was once the idea of nation-building. Hong Lysa revisited the process of turning this dream into a nightmare. The idea of a 'multicultural nation in which all communities would be treated equally; a nation independent of colonial rule…rights for all people - both political and civil' (p. 48...

The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Sars-cov-2): South african resilience and survival strategies

Containment of the COVID-19 pandemic relies on accurate data regarding symptoms, transmission, prevention, nature of the virus, strains, immunological factors, relevant demographic and behavioural factors, and control strategies In South Africa, epidemiological infection data revealed 622,551 cases and 231 deaths per million population as of 29 August 2020 This study describes the strategies South Africa is applying in containing the COVID-19 outbreak that could be used to inform appropriate monitoring and surveillance in other settings, and to improve global health preparedness © 2020 The College of Medicine and the Medical Association of Malawi

Mapping Flood Risk of Nsanje District in Malawi Using Sentinel-1 Data

The all-time imaging ability of SAR systems which can penetrate cloud cover and free availability of Sentinel C-Band data are very useful in deriving critical spatial information for flood disaster management in tropical areas such as Malawi. This study shows how Sentinel-1 data has been used to map flood extents by utilizing VH and VV polarizations and enhance risk mapping during the years 2015 to 2020 in Nsanje district. Multi-dated Sentinel-1 images were acquired, pre-processed, and analyzed through Change Detection and Thresholding technique to interpret backscattered radiation thereby distinguishing flooded and non-flooded areas. The VV Polarization result shows that percentage of land that remained under flood water in Nsanje district was 3.97% in 2015, 5.91% in 2019 and 2.05% in 2020. On the other hand, VH Polarization result shows about 7.71% and 2.02% of land remained under flood water in 2019 and 2020 respectively.Sentinel-2 pre-flood image was used to determine major land cover classes in the district. MNDWI derived from Landsat 8 imagery of the same date as 2019 Sentinel-1 crisis imagery was used for flood extent validation. Overall Accuracy of flood extent delineation was 96% and 90% for VH and VV polarization respectively. Flooding frequency in specific areas was observed to determine physical vulnerability and hence figure out the risk to a possible repetition of flood disaster. Further, social data were used to aid a better understanding of the capacity to cope with a possible flood hazard in the study area.

Adapting Problem Management Plus for Implementation: Lessons Learned from Public Sector Settings Across Rwanda, Peru, Mexico and Malawi

Problem Management Plus (PM+) is a low-intensity psychological intervention developed by the World Health Organization that can be delivered by nonspecialists to address common mental health conditions in people affected by adversity. Emerging evidence demonstrates the efficacy of PM+ across a range of settings. However, the published literature rarely documents the adaptation processes for psychological interventions to context or culture, including curriculum or implementation adaptations. Practical guidance for adapting PM+ to context while maintaining fidelity to core psychological elements is essential for mental health implementers to enable replication and scale. This paper describes the process of contextually adapting PM+ for implementation in Rwanda, Peru, Mexico and Malawi undertaken by the international nongovernmental organisation Partners In Health. To our knowledge, this initiative is among the first to adapt PM+ for routine delivery across multiple public sector primary care and community settings in partnership with Ministries of Health. Lessons learned contribute to a broader understanding of effective processes for adapting low-intensity psychological interventions to real-world contexts. Key implications for practice PM+ can be contextualised based on cultural and implementation considerations while maintaining core psychological elements across different settings. The adaptation of PM+ for local health systems and articulation of practical guidance on implementation for routine care is essential. Partnerships across implementing sites are fundamental for iterative PM+ adaptation and provide opportunities for sharing lessons learned.

Knowledge on doping among football athletes, coaches and sponsors in Malawi

The use of banned performance enhancing substances (PES) among athletes continues to be a major challenge in sport. This study evaluated the knowledge of football athletes, coaches and sponsors about doping in Malawi. The specific aspects of knowledge investigated included types of doping substances, sources of information on doping substances, reasons for doping, and consequences of doping on football athletes. The study sought to determine whether there was any association between selected demographic factors (age, level of education and experience) of football athletes, coaches and sponsors and their knowledge of doping in football in Malawi. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires from football athletes (n=235), coaches (n=24) and sponsors (n=15). Data were analyzed using Chi Square and One Way Variance of Analysis. Results indicated that football athletes (77%), coaches (45.8%) and sponsors (60%) had adequate knowledge of doping. There were significant differences in knowledge of doping substances among athletes (20.76±3.35), coaches (18.54±7.56) and sponsors (21.40±6.95), p = 0.011. The differences in knowledge on doping existed between athletes and coaches (MD = 2.22; p = 0.011) and coaches and sponsors (MD = 2.86; p = .042). There was need for athletes, coaches and sponsors to be engaged in more anti-doping programmes in order for them to acquire more knowledge on doping. Malawi Anti-Doping Organization should establish a website where athletes can obtain information on doping. Key words: Athlete, coach, doping, knowledge, performance enhancing substances.

A Comparative Report on Health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia

A Comparative Report on Health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia

10.4314/jh.v14i1.6293

10.4314/jh.v14i1.6293

Preliminary study of length-weight relationship of Flat Freshwater crab Potamonutes bellarussus (Daniels, Phiri and Bayliss, 2014) from Williams Falls, Zomba, Republic of Malawi, Central Africa (15º21’51.237’S and 35º18’22.747’E)

Preliminary study of length-weight relationship of Flat Freshwater crab Potamonutes bellarussus (Daniels, Phiri and Bayliss, 2014) from Williams Falls, Zomba, Republic of Malawi, Central Africa (15º21’51.237’S and 35º18’22.747’E)

HIV risks and engagement with care among female sex workers: findings from a respondent-driven sampling study, Nsanje, Malawi

HIV risks and engagement with care among female sex workers: findings from a respondent-driven sampling study, Nsanje, Malawi

Should Urine-LAM Tests Be Used in TB Symptomatic HIV-Positive Patients When No CD4 Count Is Available? A Prospective Observational Cohort Study From Malawi: Erratum

Should Urine-LAM Tests Be Used in TB Symptomatic HIV-Positive Patients When No CD4 Count Is Available? A Prospective Observational Cohort Study From Malawi: Erratum

Distribution of groundnut rosette disease and sequence diversity of groundnut rosette virus associated satellite RNA (Sat-RNA) in Western Kenya

Production of groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) in Western Kenya is mainly constrained by groundnut rosette disease (GRD) which cause up to 100% yield loss. This disease expresses different symptoms as a result of variations in the groundnut rosette virus (GRV) associated satellite-ribonucleic acid (GRV Sat-RNA). Over the past 20 years, no work had been done to document the status of the disease in Kenya. Additionally, no sequences of any of the GRD associated viruses were available in the GeneBank from Kenya. This study determined the distribution of GRD and the genetic diversity of GRV Sat-RNA. Sampling was done in main groundnut growing areas of Western Kenya during the long and short rain seasons in 2016/2017. Total RNA was extracted from the leafy samples collected using RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen) according to the manufacturers’ protocol and used for double stranded cDNA synthesis using the SuperScript II kit. DNA libraries were sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform (Illumina). Reads were used for de novo assembly and contigs aligned to the viral genomes database using CLC Genomics Workbench 10.1.2. The assembled contigs were subjected to a BLASTn search against the GenBank database. Average GRD incidence was 53 and 41% in the short and long rain seasons, respectively. Chlorotic rosette was the dominant symptom followed by green rosette and mosaic. Nucleotide sequences of Sat-RNA revealed identities of 88 to 100% between the Kenyan isolates and those from Malawi, Nigeria and Ghana. All Kenya isolates clustered closest with green rosette variants of Malawi except one which clustered with chlorotic/yellow blotch variants. Rosette is widely distributed in Western Kenya and occurs wherever groundnuts are grown. The variations of GRD symptoms in Western Kenya could be due to the existence of different variants of Sat-RNA or other agents. Key words: Groundnuts, satellite-ribonucleic acid (Sat-RNA), diversity, Western Kenya.

Assessing ODA in Malawi: Which Way to a Better Future?

Assessing ODA in Malawi: Which Way to a Better Future?

Health4Afrika - Implementing HL7 FHIR Based Interoperability.

Supported by the European Commission under Horizon 2020, mHealth4Afrika is co-designing and validating a modular, multilingual, state-of-the-art health information system addressing primary healthcare requirements in resource constrained environments. mHealth4Afrika has co-designed a comprehensive range of functionality and medical programs in partnership with Ministries of Health, district health officers, clinic managers and primary healthcare workers from urban, rural and deep rural health facilities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa. This paper provides insights into how mHealth4Afrika is leveraging HL7 FHIR to support standards-based data exchange and interoperability between Electronic Medical Records and DHIS2. This work is currently being validated in the field.

Antiretroviral drug resistance and third-line treatment outcomes amongst HIV patients failing second-line therapy in Malawi

Antiretroviral drug resistance and third-line treatment outcomes amongst HIV patients failing second-line therapy in Malawi

Hematobium schistosomiasis control for health management of labor force generation at Nkhotakota and Lilongwe in the Republic of Malawi\u2014assumed to be related to occupational risk

BackgroundIn Malawi, hematobium schistosomiasis is highly endemic. According to previous studies, countermeasures have been conducted mainly in school-aged children. In this study, we focused on the age groups, which are assumed to be major labor force generation. Hematobium schistosomiasis is supposed to be related to occupational activities in schistosome-endemic countries because of its infectious route. We chronologically followed the transition of schistosome egg-positive prevalence before and after mass drug administration of praziquantel (MDA) by using a urine filtering examination. We also analyzed the effectiveness of urine reagent strips from the cost perspective.ResultsThe egg-positive prevalence was 34.3% (95% CI 28.5–40.5) just before MDA in June 2010 and the highest prevalence was in the age of twenties. The egg-positive prevalence reduced to 12.7% (95% CI 9.2–17.3, p < 0.01) 8 weeks after the first MDA and the prevalence reduced to 6.9% (95% CI 4.6–10.0, p < 0.01) after the second MDA in August 2011. The egg-positive prevalence after MDA in 2013 was reduced from 3.8% (95% CI 2.1–6.9) to 0.9% (95% CI 0.3–3.4) and p value was 0.050. Using urine reagent strips after MDA, the positive predictive value decreased, but the negative predictive value remained high. The cost of one urine reagent strip and one tablet of praziquantel were US$0.06 and US$0.125 in 2013 in Malawi. If the egg-positive prevalence is 40%, screening subjects for MDA using urine reagent strips, the cost reduction can be estimated to be about 24%, showing an overall cost reduction.ConclusionsMDA of praziquantel can assuredly reduce schistosome egg-positive prevalence. The combination of MDA and urine reagent strips could be both a practical and cost-effective countermeasure for hematobium schistosomiasis. It is key to recognize that hematobium schistosomiasis could be considered a disease that is assumed to have some concern with occupational risk at Nkhotakota and Lilongwe in Malawi. From this point of view, it is very important to manage workers’ health; the sound labor force generation is vital for economic growth and development in these areas and countries.