Impact of the COVID-19 facemask disposal on environment and perception of people of the Sultanate of Oman

Environmental concerns are increasing in and around us due to improper discharge of personal protective gear or equipment (PPEs) during the current pandemic with SARS-CoV-2.The residents of Salalah, under the Dhofar governorate of Oman,were hastening to take every possible measure to safeguard their health against the COVID-19 pandemic. In this scenario, improper discard of facemasks in the environment entails a significant problem forpublic health and aquatic environments. Objective:This study aimsto assess how the SARS-CoV-2 virus disrupted the household waste management chainin the Sultanate of Oman. In addition, descriptivesurvey has also identified people's perception about the existing household waste management system. Methods:Total 200 respondents were personally selected under the purposive sampling category. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. The mean, standard deviation, and distribution shapewere calculated based on the retrieved data. The variables and frequencies were tabulated for categorical variables. Results show negative impacts on the environment, wildlife, and public health. It was also observed that there was a significant difference when grouped according to residence location since the obtainedalso observed a significant difference when grouped according to residence location since thep-value of 0.007 was less than 0.05 alpha level. This means that the responses differ significantly. It shows from the test conducted that participantsfrom the village experienced and observed a negative impact on the discarded face masks comparedto those in the city.Conclusion and recommendation: This study illustrates the real impact of the COVID-19 facemasks on the environment, wildlife, and public health. In addition, the new management of the user's facemasks for eliminating or reducing the risks to human health and the environmenthas been suggested. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2022; 36(2):000-000]

Impact of the COVID-19 facemask disposal on environment and perception of people of the Sultanate of Oman

Background:Environmental concerns are increasing in and around us due to improper discharge of personal protective gear or equipment (PPEs) during the current pandemic with SARS-CoV-2.The residents of Salalah, under the Dhofar governorate of Oman,were hastening to take every possible measure to safeguard their health against the COVID-19 pandemic. In this scenario, improper discard of facemasks in the environment entails a significant problem forpublic health and aquatic environments. Objective:This study aimsto assess how the SARS-CoV-2 virus disrupted the household waste management chainin the Sultanate of Oman. In addition, descriptivesurvey has also identified people's perception about the existing household waste management system. Methods:Total 200 respondents were personally selected under the purposive sampling category. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. The mean, standard deviation, and distribution shapewere calculated based on the retrieved data. The variables and frequencies were tabulated for categorical variables. Results show negative impacts on the environment, wildlife, and public health. It was also observed that there was a significant difference when grouped according to residence location since the obtainedalso observed a significant difference when grouped according to residence location since thep-value of 0.007 was less than 0.05 alpha level. This means that the responses differ significantly. It shows from the test conducted that participantsfrom the village experienced and observed a negative impact on the discarded face masks comparedto those in the city.Conclusion and recommendation: This study illustrates the real impact of the COVID-19 facemasks on the environment, wildlife, and public health. In addition, the new management of the user's facemasks for eliminating or reducing the risks to human health and the environmenthas been suggested. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2022; 36(2):000-000

Lesotho COVID-19 emergency preparedness and response project (P173939) - Mafeteng hospital operations: environmental and social management plan (ESMP) operations phase

An outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been spreading rapidly across the world since December 2019, following the diagnosis of the initial cases in Wuhan, China. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic. As of January 6, 2021, the outbreak has resulted in more than 86 million global cases and more than 1.8 million global deaths.1 and 3206 cases in Lesotho with 65 deaths. In order to respond to this global pandemic, the Government of Lesotho (GoL) will implement a Lesotho COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project (EPRP), with World Bank (WB) financial support. The Lesotho COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project (EPRP), with US$ 7.5 million total budget, comprises of two main components, Emergency COVID-19 Response (US$6.675 million), and Project Implementation and Monitoring & Evaluation (US$0.825 million).

Health system strengthening for human capital development in Eswatini project. P168564

Description of the Strengthening the Health System and Nutrition for Human Capital Development in Eswatini Project The Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini is preparing a project, Health System Strengthening for Human Capital Development in Eswatini Project financed by an IBRD loan of US$20 million, using an Investment Project Financing (IPF) instrument, over a five-year period. The Project Development Objective (PDO) isto improve the coverage and quality of key reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), nutrition and NCD services (hypertension and diabetes) in Eswatini. To address key sector challenges and support the achievement of the PDO, the proposed project will focus on strengthening the health system and ramping up investments in RMNCAH services as well as nutrition and non-communicable diseases (hypertension and diabetes) to address critical human capital challenges, including stunting and child and adult mortality, applying a life course approach. The Ministry of Health will house the (PIU) the project implementing unit (PIU). The MOH will be supported by the Environmental Health Department (EHD) in the MOH.

Gut microbiota, diet and environmental influences on colorectal carcinogenesis

The substantial burden of colorectal cancer and its propensity to affect certain groups preferentially exposes a need to understand the mechanisms by which these malignancies develop. Several dietary and lifestyle factors have been implicated in the development of colorectal cancer, possibly through the intricate metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms. Likewise, as a key metabolic and immune regulator, the gut microbiota has been recognized to play an important role in colorectal tumorigenesis. Environmental factors are seemingly determinants for the gut microbial composition and function, alterations of which induce changes in the host gene expression, metabolic regulation, and local and systemic immune response, thereby influencing cancer development. This review highlights the epidemiologic and mechanistic evidence regarding the links between diet and lifestyle and the gut microbiota in the development of colorectal cancer. A focus is placed on factors for which substantial data supports their importance for colorectal cancer and their potential role in the gut microbiota, including dietary patterns, fibre, red and processed meat, fat consumption, obesity and physical activity. As the level of data surrounding the importance of the microbiome and environment in colorectal carcinogenesis develops, it is hoped that this will lead to development and clinical translation of potential microbiota-based strategies for cancer prevention

Bibliometric trends of South African environmental health articles between 1998 and 2015: Making local research visible and retrievable

Background. South Africa (SA) has to grapple with multiple burdens of disease for which environmental factors have a role to play in both causation and prevention. This article describes a bibliometric review of environmental health indexed literature for SA over an 18-year period.Objectives. To provide an overview of the nature of SA-based published environmental health indexed research and to identify search challenges, frequently researched topics, and gaps and opportunities for future research.Methods. The Web of Science, PubMed and Science Direct were used to search for original, peer-reviewed and review articles with the inclusion criteria 'environmental health' and 'South Africa' available online and published between 1998 and 2015, inclusively.Results. A total of 230 journal articles were included in the bibliometric analysis. The highest number of articles (n=54) was published in 2015. The majority of the first authors were affiliated with SA institutions (n=160, 69.5%). For the articles where funding was explicitly declared (n=148), the three most frequently occurring agencies that funded the published research were the National Research Foundation in SA (n=17), the South African Medical Research Council (n=13) and the Water Research Commission (n=9). There was little inter-annual/environmental health category variation over time owing to the relatively small sample size. The largest number of retrieved journal articles was in the area of environmental pollution control (n=76), followed by environmental health lifestyle and behaviour-related topics (n=42) and then water monitoring (n=26).Conclusions. Despite the research needed to solve large environmental health challenges in SA, environmental health was only used as a keyword in title, author keywords or abstract for 230 SA-based studies over an 18-year period. This makes it extremely difficult for environmental health research to be located and used to inform the profession as well as the research agenda. Several issues that environmental health practitioners are typically tasked to implement and monitor are not indexed as environmental health topics. The need for authors to use 'environmental health' as a keyword is emphasised, particularly if research is to inform decision-making and policy support, as well as guide future research in the country

Criminal Liability: Negligence and Environmental Health

Lack of compliance to effluent discharge standards in the waste water treatment industry lead to the discharge of poor quality effluents which cause increased levels of health risks in South Africa. No case law exists in South Africa to serve as precedent to enforce the criminal liability of individuals and water treatment entities. The author utilises the Bloemhof Municipality case study to illustrate the possible application of criminal action concerning the negligence in waste water treatment which; in turn; has been tested and instituted successfully in terms of environmental transgressions against both corporate structures and individuals in the mining industry. South African courts have to give consideration to the prospect of criminal action in the waste water treatment industry to deter sustained inadequate purification of raw water and inadequate treated effluent discharges in our water resources

Criminal Liability: Negligence and Environmental Health

Lack of compliance to effluent discharge standards in the waste water treatment industry lead to the discharge of poor quality effluents which cause increased levels of health risks in South Africa. No case law exists in South Africa to serve as precedent to enforce the criminal liability of individuals and water treatment entities. The author utilises the Bloemhof Municipality case study to illustrate the possible application of criminal action concerning the negligence in waste water treatment which; in turn; has been tested and instituted successfully in terms of environmental transgressions against both corporate structures and individuals in the mining industry. South African courts have to give consideration to the prospect of criminal action in the waste water treatment industry to deter sustained inadequate purification of raw water and inadequate treated effluent discharges in our water resources

The Human Health Implications of Crude Oil Spills in The Niger Delta; Nigeria: An Interpretation of Published Studies Highly Accessed Article

The health hazards created by oil exploration and exploitation are covert and slow in action. They are not given the deserved attention in official documents in Nigeria; even as they can be major contributors to the disease burden in oil-bearing communities. This study is an interpretation of the data reported in several published studies on crude oil spills in the Niger delta region; Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A manual and Internet search was conducted to extract quantitative data on the quantity of crude oil spilled; the concentrations of the pollutants in surface water; ground water; ambient air and plant and animal tissue; and the direct impact on human health and household food security. Results: An average of 240;000 barrels of crude oil are spilled in the Niger delta every year; mainly due to unknown causes (31.85); third party activity (20.74); and mechanical failure (17.04). The spills contaminated the surface water; ground water; ambient air; and crops with hydrocarbons; including known carcinogens like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and benxo (a) pyrene; naturally occurring radioactive materials; and trace metals that were further bioaccumulated in some food crops. The oil spills could lead to a 60reduction in household food security and were capable of reducing the ascorbic acid content of vegetables by as much as 36 and the crude protein content of cassava by 40.These could result in a 24 increase in the prevalence of childhood malnutrition. Animal studies indicate that contact with Nigerian crude oil could be hemotoxic and hepatotoxic; and could cause infertility and cancer. Conclusions: The oil spills in the Niger delta region have acute and long-term effects on human health. Material relief and immediate and long-term medical care are recommended; irrespective of the cause of the spill; to ensure that the potential health effects of exposures to the spills are properly addressed

Environmental Risk and Meningitis Epidemics in Africa

Epidemics of meningococcal meningitis occur in areas with particular environmental characteristics. We present evidence that the relationship between the environment and the location of these epidemics is quantifiable and propose a model based on environmental variables to identify regions at risk for meningitis epidemics. These findings; which have substantial implications for directing surveillance activities and health policy; provide a basis for monitoring the impact of climate variability and environmental change on epidemic occurrence in Africa. The timing of future outbreaks is unpredictable; tools that identify the key environmental factors associated with areas prone to meningitis pidemics would help us to understand the basis for these outbreaks and eventually optimize prevention and control activities. We describe a model that predicts the probability; based on environmental information; of an area experiencing an epidemic of meningitis

Onchocerciasis control on the island of Bioko (Republic of Equatorial Guinea) by vector elimination: Environnemental impact assessment (EIA) part 2c macro invertebrate indicator species

A literature search has established that the freshwater macro-invertebrate fauna ofBioko is extremely poorly studied and that relatively few species of freshwater insects have been recorded from the island (Appendix 1). Nevertheless, it is apparent from this searc[ and from insects collected on the island during the present study, that the ocp identification manual to aquatic inseas from the Ivory coast @ejoux et al., lggl)and the standard recording form 5620 are adequate for family level recording of specimens collected on the island because all families known from Bioko are covered. There are genera of aquatic insects which are found on Bioko and are not covered, but this is unlikely to seriously distort estimates of community structurq for which they are designed. l'2' The impact of the inseaicide Temephos, used to eradicate Sirrulium dannowms.l. the vector of onchoceriasis, on chironomidae (non-biting midges) genera and odonata (dragonflies) species on three streams on Bioko has been investigated as part of an environmental impaa assessment. 1'3' Adult and larval odonata and larval Chironomidae were surveyed throu-ehout Bioko between 23 Marchand 9 April 1999 to establish the distribution ofthese groups and to indicate whether recolonisation oftreated strezmrs from untreated refugia would be possible to re-establish any non-target ta:ra that were eliminated following rhe Simuliumeradication progriunme.l'4' Treatment of all three trial sfeams with Temephos had an adverse effect on the chironomid fauna with an elimination of up 5u/o of thegenera at sites immediately downstream ofthe treaunent point. Insufficient nurnbers of odonata larvae were present in the samples to draw meaningful conclusions about the direa impact ofthe insecticide on the odonate fauna. However, if the insecticide causes a general reduction in abundance and biodiversity of aquatic macro- invertebrates, the odonate fauna could be expected to decline within a few weeks due to a shortage ofprey l'5 Twenty-five species of Odonata were recorded during the present survey, including six species not previously found in Bioko. The total number of odonata species now known from the island is 48 including one species (Trithemis hartwigt)and one subspecies (Chtorocypha cancellata insulua)that are cunently thought to be endernic. Trithemis hartwigr was not collected during the current survey but has previously only been recorded in the highland region around Moca. Chloruyplw cancellaninsalqwwas collected from several lowland streams during the present survey The dragonfly fauna has two elements, an upland element which includes species that occur above 1000 m only, and a lowland element including several species that do not occur above 500 m. Only three species occurred in both these faunistic elements, but there was a transitional fauna at 600 m that included a few species from each elernent. Much ofthe adult dragonfly fauna is probably seasonal in occurrence and so was not recorded during this brief survey. Certain Libellulidae probably migrate to Bioko from mainland Africa to breed in temporary pools during the wet se.$on. ffis migration us likely to be wind assisted. 1.9. Downstream recolonisation by Odonata of streams treated with inseAicide below 1000 m will not occur since upland strearns do not act as refugia for most ofthe lowland odonate fauna. However, if some permanently flowing lowland sffeams are left untreated these could act as refugia for the lowland fauna. Simultaneous inseaicide fieament of the lowland sections of all rivers on Bioko is likely to result in the elimination of a significant proportion ofthe dragonfly fauna on the island, although recolonisation by some species from the African mainland might be possible over time. The chironomid fauna appeared to be fairly uniform in lowland rivers but samples from the high altitude site included four tu

Monitoring progress towards health for all by the year 2000: indicators from Iganga District, Uganda

A Sample of 5018 inhibitants in 3 countries of Iganga District ; Uganda was selected by means of a multi-cluster sampling procedure and interviewed in 1984. A sub sample was re-interviewed; the following year to study population dynamics. 50.2of the population were under 15 years of age and 4.2were aged one year or less. About 80of both sexes aged 6-15 years were in school or had primary education. Male adult literacy rate was 62and female adult literacy rate was 38. The average number of people per sleeping room was 2.4. 82.9of households used well or unprotected spring as main source of water and 30of hosueholds did not not have pit latrine. Infant mortality rate was estimated to be 126 per 1000 livebirths and measles was the major cause of mortality (38) in the under fives. The crude birth rate estimate was 51 per 1000. The estimate of lameness due to polio was 6.6 per 1000 children aged 15 years or below. The mean weight and the mean height of the children were both below 50th percentile of the NCHS standards. In the re-survey; the crude birth rate and infant mortality rate estimates corresponded well to the initial values for the total sample obtained in the previous survey. 5of the population had moved out of the village and 1.8have moved to settle in the village. The growth rate in both weight and height of the under five children was satsifactory comapred to the rate of the standard. From the result of the study; only six years after adoption of PHC in Ugandaa; the relatively high educational level of the younger population should be taken as a positive indicator of better health indices in the future