Browsing by Author "Mboera, Leonard E.G"

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Are we prepared for emerging and re-emerging diseases? Experience and lessons from epidemics that occurred in Tanzania during the last five decades
(2011-12) Rweyemamu, Mark M; Mmbuji, Peter; Kivaria, Fredrick M; Simba, Azma; Mbugi, Erasto; Karimuribo, Esron D; Mboera, Leonard E.G
This paper reviews preparedness for containing and controlling emerging and re-emerging diseases drawing lessons from disease events that occurred in animal and human populations in the last five decades (1961-2011). A comprehensive analysis based on retrieval and analysis of grey and published literature as well as reported cases was carried out to document type and trend of occurrence of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in different parts of Tanzania. Overall, the majority of diseases reported in the country were viral in nature followed by bacterial diseases. The trend for the occurrence shows a number of new emerging diseases as well as re-occurrence of old diseases in both animal (domestic and wild) and human populations. In humans, the major disease epidemics reported in the last five decades include cholera, influenza A H1N1, plague and rubella. In animals, the major epidemic diseases reported were Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia, Peste des petits ruminants and Giraffe Ear and Skin Diseases. Some epidemics have been reported in both human and animal populations including Rift Valley fever and anthrax. The emergence of the ‘fit-for purpose’ approaches and technologies such as the discipline of One Health, use of participatory epidemiology and disease surveillance and mobile technologies offers opportunity for optimal use of limited resources to improve early detection, diagnosis and response to disease events and consequently reduced impact of such diseases in animal and human populations.
The epidemiology and socio-economic impact of rift valley fever epidemics in Tanzania: a review
(Tanzania Journal of Health Research, 2011) Sindato, Calvin; Karimuribo, Esron; Mboera, Leonard E.G
Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is an acute, mosquito-borne viral disease that has a significant global threat to humans and livestock. This review was conducted to provide comprehensive update on Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in Tanzania, with particular attention devoted to trend of occurrence, epidemiological factors, socioeconomic impact and measures which were applied to its control. Information presented in this paper was obtained through extensive literature review. RVF occurred for the first time in Tanzania in 1930. This was followed by periodic epidemics of 10-20 years i.e. 1947, 1957, 1977, 1997 and 2007. During the latest disease outbreak in 2007 (the expanded to cover wider area of the country) 52.4% (n=21) of regions in Tanzania mainland were affected and majority (72.7%, n=11) of the regions had concurrent infections in human and animals. Phylogenetic comparison of nucleotide and amimo acid sequences revealed different virus strains between Kenya and Tanzania. Epidemiological factors that were considered responsible for the previous RVF epidemics in Tanzania included farming systems, climatic factors, vector activities and presence of large population of ruminant species, animal movements and food consumption habits. The disease caused serious effects on rural people’s food security and household nutrition and on direct and indirect losses to livestock producers in the country. Psycho-social distress that communities went through was enormous, which involved the thinking about the loss of their family members and/or relatives, their livestock and crop production. Socially, the status of most livestock producers was eroded in their communities. Steps taken to combat epidemics included restriction of animal movements, ban of the slaughter of domestic ruminants and vaccination of livestock and health education.