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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1995

AIDS in Namibia.

The purpose of this article is to examine the AIDS epidemic in Namibia, a country for which little data currently exists. An examination of published and unpublished literature about the historical, socioeconomic and health factors as well as an analysis of updated data from other sub Saharan countries presented at the IXth International Conference on AIDS in Berlin may shed light on the pandemic as it relates to Namibia. Despite inadequate data, it is clear that the AIDS epidemic has already reached Namibia, though the country has not been afflicted as severely as some of its neighbors. Because of 75 years of apartheid, the new government is faced with a formidable array of problems, both in health care and in the economic domain. The strategies being adopted to confront the AIDS epidemic will take years to evolve, a period of time the nation can ill-afford if it is to wrest control over a virus that is relentlessly spreading into susceptible populations.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Permanent dentition caries in KwaZulu and Namibia 11-year-olds.

The permanent dentitions of 11-year-old children in Namibia (n = 295) and KwaZulu (n = 308) living in rural and urban areas were examined using WHO caries diagnostic criteria. In low fluoride areas (less than 0.15 ppmF) significantly more caries was present in rural compared to urban KwaZulu but the prevalences in rural and urban Namibia were similar although significantly higher than in an area with 1.56ppmF in the drinking water. There was significantly more caries in rural Namibia than KwaZulu but the urban prevalences in both regions were similar. It is suggested that the urban findings are useful predictors for the needs of 11-year-old black children but local baseline surveys should be undertaken before considering dental programmes, treatment or preventive, for different rural communities in South Africa.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Unusual distribution of childhood cancer in Namibia.

A survey of childhood cancer was undertaken in Namibia from 1983 to 1988 to record all tumors in children less than 15 years of age. The national incidence of childhood cancer in the republic of Namibia was 55.5 per million children. The overall incidence rate was 73.3 per million in urban and densely populated areas, and 44.4 per million in the rural areas. This difference was not statistically significant. The relatively high 75 per million overall incidence of tumors amongst the white population group was probably due to the generally higher socioeconomic status and concomitant good medical care of this ethnic group during the study period. The significantly higher overall incidence of tumors (109 per million) recorded in the Rehoboth ethnic group, however, could not be accounted for by socioeconomic status or better health care facilities and remains unexplained. The cause of the increased incidence of central nervous system tumors in the Herero (26 per million) and osteosarcomas in the Kavango (11 per million) ethnic groups is also not clear and warrants further research. The apparent geographical cluster of tumors in northern and central Namibia was caused by the irregular distribution of the population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Prevalence of hepatitis B in !Kung (San) children from Bushmanland, Namibia.

Serum samples from 248 predominantly !Kung children (aged 5-19 years) attending various bush schools and a clinic in Bushmanland, northern Namibia were examined for the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers by radioimmunoassay. HBsAg was detected in 18 (7.3%) children while 117 (47.6%) showed one or more markers of HBV infection. These prevalence rates are lower than those of the closely situated territory of Kavango to the north and East Caprivi to the north-east. No significant difference in HBs antigenaemia between !Kung boys and girls was found (p > 0.05). However, HBs antigenaemia was found to vary between children in different bush schools. A significantly higher number of children attending the Omatako bush school were positive for HBsAg than the number attending the Luhebu bush school (p < 0.0167). These local variations could assist in the initial targeting of HBV vaccine to high-risk areas. In situ investigations of hyperendemic foci in Bushmanland, Namibia should help to elucidate the variation in HBs antigenaemia and the factors responsible for transmission of HBV.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Seroprevalence of Chlamydia psittaci-specific antibodies in small stock in Namibia--epidemiological study with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

An IgG (H+L)-ELISA was applied as a screening test for antibodies against Chlamydia (C.) psittaci in sera of goats and sheep in Namibia. In 576 (27.3%) of a total of 2,107 sera (299 = 25.2% of 1,185 caprine and 277 = 30.0% of 922 ovine sera) chlamydial antibodies could be detected. 86% of all farms tested revealed seropositive animals. Chlamydial infections were prevalent in all the geographical regions tested. The infection rates per State Veterinary District varied from 12.0% (Otjiwarongo) to 50.0% (Otavi) in goats and from 13.3% (Otjiwarongo) to 41.7% (Windhoek) in sheep. The regional distribution of chlamydial infections was not related to geographical or climatic factors. Sera from herds showing symptoms indicative for chlamydial infections showed significantly higher antibody rates (35% in goats and 39% in sheep) than sera from herds without health problems (18% in goats and 24% in sheep). Considering only sera from farms with clinical history of chlamydiosis, high seroprevalences were correlated to the symptoms abortion and keratoconjunctivitis. As in other countries, enzootic abortion seems to be the main manifestation of chlamydial infection in small ruminants in Namibia. C. psittaci might also play a considerable role in the etiology of infectious keratoconjunctivitis, whereas association with other clinical entities seems to be rare.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Energy intake, dental caries and periodontal disease in 11-year-old black children in two regions of Southern Africa: KwaZulu and Namibia.

The study examined energy intake in relation to dental caries and periodontal disease in 11-yr-old rural and urban black children in low fluoride areas of KwaZulu and Namibia (0.15 ppm F) and one higher fluoride area of Namibia (1.56 ppm F). Twenty-four hour dietary recalls were conducted by trained interviewers and daily energy intake estimated using the MRC dietary analysis programme. DMFS was recorded according to WHO criteria: periodontal disease was measured using CPITN and SAS was used for statistical analysis. The prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease (using CPITN), were compared within three energy groupings; < or = 850 kcal/day; > 850, < 1400 kcal/day and > or = 1400 kcal/day. The rural low fluoride Namibian children had the lowest mean energy intake (616 kcal/day), which also was the grouping with highest healthy periodontal prevalence (65%). The urban groups had higher energy intakes than the rural communities. Statistically significant effects on caries prevalence were seen for country and fluoride grouping; for periodontal disease, significant effects were noted for country, fluoride group and environment. Energy intake had no statistically significant effect, so this is not a risk marker for the disease.

Black or African American↗

PubMed1990

Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) in KwaZulu and Namibia in 11-year-old children in 1988.

A sample of 603 11-year-old children from four low fluoride (less than 0.15 ppm) and one higher fluoride (1.56 ppm) communities in Namibia and KwaZulu were examined in 1988 using the CPITN. In a rural low fluoride community in Namibia only 6 per cent of children had healthy mouths compared with 42-58 per cent in the other communities. The main periodontal lesion seen was gingival bleeding (19-47 per cent) followed by calculus (6-47 per cent). There is a need for both oral hygiene improvement and simple intervention.

Child↗

PubMed1993

[The nurse as preceptor in personnel development in teaching hospitals in Namibia].

A study undertaken in 1991 focused on the role fulfilment of the preceptor in staff development in training hospitals in Namibia. As in the case in many countries the nursing service climate in Namibia is characterised by constant change in the practice of professional nurses. The preceptor must accompany the professional nurses in their personal and professional development.

Hospitals, Teaching↗

PubMed1997

Genetic study of African populations: polymorphisms of the plasma proteins TF, PL, F13B, and AHSG in populations of Namibia and Mozambique.

Genetic variations of four highly polymorphic serum proteins, TF, PI, F13B, and AHSG, were tested to distinguish one black African and one Khoisan population of southwest Africa. The results show that indeed the systems TF, PI, and AHSG are of high value for anthropological genetics: The allele frequencies for these systems enable clear identification of and distinction between black African and Khoisan populations. The F13B locus, on the other hand, reveals for both the black African and the Khoisan populations specific and unique African variants: a high frequency of F13B*2 and the lowest frequency of F13B*3 so far worldwide. The new data are compared with results for TF and PI in another black African population of Mozambique, which Rodewald et al. (1988) had studied previously. The dendrogram, based on genetic distance data D and average linkage cluster analysis, shows minimal distance between both black African populations of Namibia and Mozambique and marked distance between those and the Khoisan population of Namibia.

Alleles↗

PubMed1996

Brief communication: new primate remains from the Miocene of Namibia, southern Africa.

Miocene primates from southern Africa are extremely rare. For this reason we wish to place on record several interesting new fossil primate specimens recently recovered from the Miocene sites of Berg Aukas and Harasib in the Otavi Mountain region of northern Namibia. The new finds consist of a virtually complete atlas vertebra from Berg Aukas attributable to the hominoid Otavipithecus namibiensis and two teeth and four postcranial fragments from Harasib referrable to Cercopithecoidea. The atlas vertebra exhibits anatomical characteristics intermediate between those of modern cercopithecoids and hominoids which may be indicative of a transition from pronograde to orthograde postures. The cercopithecoid remains show that the earliest Old World monkeys known from southern Africa were small, approximately the size of vervet monkeys. These new specimens are important because they provide the first evidence relating to possible positional behaviors of Otavipithecus and the earliest fossil record of cercopithecoids from southern Africa.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Outcome of children treated for cancer in the Republic of Namibia.

The data of a survey undertaken to record all cases of childhood cancer in Namibia from 1983 to 1988 were analyzed to estimate 5-year survival rates. The projected survival rate for 150 children with cancer was 37% with no difference between boys and girls. The calculated survival rates for most of the tumor groups were poor with the exception of Wilms' tumor which had a 5-year survival rate of 76%. The zero survival rate of children with malignant bone disease may have been due to inadequate treatment. Neuroblastoma and retinoblastoma presented with advanced disease which contributed to the poor survival rates of 13% and 46%, respectively. The overall survival rate for lymphoma of 53% and 39% for all leukemias compares poorly with the rates obtained in industrialized countries. The relatively poor 25% survival rate in tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) may partly be due to the long delay between the initial diagnosis and the institution of appropriate treatment for raised intracranial pressure and for the tumor. Both cure and long-term follow-up are difficult to achieve in a developing country. Improved early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are necessary to improve survival rates.

Child↗

PubMed1980

Brachymesophalangia V in Hottentot and "Cape Colored" children in Namibia (South West Africa) and South Africa.

In order to determine the incidence of Brachymesophalangia V, an inspectional and metrical analysis was made of radiographs of 67 Nama-speaking Hottentots aged 2 to 17.5 years, and 210 Rehoboth Basters (in Namibia) and Cape Colored children (near Cape Town) aged 1.5 to 21 years. None of the children displayed cone-shaped epiphysis or early union, and none showed Brachymesophalangia V. It was confirmed that the incidence of Brachymesophalangia V is considerably higher in Mongoloid populations than in Caucasoid or Negroid groups, including Hottentots.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Fossil Homo femur from Berg Aukas, northern Namibia.

The proximal half of a hominid femur was recovered from deep within a paleokarst feature at the Berg Aukas mine, northern Namibia. The femur is fully mineralized, but it is not possible to place it in geochronological context. It has a very large head, an exceptionally thick diaphyseal cortex, and a very low collodiaphyseal angle, which serve to differentiate it from Holocene homologues. The femur is not attributable to Australopithecus, Paranthropus, or early Homo (i.e., H. habilis sensu lato). Homo erectus femora have a relatively longer and AP flatter neck, and a shaft that exhibits less pilaster than the Berg Aukas specimen. Berg Aukas also differs from early modern femora in several features, including diaphyseal cortical thickness and the degree of subtrochanteric AP flattening. The massive diaphyseal cortex of Berg Aukas finds its closest similarity within archaic H. sapiens (e.g., Castel di Guido) and H. erectus (e.g., KNM-ER 736) samples. It has more cortical bone at midshaft than any other specimen, although relative cortical thickness and the asymmetry of its cross-sectional disposition at this level are comparable with those of other Pleistocene femora. The closest morphological comparisons with Berg Aukas are in archaic (i.e., Middle Pleistocene) H. sapiens and Neandertal samples.

Adult↗

PubMed1987

Onyalai in Namibia. Clinical manifestations, haematological findings, course and management of 103 patients in the Kavango territory.

A series of 103 patients with onyalai, from the Kavango territory in Namibia, is recorded. In addition to haemorrhagic bullae in every patient, epistaxis was present in 53, petechiae and ecchymoses in 23, subconjunctival or scleral bleeds in 17, melaena and haematemesis in 16, haematuria in 12 and menorrhagia in 9 patients. The male:female ratio was 43:60. The ages varied from 6 months to 70 years with a peak incidence between 11 and 20 years. The mean platelet count was 22 X 10(9)/l and the mean haemoglobin 10.3 g/dl on admission. The management consisted of the correction of blood loss. A splenectomy in 2 patients with uncontrollable haemorrhage caused a rise in the platelet count. Prednisolone and intravenous gammaglobulin had the same effect on the platelet count as ascorbic acid (placebo). Vincristine sulphate appeared to benefit some patients. One year's observation of 21 patients demonstrated that 80% of cases will have chronic thrombocytopenia with a risk of intermittent attacks of acute haemorrhage. Six patients died, 4 of cerebral haemorrhage and 2 of haemorrhagic shock. Four infants born to mothers with onyalai were normal at birth. Onyalai should be clearly distinguished from classical idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a disease also encountered in Africa.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intestinal helminths of hospital patients in Kavango territory, Namibia.

In-patient and out-patient faeces examination reports from the State Hospital in Rundu, Kavango territory, Namibia, gave some idea of the prevalence of helminthic infections. 4174 specimens were examined over a 29-month period. Hookworm (6.8%) and Strongyloides (2.7%) were the most common infections, followed by Hymenolepis nana (1%), Schistosoma mansoni (1%) and Taenia sp. (0.9%). S. mansoni was more common in males than females, hookworm more common in females than males, and H. nana was most common in the pre-school group. Promiscuous defaecation on the banks of the Okavango river provides ideal situations for the development and transmission of hookworm and Strongyloides, while fishing and other activities enhance the transmission of S. mansoni infections. Larva migrans, probably due to Ancyclostoma braziliense or A. caninum, is common in the area. Studies involving schoolchildren would provide more accurate assessment of the prevalences of the various helminths.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Onyalai at Rundu, Namibia 1981-1988: age, sex, morbidity, mortality and seasonal variation of 612 hospitalized patients.

Of 51,263 admissions to Rundu State Hospital in Namibia between 1981 and 1988, 612 (1.19%) were diagnosed as onyalai. The annual incidence varied between 0.96% and 1.66% of all admissions. The female to male ratio was 3:2. The mean age at presentation was 24.8 years (range 6 months to 80 years) and the mean hospital stay (and duration of clinical bleeding) for the years 1981 to 1982 and 1985 to 1988 was 7.68 d (range 1-38 d). Although the highest number of cases occurred during the months March, April and May a statistically significant monthly variation was not found. The treatment policy of commencing intravenous fluid on admission and a blood transfusion whenever the haemoglobin dropped below 10 g/dl in patients with active bleeding was associated with a mortality rate of 2.78% compared to 9.8% in cases recorded up to 1981.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Serological markers of hepatitis B virus and certain other viruses in the population of eastern Caprivi, Namibia.

Serum samples from 475 male and 420 female subjects from the population of eastern Caprivi, the north-easternmost territory in northern Namibia, were examined for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to HBsAg (anti-HBs) and hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). There appeared to be a rapid acquisition of antibodies to the different markers in childhood, reaching maximum values in the 20-24 year age group. The prevalence rate for all markers was lower in eastern Caprivi than in Kavango, an area 180 km to the west. The reason for these differences is unclear. It is postulated that the hut tampan tick (Ornithodoros moubata), which has previously been shown to be implicated in the transmission of hepatitis B virus in Kavango, is more common in the latter territory than in eastern Caprivi. Huts in eastern Caprivi are usually better constructed than in Kavango, where reeds are commonly used as building material. Tampans lodge between the reeds and are more difficult to eradicate. West Nile virus was the most common of the arboviruses found in our sero-prevalence studies.

Antibodies, Viral↗

PubMed1988

The political economy of health care: colonial Namibia 1915-1961.

The political economy of health care services in colonial Namibia during 1915-1961 closely reflected the extreme racial and class imbalance of power in a conquest state. The colonial power allocated to the indigent nine-tenths, the poorest nine-tenths of the people, an average 43% of the health care budget between 1922 and 1954. The League of Nations mandate proved toothless in pressuring the Mandatory power to rectify this or other inequalities.

Black or African American↗