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PubMed1998

Using remote sensing to predict outbreaks of Oestrus ovis in Namibia.

The Directorate of Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development of Namibia issues warnings to farmers in the south of the country about the likelihood of infestation of small-stock by the nasal bot fly, Oestrus ovis. Farmers can then treat their stock at the most appropriate time. The O. ovis puparia develop at shallow depths in the soil and the timing of emergence is directly dependent on climate conditions, specifically the number of degree-days above a particular threshold soil temperature. Based on temperature measurements from only a few stations scattered throughout the country, the veterinary department warnings lack precision in space and time. This paper presents an attempt to support the programme of warnings with accumulated temperature information from Meteosat satellite images, in order to strengthen predictions of the time of emergence in specific places, and to improve the precision and reliability of warnings given to farmers.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Temporal patterns of domestic and wildlife rabies in central Namibia stock-ranching area, 1986-1996.

Eleven years (1986-1996) of wildlife- and domestic-rabies data from the agriculture stock-ranching area of central Namibia were studied using time-series analysis. Nine hundred and sixty three rabies cases were observed in domestic ruminants (5.4 cases/mo), black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas, 1.3 cases/mo), domestic dogs (0.5 case/mo), and bat-eared foxes (Otocyon megalotis, 0.1 case/mo). The incidence of rabies for all species did not change significantly over the whole study period. However, seasonal variations with an increase in the number of cases between June and November of each year, as well as 34 yr cyclical fluctuations were identified in domestic ruminants and black-backed jackals. The black-backed jackal time-series variable was a significant predictor of the domestic-ruminant and dog time-series variables. The rainfall seasonality combined with the seasonal reproductive pattern of the black-backed jackal appeared to be plausible explanations for the seasonal variations of rabies. However, there was no overall significant correlation between the cyclical weather fluctuations and the 3-4 yr cyclical rabies variations.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Differential fertility and body build in !Kung San and Kavango females from northern Namibia.

The study examines the impact of body build on differential fertility patterns in 93 !Kung San and 85 Kavango females from northern Namibia. In both groups shorter females had more offspring, but also more dead offspring, than taller females. The interaction between body weight and fertility was different in both groups and may be due to different nursing behaviour. There was a positive relationship between the typical pedomorphy and fertility in the !Kung San, and directional selection processes may be important.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Probable calcified metaphytes in the latest Proterozoic Nama Group, Namibia: origin, diagenesis, and implications.

Samples from the Huns Limestone Member, Urusis Formation, Nama Group, at two adjacent localities in southern Namibia contain thin foliose to arched, sheet-like carbonate crusts that are 100-500 micrometers thick and up to 5 cm in lateral dimension. Morphologic, petrographic, and geochemical evidence supports the interpretation of these delicate crusts as biogenic, most likely the remains of calcified encrusting metaphytes. The original sediments of the fossiliferous samples contained aragonitic encrusting algae, botryoidal aragonite cements, and an aragonite mud groundmass. Spherulites within the precursor mud could represent bacterially induced mineral growths or the concretions of marine rivularian cyanobacteria. Original textures were severely disrupted during the diagenetic transition of aragonite to low-magnesian calcite, but some primary structures remain discernible as ghosts in the neomorphic mosaic. Gross morphology, original aragonite mineralogy, and hypobasal calcification indicate that the crusts are similar to late Paleozoic phylloid algae and extant peyssonnelid red algae. Structures interpreted as possible conceptacles also suggest possible affinities with the Corallinaceae. Two species of Cloudina, interpreted as the remains of a shelly metazoan, are also known from limestones in the Nama Group. It is possible, therefore, that skeletalization in metaphytes and animals arose nearly simultaneously near the end of the Proterozoic Eon.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Metal levels in feathers of cormorants, flamingos and gulls from the coast of Namibia in southern Africa.

Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, selemium, and tin concentrations were measured in the feathers of Cape cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis), Hartlaub's gull (Larus hartlaubii), kelp gull (Larus dominicanus), and lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) from the coast of Namibia in southern Africa. Metal concentrations in feathers represent the concentrations in the blood supply at the time of feather formation. Cape Cormorants are piscivores; kelp gulls are primarily piscivores; Hartlaub's gull is an omnivore; and lesser flamingos eat primarily blue-green algae and invertebrates filtered from the water and sediment of hypersaline lagoons. We predicted that metal concentrations would reflect these trophic level differences. There were significant species differences in the concentrations of all metals, with flamingos having the lowest levels, and cormorants having the highest levels of 4 metals but not mercury. The gulls had the highest levels of mercury, perhaps reflecting their more scavenging behavior.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1995

Epidemiology and control of schistosomiasis mansoni in communities living on the Cuando River floodplain of East Caprivi, Namibia.

The Cuando River area of eastern Caprivi, Namibia, is highly endemic for Schistosoma mansoni whereas S. haematobium transmission, due to the scarcity of its intermediate host snail, Bulinus africanus, does not occur. Chemotherapy (6-monthly blanket treatments with praziquantel) combined with focal mollusciciding (monthly application of niclosamide) was used in a project in the area to control the disease. Although as many adults and pre-school children as possible were tested and treated, the project concentrated largely on school-age children. It took 3 years for prevalence to decline from > 80% to 20% because of a lack of proper sanitary facilities and piped water supplies and high rates of absenteeism and re-infection. However, intensity of infection decreased more rapidly, from an arithmetic mean of > 200 to < 5 eggs/g faeces. Hepatomegaly was common among school children when the project started but could be seen in only a small percentage of them after 3 years of control. Neither the bovine schistosome, S. mattheei, nor the lechwe schistosomes, S. margrebowiei and S. leiperi, were observed in the excreta of humans living in the area.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Anthropometric-hormonal correlation patterns in San and Kavango males from Namibia.

Correlations between sex hormone levels and body dimensions--so far investigated only in Caucasian populations--were analysed using data from 114 !Kung San hunter-gatherers and 137 urban and rural Kavango men from Namibia. The androgens testosterone (Tser) and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the serum and free testosterone in the saliva (Tsal) as well as oestradiol (E2) in the serum were determined by the radioimmunoassay method. The body dimensions were described by 50 anthropometric features which were additionally subjected to factor analysis yielding seven factors. Most of the individual measurements as well as the resulting factor scores correlated significantly with the sex hormone variables and the hormone ratios Tser/DHT, Tsal/Tser, and Tser/E2 in the !Kung San and the two Kavango samples. For an extended comparison pertinent data from a German sample were included in the analysis. This made it possible to test the stability of metric hormonal correlations in different populations living under various ecological and economical conditions. While the breadth measurements in all samples show relatively consistent correlations to both absolute hormones and hormone ratios, the correlations to the other body measurements and individual factor scores turn out to be less stable. Here, the effect of sex hormones on physical growth, which is experimentally well documented, is obviously differentially covered by genetic and environmental factors specific for the groups in question.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in Negroid populations from Namibia: new light on the origins of the Dama, Herero and Ambo.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms were investigated in the Herero, Dama and Ambo Negroid groups from Namibia, using the restriction enzymes HpaI, BamHI, HaeII, MspI, AvaII and HincII. Although the Dama presently speak a Hottentot language, Nama, their mtDNA pool closely resembles that found in the Herero who are western-Bantu speakers, suggesting that these groups may be derived from the same female ancestor. Both the Dama and the Herero have a high frequency of mtDNA type 21-2 (2-1-1-1-2-2), found at frequencies of 32.6% and 50.0%, respectively, compared to 4.5% in the Ambo. In addition, the 'Negroid-like' types 2-2 (3-1-1-1-3-2) and 7-2 (3-1-1-1-1-2), found at frequencies of 13.5% and 54.5%, respectively, in the Ambo, are rarely found in the Dama and Herero. This suggests that the Ambo have different origins from the Herero and Dama; they appear to be more closely related to southeastern Bantu-speakers than to southwestern Bantu-speakers.

Black People↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Weight status of adult !Kung San and Kavango people from northern Namibia.

An anthropometric assessment was conducted at 238 !Kung San hunter-gatherers aged between 18 and 65 years (mean = 30.8 years), 156 Kavango horticultural pastoralists aged between 18 and 61 years (mean = 29.2 years) and for 87 urbanized Kavango people aged between 18 and 61 years (mean = 29.3 years) living as wage earning employees in northern Namibia. Weight status was estimated by using body mass index categories according to the recommendations of the WHO. As is typical for human populations, men were taller and heavier than women within the same ethnic groups. An interethnic comparison showed that both !Kung San women and men were lighter than Kavango women and men. The mean BMI of !Kung San women was 19.1 and of !Kung San men 19.4 kg/m2. Kavango people exhibited higher average BMI values, 19.4 for women, 20.3 kg/m2 for men. With the exception of the male urban Kavango people a high percentage (more than 30%) of the subjects were thin and underweight, as shown by a BMI of < 18.5 kg/m2. This was especially true of the !Kung San of both sexes and the rural Kavango men. Nearly 25% of !Kung San women met the criterion of weight depletion (BMI < 17.0). The cultural transition from nomadic hunter gatherer subsistence to a more sedentary life style over the last 20 years can be interpreted as an environmental stress which affected male as well as female nutritional status. The hard economic situation of the rural Kavango people may also be a stress factor which negatively influenced their nutritional status, especially of the men. The significantly better nutritional status of the urban Kavango men may be the result of the opportunities for work as wage earners or as soldiers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Schoolchildren's food consumption and dietary intake during the dry season in north-west Namibia.

The diet of school-aged children in north-west Namibia was investigated. Data on food consumption were collected using the 24-h recall interview method. The field study was conducted during the dry season. The subjects were schoolchildren aged between 8 and 15 years living in either a small town (n=43) or a rural area (n=10). In town, the main sources of energy were maize porridge and wheat bread, and for the rural children, sour milk and maize. The consumption of vegetables, fruit and legumes was very low in both groups. The mean intakes of energy were 6.7 MJ/day for children living in town and 4.7 MJ/day for rural subjects. The intakes of vitamin A, vitamin C and folate were inadequate in both groups. Our findings show that during the dry season, the diets of Namibian school-aged children are monotonous.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Mortality transition in the Ovamboland region of Namibia, 1930-1990.

Few long-term statistical series exist that can document the mortality transition in Africa. This paper uses data from the parish registers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia to study morality in Ovamboland between 1930 and 1990. The paper identifies significant discontinuities and reversals in the trend in mortality. Much of the mortality transition occurred in a rapid breakthrough concentrated between the early 1950s and early 1960s. Adult mortality fell more than existing model life tables would predict and the pattern of relatively high early-age mortality typical of modern Africa emerged only at this time. While a range of developments in Ovamboland contributed to the overall decline in mortality, the most important factor was the establishment, by the Finnish Mission, of a Western system of health care. In Ovamboland, the drive to 'good health at low cost' was articulated not through political institutions but through the church.

Finland↗
PubMed2006

Assessment of the natural radioactivity in the soils of Windhoek city, Namibia, Southern Africa.

The radioactivity concentrations of (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K in 160 soil samples collected from 16 geographical areas across Windhoek city, Namibia, have been determined using an HPGe detector and found to vary from 15.0 +/- 1.3 to 37.8 +/- 2.1 Bq kg(-1) for (238)U, 17.5 +/- 2.7 to 62.1 +/- 3.3 Bq kg(-1) for (232)Th and 168.9 +/- 15.0 to 784.9 +/- 30.1 Bq kg(-1) for (40)K. These concentrations were used to calculate the mean absorbed dose rate and the mean annual effective dose for the city. The value of 0.07 +/- 0.01 mSv y(-1) obtained for the mean effective dose is less than the maximum permissible dose of 1 mSv y(-1) recommended for the public by the International Commission on Radiological Protection.

Africa, Southern↗
PubMed1996

Validation study of a verbal autopsy method for causes of childhood mortality in Namibia.

Verbal autopsy uses a caretaker interview to determine the cause of death. We conducted a study of the major causes of child death in Namibia to determine the validity of this method. A questionnaire, including signs and symptoms of the diagnoses of interest was administered to the caretaker in 135 deaths of children < 5 years old who were identified from hospital records. The 243 diagnoses included malnutrition (77), diarrhoea (73), pneumonia (36), malaria (33), and measles (24). Sensitivity and specificity of various algorithms of reported signs and symptoms were compared to the medical diagnoses. An algorithm for malnutrition (very thin or swelling) had 73 per cent sensitivity and 76 per cent specificity. An algorithm for cerebral malaria (fever, loss of consciousness or convulsion) had 72 per cent sensitivity and 85 per cent specificity, while for all malaria deaths the same algorithm had low sensitivity (45 per cent) and high specificity (87 per cent). For diarrhoea, loose or liquid stools had high sensitivity (89 per cent), but low specificity (61 per cent). Cough with dyspnoea or tachypnoea had 72 per cent sensitivity and 64 per cent specificity. An algorithm for measles (age > or = 120 days, rash) had 71 per cent sensitivity and 85 per cent specificity. The study results suggest verbal autopsy data can be useful to ascertain the leading causes of death in childhood, but may have limitations for health impact evaluation.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1989

Blastomycosis in Namibia--report of a case successfully treated with itraconazole.

The clinical, histological, mycological, radiological and scintigraphic features of a 42-year-old Namibian male with blastomycosis are described. This appears to be the first documented incidence of blastomycosis in Namibia. Leucocyte myeloperoxidase deficiency was evident. Treatment with itraconazole led to dramatic resolution of lesions. A reactive xanthogranulomatous response was present in a healed clavicular lesion.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Automated detection of malaria pigment: feasibility for malaria diagnosing in an area with seasonal malaria in northern Namibia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of automated malaria detection with the Cell-Dyn 3700 (Abbott Diagnostics, Santa Clara, CA, USA) haematology analyser for diagnosing malaria in northern Namibia. METHODS: From April to June 2003, all patients with a positive blood smear result and a subset of patients with no suspicion of malaria were included. Blood smear and a venous blood sample (to determine haemoglobin, platelet and malaria pigment levels) were collected from each patient. Malaria pigment test characteristics, correlations with blood parameters and pigment clearance time were calculated. Finally, a subset of blood samples was run twice to evaluate the consistency of test outcome. RESULTS: Two hundred and eight patients were included. Ninety had a positive blood smear result of which 84 tested positive for malaria pigment and 118 patients had a negative blood smear result of which four tested positive for malaria pigment. Test characteristics as compared with microscopy were as follows: sensitivity 0.93, specificity 0.97, positive predictive value 0.95, negative predictive value 0.95. Rerun of the blood samples resulted in a change of diagnosis in 14%. After 4 weeks, 33% of patients with an initially positive pigment result still tested positive. Malaria pigment was found to be negatively correlated with haemoglobin. CONCLUSIONS: Automated detection of malaria pigment is a useful diagnostic tool in this semi-rural area. In low-risk malaria season, the test can be used for diagnosing malaria because of the high sensitivity. In high-risk malaria season, the test can be used for excluding malaria in case of a negative pigment result because of the high specificity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Proterozoic modular biomineralized metazoan from the Nama Group, Namibia.

We describe a Proterozoic, fully biomineralized metazoan from the Omkyk Member (approximately 549 million years before the present) of the northern Nama Group, Namibia. Namapoikia rietoogensis gen. et sp. nov. is up to 1 meter in diameter and bears a complex and robust biomineralized skeleton; it probably represents a cnidarian or poriferan. Namapoikia encrusts perpendicular to the walls of vertical synsedimentary fissures in microbial reefs. This finding implies that large, modular metazoans with biologically controlled mineralization appeared some 15 million years earlier than previously documented.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Patterns of association, nestedness, and species co-occurrence of helminth parasites in the greater kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros, in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and the Etosha National Park, Namibia.

The helminth parasites of the greater kudu from the Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa, and the Etosha National Park (ENP), Namibia, were examined to determine the major patterns of spatial and demographic variation in community structure and to evaluate nonrandomness in parasite community assembly. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination procedures were used to test for differences in parasite community composition between hosts of the 2 parks and between hosts of different demographic groups within KNP. Infracommunities within KNP were also examined for patterns of nonrandomness using 2 null models, i.e., nestedness and species co-occurrence. Infracommunities of KNP and ENP were significantly different from each other, as were infracommunities of different host demographic groups within KNP. Parasite species in the greater kudu from KNP displayed significant levels of nestedness and were found to co-occur less frequently than expected by chance; however, this lack of co-occurrence was significant only when all demographic groups were considered. When restricted to any particular age class, co-occurrence patterns could not be distinguished from random. Overall, these data suggest that biogeography and host demographics are important factors in determining community organization of helminth parasites in the greater kudu.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1993

Surveillance and control of anthrax and rabies in wild herbivores and carnivores in Namibia.

Anthrax has been studied intensively in Etosha National Park, Namibia since 1966; in addition, since 1975, mortality due to rabies and all other causes has been recorded, totalling 6,190 deaths. Standard diagnostic procedures demonstrated that at least 811 deaths (13%) were due to anthrax and 115 deaths (2%) were caused by rabies. Of the total number of deaths due to anthrax, 97% occurred in zebra (Equus burchelli), elephant (Loxodonta africana), wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) while 96% of rabies deaths occurred in kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), jackal (Canis mesomelas), bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis) and lion (Panthera leo). Anthrax deaths were highest in the rainy season for zebra, wildebeest and springbok, while elephant mortality peaked during dry seasons. No statistical relationship existed between seasonal rainfall and overall incidence of either anthrax or rabies. Control of anthrax is limited to prophylactic inoculation when rare or endangered species are threatened. Incineration of anthrax carcasses and chemical disinfection of drinking water are not feasible at Etosha. Rabies control consists of the destruction of rabid animals and incineration of their carcasses when possible.

Animals↗