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PubMed2001

AIDS and cultural practices in Africa: the case of the Tonga (Zambia).

The fight against AIDS in Africa is often presented as a fight against "cultural barriers" that are seen as promoting the spread of the HIV virus. This attitude is based on a long history of Western prejudices about sexuality in Africa, which focus on its exotic aspects only (polygamy, adultery, wife-exchange, circumcision, dry sex, levirate, sexual pollution, sexual cleansing, various beliefs and taboos, etc.). The article argues that those cultural aspects are a wrong target of AIDS prevention programs because they are not incompatible with a safer behavior, and because their eradication would not ensure the protection of people. To fight against them might alienate the people whose cooperation is necessary if one wants to prevent the spread of AIDS. The major problems of AIDS prevention in Africa are not specifically African, but are similar to the problems existing in Europe or America. Therefore, anti-AIDS projects should not fight against one local African culture in order to impose another (Western), but should rather try to make behavior and practises safer in a way that is culturally acceptable to people.

Condoms↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of tobacco, alcohol and illegal drug usage among school students in three Pacific Island societies.

BACKGROUND: Many Pacific Island countries are in social and epidemiological transition, but there are little population data about drug and alcohol usage among adolescents in this region. METHODS: Random samples of school students aged 11-17 years completed surveys in three populations: Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia (n=1495), Tonga (n=2808) and Vanuatu (n=4474). RESULTS: Among 15-year-olds, boys in Tonga reported the highest prevalence of weekly smoking (29%), followed by boys in Pohnpei (17%). Kava use at a potentially harmful level (i.e. daily) was low in all countries. Drunkenness on two or more occasions was much more common among 15-year-old boys in Pohnpei (51%) than same-age youth in the other countries. Marijuana use was most often reported by boys (20%) and girls (20%) in Pohnpei, while solvents had been used most often by boys in Pohnpei (15%), and methylated spirits by boys in Tonga (20%). In all countries bullying of other students was independently related to regular smoking, while bullying behaviour and strong relationships with peers and others outside of the family were related to past drunkenness and use of illegal drugs in Tonga and Vanuatu. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, levels of adolescent substance use were consistently higher in Tonga and Pohnpei than in Vanuatu. These unique data provide a basis for setting priorities and evaluating action to address the health risks posed by substance use in these Pacific Island societies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2026

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Zambian Indigenous Cattle.

A study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity of Zambian indigenous cattle using microsatellites. In Zambia, cattle provide draft power, food, manure and generate income. DNA extraction followed the Qiagen protocol, and Arlequin V3.0 was used for data analysis. 72 unrelated animals from three regions, Eastern (Angoni), Southern (Tonga) and Western (Barotse), were sampled. 315 alleles observed were higher in TGLA 263 (106 bp) with 0.861, 0.824 and 0.753, BMS650 (160 bp) with 0.710 and SPS 115 (248 bp) with 0.581, 0.710 and 0.794 for Angoni, Tonga and Barotse, respectively. Effective allele frequency was 4.521 ± 0.351, 4.246 ± 0.299 and 3.888 ± 0.289 for Angoni, Tonga and Barotse, respectively. Global deficit of heterozygotes across populations (Fit) amounted to 4.2%. Overall mean deficit of heterozygotes (Fis = 1%), genetic differentiation among breeds (Fst = 3.2%),, and genetic flow between populations (Nm = 11.3) ranged from RM 067 (40.564) to BLI (3.016). Analysis of molecular variance revealed 2.7% genetic variation among populations and 97.3% within the cattle population, with a mean genetic diversity of 0.753. Structure analysis (PCoA) demonstrated the presence of two subpopulations in which all three populations are represented and these two groups showed evidence of substructuring. In the Bayesian analysis, Tonga and Barotse populations were clustered together, while the Angoni were separated from the rest of the populations in K = 2. There was no evidence of panmixia and linkage equilibrium; the VD (9.153) value is greater than L (5.929), indicating that the population was in equilibrium. This study presents a comprehensive genetic characterisation of indigenous cattle in Zambia, which is important for further studies.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Differing profiles of periodontal disease in two similar South Pacific island populations.

The periodontal condition of a cross-section of individuals aged between 15-59 years was characterised from clinical and radiographic observations of dental calculus, gingival inflammation, the level of the gingival attachment , alveolar bone loss, teeth missing or requiring extraction for periodontal reasons. The common characteristics of the profile in Tonga and W. Samoa were a high prevalence of the factors common to periodontal disease: calculus and gingival inflammation; a progressive apical movement of the gingival attachment; and alveolar bone loss. All these criteria showed a positive age dependency with calculus (particularly subgingival calculus) and gingival inflammation being very commonly associated with all tooth types at an early age, less than 30 years. Tooth loss observed was presumed to be previously associated with periodontal disease because the prevalence of dental caries was very low in both populations. Substantial differences were observed in the number of missing teeth between Tongan and Samoan populations, the Tongan subjects having a high rate of tooth loss. From radiographic interpretations of the periodontal conditions fewer subjects in Tonga were assessed as having no disease, and there was a higher prevalence of progressive destructive disease in Tonga than in W. Samoa. The proportion of subjects in both countries with no disease decreased rapidly with age. There was no evident explanation of the greater severity of disease in Tonga than in W. Samoa. The prevalence of microbial plaque, calculus and gingival inflammation was very high in all subjects at all ages particularly over 30 years in both populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Evidence for population sub-structuring in São Tomé e Príncipe as inferred from Y-chromosome STR analysis.

Seven Y-chromosome STR loci, DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392 and DYS393 have been analysed in population samples of Angolares, Forros and Tongas, three ethnic groups from the African archipelago of São Tomé e Príncipe (Gulf of Guinea). Complete typings were obtained for 103 chromosomes, which belonged to 79 different haplotypes. The mean heterozygosity per locus in the overall São Tomean sample was 0.566, with the highest value found among Forros and the lowest among Angolares. Angolares also showed the lowest level of haplotype diversity. On average, the mean pairwise difference between two random haplotypes from Angolares, Forros and Tongas was 4.69, 6.74 and 6.23 repeats, respectively. The genetic distances were found to be statistically significant between Angolares and Forros or Tongas. In accordance, AMOVA revealed that the percentage of variation attributable to differences among groups was only significant when we distinguished between Angolares and non-Angolares. Globally, these results indicate that, with respect to the pool of male lineages of São Tomé e Príncipe, some genetic sub-structuring does exist, basically determined by the Angolares ethnic group.

Emigration and Immigration↗
PubMed2001

Origin and significance of a founding settlement in Polynesia.

Selected prehistoric potsherds from the deepest cultural level of the oldest known archaeological site in the Kingdom of Tonga, within the Eastern Lapita province of western Polynesia, display decorative motifs characteristic of the Western Lapita province of modern-day Island Melanesia, to the west. Most of the stylistically anomalous sherds contain temper sands exotic to Tonga but, in one case, petrographically indistinguishable from temper in a Lapita sherd recovered from the Santa Cruz Islands of Melanesia, and are inferred to record maritime transport of Lapita ceramics into Tonga from Melanesia far to the west. The non-Tongan sherds found on Tongatapu provide direct physical evidence for interisland transfer of earthenware ceramics between Western and Eastern Lapita provinces, and the Nukuleka site, where they occur, is interpreted as one of the founding settlements of Polynesia.

Anthropology↗
PubMed1981

Susceptibility of the autogenous group of the Aedes scutellaris complex of mosquitoes to infection with Brugia malayi and Brugia pahangi.

Four species of mosquitoes which represent the Tonga group of the Aedes scutellaris complex (Ae. cooki, Ae. kesseli, Ae. tongae tabu and an undescribed Aedes sp. NUAOFO'OU) were tested for susceptibility to infection with Brugia malayi and B. pahangi. All tested strains were genetically fully (100%) susceptible to infection with both parasitic helminths. Higher survival of females harboring low quantities of infective larvae (1-9 L3/male) indicates a weak adaptation of the host to the parasite. Further analysis showed that in frequency distribution of infective larvae of B. malayi and B. pahangi, the most frequent category was 1-5 infective larvae per mosquito female. Distribution of te infective larvae into various parts of the mosquito body is a dynamic process. After development of L3 larvae in the thoracic muscles is completed, infective larvae migrate predominantly to the abdomen. From day 10 to 18 after an infective blood meal, L3 larvae migrate back to the thorax and head proboscis area. Low density of microfilariae in gerbils (5 mf/20 microliters) is sufficient for good infection in any of the tested mosquito species and strains. If a laboratory model with high susceptibility of mosquitoes to Brugia filarial worms is required, the autogenous group of mosquitoes of Tonga will serve as an excellent laboratory model. High susceptibility of the autogenous mosquito species to B. malayi and B. pahangi and absence of Brugian filariasis in the Polynesian region of the South Pacific is discussed.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1987

Population forecasts for South Pacific nations using autoregressive models, 1985-2000.

"This paper uses an autoregressive statistical model to forecast population for Fiji, Western Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu and compares these forecasts with those obtained from other methods. The growth rate of population is predicted to continue to fall in Fiji and Tonga, rise a little for Western Samoa, and rise considerably in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. The implications of the forecasts for recent government development plans are also discussed."

Demography↗