BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Since armed conflict began in 1996, widespread sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in many sexual violence-related pregnancies (SVRPs). However, there are limited data on the relationships between mothers and their children from sexual violence. This study aimed to evaluate the nature and determinants of these maternal-child relationshi...

Twenty-three new species of the Afrotropical sac spider genus Cheiramiona Lotz & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1999 are described: C. baviaan sp. nov. (♀, South Africa), C. boschrandensis sp. nov. (♀, South Africa), C. debeeri sp. nov. (♂, South Africa), C. haddadi sp. nov. (♂, South Africa), C. hlathikulu sp. nov. (♂, South Africa), C. hogsbackensis sp. nov. (♀, ♂, South Africa), C. ibayaensis sp. nov. ...

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the incidence of sickle cell anemia (SCA) is estimated to affect 30,000 to 40,000 neonates per year. However, there is paucity of data on acute clinical manifestations in sickle cell children. In these circumstances, it is difficult to develop a health care policy for an adequate management of sickle cell patients. This was a seven years' retrospective study...

BACKGROUND Although use of modern contraception is considered beneficial in lowering maternal and child mortality rates, the prevalence of contraceptive use remains low in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This study examined modern contraceptive use and its linkage to women's autonomy. METHODS Data were drawn from the 2013-2014 Democratic Republic of Congo Demographic and Health Survey. We s...

a National Tuberculosis Programme, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. b Damien Foundation, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. c Damien Foundation, Boulevard Léopold II, 263, 1081 Brussels, Belgium. Correspondence to Etienne Declercq (e-mail: [email protected]). The humanitarian crisis The socioeconomic situation of the DRC deteriorated progressively as a re...

Seven new species of the Afrotropic Lasiocampidae genus Rhynchobombyx are described and illustrated: Rh. gavinfilippone Prozorov, Saldaitis & Müller sp. n., avadomenicarocchio julianjameseaton anthonychristophereaton nicolasroberteaton arijakefriend madisonellafriend n. All originate from poorly studied Congolian lowland forests ecoregion Congo Democratic Republic Congo. Lectotype paralecto...

A specimen of the African weakly electric fish genus Petrocephalus (Osteoglossomorpha, Mormyridae) collected in the Congo River at Yangambi, Orientale Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, is described as a new species. Petrocephalus boboto sp. n. can be distinguished from other Central African species of Petrocephalus by a combination of the following characteristics: three distinct black sp...

ebola virus disease (formerly known as ebola haemorrhagic fever) is a severe, often fatal illness, with a death rate of up to 90%. the illness affects humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees). ebola first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, one in a village near the ebola river in the democratic republic of congo, and the other in a remote area of sudan. the...

UNLABELLED Little is known about the presence/absence and prevalence of Rickettsia spp, Bartonella spp. and Yersinia pestis in domestic and urban flea populations in tropical and subtropical African countries. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Fleas collected in Benin, the United Republic of Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were investigated for the presence and identity of Rick...