BACKGROUND Many African adults do not know that partners in steady or cohabiting relationships can have different HIV test results. Despite WHO recommendations for couples' voluntary counseling and testing (CVCT), fewer than 10 % of couples have been jointly tested and counseled. We examine the roles and interactions of influential network leaders (INLs) and influential network agents (INAs) in...

BACKGROUND Sub-Saharan Africa has a high rate of HIV infection, most of which is attributable to heterosexual transmission. Few attempts have been made to assess the extent of HIV transmission within marriages, and HIV-prevention efforts remain focused on abstinence and non-marital sex. We aimed to estimate the proportion of heterosexual transmission of HIV which occurs within married or cohabi...

Mining has been characterized by most researchers as one of the most hazardous occupations amongst major industrial activities. Despite regulations, automation and increased attention towards reducing risks through safety campaigns, the mining industry is still associated with higher rates of injuries compared with other industries. Mine workers must deal with a number of subtly harmful risks t...

Dear Sir: I read with great interest the article by Ng and others entitled " Assessing the contribution of malaria vector control and other maternal and child health interventions in reducing all-cause under-five mortality in Zambia. " 1 Considering that malaria was possibly not the most important cause of death in children under 5 years of age (U5) in Zambia, and that maternal and child health...

This commentary paper highlights changing patterns of outward migration of Zambian nurses. The aim is to discuss these pattern changes in the light of policy developments in Zambia and in receiving countries. Prior to 2000, South Africa was the most important destination for Zambian registered nurses. In 2000, new destination countries, such as the United Kingdom, became available, resulting in...

Structural interventions are key components of a combination approach to HIV prevention. While global guidance for HIV prevention recognises this key role, evidence for the effectiveness of structural interventions, and their implementation, are lagging behind other areas of prevention. Over the past several years, ‘structural prevention’ has received significant academic and intellectual atten...

AIMS To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for diabetes mellitus and examine its diagnosis and management in the study communities. METHODS This is a population-based cross-sectional study among adults in 24 communities from Zambia and the Western Cape (WC) province of South Africa. Diabetes is defined as a random blood glucose concentration (RBG)⩾11.1mmol/L, or RBG<11.1mmol/L but w...

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an acute, highly contagious viral infection of domestic and wild cloven-hoofed animals. It is known to be endemic in Zambia, with periodic outbreaks occurring in different geographical areas of the country. This study was conducted to investigate the presence of FMD virus (FMDV) in reported FMD-suspected cases in cattle from the Kazungula and Mbala districts of Z...

BACKGROUND Cannabis dependence in adolescents predicts increased risks of using other illicit drugs, poor academic performance and reporting psychotic symptoms. The prevalence of cannabis use was estimated two decades ago in Zambia among secondary school students. There are no recent estimates of the extent of the problem; further, correlates for its use have not been documented in Zambia. The ...

BACKGROUND Globally, access to occupational health and safety (OHS) by workers has remained at very low levels. The organization and implementation of OHS in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana has remained at suboptimal levels. Inadequacy of human resource capital, training, and education in the field of OHS has had a major negative impact on the improvement of worker access to such s...