Volume 20 - World Federation of Science Journalists

AFRICA’S LEADING PUBLICATION ON SCIENCE
Vol. 20 June 15th - August 15th, 2012
FOCUS1
ON
VIRAL
HEPATITIS
INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Kshs. 100
PART I
Tshs. 2000 Ushs. 3000
WINNERS OF BIOSAFETY RECOGNITION AWARD
Page 3
EPIDEMIC
Endless Ebola Outbreaks Worrying
O
From left to right seated: Pioneering Biomedical Engineer James Lelei of KEMRI; Prof Norah Olembo, the first woman to be a
professor of biochemistry in Kenya. She has trained most of the countries biochemists and molecular biologists, was the first head of
the country’s patent office; Dr Peter Tukei, Africa’s top expert on hemorrhagic viruses including Marburg, Ebola and Rift Valley Fever;
Dr Simon Gichuki has headed the biotechnology centre at Kenya Agricultural Research Institute overseeing historic R&D activities
on GM crops; Mr Murenga Mwimali one of Kenya’s leading plant breeders; and Mr Nicholas Mwikwabe who received the award on
behalf of Africa Biosafety Association. Standing: Some NBA board members and management with other scientists.
nce again the deadly
Ebola – haemorrghagic fever virus- has
emerged from its hiding to kill
at least 13 people in Kibaale,
Uganda. Despite East and
Central Africa being the epicenter of several Ebola outbreaks for over four decades,
medical experts seem to forget
it immediately after controlling the epidemic that has now
spread to DR Congo.
Still, they do not know
or are unable to pinpoint
exactly which living or even
non-living organism hides the
highly contagious virus before
it strikes to kill in the most
horrifying manner. Internal
organs bleed. All body openings bleed including the ears,
HEALTH & CULTURES
NANOTECHNOLOGY?
Why FGM Thrives in Africa
Mechanical Insect Drone
Ready to Spy
By ScienceAfrica Correspodents: Hope Mafaranga (Uganda), Leocadia Bongben (Cameroon) and Ola Al-Ghazawy (Egypt)
F
emale Genital mutilation remains widespread in Africa.
The loud anti-FGM rhetoric
by governments seem designed for global audience as much
work waits to be done. Because of increasing risks to human life, Female
Genital Mutilation (FGM) has been
banned in several African countries.
Uganda is among the countries that
most recently joined the crusade
against this cruel cultural practice.
President Yoweri Museveni recently
signed into law a bill criminalizing
FGM mostly carried out in remote
villages.
But while the new law is now
operational, there is a different story
in remote parts of the country where
preparations for the next round of
female circumcision was well underway. When approaching Kalulu
village in Kapyoyon sub-county in
Bukwo district in Eastern Uganda
mouth, nose and eyes.
The latest outbreak was
confirmed a month after
emerging in a village 100
kilometres from Kampala, the
capital city. There are many
suggestions that rodents,
bats, monkeys, baboons,
chimpanzees, gorillas, insects
and other unknown sources
may be responsible for Ebola
outbreaks.
Unless the source or host
of the Ebola virus is known,
it could in the near future
easily cause a major havoc
in an ill prepared region that
undervalues, and does not
effectively fund and support
serious biomedical research
aimed at home grown solutions to such epidemics. q
one runs into 15-year-old Sheila
Chikwemoi carrying firewood from
the bush as she danced and sang in
Kupsabiny, a local dialect.
I am not circumcised/here I
come from Mariwey/daughter of
Namukweza. I have agreed to take
circumcision/ pave way for me/my
‘surgeon’ is Sande Simbura.
The teenage girl was singing in
preparation for her circumcision. This is
Cont’d on page 4
THE EVOLUTION OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION (STI)
An insect spy drone is in production in the US funded by
the US Government. It can be remotely controlled and
is equipped with a camera and a microphone. It can land
on you and has the potential to take a DNA sample or
leave RFID tracking nanotechnology on your skin. It can fly
through an open window, or it can attach to your clothing.
(Courtesy Prof Calestous Juma’s facebook page). n
MATHS & HEALTH
Maths to Determine if HIV
Treatment Leads to Prevention
I
ScienceAfrica Also Offers Well Researched Documentaries
on All Aspects of ST&I in Africa:
n VIDEO COVERAGE n NEWS CLIPS n FEATURES
Tel: 020-2053532, Cell: +254 722 843101 / 721 248761
s it possible to control the
epidemic of HIV by using
antiretroviral therapy? A
collection of new articles written by members of the Gates
funded HIV Modelling Consortium published in the openaccess journal PLoS Medicine
aims to help improve scientific
support for decision making
using mathematical modelling
of HIV epidemic. Researchers
from the South African Centre
for Epidemiological Modelling
and Analysis (SACEMA) based
at Stellenbosch University (SU)
contributed to the papers.
The articles use mathematical models to examine the feasibility of interventions, their potential epidemiological impact,
affordability, scientific observational studies and community
trials, which support evidencebased decision-making on the
use of antiretroviral treatment
to prevent HIV transmission.
The introductory article
HIV Treatment as Prevention:
Models, Data and Questions
Towards Evidence-based Decision-Making says that there
have been positive advances in
HIV prevention research and
the finding that HIV-infected
individuals given antiretroviral treatment (ART) are less
likely to transmit the infection
to their heterosexual partners
than those who are not.
Currently ART is directed at
Cont’d on page 2
2
June / August 2012
ASTRONOMY
Africa Enters the Era of Radio Telescopes
By SKA Magazine & ScienceAfrica
Reporter
A
s the 21st century unfolds
there are already major
suprises arising within
Africa in some of the most
complex fields of science
technology and innovation. There are
certain things like network of radio telescopes and activities including high
resolution observations to unearth
secrets of the universe that sounded
distant and not associated with Africa, a continent barely scratching the
earth’s surface to eke a living.
However, the successful biding
to host the world’s most ambitious
space science project-Square Kilometre Array (SKA) spearheaded by
South Africa is both a chilling and
refreshing realization that “it can be
done.” It has opened a new frontier
for those seeking to have Africa place
science, technology and innovation at
the centre of its development agenda.
South Africa and Australia will host the
world’s most powerful radio telescope,
the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) with
a budget of $1.8billion.
“ The outcome of the SKA site bid
is the beginning of great things to
come and a wonderful opportunity to
make the most of it through innovation, excellence and hard work,” says
Mrs Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s
energetic minister of science and
technology who is the continent’s most
outstanding spokesperson for scienceled development and allocation of
adequate resources for STI.
Still the head of South Africa’s
SKA project, Dr Bernie Fanaroff, recently said that winning the site bid
proves that Africa is the continent of
opportunity and a place where we can
make a real difference. The world was
surprised by the quality of our people
and our work, as well as the quality of
our site bid - all 27 000 pages of it and
we must deliver on what we promised
and make use of the many opportunities for development and innovation
presented by the SKA, he added
South Africa has been working
with eight SKA partner countries Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar,
Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia
and Zambia - to establish an Africanowned network of radio telescopes.
The Board of the African Renaissance
Fund (ARF) is funding the initial
construction of a network of radio
telescopes in the African partner coun-
Tanzania to Host African
Green Revolution Forum
African Green Revolution Forum, which aims
to eradicate hunger and alleviate poverty in
Africa will meet from 26-28 September in
Arusha, Tanzania and hosted by Tanzanian
government. It will be chaired by Kofi Annan, who is also the Chair of the Alliance for
a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
Bioenergy Harmful
Square Kilometer Arrays Radio Telescopes
Mrs Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s
Minister for Science and Technology
tries and the government has allocated
R120 million to construct the African
Very Long Baseline Interferometry
(VLBI) Network which will use radio
telescopes across the continent operating in unison to create high-resolution
observations of astronomical objects,
or accurately measure the distance
between each telescope in the network
(continental drift). The AVN will also
play a key role in student training and
capacity building. In their announcement, members of the SKA Organisation acknowledged that Southern
Africa was identified as the preferred
site for the SKA, but added that the
majority of the members were in
favour of a dual-site implementation
model - an inclusive approach that was
deemed to be scientifically justified,
as well as technically and financially
viable. Minister Naledi summed it up
when she said that I am happy for our
scientists, I am happy for our country,
Iam happy for Africa. We have done it.
However, for both South Africa
and the others nations in the continent
the story is much bigger. It has clearly
opened a major window of opportunity for continent that policy makers
and even scientists seem to have been
ignoring. First it has to be repeteadely
said that in terms of STI South Africa
should consider Africa its technological innovation backyard meaning the
country should boldy look at itself as
the continent’s “Japan” if the region is
to prosper and catch up with Asia and
South America.
The selection of South Africa as
the major location for the Square
Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope has
raised awareness of science among the
population. Already the project will
need hands-on specialists who will design and make various equipment and
components associated with sustainable maintenance of global project that
will finally attract billions of dollars
into the region. There is room for more
skilled scientists, artisans, engineers
and technicians especially when 2500
radio telescopes will be built by 2034.
South Africa is well placed to achieve
all these.
South Africa’s top policy makers
need to be reminded that her technological prowess matches and can easily
surpass India and China if appropriately supported or stimulated to turn
R&D results into tangible products
and services. n
BIOMATHS
Maths to Determine if HIV Treatment Leads to Prevention
Cont’d on page 2
those in greatest clinical need. Expanding the group of people treated would be
a substantial change in health policy. It
would also have a huge associated cost.
“Treatment and Prevention are inextricably linked and this is probably the
most significant shift in thinking about
both the social and biological approaches to the epidemic,” says SACEMA director Dr Alex Welte, one of the co-authors
of the introductory article.
Dr Welte believes that mathematical modelling, being done at SACEMA,
can help to scientifically plot what the
influence of treatment and prevention
strategies can have on the broader characteristics of the HIV epidemic.
SACEMA researcher Dr Wim Delva,
a lead author in one of the articles, says
BRIEFS
that the focus is on ways to optimise the
impact of an expanded HIV treatment
programme as a prevention strategy.
“Because of resource constraints we currently have to prioritise HIV treatment
in our health policies and maximise epidemiological and clinical benefit while
ensuring that our plans are feasible,
affordable, acceptable, and equitable, ”
explains Dr Delva.
“Our models suggest that by prioritising access to ART treatment for
specific groups, based on specific clinical
and behavioural factors, these considerations can be maximised,”
The PLoS Medicine collection is titled
“Investigating the Impact of Treatment
on New HIV Infections”, and was published two weeks prior to the AIDS 2012
conference in Washington D.C.
SACEMA is a national research centre
established under the Centre of Excellence programme of the Department
of Science and Technology and the
National Research Foundation based
at Stellenbosch University, although its
researchers and postgraduate students
work at various other institutions in
South Africa. It focuses on research in
quantitative modelling of the spatial
and temporal patterns of disease. The
immediate aim of the research is to understand and predict the development of
various diseases, and thereby to provide
advice on how best to combat them.
Research themes include issues pertaining to HIV, TB, malaria and other other
epidemiological problems. q
Source Engela Duvenage, Media Faculty of
Science, Stellenbosch University
Bioenergy is more harmful to the environment than other renewable sources such
as photovoltaic, solar thermal energy and
wind energy. Still bioenergy requires more
surface area, is associated with higher
greenhouse gas emissions while energy
crops potentially compete with food crops.
The information is contained in statement
“Bioenergy – Chances and Limits” by German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina after studies lasting 12 years. It was
compiled by a working group of more than
20 expert scientists established in 2010.
UNESCO-Equatorial
Guinea Science Prize
Finally Awarded
After four years of delay, UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research
in the Life Sciences, was awarded to three
winners who received US$100,000 each.
They were Felix Dapare Dakora, botanist
from South Africa, Maged El-Sherbiny from
Egypt and Rossana Arroyo from Mexico,
Equatorial Guinea’s vice president, Ignacio
Milam Tang, represented the head of state,
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
African countries support the prize because even among top global powers,
some blood cuddling dictators were the
strongest funders of science and innovation therefore, western countries pointing
fingers at President Obiang’s poor human
rights record were missing the point especially when their funding of STI in Africa
remains half-hearted.
Still if the money was used to import
arms or buy other presidential luxuries
it would have attracted less protest. In
other words, there is no guarantee that
the money would be put to better use if
rejected. There are other ways of handling
dictators including sanctions and use of
various global, regional and national legal
instruments. Equatorial Guinea availed $3
million for the five-year award.
DNA and Synthetic Life
Just about anything and everything humans
imagine is rapidly becoming possible. Scientists continue to dig into secrets of creation. Several researchers recently told the
American Chemical Society meeting that
they have synthetic nucleotides that can
be incorporated into the basic hereditary
material, DNA. It is a move towards injecting new strange functions into DNA with
mindboggling results into the unfolding
science of synthetic and semi-synthetic
life forms.
June / August 2012
3
FOCUS ON VIRAL HEPATITIS - PART I
Challenges Posed by Viral Hepatitis
By Dr Dunnlee Maina
T
here has been an explosion
in knowledge of viral hepatitis in the last four decades.
However it remains a major
public health problem affecting
hundreds of millions of people globally. Viral hepatitis is a cause of considerable morbidity and mortality in
the human population, both from
acute infection and chronic sequelae
which include, with hepatitis B and
hepatitis C infection, chronic active
hepatitis, cirrhosis and primary
liver cancer. The hepatitis viruses
include a range of unrelated and
often unusual human pathogens:
• Hepatitis A virus (HAV)
A small unenveloped symmetrical
RNA virus which shares many of the
characteristics of the picornavirus
family. This virus has been classified in the hepatovirus genus, and is
the cause of infectious or epidemic
hepatitis transmitted by the faecal—oral route.
• Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
Member of the hepadnavirus group
of double-stranded DNA viruses
that replicate by reverse transcription. Hepatitis B virus is endemic in
the human population and hyperendemic in many parts of the world.
Hepatitis C virus (HVC)
An enveloped single-stranded RNA
virus, which appears to be distantly
related (possibly in its evolution)
to flaviviruses although hepatitis
C is not transmitted by arthropod
vectors. Infection with this virus is
common in many countries, and
it is associated with chronic liver
disease and also with primary Iiver
cancer, at least in some countries.
Hepatitis D virus (HDV)
An unusual single stranded circular
RNA virus with a number of similarities to certain plant viral satellites and viroids. This virus requires
hepadnavirus helper functions for
propagation in hepatocytes, and
is an important cause of acute and
severe chronic liver damage in some
regions of the world.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV)
An enterically transmitted nonenveloped, single-stranded RNA
virus which shares many biophysical and biochemical features with
caliciviruses. Hepatitis E virus is an
important cause of large epidemics
of acute hepatitis in the subcontinent of India, Central and SouthEast Asia, the Middle East, parts of
Africa and elsewhere; this virus is
responsible for high mortality during pregnancy.
Hepatitis A
Outbreaks of jaundice have been
described for many centuries and
the term ‘infectious hepatitis’ was
coined in 1912 to describe the epidemic form of the disease. Hepatitis
A virus (HAV) is spread by the
faecal—oral route and is endemic
throughout the world and hyperendemic in areas with poor standards
of sanitation and hygiene. The seroprevalence of antibodies to HAV
has declined since World War II in
many industrialized countries.
The incubation period of hepatitis A is about 28 days. The virus
replicates in the liver. Very large
amounts of virus are shed in the
faeces during the incubation period, before the onset of clinical
symptoms and a brief period of
viraemia occurs. The severity of
illness ranges from asymptomatic
to anicteric or icteric hepatitis and
rarely fulminant hepatitis. The virus is non-cytopathic when grown
in cell culture. Its pathogenicity
in vivo, which involves necrosis of
parenchymal cells and histiocytic
periportal inflammation, may be
mediated via the cellular immune
response. By the time of onset of
symptoms, excretion of virus in the
faeces has declined and may have
ceased and anti-HIV 1gM, which
is diagnostic of acute infection and
appears late during the incubation
period, increases in titre. Anti-HAV
IgG may be detected 1—2 weeks later
and persists for years.
CLASSIFICATION
Examination by electron microscopy of concentrates of filtered
faecal extracts from patients during
the incubation period reveals 27 nm
unenveloped spherical particles typical of the Picornaviridae. HAV was
classified in 1983 in the genus Enterovirus (as enterovirus 72) of the
family Picornaviridae on the basis
of its biophysical and biochemical
characteristics, including stability at
low pH. However, this classification
preceded the isolation and analysis
of complementary DNA (cDNA)
clones leading to the determination
of the entire nucleotide sequence
of the viral genome.’ Comparison
with other picornavirus sequences
revealed limited homology to the
enteroviruses or, indeed, the rhinoviruses; however, the structure
and genome organization is typical
of the Picornaviridac. HAV is now
considered as a separate genus
(Hepatovirus) within the Picornaviridae as are the cardioviruses (of
mice) and apthoviruses (foot and
mouth disease viruses).
Prevention and Control of
Hepatitis A
Passive Immunization
Control of hepatitis A infection is
difficult. Since faecal shedding of the
virus is at its highest during the late
incubation period and the prodromal
phase of the illness, strict isolation of
cases is not a useful control measure.
Spread of hepatitis A is reduced by
simple hygienic measures and the
sanitary disposal of excreta.
Normal human immunoglobulin,
containing at least 100 iu/ml of
anti-hepatitis A antibody, given
intramuscularly before exposure to
the virus or early during the incubation period will prevent or attenuate
a clinical illness. The dosage should
be at least 2 iu anti-hepatitis A
antibody/kg body weight, but in
special cases, such as pregnancy or
in patients with liver disease, that
dosage may be doubled. Immunoglobulin does not always prevent
infection and excretion of HAy, and
inapparent or subclinical hepatitis
may develop. The efficacy of passive
immunization is based on the presence of hepatitis A antibody in the
immunoglobulin, but the minimum
titre of antibody required for protection has not yet been established.
Immunoglobulin is used most commonly for close personal contacts
of patients with hepatitis A and for
those exposed to contaminated food.
Immunoglobulin has also been used
effectively for controlling outbreaks
in institutions such as homes for
the mentally handicapped and in
nursery schools. Prophylaxis with
immunoglobulin is recommended
for persons without hepatitis A
antibody visiting highly endemic
areas. After a period of 6 months the
administration of immiinoglobulin
for travellers should be repeated,
unless it has been demonstrated
that the recipient has developed his
or her own hepatitis A antibodies.
Hepatitis A Vaccines
In areas of high prevalence most
children have antibodies to HAV
by the age of 3 years and such infections are generally asymptomatic.
Infections acquired later in life are
of increasing clinical severity. Less
than 10% of cases of acute hepatitis A in children up to the age of 6
years are icteric but this increases
to 40—50% in the 6—14 age group
and to 70— 80% in adults. Of 115
551 cases of hepatitis A in the USA
between 1983 and 1987, only 9%
of the cases, but more than 70% of
the fatalities, were in those aged
over 49. It is important, therefore,
to protect those at risk because of
personal contact with infected individuals or because of travel to highly
endemic areas. Other groups at risk
of hepatitis A infection include staff
and residents of institutions for the
mentally handicapped, day care
centers for children, sexually active
male homosexuals, intravenous
narcotic drug abusers, sewage workers, health care workers, military
personnel and members of certain
low socioeconomic groups in defined community settings. It is also
recommended that food handlers
should be immunized. In some
developing countries the incidence
of clinical hepatitis A is increasing
as improvements in socioeconomic
conditions result in infection later in
life and strategies for immunization
are yet to be agreed.
Killed Hepatitis A Vaccines
The foundation for hepatitis A vaccine was laid in 1975 by the demonstration that formalinin activated
virus extracted from the liver of
experimentally infected marmosets
induced protective antibodies in
susceptible marmosets on challenge
with live virus. Subsequently HAV
was cultivated, after serial passage
in marmosets, in a cloned line of
fetal rhesus monkey kidney cells
(FRhK6), thereby opening the way
to the production of hepatitis A
vaccines. Later it was demonstrated
that prior adaptation in marmosets
was not a prerequisite to growth of
the virus in cell cultures and varidus
strains of virus have been isolated
directly from clinical material using
several cell lines, including human
diploid fibroblasts, and various
techniques have been employed
to increase the yield of virus in cell
culture. Safety and immunogenicity Studies of formalin-inactivated
hepatitis A vaccines with adjuvant
have been completed and the vaccine had been licensed in several
countries by the end of 1992. Other
preparations of killed hepatitis A
vaccines are under clinical trial.
Live attenuated Hepatitis A
Vaccines.
The major advantages of live attenuated vaccines such as the Sabin type
of oral poliomyelitis vaccine, include
the ease of administration on a large
scale by the oral route, relatively
low cost, and the fact that; since the
virus vaccine strain replicates in the
gut the production of both local immunity in the gut and hurnoral immunity thereby mimicking natural
infection, antibodies tend to persist
longer. Disadvantages include the
potential of reversion towards virulence, interference with the vaccine
strain by other viruses in the gut,
relative instability of the vaccine
and shedding of the virus strain in
the faeces for prolonged periods and
the potential of spread to contacts.
The most extensively studied live
attenuated hepatitis A vaccines are
based on the CR326 and HM175
strains of the virus attenuated by
prolonged passage in cell culture.
Two variants of the CR326 strain
have been investigated after passage in marmoset liver in. FRhK6,
MRC5 and WI-38 cells. Inoculation
of susceptible marmosets
demonstrated seroconversion, and
protection on challenge. Biochemical evidence of liver damage did not
occur in susceptible chimpanzees,
although a number had histological evidence of mild hepatitis with
the F variant and the vaccine virus
was shed in the faeces for about
12 weeks prior to seroconversion.
There was no evidence of reversion
towards virulence. Studies in human
volunteers indicated incomplete
attenuation of the F variant, but
better results were obtained with
the F1 variant without elevation of
liver enzymes.
Studies with the HM175 strain,
which was isolated and passaged in
African green monkey kidney cells,
showed that this strain was not fully
attenuated for marmosets, although
it did not induce liver damage on
challenge. Further passages and
adaptation of HM175 revealed some
evidence of virus replication’ in the
liver of chimpanzees and minimal
shedding of the virus into faeces.
Other studies are in progress in
non-human primates.
Markers of attenuation of HAV have
not been identified and reversion to
virulence may occur. On the other
hand, there is also concern that
overattenuated’ viruses may not be
sufficiently immunogenic. Current
candidate live attenuated hepatitis A
vaccines require administration by
injection. Preparations which may
be suitable for oral administration
are not presently available.
Retrospective testing of serum
samples from patients involved
in various epidemics of hepatitis
associated with contamination of
water supplies with human faeces
led to the conclusion that an gent
other than hepatitis A or hepatitis
B was involved. Epidemics of enterically transmitted non- A, non-B
hepatitis in the Indian subcontinent
were -the first to be reported, in
1980, but outbreaks involving tens
of thousands of cases have also
been documented in the former
USSR, South-East Asia, Northern
Africa and Mexico.1fhe average
incubation period is longer than
that for hepatitis A, with a mean of
6 weeks. The highest attack rates
are found in young adults, and high
mortality rates (up to 20%) have
been reported in women in the third
trimester of pregnancy.
Virus-like particles measuring 28—
34 nm in diameter have been detected in faecal extracts of infected
individuals by immune electron
microscopy using convalescent
serum. However, such studies have
often proved inconclusive because
a large proportion of the excreted
virus may be degraded during passage through the gut. Cross-reaction
studies between sera and virus in
faeces associated with a variety of
epidemics in several different countries suggest that a single serotype of
virus is involved.
Studies on hepatitis E virus (HEV)
have progressed following transmission to susceptible nonhuman
primates. HEV was first transmitted
to cynomolgous macaques, and a
number of other species of monkey,
including chimpanzees, have also
been infected. Reports of transmission to pigs and rodents await confirmation. Reports on replication of
the virus in cell culture have thus far
not been confirmed.
The problem of degradation of
HEV in the gut was circumvented
when the bile of infected monkeys
was found to be a rich source of
virus. This material permitted the
molecular cloning of DNA complementary to the HEV (RNA) genome
and the entire 7.5 kb sequence was
determined. The organization of the
genome is distinct from the Picornaviridae and the non-structural and
structural polypeptides are encoded
respectively at the 5’ and 3’ ends.
HEV resembles the caliciviruses
in the size and organization of its
genome as well as in the size and
morphology of the virion.
Sequencing of the HEV genome has
resulted in the development of a
number of specific diagnostic tests.
For example, HEV RNA was detected, using the polymerase chain
reaction (PCR), in faecal samples.
An enzyme linked immunosorbent
assay (ELISA), which detects both
IgG and 1gM anti- HEy, has been
developed using a recombinant
HEV—glutathione-S-transferase
fusion protein and used to detect
antibodies in sporadic cases of infection in children and adults and
during a number of epidemics. q
....Part 2 of Focus on viral
hepatitis continues in the
next edition
4
June / August 2012
HEALTH & CULTURE
Why FGM Thrives in Africa
From page 1
carried out by elders with no medical training. Chikwemoi is one of many girls who
volunteer or are forced by their families to
undergo FGM.
The preparations for 2012 female circumcision are ripe in the villages of Kapsarur, Kireteyi, Riwo, Kaptererwo, Chesmat,
Kameti, Tulem, Nyalit, Binyinyiny and
Chesower.
The local council chairman for Chesower, Stephen Matek, said although there is a
new law criminalizing FGM, very few people
in the villages know about it because of
the high levels of illiteracy and the strong
traditional beliefs about this cruel practice.
These communities are in advanced
stages of holding yet another season of subjecting young girls to the knife - a practice
carried out to initiate them into adulthood.
“Although literate parents fear the new law
against FGM, many traditionalists and illiterate parents are already preparing for
the new circumsicion season while many
others will do it stealthily-possibly at night
or across the border in Kenya,” Matek said.
Mary Shellum a former traditional surgeon and now an advocate against FGM with
Reproductive Education and Community
Health (REACH) programme, an NGO that
spearheaded the campaign against FGM,
says there is need for mobilisation and
sensitisation of these communities not only
about the new law but the health dangers
they subject their children to.
“This new law can only be effective if the
people are sensitized fully about its intention
which is to save the lives and dignity of these
young girls. Otherwise many people don’t
know about it and are likely to take their girls
to be mutilated during the new season,” says
Shellum in a resigned tone.
“There are laws against defilement, stealing and killing, but don’t people commit
these crimes? We need a lot of sensitisation
and government should fund this and provide adequate security to ensure that nobody
crosses the border to Kenya to go and get
circumcised,” she emphasised.
Joyce Munanda also an advocate against
FGM who got circumcised in 1968 says
whereas during the 60s it was considered
to be a good traditional practice to the
extent that young girls would cry in order
to persuade their parents to take them for
initiation and avoid being shunned and
laughed at by the boys, the new law should
be respected.
“At times we even threatened to commit
suicide if the parents did not allow you to
get circumcised as that was the only rite of
passage to womanhood,” she said.
Under the new law, FGM promoters and
surgeons face five years imprisonment if
convicted for carrying out the practice. The
law says any person who performs, promotes FGM through any means violates the
human rights of a woman and as such com-
mits an offence and shall upon conviction be
liable, where no other penalty is provided
in other laws of Uganda to imprisonment
of up to five years, a fine or both”.
Apart from putting in place a law banning FGM, Munanda says the government
should consider providing an alternative
source of income for the traditional surgeons
in an effort to have them abandon the practice. What is worrying, however, is that even
the traditional surgeons don’t know about
the new law.
“Nobody has told us to abandon this culture inherited from our ancestors to keep the
morality of our girls,” Lazaro Chelimo, 68,
a traditional surgeon in Kabei village said.
“This year I have two daughters prepared to
be circumcised. I have started the preparations for the girls’ initiation into adulthood.
Nothing is going to stop me from circumcising my daughters because their mother,
grandmother and sisters have undergone
this,” Chelimo said.
She then turned hostile. “What does
the law say about our culture? Should we
abandon the culture of our ancestors? Get
out of my home; I don’t want to see you.
You must be one of the people campaigning
against this. Tell others that the Sabiny will
circumcise their girls as culture demands,”
she said before asking the writer to leave
her home.
However, according to the Bukwo District population officer and FGM researcher,
Simon Alere, the rural residents have no
information or knowledge of the law.
“There was a time the parliamentary committee on gender came here to talk
about FGM but they only addressed us and
the councilors. But in the villages people
are asking how the law was passed without
consulting them. This is the dilemma we are
facing,” Alere said.
According to Alere, people are saying
the law is harsh, unfair and needs to be
amended. However the local chairman
Kapchorwa district, Nelson Chemonges is
happy that the law has been put in place.
“For us this is a wonderful idea, the long
journey to end this practice has started. I
can now sit here with relief and say that the
first step is over. The next one is to bring
all people on board through sensitization.
I know it is not going to be easy to drop the
practice but we have to ensure it does not
take place here,” Chemonges said.
But Beatrice Chelangat of REACH says
sensitization has taken place and people
are aware. “We have seen FGM surgeons
denounce the practice and hand over their
implements to REACH and this means that
parents, traditionalists should denounce the
practice, join REACH to end it or face the
law,” Chelangat said.
Dr Asuman Lukwago from ministry
of health says that FGM has a big negative
impact on the health of mothers. “FGM is
among the cause of obstructed labour in
women linked to many complications like
fistula and disabilities.” Dr Lukwago said.
In Cameroon the practice of FGM is a
means of livelihood and in some areas the
‘circumcisers’ are waiting to be compensated
to stop the practice. Wanzam, the circumciser as he is known in Hausa, is one of the
many who are waiting for something else
from government to fall back on.
At the Briketeri neighbourhood in Yaoundé, one of the areas in which FGM is
practiced in Cameroon, Sallaou Mohamadou
used to circumcise young girls and women
for a long time.
Female circumcision is an inheritance
which has run in Mohamadou’s family and
which has served as a business for generations. Mohamadou started this business in
the northern region as far back as 1975
before moving to Yaoundé. He cannot recall the number of women and girls he has
circumcised. “The number is alot”, he said.
For each ‘cut’ he is paid FCFA 15,000 (about
30 dollars) and more for a rich family.
This means if he circumcises four girls
in a month he has at least FCFA 60,000
(about 120 dollars) which is a salary for
many in Cameroon. The practice is not only
a source of revenue for the circumcisers but
for families in some areas in the southwest.
Narrating how she went through circumcision, Gladys Efiat says, “My aunt took me
to a hut where she told me I was going to
attain womanhood, I had to be circumcised”.
“An old woman took a rusty knife and cut
me. I was bled so much while other women
held my legs apart.
“The pain was excruciating, some herbs
were squeezed on the wound to stop bleeding and I was taken into a room where my
legs were tied apart,” Efiat recalled.
Afterwards, camwood was applied on
my body and I stayed in that room to heal,
I was not doing any work and became fat
and fresh-looking and men had to pay to
see me,” she added.
In Cameroon, FGM is practice mostly
in the southwest region among the Ijagams,
the Bokis and in the far north region among
the Arab Shuas, and the Kotokos and Batouri
Oya in the eastern region and in the Briketeri
neighbourhood in Yaoundé.
It is estimated that about 20 percent of
women have undergone female circumcision
though for a myriad of reasons that vary
from one region to another. While some
need blood to appease the ancestors, to
others it is a way of controlling the woman’s
libido, and a gateway to womanhood.
Complications during delivery are common among some circumcised women, a
nurse, Aminatou Dada said. In order to stop
this practice, the government has promised
to compensate the circumcisers and the
communities involved as an alternative to
the FGM business.
The government has started providing
grinding mills, generators, oil pressers and
money to communities in Southwest and will
soon get to all parts of the country, says Mrs
Comfort Effiom, the Cameroon President of
Inter Africa Committee on Harmful Practices has been active in the field.
The Ministry of Women Empowerment and the Family has set up local FGM
committees made up of the circumcised,
circumcisers, religious leaders and NGOs.
These committees have taken up the task of
sensitising others in a bid to end the practice.
In one of their meetings the Imam said Islam
does not encourage FGM and perpetrators
should not hide behind religion. A private
member’s bill from Mbah Ndam of the Social
Democratic Front, SDF, and the leading opposition party, never went through.
Presently, Cameroon does not have a law
on FGM despite moves in 2007 by NGO and
the US Embassy to have a law. It has been
argued that Cameroon does not need a specific law on FGM as section 277 of the penal
code dedicated to violence against women
already takes care of FGM.
FGM has always been a huge problem
and a big source of conflict between op-
ponents and defenders within the Egyptian
society. In Egypt, FGM is a cultural thing
more than religious thing. Both Muslims
and Christians do it, especially in rural areas.
In 1996, the Egyptian government announced a new law to ban FGM in hospitals,
but people kept doing it in private clinics,
which made the government to forbid it
everywhere in 2007.
Despite the total ban, a study by Mohamed Bedaiwy of the Cleveland Clinic
Foundation in Ohio and his team showed
that between 2008 and 2010, 89% of females between five and 25 years had genital
mutilation.
“Cultural life and the customs and habits
it constitutes takes longer to change than the
physical life,” says Bahaa Darwish, Professor
of Philosophy, Qatar University. Darwish
referred to FGM as an old inheritance since
pharaoh times, and wrongly attributed to
Islam religion as well.
Some people take FGM as an obligatory
action in Islam. Youseef Al-Qaradawy, a well
known Sheikh in the Middle East, said that
as has been proven by scientists and doctors
that FGM causes physical and psychological
damage to the woman and may affect her
marriage life negatively, so FGM is forbidden in Islam.
However, the horrying Pharaonic circumcision it is considered a crime. A total
cut of the clitoris and labia minora with parts
of labia majora. “It is a major crime, and if
performed, full blood money has to be paid
in compensation. It is a cardinal sin, and
any person who performs is damned,” said
Muhammed Lutfi AlSabbagh, in a study
called “Islamic ruling on male and female
circumcision” from World Health Organization (WHO).
The pharaonic circumcision is an ancient
Egyptian habit goes back to 1000 years
before the Christ. Pharaonic circumcision
transferred to Sudan with the Egyptian occupation to Nubia Country, and from Sudan
to other countries of Nile valley.
Although pharaonic circumcision originated in Egypt, it is no longer practiced.
Instead the practice in Egypt is the simple
circumcision in which small parts of the
clitoris and the labia minora are cut, in
contrast to the pharaonic circumcision that
is still common in parts of war-torn Somalia
and in parts of North Easten Kenya. Only
recently, a Kenya TV station NTV, televised
a series featuring on FGM process in this
part of the country.
Illiteracy is a major reason why the large
percentage of women in Egypt are subjected
to FGM because 37% of women in Egypt are
illiterate according to CAPMAS report 2011,
and this is not only in Egypt but also in many
Arab countries “In 2005, an estimated 40
percent of Arab women could not read or
write according to a UNDP report,” adds
Prof Darwish. Also the dominating vision
about women as subordinate to men gives
the women no choices in their own life.
The key to decreasing the percentage of
FGM in Egypt is education of females. “Low
levels of education among the females and
in the families in general contribute to the
high FGM compliance rate among the girls
subjected to such harmful practice,” Prof
Darwish said.
“Education will help women understand
that it is nobody’s right to subject the girls
to such hamful action,” he added.
Darwish discussed how some people
wrongly relate FGM to Islam and treatment
women as inferiors. However, “Islam gives
women some respect and protection, and
made men responsible for women,” said
Darwish. He explained how this was wrongly
taken to mean that they have the right to
deprive women of their rights and independence to decide for themselves
The media should also participate in raising people’s awareness that FGM is a wrong
habit. Religious scholars, both Moslem and
Christian, should participate in correcting
people’s idea that FGM is a religious duty. q
June / August 2012
5
PLANT BREEDING
Project to Develop ‘Farmer-preferred’ Crop Varieties
By George Achia,
Staff Science Writer
or many years, farmers in
East Africa have played
a negligible role in seed
research and development.
Most agricultural research institutions in the region do the
research and release the final
products to farmers.
Wangare Njogu, a farmer in
Kirinyaga, Central Kenya, says
for a long time farmers have
been overlooked by researchers
who ‘impose’ the final product
on farmers although they may
not do well in some areas.
This has been blamed on
poor linkages between research,
extension workers and farmers. Asked which maize variety
farmers would want, Njogu who
spoke on behalf of a group of
farmers in Kanyakine division in
Kirinyaga, noted that farmers in
the region want a maize variety
which is resistant to pest and
diseases, drought tolerant, fast
maturing with sweet flavour and
one producing four maize cobs.
“The maize variety that
farmers from this area would
like to grow is DH04. I have
grown it for the last two seasons
and it did very well. We love it
F
because of its sweet flavor unlike
other varieties,” said Njogu.
However, this is set to
change the project Participatory crop improvement and
seed system development seeks
to increase the capacity of crop
research in East Africa to produce improved, well-adapted
and farmers-acceptable crop
varieties to enhance food security.
According to Mary Mwangi,
the project coordinator, this will
ensure plant breeding is more
responsive to the needs of farmers in East Africa.
“Plant breeders are unfamiliar with new techniques which
have been shown elsewhere to
be highly effective in accelerating variety development and increasing the uptake in marginal
environment,” said Mwangi.
She spoke to ScienceAfrica
at Kenyatta University during a
special training for plant breeders of project partners’ institutions including Uganda Martyrs
University, Bangor University,
Masinde Muliro University of
Science and Technology and
Kenyatta University.
“It is important to accelerate
the adaptation of new technol-
ogy and to quickly bring innovations to farmers and agribusiness,” she said, adding that the
project funded by the European
Union-ACP Science and Technology programme unit, is supposed to address the low uptake
of modern seed varieties in Africa and lack of varieties adapted
to specific conditions preferred
by farmers. Dr. Krishna Joshi
of Bangor University called for
collaboration with farmers to
test products and get them into
the market. He observed that
the participatory breeding unlike the conventional one, allows
for testing of varieties under
farmers’ care and management.
“This allows a trade-off between multiple traits that are
not measured in formal trials
and to identify new farmersimportant traits,” said Dr. Joshi.
He cited lack of farmer preferred
crop varieties and participatory
varietal selection regulations to
attract private sector to invest
on plant breeding and seed business as the major constraints in
seed system development. Dr.
Joshi called for the need to increase awareness of farmers for
using quality seeds of modern
varieties. q
GREEN ECONOMY
MEDICINE
Rio-Summit Agreements Achievable
Monitor Quality
of Medicines
By Charles Odeny ScienceAfrica
Correspodent
A
sustainable 21st century can be realized if
the outcomes of the
Rio+20 Summit that ended
recently at Rio De Jeneiro
in Brazil are embraced and
implemented. The summit
which brought together a
number of Heads of state
and over 190 nations gave
them the go ahead to pursue a green economy in
the context of sustainable
development and poverty
eradication.
Addressing journalists
at the UNEP headquarters
in Nairobi, Kenya, after the
Rio+ 20 meeting, deputy
executive director of UNEP
Ms. Amina Mohammed
said that the summit agreement which is seen by many
as overambitious is within
achievable targets.
“Nations agreed that
such a transition could be
an important tool when
supported by policies that
encourage decent employment, social welfare and
inclusion, and the maintenance of the Earth’s ecosystems including forests
and freshwaters,” said Ms
Mohammed.
The summit also upgraded UNEP and provided
universal membership that
Ms. Amina Mohammed,
Deputy Executive Director of
UNEP
Mr. Raf Tuts,
UN-HABITAT Urban Planning
Coordinator
increased council to over
190 up from 58. “The upgrading will help in carrying our mandate through
human resources capacity
building and strengthening
our science policies,” said
Ms Mohammed.
According to Mohammed, it the summit was a
key milestone in a series of
major United Nations conferences, in which the 1992
United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development was the centerpiece, putting sustainable development as a top
priority on the agenda of
the United Nations and the
international community.
“Other priority issues including the green
economy, in the context of
sustainable development
and poverty eradication,
sustainable development
goals and renewed efforts
to promote sustainable
consumption and production were also addressed,”
she said.
The summit also gave
the go ahead to set the
Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) for both the
developed and developing
nations into a cooperative
target setting across a range
of challenges from water
and land up to food waste
around the globe.
“The SDGs are expected
to compliment the millennium development goals
after 2015 as they reflect
the reality that transition
to a green economy and a
sustainable path should
have blueprint of developed
nations as well as the developing ones in the quest
to eradicate poverty,” she
continued.
Developing economies
will be provided with the
opportunity to access international support in terms of
finance and capacity building with up to 175 billion
dollars provided by banks
to be invested in building transport systems that
will reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.
“The main areas of focus
will include sustainable
energy and transport, food
security, improving the
quality of water, building
resilient cities as well as
conservation of the oceans.”
Also present was UNHABITAT Urban Planning
Coordinator, Mr. Raf Tuts
who highlighted on the opportunities for city leaders
to improve waste and water
management, energy efficiency, urban transportation, and other key sectors.
“Recognition of water
and sanitation as a human
right unlike before has been
achieved in the pursuit of
sustainable cities and human settlements,” said Mr.
Tuts. q
By Charity Muturi
(ScienceAfrica Reporter)
W
ith major global pharmaceutical firms pulling their manufacturing
facilities our of sub-Sahara Africa,
the continent is rapidly becoming
a major dumping ground for dangerous and ineffective medicines.
Safety is at the centre of patient
management or treatment and this
makes it crucial to have the capability to regulate medicines
According to the recent “Africa
Pharmacovigilance Meeting” held
at Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, there is even a greater
need to monitor and promote
safety, quality and effectiveness of
medicines in sub-Sahara Africa.
The burden of adverse events from
poor product quality, adverse drug
reactions, and medication errors
pose great challenges to health
care systems increasing deaths
and illness.
However, few African countries have the structures, systems
or resources in place to conduct
pharmacovigilance activities, and
lack unbiased, evidence-based
information to help guide regulatory and patient safety decisions,
says a background document on
“Monitoring Safety and Quality of
Medicines in Kenya. q
6
June / August 2012
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
Nigeria Releases Vitamin A Enriched Maize
T
he Nigerian Government
has released two new maize
hybrids that can provide
more vitamin A raising optimism
about stemming the menace of its
deficiency especially among children,
pregnant women, and mothers. The
provitamin A is converted by the
body into vitamin A when the maize
is eaten.
The hybrids, which are the first
generation vitamin A-rich maize,
were in July 2012, by the National
Variety Release Committee of Nigeria
as Ife maizehyb 3 and Ife maizehyb
4. They are also recognized as IITA
hybrids A0905-28 and A0905-32,
respectively.
“The hybrids are a product of
nearly a decade of breeding for
enhanced levels of pro-vitamin
A,” says Dr. Abebe Menkir, maize
breeder with the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture
(IITA), who led the development of
the new maize hybrids.
The hybrids outperformed local
checks with yields ranging from six
to nine tons per hectare compared to
2 tons per hectare recorded on most
farmers’ fields.
The vitamin A hybrids were
developed by IITA in partnership
with the Institute of Agricultural
Research & Training (IAR&T) using
conventional breeding in a project
funded by the HarvestPlus—a
Challenge Program of the CGIAR
as part of strategies to address
the prevalence of vitamin
A deficiency. Other
collaborating
partners include
the Institute for
Agricultural
R e s e a r c h
(IAR), Zaria;
University of
Maiduguri;
International
Maize and
Wheat Center
( C I M M Y T ) ,
University of Illinois,
and University of
Wisconsin.
In Nigeria, vitamin A deficiency
afflicts about 30% of children below
five, 20% of pregnant women, and
13% of nursing mothers. Vitamin
A deficiency lowers immunity and
impairs vision..
According to Menkir, maize is
the most frequently consumed
staple in Nigeria with about 20% of
households consuming it at different
times within a week. “These hybrids
will provide not only increased
amounts of provitamin A but also
improve productivity in farming
communities,” he says.
The release of vitamin A
cassava in Nigeria last
year should help pave
the way for broad
acceptance of the
vitamin A maize.
These new maize
varieties are well
suited to the
tropical lowlands
of many West
African countries
and are expected to
spread beyond Nigeria’s
borders. In a parallel effort, the
International Maize and Wheat
Research Center has been breeding
mid-altitude vitamin A-rich varieties
for Zambia in a project also funded
by HarvestPlus, with release
anticipated later this year. n
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION AWARD
Prof Urama Wins African Technology Award
A
TPS Executive Director,
Prof. Kevin Chika Urama,
recently received an award
as the Technology Executive of the
Year 2012. He was one of three
Executives nominated for the award
by the United States based Africa
Technology Awards.
According to Africa Technology
Awards based in the US, it honours
individuals, organizations and teams
who have hard great impact in
innovation, including breakthroughs
in shaping the future of the continent.
Born in Nigeria, Prof. Urama says his
passion for science, technology and
innovation (STI) as a problem-solving
tool in Africa is what has brought him
this far.
Winning the award is an
affirmation and a vote of confidence
in the tremendous contribution that
I and the entire ATPS have made
in the promotion of sustainable
development through science,
technology and innovation, Prof
Urama said.
“The awards present a holistic and
balanced view of the technological
contribution. By honouring such
champions, it is a way of encouraging
and promoting STI in Africa which
is bound to shape the future of the
continent,” adds Prof. Urama.
He holds a BSc in Agricultural
Economics with First Class Honours
from the University of Nigeria;
an MSc degrees in Agricultural
Economics from the same
university, and another MSc in
Land Economy (Environmental and
Ecological Economics option) with
a Distinction from the University
of Cambridge UK; and PhD in Land
Economy (Environmental and
Ecological Economics option) from
University of Cambridge where he
was also honoured with a 2002-3
James Claydon Prize for the most
outstanding PhD thesis.
Before joining the ATPS as the
Executive Director in 2007, Prof.
Urama was a Senior Researcher at
the Macaulay Land Use Research
Institute in Aberdeen, UK, and also
the Inaugural President of the African
Society for Ecological Economics
(ASEE) – a professional body with
membership from many Africa
countries and affiliated with the
International Society for Ecological
economics (ISEE).
He also lauds ATPS staff and the
working environment that provides
for members to effectively address
STI policy research and policymaking
challenges of the continent. ATPS
brings together policymakers, science
experts, private sector actors and
the civil society in one network,
providing a unique and effective
platform for addressing multiple
challenges of governance, effective
policymaking, knowledge generation,
technology development, deployment
and diffusion through innovations for
sustainable development in Africa.
Prof. Urama received the award
at ceremony held on 19 May 2012 in
Johannesburg, South Africa. n
AFRICA’S LEADING PUBLICATION ON SCIENCE
FARA Board Meets
Rwanda Farmers
A
lthough it is beginning to
change, one of the tragedies
of African agriculture is
that experts attend all sorts of
donor sponsored money guzzling
conferences, held in five star hotels in
the name of finding solutions to food
shortages. However they have no
time to visit farms to compare notes
with those who grow crops or keep
livestock. Few researchers consider it
their duty to pesent their findings to
the local community where research
was done.
It is therefore encouraging that the
board of the Forum for Agricultural
research in Africa, FARA, recently
found time to visit Rwandan
farmers said to be benefiting from
interventions by FARA. They visited
Kotemu Cooperative, where farmers
cultivate Orange-flesh Sweet Potato
(OFSP) rich in Vitamin A after it
was introduced by FARA under
the p;roject Dissemination of New
Agricultural Technologies in Africa
(DONATA).
Still at Gataraga village, Irish
potato farmers said their socioeconomic status had improved
with some improvintheir houses,
buying motor vehicle and able to
pay for children’s education. This
success was under the Sub-Saharan
Africa Challenge Program (SSA CP).
The board said that the cost of
Rwanda’s remarkable progress in
FARA’s priority areas of intervention
is USD 2,100,000 over the past
three years. Rwanda is among the
few African nation following the
path to socio-economic progress in
in a sincere and transparent manner
unlike other places where display of
successful projects - tend to be stage
managed. n
Quotable
“Europe’s cooperation
with Africa on science
and technology should
not be based on
fragmented projects,
well-defined strategic
approach that delivers
results, is needed.”
South Africa’s minister of
science and technology,
Naledi Pandor
(Source Sci-Dev)
INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT
The Best Analysis of Science, Technology
and Innovation in Africa
Tel: 020-2053532 / 2473370
June / August 2012
7
Who Will Save Anguished of African Women?
E
fforts to improve both mental
and physical wellbeing in
Africa often go beyond controlling myriads of diseases
haunting the region. The least that
can be said is that national, regional
and global efforts to improve health
of people in Africa will be futile unless
governments, NGOs, religious groups,
medics, lawyers, the military and
other stakeholders acquire the courage to focus on widespread evils characterised by rape and murders linked
to conflicts, increasing violent crimes,
early female child marriages and the
horrifying Female Genital Mutilation
(FGM). The latter is done under the
guise of traditional or religious values
handled by the meanest and the most
ignorant cultural custodians.
As noted in our front page story,
FGM is widespread in Africa despite
much noise by NGOs and government
officials including ministers and heads
of state who fake inability to halt
the practice. However, the abuse of
women seems endless. African leaders, especially those in east and central
Africa, turn a blind eye to the evils
being committed by the unlimited
groups of combatants in the Congo
DR. They fear focusing meaningfully
on the indescribable evils going on
in Eastern Congo where warlords
and their armies enjoy targeting the
weakest in the society- women and
children.
nations like Kenya include rape and
Various sources, including WHO, abuse of women and children as seen
agree that within the last one and half in the 2008 political violence.
decades up to 5 million extra civilian
Even worse security institutions
deaths occurred in the endless con- in most Africa nations seem to enjoy or
flicts by “liberation” groups keen on stick to the criminal and treacherous
exploiting Congo DR’s minerals and habits –especially rape and communitimber. There are
ty punishment- instielusive bloodthirsty
tutionalized during
rebels like Uganda’s
colonial era.
Many courageous
Joseph Kony, who
Whichever way
Congolese women have
have perfected the
one looks at it, Congo
on their death beds
art of vanishing into
DR remains a continthe neighbouring
uous chilling examopenly exposed their
countries- Congo
ple of helplessness
plight that includes
DR, Central Africa
and trauma. Many
gang rape, rupture of
Republic and South
courageous Congoreproductive organs
Sudan - where they
lese women have
and brutal murders that
kill at will and only
on their death beds
external help from
leave lifetime mental and openly exposed their
the US may help
plight that includes
emotional trauma in a
eliminate them.
gang rape, rupture of
continent with minimal
Kony, - alleged to
reproductive organs
specialist health facilities and brutal murders
be Christian fanatand expertise.
ics seeking to rule
that leave lifetime
based on the Bible’s
mental and emotionten Commandments
al trauma in a conti- have raped, ennent with minimal
slaved, maimed and killed tens of specialist health facilities and experthousands of women and children in tise. In the now vanished traditional
East and Central African region for African society, real warriors had
the last 20 years. In the Horn of Africa their battlefield dos and don’ts. The
whispers of women being raped and most common being never to abuse
then branded prostitutes before being women and children. In many cases
stoned to death have been common in they avoided contact with women and
the war-torn Somalia. Conflicts within children during and before clashes.
OTULA’S DIARY: CONSERVATION - HUMAN WILDLIFE CONFLICT
The Maasai: Still World’s Best Wildlife Conservationists
T
he recent firing of teargas
by Kenya Wildlife Service
(KWS) rangers, into the
highly agitated crowd of
Maasai complaining about constant loss of livestock to wildlife,
marks the beginning of the end
of serious wildlife conservation
in both Kenya and Tanzania. It
was the final manifestation of the
unneeded ‘blame the victim syndrome’ worsened by self righteous
experts and policy makers who
are knowingly or unknowingly
involved in decimation of wildlife
because they lack ‘in-built’ culture
of wildlife conservation.
One just has to look at the increasingly miserable wildlife in the
once vibrant Nairobi National Park
where relatively large wildlife populations once thrived barely four
kilometers from the city centre. It
is definitely dying. And in a twist of
fate, the Maasai and the KWS are
not to blame. Human settlements
have choked the park blocking
what used to be wildlife passage
routes linking other national parks
and game reserves with Nairobi
National Park thus facilitating free
migration of wildlife.
The unique city wildlife park
that was the natural home of various populations are being killed by
the fast evolving urban settlements
in Kitengela, Ongata Rongai, Kiserian, Isenya, Athi River and the
city itself. To add insult to injury,
a major highway construction has
hived off portions of land at the
KWS headquarters that also serve
as an entry to the park. Its walls
and fences are already dangerously
close to the expanded Langata
road.
There are no strong indications that the KWS and the Maasai
community were consulted when
new settlements emerged in game
reserves and wildlife migration
routes. The planners never thought
about balancing expanding human
settlements and wildlife conservation.
KWS has lost its ability to
fence national parks and lions
and other wildlife easily roam into
Maasai manyattas or homestead
killing livestock and even humans.
The country does not know how
to deal with the already explosive
scenario. It is too late to curb the
settlements and the Maasai have
had it. With wildlife often sold as
beef, the fate of zebras, giraffes,
buffaloes, antelopes, wildebeest
and other animals living near human settlements is sealed.
As if this is not bad enough
there is already an increase in
poaching and ivory smuggling
as East Africa intensifies its linkage with South East Asia where
ivory and other wildlife parts are
in much demand.
However, pictures of lions
killed by the Maasai being flashed
all over the world have unfortunately misled the world to as-
sume that the community may
suddenly be the greatest threat to
wildlife conservation and tourism
especially in the region. However, the whole world, directly
and indirectly, owe its wildlife
heritage to the Maasai. Unlike
other communities in East Africa
and beyond, the Maasai have for
centuries co-existed with diverse
wildlife populations with unbelievable ease.
The tragedy facing Kenya
and possibly Tanzania is that the
‘know it all’ governments and conservation organizations in practical terms learnt nothing about
sustainable wildlife conservation
from the Maasai. Whatever was
said about community wildlife
conservation was ideal for those
who never bothered to learn from
the harsh realities behind the
sustainable wildlife conservation
in the Maasai Mara, Serengeti
Plains, other game reserves and
national parks.
The nomadic Maasai have
never been hunters and seem to
have developed unique relationship of “live and let live” with wildlife including some of the fiercest
species. Those who had the fortune
of visiting the Maasai Mara and
Serengeti Plains in the early 70s
will never overcome the awesome
lifetime experience of seeing hundreds of buffaloes on hillsides at
sunset. There were young Maasai
boys herding goats and sheep less
than a half kilometer from a pride
of lions.
The gut feeling was that anyone trying to imitate the Maasai
was bound to be quickly gobbled
up by lions, pythons, wild dogs,
leopards and escaping these simply led to being pulverized by
elephants, rhinos and buffaloes
while wild hippos from chains of
streams and rivers were for a start
more than ready to chop one into
two pieces incase fierce crocodiles
paid no attention. Those were the
days when tourists or visitors did
not need to be reminded to stay
inside their vehicles. They kept at
safe distances from these inhabitants except the Maasai and their
livestock.
The country was in the 70s
estimated to have over 70,000 rhinos which are currently an endangered species because of poaching.
Indeed if Dr Phillip Leakey who
had the courage to alert top policy
makers that unless the well armed
poachers were eliminated, the
country’s economy would decline
rapidly. Even more anything that
happens to wildlife in Maasai Mara
also affects the Serengeti in Tanzania. The wildebeest that migrate to
and from Tanzania belong to both
countries and survive because of
the goodwill and lifestyle of the
Maasai. The wildlife in Kenya faces
extinction and reversing this must
involve very close collaboration
with the Maasai. n
Enemies who hid behind women or
children were mostly spared. But
those were days “when warriors were
warriors and men were men.”
The military momentum generated to win the war against terrorism
in Somalia should be extended to
the Eastern region of Congo DR in
particular as UN peace keepers seem
helpless when it comes to protecting women and children. Congo DR,
which understandably seem very reluctant to have foreign armies on its
soil, need to be told in the strongest
practical terms that it currently has
no credible military capacity to protect
its women and children against the
unlimited physical and mental abuse
by all sorts of warlords who find safe
haven deep in the dense forests.
While Congo DR is haunted by
endless wars, other nations have no
reason to ignore cruel and outdated
practices like FGM based on myths
and minimal respect for women. FGM
is widespread in at least 31 African
countries including those that shout
loudest during conferences. It is time
someone at WHO, UN and African
Union took another look at what really
goes on the ground despite banning
FGM and other abuses that defy the
shallow rosy pictures of political empowerment of women. n
- Otula Owuor
EDITORIAL TEAM
Editor:
Otula Owuor
Consulting Editors:
James Njoroge Wachai
Uganda Editor:
Esther Nakkazi
Associate Editors:
Daniel Otunge
Dick Agudah
Revise Editor:
Naftali Mungai
Staff Writer:
George Achia
Staff Photographer:
Charity Muturi
Marketing & Advertising:
Lucas Oluoch
Operation & Co-ordination:
Leo Ogwago
Florence Choka
Layout Design:
Crimson Communications Ltd.
[email protected]
020 8015 222
Contributors:
Alfred Kituku, Hope Mafaranga,
Leocadia Bongben, Ola Al-Ghazawy,
Dr Dunnlee Maina, Charles Odeny,
Charity Muturi, Wairimu Nyambura,
Sylvia Mwangi, Mbae Lawrence,
Andason Ojwang and Sylvia Mwangi.
www.scienceafrica.com
Email:[email protected]
8
June / August 2012
W
AIDS: Preventive Vaccine within Reach
e are reminded
that AIDS continues to devastate
the lives of millions of people across the globe,
orphaning children, ravaging
communities and disrupting
economies. The effort to end
the AIDS pandemic requires
truly global commitment, and we
must continuously rededicate
ourselves to this task. Today, we
at IAVI are more optimistic than
ever before that the development of a preventive AIDS vaccine to help end the pandemic
is within reach.
Decades of dedication from
researchers, funders, advocates
and volunteers have culminated
in a recent flurry of exciting discoveries and encouraging data.
However, achieving the vision of
a world without AIDS requires
energy, persistence and innovative ideas from champions
both new and old, as well as the
continued courage and commitment of volunteers participating
in HIV vaccine studies. Vaccines
protect millions from measles,
pneumonia and cancer-causing
viruses, and the polio vaccine
has taken a disease that has
plagued the world for centuries
to the brink of eradication. Simply put, vaccines work.
IAVI and our partners at the
Futures Institute are pleased to
present new modeling data that
illustrate what an effective AIDS
vaccine could mean for low- and
middle-income countries. The
results are striking: in a scenario
T
where existing HIV-prevention
programs are continued at their
current scale, and an AIDS
vaccine that is only 50 percent
efficacious is introduced in
2020, 5.2 million new infections in low- and middle-income
countries would be averted over
the first decade. The model also
shows that nearly 20 million HIV
infections could be averted by
2030 by combining that same
50% efficacious vaccine with
existing prevention and treatment programs scaled-up to
reach targets recently set by
UNAIDS. Each averted infection represents one more person who will not need lifelong
antiretroviral treatment to stave
off AIDS-related illness or death.
These modeling data, as
well as a new interactive Impact
Modeling tool, are made possible by our partnership with the
U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID). The
modeling tool is featured on
the newly redesigned IAVI.
org, where you can also find an
overview of recent progress in
the HIV vaccine field, a database of IAVI’s studies and an
interactive map of IAVI’s global
network of partnerships. I invite
you to explore our new website
and engage with IAVI via Twitter
@AIDSvaccine, on Facebook at
facebook.com/AIDSvaccine and
on YouTube at IAVIVideos.
To end the AIDS pandemic,
we must maximize the potential of the existing prevention
toolbox while simultaneously
striving to accelerate the development and delivery of an HIV
vaccine and other new prevention tools desperately needed by
so many at risk of infection. Unfortunately, early data from the
HIV Vaccines and Microbicides
Resource Tracking Working
Group shows that a downturn
in HIV vaccine funding that began in 2008 continued through
2011. Achieving our common
goal of a safe and effective HIV
vaccine necessitates reversing
this trend.
This World AIDS Vaccine
Day, IAVI extends its heartfelt
thanks to each and every one
of our partners and donors, as
well as all those whose endless
support and dedication have
brought us ever closer to ensuring the development of an HIV
vaccine to help end the AIDS
pandemic.
Kind regards,
Margaret McGlynn
President and CEO of IAVI
(Released on World AIDS Vaccine Day)
Innovation Hub Forms Strategic
Partnership With TCC
he Innovation Hub formalised its strategic
partnership with The
Training Centre in Communication (TCC) in Nairobi to
open a new satellite office at
The Innovation Hub to benefit
universities, national and international research institutes and
programmes in South Africa
and Southern Africa sub region.
The partnership was recently
formalized during the signing
of the Memorandum of Understanding. The Innovation Hub is
a subsidiary of Gauteng Growth
Development Agency (GGDA)
of the Gauteng Department of
Economic Development.
The strategic partnership
agreement aimed at providing
seminars, courses to postgraduate students, staff, faculty and
outside participants to increase
communication skills and create economic opportunities
was signed by The Innovation
Hub CEO, Mr McLean Sibanda
and the University of Nairobi
Centre Manager, Ms Joy Owango. Under the MOU, the two
organizations will manage and
coordinate courses to postgraduate students, staff, faculty
and outsiders at The Innovation
Hub, South Africa, complete
with a seminar style of training.
The first course to be facilitated under this partnership
will be on Proposal Writing
Grant Management and Oral
Communication Presentation
and Networking and will be
held in September 2012, at The
Innovation Hub in South Africa.
The Innovation Hub (TIH), a
GGDA subsidiary, is Africa’s
first internationally accredited
Science Park and a full member
of the International Association
of Science Parks (IASP). is strategically located in
Tshwane, executive capital in
the ‘smart’ Province of Gauteng. TIH implements the initiatives identified in the Gauteng
Innovation Strategy and Green
Economy strategy to advance
the economic development and
growth of the province through
innovation. TCC is a not-for-profit organization set up in 2006. It is
in partnership with the University of Nairobi, Kenya, Kenyatta University and Obafemi
Awolowo University. It has
trained over 800 research scientists from 70 research institutes and universities in Africa.
Linah Nematandani, Communication and Marketing Manager
on [email protected] ; www.theinnovationhub.com; Tel. (012) 844 0030 or
071 673 9964
Joy Owango, Centre Manager on
+254(0)20 8086820/ +254 (0)733
792316 or email joy.owango@
tcc-africa.org; www.tcc-africa.
org; Facebook:Training Centre
in Communication; Twitter:@
Tccafrica
Asia Research News
Dear Reader,
Committed to facilitating dissemination of Asian research and its global
impact, ResearchSEA’s latest publication highlights developments across
the research spectrum. ResearchSEA
offers free registration for journalists
with access to exclusive content.
From nano-magnets for cancer treatment and beetle antifreeze to articles
on how research has recovered after
a year of natural disasters, the latest edition of Asia Research News
features cutting-edge research from
across Asia. The full press release is Dr Djuke Veldhuis, Editor
copied below. For more information ResearchSEA – Asia Research News
please feel free to get in touch with us. Email: [email protected]
Media: Profile Awards 2012 Competition
T
he annual Profile Awards
sponsored by Siemens and
supported by the South African Department of Science and
Technology seeks to honour journalists who excel in the fields of science
and technology reporting. Entries for
the 2012 competition are now open
for work published in print, online or
broadcast media. The closing date is
17th August 2012. The awards ceremony will be held on the 26th October
2012, as part of the Sustain Our Africa
Change Agent Awards in Cape Town,
South Africa.The awards include five
categories: Energy efficiency, Sustainable cities, Industrial productivity,
Healthcare and a Student journalism
award. Each category winner will receive a prize of R10,000. The overall
Profile Awards winner will receive
an additional R10,000 and a trip to
Germany to the technology centres
of Siemens. www.profileawards.co.za
José Machado,
(Siemens Africa Head of Corporate
Communications)
Tel: +27 11 652 2160
Mobile: +27 82 345 1736
Newsletter on Physics and Astronomy
T
he African Physical Society has
might work out if we could somea joint e-newsletter with the Afhow get working capital to comrican Astronomical Society, the
pensate journalists for their time
South African Institute of Physics, and
and effort.
the National Society of Black Physi- 2) We have to get African scientists
cists (USA) called Waves and Packets
and universities to think in terms
(http://www.wavesandpackets.org). It
of «Publish the journal article
has a global distribution of 15,000.
and issue the press release.” Waves and Packets would run
One of our goals for Waves and Packwith almost any press release on
ets is to highlight African news and
a physics/astronomy result from
research in physics and astronomy. an African institution.
And we would like the help of AFSJ
to do that.
3) The established African science
journalists that are out there
Waves and Packets is mostly a news
should let Waves and Packets
aggregator, but we want to start
know when they have a story in
developing some original exclusive
physics and astronomy. Waves
content. To that end we would like
and Packets is an aggregator,
to partner with schools of journalism
but we are hoping to develop to a
and AFSJ to open up our publication
point where we can afford to pay
as possible laboratory for students
for original content. On the other
interested in science journalism. hand, maybe Waves and Packets
That is, provide a place for them
could become the news service
to develop a body of by-lines for
that the report suggests should be
stories in physics and astronomy. established, at least wrt physics
and astronomy.
Furthermore, we would like to pursue
this via MOUs with other partners 4) Developing an email list of Afacross the continent. You are unrican science journalists that
doubtedly aware of the recent UNespecially cover stories in the
ESCO report re: an African science
physical sciences. Names that I
news service. I think there are a few
know include Linda Nordling, John
places were our plans for Waves and
Yeld, Farzana Rasool, and I have
Packets and ideas for an African news
corresponded with Esther Nakkazi
service converge.
of Uganda a few times via Twitter. 1) Because Waves and Packets is Would pursuing an MOU with NSBP
a publication of physics profes- re: Waves and Packets be something
sional societies, maybe it will that you or any of your colleagues
engender more cooperation by in AFSJ would be interested in?
scientists. So maybe if an African Thanks in advance.
journalist wants to use Waves and Prof. Lawrence Norris, on behalf of
Packets as their calling card,that the African Physical Society
June / August 2012
9
Extracts from World Bank’s latest publication: The Status And Impact Of Biosafety Regulation In Developing
Economies Since Ratification of The Cartagena Protocol (Key Drivers Affecting Biosafety Regulation)
China, India and Brazil Investment in
Agricultural Biotechnology
YEAR OF FIRST APPROVED CROPS
APPROVED TO DATE
- Exporters Increase Approval of GM Crops
- Maize, Rice, Sorghum, Soybeans
C
hina, India, and Brazil have
adopted policies that explicitly recognize the importance
of agricultural biotechnology as a
driver of their respective economies.
Under these policies, significant
innovation in agricultural research
is taking place in the public sector.
China and India have rich pipelines of both commodity and propoor GM crops in development and
approaching commercialization.
Brazil recently approved herbicidetolerant soybean CV127-9, the first
example of a GM product developed
and commercialized through a public-private partnership (Embrapa
and BASF).
The fact that new product development of this kind is no longer
the (almost) exclusive purview of
private enterprises in the United
States, Canada, and European Union has significant implications for
both agricultural development and
international trade. The imperative
of at least some of the product development in countries like China
and India is to meet domestic food
needs. Considerations related to
any trade disruptions that may
result if unapproved GM products
enter the global value chain may be
considered incidental to achieving
food security.
From 2003 to 2010, the global
area planted with GE crops doubled
from 68 to 148 million hectares.
In 2010, the United States, Brazil,
Argentina, India, Canada, China,
Paraguay, Pakistan, South Africa,
and Uruguay accounted for 98% of
the area planted with GM crops.
Major commodity exporters
of maize, soybeans, and cotton cultivate the GM varieties and there
is limited segregation of GM and
non-GM harvests in these countries.
It has been estimated that over 120
different transgenic events may be
commercialized worldwide by 2015,
compared with approximately 30
GM events in commercially cultivated crops in 2008, and that half
of them will be developed and first
approved in India, China, and Brazil.
Plant Biotechnology
Drivers such as agricultural
adaptation to climate change, the
food security crisis of 2008–09,
and increasing demand for renewable energy have accelerated plant
Environmental benefits of
GM Crops
Herbicide tolerance:
Crops that have been genetically engineered to tolerate the herbicide glyphosate have had both direct
and indirect environmental
benefits. The direct benefits
have come with a shift in
the types and pattern of
herbicide use. The indirect
benefits are associated with
the widespread adoption of
conservation tillage practices, which aid in conserving soil moisture and
improving soil structure
and water quality. The shift
from conventional tillage
to low-till or no-till systems
has been facilitated by the
introduction of herbicidetolerant soybeans, maize,
cotton, and oilseed rape.
These benefits may eventually be compromised, as
the widespread adoption
of glyphosatetolerant crops
has been associated with
shifts in weed populations
and the selection of weeds
that are also tolerant to
herbicide.
Benefits of Bt crops:
Significant reductions in
insecticide use, and the
resulting human health and
environmental benefits,
have been attributed to the
adoption of Bt cotton in almost every country where it
has been grown.d Bt maize
and Bt cotton have become
important components of
integrated pest management programs, because the
reduction in pesticide use
improves opportunities for
both natural and introduced
biological control of other
maize and cotton pests. n
Countries with Approved
GM Crops for
Environmental Release
biotechnology research on a range
of new traits and new plant species.
Drought-tolerant maize, salttolerant rice, sorghum that uses
nitrogen more efficiently, and soybeans with modified oil profiles are
all expected to advance to commercialization within the next decade.
Genetic engineering is being
applied to improve existing plant
sources of biomass for ethanol and
biodiesel production and to modify
less-familiar, non-food plant species
for large-scale cultivation to meet
growing demand for biofuel feedstocks. Novel traits for pest and disease resistance are being introduced
into many plant species, and the use
of these GM plants in integrated pest
management systems increasingly
is viewed as integral to sustainable
agricultural production. n
1992 United States - Delayed-ripening
tomato 81 Canola (Brassica napus), chicory, cotton, flax , maize,
papaya, plum, potato, rice, soybean, sugar beet, tobacco, tomato
1995 Australia - Modified flower color carnation 16 Canola (B. napus), carnation, cotton
1995 Canada - Canola, flax maize, potato, soybean, sugar beet
1995 Mexico - Delayed-ripening tomato 3 Cotton, maize, soybean
1996 Argentina - Herbicide-tolerant
soybean 20 Cotton, maize, soy
bean
1996 European Union- Male sterile chicory 7 Carnation, chicory,
maize, potato
1996 Japan - Tomato, Soybean, maize, 55 Alfalfa, canola cotton, sugar beet
1997 South Africa - Maize; insect-re
sistant Cotton, maize, soybean
1997 Uruguay – Soybean, Maize
1997 China - Cotton, maize, rice
1998 Brazil - Soybean, cotton, maize
2000 Colombia - Carnation, cotton, maize
2002 India - Cotton
2002 Philippines - Maize
2004 Paraguay - Soybean
2008 South Korea- Maize
2008 Burkina Faso - Cotton
Source: CERA 2011 (GM Crop Database).
How Nations use Non-Biosafety Factors
in Regulating Biotech Crops
A
lthough functional regulatory systems are largely science based, product
commercialization may be
determined by other factors, as
seen in the following examples.
Argentina: An explicit review
of the economic impact on
national agricultural production and marketing is included
prior to GE crop approvals. This
review is separate from the food
and environmental safety risk
assessment and is required only
for commercial cultivation.
Australia: State and Territory
governments have authority
over land use and have used it
to institute moratoria on the
cultivation of certain approved
GE crops, primarily based on
economic considerations.
European Union: Member countries have invoked a
safeguard clause to prohibit
cultivation of certain GE events,
citing potential risks. They have
maintained the prohibition
even after the European Food
Safety Authority has provided
scientific opinions that the risks
are not significant.
South Africa: The Genetically
Modified Organism Amendment Act, passed in 2006 to
give effect to the Cartagena
Protocol, requires the inclusion of both safety and socioeconomic considerations in
product-specific decision making. The criteria for assessing
the socioeconomic impacts of a
GE crop release have yet to be
clearly described in guidance,
yet non-safety considerations
are affecting product approvals.
In 2009, South Africa’s Executive Council for Genetically
Modified Organisms rejected
a permit application for the
general release of SpuntaG2,
a potato that is resistant to the
potato tuber moth. SpuntaG2
was jointly developed by the
South African Agricultural Research Council and Michigan
State University specifically
for smallholder farmers. The
Executive Council indicated its
primary reason for not authorizing the potato “had to do with
the fact that both commercial
and small-scale farmers will
be unlikely to switch to the
GM potato.”a Potatoes SA,
representing the South African
potato industry, opposed the
release of SpuntaG2 on the
grounds that it would affect domestic consumption of potatoes
as well as international trade,
particularly with the European
Union. n
10
June / August 2012
HEALTH
Kenya: Shortage of Cornea for Transplant
By Wairimu Nyambura
ScienceAfrica Correspodent
J
ovial and full of life,
14 year old Maureen
Wanjiru leans on her
mother and playfully at
the lobby of Dr Jyotee Trivedy,
senior ophthalmologist and
head of medical services at the
Lions SightFirst Eye Hospital
in Nairobi, Kenya. Her right
eye tightly shut, she brushes
off the specks of tears pushing
against her closed eye with the
back of her hand.
Two weeks earlier, she received her first corneal transplant. Dr Trivedy who has over
365 cornea surgeries, did the
operation. Maureen bravely
endured intense pain as her
eye tried to adapt after the surgery, says Patrick Kingarandu,
the father.
“What is difficult now
is waiting for a cornea for
the other eye, if and when it
comes,” says Maureen’s father
pensively. The hospital could
only offer cornea replacement
on one eye due to shortages
in cornea tissue, explains Dr.
Gerald Mureithi, head of the
hospital’s eye bank. “The idea
is to save one eye now,” he
says.
Maureen’s problem started in primary school, where
she experienced difficulty in
seeing the black board. The
first course of treatment was
eye glasses and then contact
lenses that only served to aggravate her condition,” says
her mother, Mrs. Lois Kingarandu. “It never crossed our
minds that she would need
surgery”.
Maureen has bilateral Keratoconus, a disorder that causes the progressive thinning of
the cornea causing it to form
a round cone shape, changing
the cornea’s refractive power.
According to Dr. Mureithi,
bilateral Keratoconus is the
most common corneal problem in the country and is more
prevalent in teenagers and
adults in their twenties.
About seven percent of
people with the eye condition
have a family history of Keratoconus.
Bilateral Keratoconus can
also be caused by an eye in-
jury, excessive eye rubbing or
wearing hard contact lenses
for many years.
The cornea is the eye’s outermost lens, similar to a camera lens. When light strikes
the cornea, it bends or refracts
the incoming light onto the
lens, then to the retina which
in turn converts the light rays
into impulses that are sent
through the optic nerve to the
brain which interprets them
as images.
Corneal transplant surgery
removes the central portion
of the unhealthy cornea and
replaces it with a healthy
donated cornea. According to
Dr.Trivedy, cornea rejection
happens rarely; sometimes it
takes a whole year for the eye
to adapt.
The Lions SightFirst Eye
bank covers East and Central
Africa. Kenya’s Lions eye bank
has a greater output capacity,
performing over 100 cornea
transplants annually.
But despite the commendable capacity, since it opened
its doors almost four years
ago, no Kenyan of African
descent has ever donated a
cornea, says Dr.Trivedy.
So far only 25 Kenyans of
Asian descent have donated
corneas.
“We are looking at a situation where many people are
turning blind because Kenyans have refused to donate
corneas,” remarks, Dr. Dan
Kiage head of Ophthalmology
at the Aga Khan University
hospital in Nairobi.
Kenya’s national blindness
prevalence rate is about 0.7
percent, which translates to
over 250,000 blind persons.
The most affected group is
under 30 years old which
means that the disease affects
60percent of Kenya’s youthful
population.
It is estimated about
50,000 Kenyans suffer from
corneal blindness.
Cultural superstitions look
down on organ donation, with
many Kenyans unwilling to associate with death or organ retrieval, explains Dr. Mureithi.
“Often relatives are too
grief stricken to consent to
cornea retrieval, even when
the deceased had signed a
donor consent form.” The
Lion’s SightFirst Eye hospital
has over 2000 people on the
waiting list. Since corneas are
not readily available in the
country, the Aghkhan University and Lions SightFirst
eye hospital are forced to
import corneas from the other
countries.
This means that few Kenyans can afford corneal surgery. At the Aga Khan University hospital corneal surgery
on one eye can cost Kshs.
350,000. The high costs for
the surgery is driven by the
resistance by Kenyans on cornea donation, says Dr Kiage,
of the Agha Khan University
Hospital.
The Lions SightFirst eye
hospital offers subsidized
rates for underprivileged families at times doing the surgery
at no cost, especially for children, says Dr.Trivedy. Last
year, 18 year old Ken Gakio,
received a cornea transplant
on his left eye.
He is now on the waiting
list for a second cornea for his
right eye.
Lions SightFirst eye hospital holds regular community
and school eye camps to create awareness on the need
for cornea donation. It also
collaborates with friendly
international eye banks in
India, Sri Lanka and the USA,
to import quality cornea, at a
cost of $2500.
AGRICULTURE
New Alliance to Address Woes Facing Seed Industry
By Sylvia Mwangi
ScienceAfrica Correspondent
F
armers need not to worry
anymore due to unending seed
problems including use of poor
seeds, stringent seed regulations and counterfeiting that have inflicted the seed industry leading to poor
yields in the region.
The launch of the Alliance of the
Seed Industry in East and Southern Africa (ASIESA), a project seeks to develop
a viable, competitive and sustainable
seed industry that improves seed valuechain performance to ensure farmers
have affordable, timely and reliable
access to high quality seeds.
ASIESA would also ensure better
planting materials to boost yields for
food security and wealth for farmers.
While officially launching the project,
Kenya’s minister for agriculture Dr.
Sally Kosgei in a speech read on her
behalf by Dr. Johnson Irungu, director
of crop management in the ministry,
noted that without quality seed, use of
other agricultural inputs and improved
Dr. Sally Kosgei
Kenya’s Minister for Agriculture
management practices will not produce
significant yield increases.
“Agriculture is the cornerstone
of most of the economies of the subSaharan region. Hence, the poor performance of the sector directly translates
into dismal living conditions of people
in the continent, particularly those in
the rural sector where most of the poor
small-holders subsist and depend on
agriculture, directly or indirectly, for
their livelihoods,” said Dr. Kosgei. She
observed that ASIESA has emerged
at opportune time when the region is
grappling with many challenges that
hinder the improvement of agricultural
productivity and attainment of food
self-sufficiency.
“There are challenges of floods,
drought, pests and diseases, all of which
needs immediate answers. The seed
industry has a significant role to play in
terms of providing solutions to some of
those challenges,” she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by former president of African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) Enock Chikava who
said that agricultural performance in
Africa is still poor because of low uptake
and use of certified seeds by farmers.
“There is no doubt that the success
of the implementation of the harmonized seed regulations which was recently concluded in Common Market
of East and Southern Africa (COMESA)
member states under ASIESA and
other similar efforts would lead to a
better seed business environment in
the region motivating the private seed
sector to deliver more certified seeds to
farmers in the region and beyond,” said
Mr. Chikava.
Justine Rakotoarisaona, Secretary
General of AFSTA, noted that the alliance hopes to improve communication
with farmers by leveraging various
approaches and best practices such as
product demonstrations, field days,
extension, educational posters, media
articles, tours and exhibitions to demonstrate the benefits of planting high
quality seeds but also provide them with
adequate, accessible and relevant and
timely information.
ASIESA is a public-private partnership between AFSTA and COMESA with
the first phase funding from United
States Agency for International Development, CropLife International and
Sygenta Foundation. The project is to
be implemented in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, Madagascar,
Zimbabwe and Zambia.
June / August 2012
11
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Need for EAC Scientists to Pool R&D Resources
By Charles Odeny
(ScienceAfrica Correspodent)
S
cientists and researchers in
the East African Community
need to pool resources and increase collaboration focusing
on various aspects of STI, the head of
Kenya’s National Council for Science
and Technology (NCST), Prof.
Shaukat Abdulrazak says.
“Institutions tend to
work on their own and
I think a network or a
consortium ensures
we can work with
our counterparts
in the region and
benchmark with
colleges in the
north so that we
have a south-south
and south-north
partnership in sharing of information” Prof
Abdulrazak said during
the 4th Annual General
Meeting for Training Health Researchers into Vocational Excellence
in East Africa (THRiVE), at International Centre of Insect Physiology
and Ecology (ICIPE) headquarters in
Nairobi, Kenya.
The forum brought researchers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,
Rwanda and the United Kingdom to
discuss issues of the health research
and how it affects the society. “When
you look at the area of health, it is important we prioritize resources. If you
take Kenya which has 82000 cases annually of cancer and yet we have less
than a dozen oncologists, so I think
it is important to set aside resources
to train personnel so that we have
adequate people in these areas,”
said Prof. Abdulrazak. Kenya
allocates 0.48 % of GDP
to support S&T and our
target is one percent
and it is important for
governments to partner with the private
sector, he added
THRiVE, is a
Wellcome Trust
funded consortium
that brings together
nine research institutes and universities
in the East African Region and the United Kingdom. It aims to build a critical mass of indigenous scientists
and researchers and support them
in achieving academic excellence in
health sciences research.
It is very important we be able
to disseminate the findings to the
society so that our researches have
an impact to the society,” said Prof.
Abdulrazak. q
BIOTECHNOLOGY
GM Crops: EU Latest Study
Economic and agronomic impact of
commercialized GM Crops
A
ccording to the latest study
commissioned by European
Commission, Joint Research
Centre (JRC), Institute for Prospective Technological Studies
(IPTS), current scientific evidence
shows that adoption of GM crops
is economically and agronomically
advantageous over conventional
counterparts for farmers worldwide.
In particular, Bt crops were
found to outpace conventional
crops in terms of yields and gross
margins, at the expense of higher
production costs. Bt cotton was
found to be the most profitable crop
followed by Bt maize.
However, the study does not
cover any socio-economic implications of an increased dependency of
farmers on multi-national companies controlling the GM seed market. In such cases, multi-national
companies would have the power to
increase input prices, which would
raise GM production costs, hence
gross margin differences between
GM and conventional crops may
change
The two main GM crop traits
(herbicide tolerant (HT) and insect
resistant (Bt)) and three of the main
GM crops produced worldwide (Bt
cotton, HT soybean and Bt maize)
were analysed in terms of yield,
production cost and gross margin.
ENVIRONMENT
Fatal Misuse of Pesticide
in Ghana
T
he misuse of pesticides, some
of them banned, in northern
Ghana is affecting the health
of farmers, sometimes with fatal
consequences, and contaminating
crops, a new survey reveals.
Christian Aid partner Northern
Presbyterian Agricultural Services
found that more than a quarter
of the farmers interviewed had
suffered from directly inhaling
pesticides. Many had also spilt the
chemicals on their skin.
Pesticides are often kept near
food stores – a practice believed to
have caused the deaths of 15 farmers in late 2010 through seepage.
In addition, farmers regularly put
the wrong pesticides on crops, use
stocks that are past their expiry
date, and spray too close to harvest
time.
The survey, Ghana’s Pesticide
Crisis, The Need for Further Government Action, says seven banned
or restricted pesticides appear to
still be in use in Ghana, with the
government failing to act, despite
the fact that: ‘numerous academic
studies show alarming levels of
poisoning” among farmers and the
public.
It calls for better training and
routine health checks for farmers,
as well as monitoring of the chemicals used, and routine testing of the
food produced. It urges Ghanaian
government to move away from
reliance on pesticides in farming
and invest in more sustainable
ways of farming.
The survey covered nearly 200
farmers in 14 villages in the Upper East region of Ghana, but its
findings are inevitably common to
many developing countries, said
Kato Lambrechts, Christian Aid’s
senior advocacy and policy officer
for Africa.
“There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to save lives and
prevent the loss of livelihoods on a
similar scale to what we recently
saw unfold in East Africa,’ says Cristina Ruiz, Christian Aid’s Africa humanitarian programmes manager.
Christian Aid which is providing
emergency food aid and nutrition
kits for treating malnourished children in Burkina Faso, organising
cash-for-work programmes in Mali,
has launched a crisis appeal to help
save the lives as it also scales up
our emergency response projects in
Niger. (source Christian Aid)
12
June / August 2012
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Getting Universities to Engage in Biotechnology Policy Dialogue
By George Achia
Staff Science Writer
K
enyan universities
have been challenged
to actively engage in
biotechnology policy
dialogue and advise the government on the latest and best
biotechnology innovations.
Speaking at Jomo Kenyatta
University of Agriculture and
Technology (JKUAT) in Nairobi, Kenya, Prof. Calestous Juma
of Harvard Kennedy School
noted that African universities
have played very negligible
role in steering biotechnology
development within the continent.
“Time has come for African countries to put energy in
building more biotechnology
programmes. Otherwise, we
would end up spending more
time and energy and economically becomes a barrier,” said
Prof. Juma.
He spoke at a workshop in
JKUAT on agricultural biotechnology that brought together
the academia, policy makers,
research organizations, farmers’ organizations, private sector and Kenya’s regulatory
agencies.
The main aim of the workshop was to get Kenyan universities more actively engaged in
biotechnology initiatives and to
advise the Government on the
latest and best biotechnology
development.
Prof. Juma called on African
countries to make informed
Prof. Margaret Kamar, Kenya’s
minister for higher education,
science and technology
decision about biotechnology
based on what is happening on
the ground.”
According to him, biotechnology is the fastest adopted
technology. “In 2011, 16.7 million farmers used the technology in 29 countries and the
remarkable thing is that 15
million of those were small
resourced poor farmers in developing countries,” said Prof.
Juma.
He down played the notion
created prior to 1996 before
the first commercialized GM
crop that this was a technology
of the rich and the industrialized countries and large scale
farmers only and that it will
never be adopted in developing
countries.
In Africa, only three countries - South Africa, Burkina
Faso and Egypt - are using the
technology with a number of
Prof. Calestous Juma,
Harvard Kennedy School
countries including Nigeria,
Kenya and Uganda doing field
trials.
The first GM product, Bt.
cotton is expected in Kenya
by 2014.
Prof. Juma also identified
the challenges that hinder the
adoption of biotechnology innovations as poor funding and
policy strategies to support
biotechnology research. He
pointed out that, if a country
does not have clear policies on
biotechnology, it becomes difficult to attract international
partners.
“African countries doing
biotechnology are all focused in
solving local problems. Building a long-term plan in addressing these initiatives is
what will attract international
partners,” he said.
Citing the partnership between USA and Indonesia,
whereby Indonesia has pri-
oritized biotechnology innovations and the US researchers
are in Indonesia to help in the
uptake of biotechnology in that
country.
“If our Universities would
actively engage in the area of
Biotechnology, they may end
up coming up with new solutions that, we, as a country,
have never thought before,”
said Prof Juma, adding that
there is need to form a strong
University lobby groups.
He called on African Universities to take a clear role
in stimulating adoption of
agricultural biotechnology by
putting more emphasis on the
available products.
Prof. Juma said concerted
efforts by researchers to start
engaging directly with parliamentarians to enable them
raise funds for research.
While commenting on the
recent labeling regulations
passed by the Kenya’s National
Biosafety Authority (NBA)
that imposed a fine of Kenyan
shillings 20 million and a 10
year jail term if a trader fails
to comply, he said that African
countries should not put stringent regulations to discourage industry from effectively
playing a role in biotechnology
development.
Kenya’s minister for higher
education, science and technology Prof. Margaret Kamar in a
speech read on her behalf by the
assistant director of research,
management and development
Dr. Roy Mugiira pointed out
that as the global population
continues to outspace the traditional methods of food production, the need to create more
innovative ways to ensure long
term sustainability cannot be
overemphasized.
“Part of the solution lies
in the adoption and uptake of
biotechnology in a sustainable
manner. Kenya has preferred
to go the modern biotechnology way and made the first
important steps by setting up
the policy, legal and regulatory framework for harnessing
modern biotechnology,” said
Prof. Kamar.
The Biosafety Act 2009 established the NBA to exercise
supervision and control over
the development, transfer, handling and use of GMOs with
a view to ensuring safety of
human and animal health and
provision of an adequate level of
protection of the environment.
JKUAT’s vice chancellor
Prof. Mabel Imbuga observed
that while Kenya has considerably increased momentum in
research on biotechnology, its
application remain discouraging.
“Inadequate funding coupled with technological ineptness has considerably impeded
biotechnology research in this
country,” she said, adding that
there is need to move beyond
basic research through acquisition of modern facilities like
the Biolevel II laboratories. q
VACCINES
2013 INNOVATION PRIZE FOR AFRICA
Viral Vaccines Combine
Into New Infections
$100,000 Innovation Prize for Africa
Need to Re-evaluate Combined Vaccines
C
hilling findings that
two different vaccine
viruses used simultaneously to control the same
condition in chickens- have
combined to produce new
infectious viruses, according to researchers from the
University of Melbourne
who published their findings in the journal Science.
The vaccines used to
control infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) in chicken
and when two different vaccine strains were used they
recombined into two new
strains resulting in disease
outbreaks. However, experts say the new strains are
not transmitted to humans
or other animals, and do not
pose a food safety risk.
The study was led by
Dr Joanne Devlin, Professor Glenn Browning and
Dr Sang-Won Lee and col-
leagues at the Asia-Pacific
Centre for Animal Health
at the University of Melbourne and NICTA’s Victoria Research Laboratory
and is published July 13,
2012] in the journal Science.
Dr. Joanne Devlin, a team
leader, said the combining
of live vaccine virus strains
outside of the laboratory
was previously thought to
be highly unlikely, but this
study shows that it is possible and has led to disease
outbreaks in poultry flocks.
T
he 2013 Innovation Prize
for Africa (IPA) worth
$100,000, was recently
launched in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia by the Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA).
The winning proposal would
be awarded US$100,000, with
two runner-ups receiving each
$ 25,000. The registration
deadline for the 2013 IPA-the
second one- has been set for
31 October 2012. The best
way to predict the future is to
create it and It calls for action
across Africa by developing
our own solutions using our
best minds and resources, Ms.
Aida Opoku-Mensah, director
of the ICT, Science and Technology Division (ISTD) of the
ECA said.
“It’s a global invitation to
link arms and use our potential, create efficiencies, and
commercialize the very best
ideas. This is the future Africa
deserves” she added. Ms. Opoku-Mensah explained that researchers are
invited to propose projects that
unlock new African potential
under one or more areas which
include manufacturing and
service Industry, agriculture,
agribusiness, ICTs, health, environment, energy and water.
She further reiterated that
the prize should promote
young African men and women
in the pursuit of science, technology and engineering careers
and business applications. The
aims of the IPA are to:
n Mobilize leaders from all
sectors to fuel African innovation;
n Promote innovation across
Africa in key sectors of interest through the competition;
n Promote science, technology and engineering
as rewarding, exciting
and noble career options
among the youth in Africa
by profiling success applicants; and
n Encourage entrepreneurs,
innovators, funding bodies
and business development
service providers to exchange ideas and explore
innovative business opportunities.
nIncreased commercialization of research and development (R&D) outputs in
Africa;
n Increased funding of startups, adoption of new and
emerging technologies and
accelerated growth of an
innovative and dynamic
private sector; and
n Increased economic activity and African led development that results in
lasting impact.
Ms. Opoku-Mensah said that
in the first competition there
were 458 applicants from 38
countries reflecting the strong
entrepreneurial spirit and the
high potential of innovations
in Africa. An Egyptian engineer, Mohammed Sanad, who
has designed a base-station
antenna that can facilitate
upgrades to more advanced
mobile networks in developing
countries, was the first winner
of IPA. The runner up, Zeinou
Abdelyamine, an industrial
chemist from Algeria, received
US$50,000 for his research
In pursuing those aims, the and development of environIPA expects the following out- mentally friendly, natural incomes:
secticides and rodenticides.
June / August 2012
SCIENCE EDUCATION
HEALTH FINANCE
Uganda’s Gulu University
Improves Science Facilities
U
ganda’s Gulu University, which won
US$ 1,249,998
from the World
Bank under the Millennium
Science Initiative (MSI), has
completed improving its pioneering science, ICT and engineering facilities making them
among the best in eastern
Africa. The country’s National Council for Science and
Technology (UNCST) recently
commissioned Gulu University Bio systems and ccomputer
laboratories; and a metrological station. The university created Bio systems Engineering
degree programme after winning the grant.
Dr. Peter Ndemere, the
Executive Secretary UNCST
officially commissioned the
metrological station, Bio systems and computer laboratory which was equipped by
the project and handed over
the tractor, books, furniture,
vehicle, workshop tools and
other assets to the University.
Dr. Ndemere thanked the
Principal Investigator, Prof.
Callistus Baliddawa and his
team for putting the funds
to great use and also marked
that UNCST had developed a
Science and technology Policy
Dr. Peter Ndemere, Executive Secretary, UNCST, commissions the computer
laboratory while Prof. Callistus Baliddawa (right), the principal investigator of
the project and his team look on.
which was adopted by the
Government of Uganda. He
added that the Science and
technology plan had been
rolled out to stakeholders so
as to operationalize the policy.
(SOURCE UNCST)
Winner of Uganda’s 2012
Biethics Award:
Prof. Nelson Sewankambo (left),
director of Makerere University
College of Health Sciences is the
winner of Uganda’s 2012 National
Bioethics Award.
Concerted Efforts Needed to Address NCDs
M
edical experts have called
for a collective participation to strengthen research
as a prepared-response strategy in
addressing Non-Communicable
Diseases (NCDs).
The experts who attended a
forum organized by Kenya Medical
Research Institute (KEMRI) at the
Sarova Panafric Hotel in Nairobi,
Kenya, discussed the trends and
possible solutions in dealing with
Non-Communicable Diseases.
“NCDs are a major public concern and research is the core component of prevention and control
of the diseases,” said Dr. William
Maina, head of division of NCDs at
the ministry of public health and
sanitation.
“We must strive to halt and
reverse the rising trends of Non
communicable diseases,” he said,
adding that NCDs are putting tremendous pressure on the Kenya’s
health care system.
For decades, Kenya’s health
care system has focused on battling
malnutrition and communicable
diseases such as malaria, tuberculo-
sis and HIV/AIDS, dubbed diseases
of the poor. However over the past
few years, the country has seen a
proliferation of so-called lifestyle
diseases such as diabetes, heart
disease and cancers.
This according to experts is due
to rising incomes, change of diets
and less physical activity.
“The new trend is because of
what we eat. We have switched from
traditional foods to the western
diet that includes foods high in fat
and cholesterol,” said Dr. Geoffrey
Mutuma, the principal researcher at
KEMRI’s Non Communicable Diseases Research Program (NCDR).
Fast food restaurants which
have proliferated the streets have
led to many people opting for these
foods thereby ignoring the need for
healthy diet and this is worsened
by the fact that people walk less
nowadays, he added.
The forum, attended by more
than thirty experts, reviewed trends
in NCDs in the country that has seen
NCDs cases rising while infectious
diseases decline. They consequently
set up four committees tasked with
prioritizing NCDs, sharing knowledge and information as to the activities of the institutions involved
Global Fund Grants
Ethiopia $424m
Grant aims at universal HIV
treatment, eliminate malaria
deaths by 2015
ADDIS ABABA – The Global Fund
granted Ethiopia $424 million to help
achieve universal coverage of HIV treatment and eliminate malaria deaths by
2015.
Ethiopia’s HIV-related deaths
dropped from 99,000 in 2005 to 44,000
in 2011, because of expanded treatment
with anti-retroviral drugs and a 50 per
cent decline in death rates for children
under five within the same period.
Simon Bland, Chair of the Board
of the Global Fund, said “We’ve just
signed a grant that enables an African
country to achieve universal coverage
with ARVs, if we had tried that five
years ago, we’d have been laughed out
of the room.”
Tedros Ghebreyesus, Ethiopia’s
Minister of Health said that “this money
not only saves lives, it also helps us build
our system of primary care.” $114 m. of
the grant will be used to reduce malariarelated deaths to zero by 2015. An earlier grant from the Global Fund helped
Ethiopian authorities to distribute more
than 40 million bed nets. The Global
Fund created in 2002 is a public-private
partnership and international financing institution dedicated to controlling
HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
Programs supported by the Global
Fund are providing AIDS treatment for
3.3 million people, anti-tuberculosis
treatment for 8.6 million and availed
230 million insecticide-treated nets for
the prevention of malaria.
GLOBAL HEALTH
HEALTH
By Charles Odeny
ScienceAfrica Correspondent
13
while building research capacity,
informing policy and advocacy.
NCDs in Kenya are leading in
cases of hospital mortality at 40
per cent and inpatient admissions
at 53% and with the trends it is projected by 2025 they will be prominent with infectious diseases declining. Chronic care of NCDs has been
noted to strain household incomes;
as families in Kenya bear the burden
of caring for loved ones ailing from
NCDs. It further contributes to
household poverty, as less income
is channeled to investment, thereby
stifling economic growth.
“These diseases are expensive to
treat and are a great risk to derail
achieving Kenya’s vision 2030,”
says Dr. Mutuma.
“There is need to develop new
methods to gather information
on NCDs and especially diabetes
which is the leading NCD in Kenya,”
said Dr. Eva Njenga consultant
physician and endocrinologist and
diabetes expert. The management
for NCDs hasto be more proactive
she added.
The experts urged individuals to
take up healthy living while avoiding risk factors such as smoking and
indulgence in alcohol.
Dr Chan Reappointed
WHO Director General
World Health Assembly, recently appointed Dr Margaret Chan for a second
five-year term as Director-General of
WHO and the new term began on 1
July 2012 until 30 June 2017. In her
acceptance speech, Dr Chan pledged
her continued commitment to improve
the health of the most vulnerable. In
addition, she said that the biggest
challenge over the next five years will
be to lead WHO in ways that will help
maintain the unprecedented momentum for better health that marked the
start of this century.
14
June / August 2012
ENVIRONMENT
Hazards of Sand Harvesting in Kenya
By Alfred Kituku
(ScienceAfrica Correspondent)
D
espite being the
source of the most
important commodity in Kenya’s booming construction industry, especially for the capital city, Nairobi, sorrounded by the rapidly
expanding urban centres, sand
harvesting is largely taken for
granted and the country has no
policy and regulations to contol the activity which is being
taken over by cartels.
Sand harvesting is increasingly being associated
with depleting water catchment areas. However, the
National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)
says the country has no guidelines to check sand harvesting
especially in arid and semiarid areas where the practice
has compounded the problem
of drought, soil erosion and
emerging climate change.
Makueni district NEMA
officer Stephen Wambua told
Africa ScienceAfrica that an
attempt by the authority NEMA
to regulate the business by
developing Sand Guidelines
2006 as a subsidiary legislation
under Environmental Management and Coordination Act
(EMCA) awaits action by the
executive and the parliament
and the rules have not been
gazette.
We can not enforce the
guidelines because they have
not been gazetted to become
law under EMCA. As a result
of this lack of statutory provisions, massive sand harvesting
has led to drying of many riv-
ers, Wambua added.
Sand helps filter and clean
groundwater as it finds its way
to the water table and wells.
Harvesting in the river beds
and banks of the already arid
and semi-arid areas of Kitui,
Makueni and other parts of
“Ukambani” increases water
loss and worsens soil erosion.
The main focus of experts
seem confined to degradation
of land and pollution however
few mention its role in groundwater filtering process--and
how removing that sand can
disrupt that process, endangering the purity of drinking
water. That quick trip means less
time for pollutants to break
down before that water becomes our drinking water. The
sand that mining companies
are taking out of the earth is
integral to cleaning the water
that ultimately becomes drinking water. However, sand harvesting
are important socio-economic
activities to sections of the population, especially the youth
and even local authorities.
There is no official or fixed
market price for the sand and
it has not been hramized by
the locals.
According to the local council chairman, Alloys Mwaiwa,
the local authority gets a meagre Kshs.500 from vehicles
weighing between seven to
even above 25 tons. Because
the business is uncontrolled
youth cartels control sand
harvesting at the source where
up to 10 scoopers get Kshs.100
each per 7 ton lorry. The land
owner gets Kshs.1,000. As a
matter of fact 10 scoopers can
fill up the 7 tonne lorry. The
number of scoopers goes up
DR Congo Hosts IITA’s New R&D Hub
T
Augustin Matata Ponyo
DR Congo’s Prime Minister
of its agricultural potential,
which serves as a focal point
for research for countries of
the Central African region.”
IITA will work with national agricultural research
systems such as Institut
business.
There used to be organised
group to lobby for safer sand
harvesting but not anymore.
The cartels are famous for
causing mayhem or threatening people who tend to oppose their trade and not even
politicians dare to stop them.
Over 300 youths operating in
small groups, locally control
entry and exist at various sand
harvesting sites
According to the local police
and provincial administration,
sand harvesting is still an illegal
business but is done in broad
daylight because the regulations are not clear and taming
these young men. The the worst
environmental impact caused
by this activity is soil erosion
along the river banks, nearby
farms and drying up of the
rivers which could have been
a major source of water for irrigation and domestic uses. q
IMPROVED SEEDS
RESEARCH
he International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has inaugurated its new hub hosted
in Kinshasa, DR Congo with
an office in Bukavu, in SouthKivu serving the Great Lakes
region. This Central African
hub is the fourth. Others are:
East African operating in
Tanzania; Southern African
in Lusaka, Zambia; West
African based in Ibadan,
Nigeria.
The hubs will accelerate
response to the different
opportunities and threats
to food security in Africa.
According to IITA Director General, Dr Nteranya
Sanginga, “the choice of DR
Congo is important because
depending on the weight of the
lorry. Other charges include a
tip- bribe- for those at security
check points. It varies beginning with 7 tonne lorry giving
sh.1,000. This means that
shows that a lorry cumulatively
cost at least Kshs.3000 from
the source to the offloading
site. The same vehicle retails
sand for at least Ksh25, 000 in
Nairobi and Athi River areas.
Sand harvesting sites are
numerous hence knowing the
exact number of lorries accessing the sand harvesting sites on
daily basis is not easy but the
activity is carried out the same
way in all the rivers beds and
river banks. However, counted
at least 30 lorries accessing the
stream daily with weekends
being the busiest because the
traffic police and council officials are not on site making it
easier for faster and profitable
National pour l’Etude et la
Recherche Agronomique
(INERA), universities, nongovernmental organizations,
farmers and the private sector.
DR Congo’s prime minister Augustin Matata Ponyo,
commended IITA for establishing the hub in DR Congo.
He expressed optimism that
with research, DR Congo
could tap its agricultural potential for economic growth
and development, and could
feed the entire continent. Dr
Sanginga was accompanied
by Prof. Paul Mafuka (INERA Director General and
IITA Board member) and Dr
Nzola Mahungu (IITA DRC
Country representative). q
Rwanda: New Iron-Rich
Beans Released
R
wanda recently released
five new iron-rich bean varieties that could improve
the diet of millions. The new ironrich bean varieties were bred by
the Rwanda Agriculture Board
(RAB) and the International
Center for Tropical Agriculture
(CIAT) using conventional breeding methods.
Iron deficiency is widely prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa. During childhood and adolescence,
it lowers resistance to disease
and impairs learning capacity. It reduces the ability of adults
for physical labor. Severe anemia
increases the risk of women dying
in childbirth.
A meal without beans in
Rwanda is like a meal without food.” explains “Demand
for these varieties has already
started, and we have produced
enough seed quantities to sell to
farmers at an affordable price for
the next cropping season.” Lister
Katsvairo, HarvestPlus Country
Manager said. By September,
HarvestPlus and its partners will
distribute more than 200 tons of
iron-rich climbing and bush bean
varieties via agrodealers and
local markets to about 75,000
farming households. Farmers
will be able to grow these new
beans to feed their families.
They can also harvest and share
seeds with others in their community amplifying the nutritional
benefits. By the end of 2013,
more than half a million household members are expected to
be eating iron-rich beans. q
June / August 2012
BIOTECH DEBATE
Kenya Scientists Criticize Regulation on GMO Labeling
By George Achia (Staff Science
Writer)
enyan scientists working
in the field of biotechnology research have criticized
a regulation on Genetically
Modified (GM) labeling, saying the
regulation lacks science basis.
The contentious regulations require that all genetically modified
derived products are labeled from
production to marketing. The regulations also impose highly punitive fines
of Kenyan shillings 20 million and a 10
year jail term if a trader fails to comply. These penalties have now left most
millers and biotechnology stakeholders
seeking a review of the newly gazetted
regulations.
Speaking during an Open Forum
on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB)
forum held at Safari Club hotel in
Nairobi, Kenya, Prof. Jesse Machuka
of Kenyatta University’s biochemistry
and biotechnology department said
there is an urgent need to review the
regulation to allow for timely commercialization of products currently under
development.
“How regulations are passed and
who are involved shows how little
scientists in this country are regarded.
This regulation does not appreciate the
role of science and scientists on the
critical role we are playing in technology development,” said Prof. Machuka.
The scientists faulted the regulation recently published on Kenya gazette supplement No. 17 of 2012, legal
K
Dr Charles Waturu,
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute
notice no. 40, noting the regulation is
not original.
“Let us be original. We should not
go and pick a document from other
countries and impose it on Kenyans,”
said Prof. Machuka, adding that there
is no mandatory to do labeling as it will
curtail free and fair trade in GM foods.
Dr. Charles Waturu of Kenya Agricultural Research Institute called for
the need of an alternative regulation
developed by scientist themselves.
“We need to fight back immediately. The weapon is to convene a meeting with the relevant stakeholders and
come up with our version and confront
the government,” said Dr. Waturu.
Speaking at the same forum, Cereal
Millers Association (CMA) executive
director Mrs. Paloma Fernandes said
the regulation is too prohibitive and
are likely to cause food shortages in
the country.
“Due to the fear of contravening
the labeling regulations, applications
from millers to import GM products in
Kenya will remain minimal. Labeling
reduces incentive to adopt and grow
GM maize,” said Mrs. Fernandes.
She observed that labeling of GM
foods will generate an alarm and turnsaway consumers by creating a sense of
panic among the consumers.
The miller’s concerns comes at
a time with fears Kenya could slump
into a food crisis considering the imminent maize shortage triggered by the
mysterious maize disease which has
substantially reduced farmers’ harvests
across the country.
“Labeling of genetically modified
foods increases food prices for the
already overburdened consumer,” said
Fernandes, adding that most millers
are now shying away from importing
maize because of the punitive law.
“Until Kenya and Kenyans fully
embrace GM technology including
planting and processing of GM products, only then would millers be able to
fully participate in the GM revolution,”
she said.
The NBA has argued that labeling
of food, feeds and ingredients derived
from GM provides factual information
to the consumers. q
ICT REVOLUTION
ICTs Reshaping Rural Lives
By Mbae Lawrence,
ScienceAfrica Correspondence
nformation communication
technologies (ICTs) are
constantly reshaping the way
the world is communicating while
creating opportunities for a better
life through long-term sustainable
development, not least among the
most disadvantaged sections of our
society. Being the powerhouses of
the global economy and offering
real solutions towards generating
sustainable economic growth and
prosperity, ICTs are acting as
catalysts in accelerating the progress
towards achieving the millennium
development goals (MDGs).
According to Hon. Samuel Poghisio
information and communication
minister, the transformative power
of ICT in now acknowledged globally.
The digital divide between the
rural and urban areas remains one
of the most daunting challenges
facing the local ICT industry
currently. While the penetration
of mobile telecommunication
service has, for instance, already
surpassed the 60 percent mark, the
distribution of service subscription is
disproportionately skewed in favour
of the urban areas. This trend applies
to all other ICT sub sectors with most
remote rural areas, where a sizeable
I
proportion of our population live
remains uncovered, in spite of the
vast potential of ICTs in improving
the lives of the rural poor.
Today, ICTs are the powerhouses
of the global economy and offer
real solutions towards generating
sustainable economic growth and
prosperity and in rural context, ICTs
provide enhanced opportunities to
generate income and combat poverty,
hunger, ill health and illiteracy. ICTs
and related e-applications are key
instruments in improving governance
and rural services such as providing
community health care, safe drinking
water and sanitation, education, food
and shelter; improving maternal
health and reducing child mortality
; empowering women and the
more vulnerable members of the
society and ensuring environmental
sustainability.
Half of the world’s populationnearly 3.5 billion people- reside in
rural areas and far flung communities.
Although mobile penetration has
spread rapidly with over 5.3 billion
subscribers globally, the thrust
now is to drive content through
enhanced broadband access aimed
at establishing the information and
communication highways that will
feed both rural communities and
urban centers with the means to meet
their development goals aspirations.
With human society reliant on
information daily than ever before,
to meet this demand, technologies
are evolving everyday to ensure that
the information is delivered in the
most convenient and cost effective
manner. To build capacity, says Mr.
Charles Njoroge the communication
commission of Kenya director, CCK
has undertaken some universal access
projects on a pilot basis. These include
16 school based ICT centers four tele
centers and eight centers for persons
with disabilities. “This commission
has supported these centers through
supply of computers, meeting the
cost of internet connectivity and
maintenance of equipment and
software as well as training,” says
Njoroge.
In addition to this, CCK has
partnered with the Kenya Institute
of Education (KIE) to digitize the
secondary school curriculum in an
effort to develop relevant local content
and enhance e-learning in the country.
The commission is also in the process
of establishing 10 community libraries/
public ICT centres spread across the
country in partnership with the Kenya
National Library Services with the
libraries providing additional public
access ICT points in the unserved and
underserved areas. q
15
FUNDING R&D
Canada Funds
$62m Livestock
Vaccine Research
A
five-year, $62 million research
fund bringing together Canadian and African scientists is
aiming at developing vaccines against
livestock diseases endemic in African.
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the International
Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) are
partnering with the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Organisation (VIDO)
of Canada to develop a novel livestock
vaccine for the control and eventual
eradication of Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) otherwise known
as the ‘lung plague’
Kenya’s minister for livestock, Dr.
Mohamed Kuti launched the project,
jointly funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre
and Canada’s International Development Agency under the Canadian
International Food Security Research
Fund, on 2 July 2012, in Nairobi.
“Canada is a world leader in the
fight against hunger and partnership
with IDRC plays a strong part in our
efforts. Food and nutrition security
remains a key priority of our government’s development assistance,” says
Bev Oda, Minister of International
Cooperation. “Our contribution to
CIFSRF demonstrates Canadian leadership in assisting developing countries fight hunger through innovative
practices and supports private sector
growth in agriculture.
“Around the globe, farmers face
many food production challenges,” says
IDRC President, David Malone. “This
research looks for practical solutions
that support development and can be
effectively scaled up and used elsewhere in the world. That’s very much in
keeping with what IDRC is all about.”
The project involves Canaada’s University of Saskatchewan and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute developing
a vaccine for CBPP while University of
Alberta and the Agricultural Research
Council in South Africa are developing
inexpensive, safe, and easy-to-use vaccines using a novel delivery technology
to combat a host of livestock diseases
in sub-Saharan Africa.
Andrew Potter and Volker Gerdts
are working with Hezron Okwako
Wesonga and Reuben Soi at the Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute
on a $3.7 million project to develop
an affordable, safe, easily-produced
and easily-stored vaccine to eradicate
contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
(CBPP). Potter and Gerdts are the
Director and Associate Director (Research), respectively, at the Vaccine
and Infectious Disease OrganizationInternational Vaccine Centre (VIDOInterVac). CBPP kills up to half of
infected animals, and the survivors
often become carriers of the disease.
CBPP has been wiped out everywhere
except in Africa where it threatens the
livelihood of 24 million people in 26
countries. Its economic impact has
been estimated to be $2 billion per
year. q
16
June / August 2012
SUSTAINABLE ECO SYSTEMS
Pioneering Exchange Programme on Transboundary Ecosystem
By Andason Ojwang
(ScienceAfrica Correspodent)
C
ommunity groups,farmers
and government officials
from Tanzania and Kenya
living along Mara River
have benefited from educational
exchange program when they
recently visited Mt Elgon to study
eco-system conservation.
“The visit sensitized them on
conservation and how dispute
between human and wildlife has
been resolved through intervention by Mount Elgon Regional
Ecosystem Conservation Program
(MERCEP),” the program coordinator Mr Noordin Quresh says.
The exchange program facilitated by trans-boundary Water
Biodervisity and Human Health
in the Mara River Basin project
funded by USAID was aimed at
educating them on conservation
successes in Mt Elgon and how
they can replicate them in the
Mara River Basin.
“We wanted them to understand how the local community
has been involved in the conservation and symbiotic relationship
that have been developed from the
cooperation,” he said.
Quresh said USAID East Africa
was supporting conservation efforts in the Mara River Basin and
that is why it funded the study tour
by the various community organizations and government officials
within the shared trans-boundary
resource.
Mr Fred Marani, in charge of
Via- Agro Forestry Kitale told the
farmers to adopt biological weed
control to enhance food production and use organic farming to
ensure food security.
“It is cheap to adopt organic
farming and use biological means
to control pests. These plants are
available in our farms but lack of
knowledge hinders their usage,”
he said.
He said the climate change was
a serious concern and asked farmers to adopt new technologies and
should not only rely on rain but
undertake irrigation.
KARI Attains ISO Certification
By Charity Muturi
ScienceAfrica Reporter
K
enya Agricultural Research Institute, one of
Africa’s leading R&D
institutions, has attained ISO
certification. Minister for
agriculture, Dr. Sally Kosgei
congratulated the premier
national research institution
saying the certification places
it in the league of top quality
performers and achievers in
the country and beyond.
“We believe that the ISO
certification will enable KARI
to achieve operational efficiency through continuous
improvement of products and
services as well upgrading
performance by providing a
work environment that stimulates creativity innovation and
constructive cooperation,”
said Dr. Kosgei.
She urged the institution
to continue monitoring quality management systems and
other measures to ensure continued improvement. KARI
director Dr. Ephraim Mukisira noted that the acquisition
of ISO certification will propel
the institution to actively
provide scientific solutions
for agricultural development.
“Through this certification,
KARI embraces quality as an
integral part of all its operation. This will ensure that we
are on course to contributing
to the country’s aspirations as
outlined in the Vision 2030,”
said Dr. Mukisira.
While applauding KARI
for this achievement, permanent secretary in the ministry
of agriculture Dr Romano
Kiome observed that KARI
plays a critical role in the
generation and promotion of
technologies and innovations
to address food challenges
facing the country and Africa
at large.
“It is gratifying to note that
KARI has revised its current
strategic plan to be in line
with the agricultural sector
development strategy, Vision
2030 and the Constitution
particularly the devolved system of government,” said Dr.
Kiome.
Chairman KARI, Prof.OleMoiyoi said “with this ISO
certification KARI will ensure
continuous improvement
in service delivery, process
re-engineering, customer focus and leadership,” he said,
adding that this will be demonstrated by the development
of appropriate agricultural
research information systems
and the quality assurance for
developed agricultural technologies.
KARI aims to contribute to
increased productivity, commercialization and competitiveness of the agricultural sector. The institution provides
various services and products
including soil and fertilizer
analysis, animal feed analysis, potato seed technology,
genetic resource conservation
and use, pastures and fodders
varieties and veterinary and
diagnostic. q
Senior warden in charge of
community at Mount Elgon National Park Ms Zipporah Adagi
told the farmers how they ended
human and wildlife conflict and
engaged the local community in
the protection of wildlife and conservation of the ecosystem.
“We have provided the farmers
with seedlings to plant tree along
the park and they no longer hunt
for game. we have ensured that
the game do not trespass into their
farms and have constructed a 21
kilometer fence,’ she said.
She said the residents have
been engaged in economic activities aimed at ensuring food security and also allowed to offer tour
and guide services to the tourists
visiting the facility.
She said the park was
gazetted in 1968, but faced
the challenges such as
poaching and destruction
of natural forests through
wanton cutting of trees for
wood and domestic use.
“ We experienced human and wildlife conflict,
but all these have been reversed with the implementation of MERCEP in the
management and protection of the trans-boundary
resource.’ She said.
The intervention of
MERCEP has resulted in the
protection and conservation
of tourist destination at the facility such as the caves, hot springs,
sceneries and elephant platform.
A 20-kilometer electric fence
has been constructed. This has reduced human and wildlife conflict
and the crossing over by the game
to destroy crops in the farm lands.
“This has also reduced poaching of the game, improved good
neighborhood and practice in
protection of the game and conservation of nature,” she said.
Already they have mapped 266
hectares of land within the park for
tree growing through the use of the
local community groups and pay
them a token.
“We gave them land to plant
the trees. They take care of the
indigenous trees that are endangered and we regenerate them by
planting more,” she says.
She said the community was
being used to undertake carbon
enrichment through planting of
trees within the park in areas
that have been degraded or have
no trees and they are expected
to report any negative activity in
the park.
“We have developed agreement between the community
and KWS. We hope in future they
will have a Sacco and the KWS,
through its corporate responsibility, would be able to construct
schools and health facilities for
the community,” forest officer Mr
Mathias Chemonges said.
Chairman of Mt. Elgon Community Livelihood Mr. Joseph
Ndiwa said the group has been
given seedlings that they expect
to plant in 96 hectares in the park.
“For the next five years the
group was expected to grow indigenous trees in areas that have been
affected to help in the regeneration
of nature,” he added.
He said KWS and the community have developed participatory
agreement where proceeds from
the sales of trees will be shared,
with the KWS taking 70 per cent
while 30 per cent will go to the
community kitty of revolving
fund. q
June / August 2012
17
WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONS
Global Health Priorities
Early marriages and young pregnancies:
More than 30% of girls in developing countries are married before the age of 18, and
14% before the age of 15. Many delegates requested that WHO continues raising awareness of the problem of early marriage and
adolescent pregnancy and its consequences
for young women and their infants.
Several Member States noted the importance of implementing laws and policies and
strengthening sexuality education. Some
countries said that “one size does not fit
all” and that family and community social
norms must be considered. The Secretariat
confirmed that it will work with Regional Offices to adapt the guidelines to public health
realities country-by-country.
Humanitarian emergencies:
The World Health Assembly adopted a resolution reaffirming the central role of health
in humanitarian response and strongly
endorsing WHO’s role as Health Cluster
Lead Agency. It calls on Member States and
donors to allocate sufficient resources for
health sector activities during humanitarian
emergencies and for strengthening WHO’s
capacity to exercise its role as Lead Agency
both at global and country levels. The resolution also calls on WHO to provide Member
States and humanitarian partners with
predictable support during emergencies, by
coordinating rapid assessments, the development of strategies and action plans, and
monitoring the health situation. International Health Regulations:
The Health Assembly reviewed the annual
report on the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005). State
Parties were making fair progress in 2011
for a number of core capacities, notably surveillance, response, laboratory and zoonotic
events. Most regions reported relatively low
capacities in human resources and preparedness for chemical and radiological events.
Many State Parties have requested or will
request a two-year extension to the mid-2012
deadline for establishing core capacities under IHR. The delegates referred to difficulties
in implementing measures related to points
of entry and in engaging stakeholders outside
the health sector.
Mass gatherings:
The Health Assembly received the report by
the Secretariat on “Global mass gatherings:
implications and opportunities for global
health security”. The discussions were led by
delegates from areas which have hosted mass
gatherings recently or on a regular basis.
Delegates expressed the need to exchange
lessons learned on preparedness and management and Member States also stressed
the need for efficient preventive measures
and interventions.
Millennium Development Goals:
Member States endorsed the report on the
progress and achievements of the healthrelated Millennium Development Goals and
health goals after 2015. While the pace of
progress has accelerated in many Member
States, it was also acknowledged that more
still needs to be done in the remaining three
years to achieve the goals.
Noncommunicable diseases:
The Health Assembly adopted several resolutions and decisions on noncommunicable
diseases (NCDs):
n Delegates approved the development of
a global monitoring framework for the
prevention and control of NCDs, including indicators and a set of global targets.
Member States agreed to adopt a global
target of a 25% reduction in premature
mortality from noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease,
cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory
diseases by 2025.
n Another resolution focuses on strengthening NCD policies to promote active ageing. The resolution urges Member States
to encourage the active participation of
older people in society, increase healthy
ageing and promote the highest standard
of health and well-being for older persons
by addressing their needs.
n The building of partnerships at national
and global levels are essential components of multisectoral action against
NCDs. Member States discussed ways
to prevent NCDs through action involving other sectors than health to prevent
premature deaths and to reduce exposure
to risk factors for NCDs, mainly tobacco
use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy
diet, and physical inactivity.
n Delegates also received a report on the
progress of the implementation of the
global action plan for the prevention of
avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
n Member States acknowledged the need
for a comprehensive, coordinated response to addressing mental disorders
from health and social sectors at the coun-
try level. The delegates recognized this
includes approaches such as programmes
to reduce stigma and discrimination,
reintegration of patients into workplace
and society, support for care providers
and families, and investment in mental
health from the health budget.
Occupied Palestinian territory:
The World Health Assembly adopted a
resolution on the health conditions in the
occupied Palestinian territory including
east Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian
Golan. The need for full coverage of health
services was reaffirmed while recognizing
that the acute shortage of financial and
medical resources is jeopardizing access of
the population to curative and preventive
services.
Pandemic influenza preparedness:
Member States acknowledged that the pandemic influenza preparedness (PIP) framework is a crucial development for global
health security, based on the lessons from
the 2009 influenza pandemic. Delegates
recognized that industry and other partners
play important roles in the development of
vaccines to counter outbreaks.
Delegates agreed on a 70% and 30% share
of resources between preparedness and
response respectively, but that this would
be regularly reviewed. They welcomed the
role of the framework’s advisory group, but
stressed the need for extra resources – both
human and financial – to support WHO
capacity and leadership.
Intensification of the global polio eradication initiative:
The delegates acknowledged that polio
eradication is at a tipping point between
success and failure and necessary funding
is essential to ensure success. In this regard,
Member States declared the completion of
polio eradication a programmatic emergency
for global health.
Research and development:
The Health Assembly welcomed the report of
the Consultative Expert Working Group on
Research and Development: Financing and
Coordination containing recommendations
for securing new funds for health research
and development on diseases that affect
people in developing countries. It adopted a
resolution to hold Member States’ consultations at national, regional and global levels to
analyze the report and the feasibility of the
recommendations.
Schistosomiasis:
Delegates adopted a resolution to support
countries in evaluating interruption of transmission and preventing its re-emergence
during the post-elimination phase. They
also discussed the need for a health-systems
approach, involving public-private partnerships, to ensure availability of drugs and
their development.
Social determinants of health: The Health Assembly endorsed the Rio
Political Declaration and its recommendations. It approved measures to support the
five priority actions recommended in the
declaration to address social determinants
of health. The measures will lead to, among
other things, greater collaboration between
UN and partner agencies and more support
for Member States to adopt an inclusive
‘health-for-all’ approach.
Substandard/spurious/falsely-labelled/
falsified/counterfeit medical products:
Delegates approved a draft resolution on a
new Member State mechanism proposing
international cooperation on substandard,
spurious, falsely-labelled, falsified or counterfeit (SSFFC) medical products. Many
countries stressed the need for strengthening regulatory authorities and the critically
important role that WHO plays in enhancing regional and international networking
among the regulators. Emerging channels
of distribution such as Internet sales pose
a significant threat and require specific
solutions. Representatives of NGOs and the
pharmaceutical sector expressed their support for the mechanism.
Progress reports:
The delegates also received progress reports
in six areas: strengthening of health systems;
disease eradication, prevention and control;
reproductive health; food safety initiatives;
climate change and health; partnerships and
multilingualism.
The World Health Assembly is held annually
in Geneva, Switzerland and is the decisionmaking body of the WHO. It is attended by
delegations from all WHO Member States
and focuses on a specific health agenda
prepared by the Executive Board. The main
functions of the World Health Assembly are
to determine the policies of the Organization,
appoint the Director-General in election
years, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme
budget.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Technology to Boost Rice Production in Africa
T
By George Achia
he African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) has
signed a license agreement with
Japan Tobacco (JT) for access to
technologies that will help to address rice
productivity constraints affecting smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa
JT’s transformation technology is
to develop new rice varieties for use by
smallholder farmers in Burkina Faso,
Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda.
The initiative known as the Nitrogen
Use Efficient Water Use Efficient and Salt
Tolerant (NEWEST) rice project, seeks
to address some of the major constraints
that face rice production in the region.
The goal of the project is to develop
and disseminate farmer preferred
and locally adapted rice varieties with
enhanced nitrogen-use efficiency, wateruse efficiency and salt tolerance. JT will
offer the technology free of charge to
the AATF with an aim of supporting
humanitarian aid projects.
“The slow growth in domestic rice
production has been attributed to low
yields being achieved by rice farmers in
SSA,” said Dr Denis Kyetere, the executive director of AATF.
“Several factors are responsible
for the low rice production. However,
nitrogen deficiency and drought have
been cited as leading constraints to
upland rice production, while high
salinity is increasingly becoming a major
problem in many rice growing areas of
Africa,” he continued.
Rice is an important staple food and a
commodity of strategic significance across
much of Africa. Driven by changing food
preferences in the urban and rural areas
and compounded by high population
growth rates and rapid urbanization, rice
consumption in SSA has been growing
by six percent per annum over the years,
more than double the rate of population
growth.
According to Mr Masamichi Terabatake, JT Chief Strategy Officer, the license
will enable the project to utilize JT’s plant
transformation technology for monocot
species, PureIntro®, developing and
deploying the nitrogen efficient, water
efficient, and salt tolerant rice products,
free of royalties.
“The agreement will also allow AATF
to sub-license the transformed materials
to other public institutions working on
the project. This will enable them to field
test the materials in different ecologies in
SSA,” Mr. Terabatake continued.
The institutions will have the freedom
to breed new rice varieties, using the
transformed materials as the source of
the desired traits.
The NEWEST Rice for Africa Project
was launched by AATF in 2008. The initiative aims to transform some varieties
of the New Rice for Africa (NERICA) to
improve their productivity in nitrogenpoor soils, drought prone regions and
in fields that have become excessively
salty over time. The goal is to provide
smallholder rice farmers with higher
yielding varieties that are well adapted
to the upland and lowland rice-growing
areas in Africa.
Other partners in this private public
partnership include Arcadia Biosciences
who are providing access to traits that
confer nitrogen use efficiency, water use
efficiency and salt tolerance. The University of California is donating required
plant transformation technologies. The
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the national agricultural research institutes of Burkina Faso ,
Ghana , Nigeria and Uganda will conduct
the necessary field trials to test the performance of the new varieties. The project
is funded by the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID)
and the United Kingdom’s Department
for International Development (DFID),
and will initially be implemented over a
10-year period.
The new varieties developed under
the NEWEST Rice Project are anticipated
to increase rice yields, improve food
security and household income for up
to 20 million smallholder farmers and
their families in SSA and reduce Africa’s
dependence upon imported rice. n
18
June / August 2012
ENERGY
Conserve Resources and Minimize Pollution
By Sylvia Mwangi
E
xposure to smoke from traditional cook stoves and open fires
which is the primary means of
cooking and heating for nearly three
billion people in the developing worldcauses 2 million premature deaths
annually, with women and young
children the most affected.
Over-reliance on biomass for
cooking and heating, forces women
and children to spend much time collecting firewood.
Global alliance for Clean Cook
stoves is a new public-private partnership formed to save lives, empower
women, improve livelihoods, and
combat climate change by creating a
thriving global market for clean and
efficient household cooking stoves.
The Alliance’s goal is for 100 million
homes to adopt clean and efficient
stoves fuels by 2020. It will work
with public, private and non-profit
partners help overcome the market
barriers that currently impede the
production, deployment and use of
clean cook stoves in the developing
world.
The government of Kenya has
taken crucial steps in bringing various stakeholders together we can all
appreciate action to improve the situ-
ation by ensuring universal access to the country and our national comclean energy for all in Africa and the mitment to reduce deforestation and
of the developing countries. This en- afforest the country. The private sector plays a critical
tails mobilization of
role in national ecocommunities, lead
nomic growth and
agencies, the pritherefore it will be
vate sector and noneven more crucial
governmental orGlobal alliance for
for green economic
ganizations. During
growth. The govthe consultation and
Clean Cook stoves
ernment’s role is
strategic planning
is a new publicthat of facilitating
workshop, various
the private sector
organization availed
private partnership
by putting in place
themselves includformed to save lives, the enabling policy
ing UNIDO (United
environment for it
Nations Industrial
empower women,
to thrive. This will
Development Orimprove livelihoods, foster new business
ganization), GVEP
opportunities in
International, Parand combat climate
green and clean enadigm Kenya and
change by creating
ergy, opportunity
GIZ.
for technology inThe model to
a thriving global
novation to address
be adopted for this
market for clean and emerging demands
program will be a
in green economic
low-carbon-green
efficient household
growth and even
growth path in Kencooking stoves.
opportunities for
ya. This pathway,
job creation and
given the stress and
hence poverty restrains that climate
duction.
change is occasionThe main aim
ing in the country’s
socio-economic systems, is a highly for this coalition of many organizaefficient choice because of the domi- tions is to provide efficient home
nating renewable energy potential in solutions through providing clean
cooking stoves in Kenya at large
hence reducing pollution by about
30%, both deforestation and smoke/
lighting pollution. ‘There have been
very few tangible innovation that
have cross-cutting impact hence
clean cooking stove is quite exciting
solution to this for us’ said Mathew
Kimolo, (Paradigm Africa).
Katech Agencies, an engineering
company, has been making these
energy saving cooking stoves for
both household use and institutions
such as schools, hospitals and hotels.
IN partnership with saccos, katech
agencies have been producing these
upscale cooking stoves with a low purchasing power(where payment can be
in installments). These cooking stoves
save energy where they consume 30%
compared to the normal usage as well
as no heat or smoke is emitted around
because it is well ventilated. With the
help of GVEP, katech is registered by
the government and is being effective in making and distributing the
stoves nationally. The making of these
stoves involves the first process in the
company and the second process at
the consumer’s premises that takes
10 days of installation. Many institutions have opted to use these energysaving cooking stoves as they are very
efficient and environment friendly. n
BOOK REVIEW
Learning and Innovation in Agri - Export Industries;
Partnerships, Institutions and Capabilities in Kenya’s Flower Industry
Author: Dr. Maurice Bolo
Publisher: LAP LAMBERT
Academic Publishing
Reviewer: George Achia
I
n many developing countries, the
contributions of the small scale
farmers to the high value cut
flower export business has been
minimal and on the decline.
A new book on agricultural development in Kenya points out the high
costs of technology, weak management skills, limited access to capital,
stringent market standards and demanding infrastructural requirements
as the prohibitive factors hindering
small scale farmers from the high
value export floriculture industry.
In Learning and Innovation in
Agri – Export Industries; Partnerships, Institutions and Capabilities in
Kenya’s Flower Industry, the author,
Dr. Maurice Bolo says the exclusion of
small scale farmers is evident in nearly
all developing countries engaged in
cut flower production and exports.
In Kenya, he says, which is the
fourth largest exporter of cut flowers
in the world, the contribution of small
scale farmers accounts for between
five to 13 percent of all exports.
Dr. Maurice Bolo
He observers that the exclusion
of small scale farmers from cut flower
production leaves the industry in the
hands of big players – the medium
and large scale companies which have
invested heavily in the technological
infrastructure such as computerized
greenhouses and fertigation systems,
in-house research and development
facilities; chartered flights and have
subsidiary companies in the export
markets to handle marketing issues.
According to the book, where
small scale farmers are engaged in cut
flowers production, they are confined
to summer flowers – those that are
grown in the open fields through rainfed agriculture without green houses –
which require minimal technological
and capital investments.
The book uses the partnerships
between these exporters and small
scale farmers as a case study into how
Kenya has attempted to enhance opportunities for inclusion of small scale
farmers into the high value export
floriculture.
The book examines three inter –
related set of issues with regard to the
government’s policy initiatives including whether farmer – exporter partnerships lead to building the capabilities
of the farmers, the role of institutions
and governance arrangements within
these partnerships in influencing the
building of farmer capabilities and
the interactions between the different
R&D actors with farmers and whether
these interactions contribute to building farmers’ capabilities.
It makes a good read for policy
makers, development practitioners,
researchers and development organizations seeking to enhance the
participation of smallholder farmers
into agricultural export markets. n
The book uses
the partnerships
between these
exporters and
small scale
farmers as a case study into
how Kenya has attempted
to enhance opportunities
for inclusion of small scale
farmers into the high value
export floriculture.
June / August 2012
19
CLIMATE CHANGE
Scientists Warn of Anomalies in El Niño Pattern
By George Achia
Staff Science Writer
W
orld Meteorological Organisation
(WMO) and the
major climate centres have
noted the warming of Sea
Surface Temperatures (SSTs)
in the equatorial Pacific Ocean
with potential occurrence
of neutral to warm event towards the end of the year.
And at the Climate Outlook Forum held in Djibouti,
climate scientists drawn from
the Greater Horn of Africa
indicated that El Niño phenomenon is evolving.
The forum that gives seasonal climate outlook of the
Horn of Africa regions and
convened by Igad Climate
Predictions and Applications
Center (ICPAC) observed that
indeed the two oceans with the
greatest bearing on the weather in the region, the Pacific
and the Indian Oceans had
indicted a warming scenario.
“The experts are giving a
pointer towards an El Nino
weather phenomenon evolving,” said Prof. Laban Ogallo,
director ICPAC, adding that
the updates on the evolving
El Niño will be provided regularly by the WMO, the major
global climate centers, ICPAC
and national meteorological
and hydrological enters.
“The warming of SSTs in
the Equatorial Pacific Ocean
with potential occurrence
of neutral to warm event
towards the end of the year
and the Indian Ocean Dipole
(IOD) circulations are expected to contribute to anomalies
in regional rainfall over the
rest of the year” said the statement released at the end of the
Climate Outlook Forum.
“El Niño is normally associated with floods in the
equatorial areas within October-February months. El Niño
has also been associated with
droughts in the northern and
southern sectors of GHA.” It
added.
The June to August rainfall prediction indicated there
near normal to above normal
rainfall over the western and
central areas of the northern
sector of the Greater Horn
of Africa, the Western and
Coastal parts of the equatorial sector, while the rest of
the GHA region will remain
dry during the June to August
2012 season.
“The outlook is relevant
for seasonal timescale and
cover relatively large areas.
Local and month-to-month
variations in rainfall occurrence might occur. For example interaction between local
scale features and large scale
circulation might lead to dry
spells during the season,” the
statement warned.
Prof. Ogallo called on users from the region to contact
the National Meteorological
and Hydrological Services for
details at national level for
appropriate planning during the season.
The GHA region comprises Burundi, Djibouti,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya,
Rwanda, Somalia, South
Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.The 31 st
Greater Horn of Africa
Climate Outlook Forum
(GHACOF31) wasrecently
convened in Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti by ICPAC
and partners to formulate a
consensus regional climate
outlook for the June to August 2012 rainfall season
over the GHA region.
Rainfall Outlook for
Mid 2012
The rainfall outlook for
various zones within the
GHA region is given in figure 1 below.
Zone I:
Climatology
(normal conditions for the
season being projected)
Figure 1: Greater Horn of Africa Consensus Climate
Outlook for the Mid 2012 rainfall season
Zone II: Increased likelihood of near
normal to above number indicates the probability of rainfall occurring in
normal rainfall
the above-normal category;
Note:
the middle number is for
The numbers for each zone near-normal and the bottom
indicate the probabilities of number for below-normal
rainfall in each of the three category. For example, in
categories, above-, near-, zone II , there is 35% proband below-normal. The top ability of rainfall occurring in
the above-normal category;
45% probability of rainfall
occurring in the near-normal
category; and 20% probability
of rainfall occurring in the
below-normal category. It is
emphasised that boundaries
between zones should be considered as transition areas. n
WATER
UNESCO’S Efforts in Combating Water Crisis
By ScienceAfrica
Correspondent
n initiative to build the capacity of water scientists to
manage groundwater more
sustainably in the horn of Africa
was launched in Nairobi, Kenya by
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO).
The initiative is a response to
water shortage crisis that continue
to afflict millions of people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
Named “Strengthening Capacity to Combat Drought and Famine in Horn of Africa”, the project
aims at addressing knowledge
acquisition and appropriate use of
resources available by mobilizing
scientific knowledge and policies
on utilization of natural resources
hence contributing to disaster man-
A
agement.
It will also identify and strengthen ground water resources to alleviate drought affected areas within
the region. Speaking during the
launch, Prof. Joseph Massaquoi,
director of UNESCO Nairobi office
noted that developing groundwater
resources is now an urgent priority
in the region.
“The African countries need to
pursue and adapt more sustainable
approaches to the use and management of water resources where
water quality and quantity are fully
integrated,” said Prof. Massaquoi.
“To implement a sustainable
water management approach, it is
fundamental to improve our knowledge on the availability and use of
water resources in terms quality
and quantity,” he explained.
Supported by the government
of Japan to the tune of USD 1.55
million, the initiative will survey
the groundwater in the drought
affected Turkana region of North
West Kenya using the Watex systems.
The system developed by Radar
Technologies International, enables
rapid groundwater assessment for
large areas using advanced remote
sensing exploration technologies,
showing drillers of water-wells and
where to find water.
Prof. Massaquoi noted that
such tools must be combined with
policies and skills designed to help
manage groundwater more sustainably and build long-term preparedness to drought.
Speaking at the same event, Mr.
John Nyaoro, director of Kenya’s
water resources, ministry of water
and irrigation noted that Kenyan
government in conjunction with the
government of Japan are developing a national water master plan
to assess and evaluate availability,
reliability and vulnerability of the
country’s water resources.
“The water demands are increasing with population growth and
also social economic development.
Further, the global climate change
is becoming a great challenge in
Kenya,” said Mr. Nyaoro.
The initiative is a contribution
of UNESCO to the new regional
framework on Groundwater Resources Investigation for Drought
Mitigation in Africa Programme, a
consortium of scientific partners,
and US Geological Survey that aims
to assess groundwater potential
and build drought management capacities across the Horn of African
region and other parts of Africa. n
20
June / August 2012
ILRI Maps Poverty, Human and
Animal Diseases Hotspots
AFRICA’S LEADING PUBLICATION ON SCIENCE
Vol. 20 June 15th - August 15th, 2012
INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Kshs. 100
PART I
Tshs. 2000 Ushs. 3000
WINNERS OF BIOSAFETY RECOGNITION AWARD
Page 3
EPIDEMIC
Endless Ebola Outbreaks Worrying
O
From left to right seated: Pioneering Biomedical Engineer James Lelei of KEMRI; Prof Norah Olembo, the first woman to be a
professor of biochemistry in Kenya. She has trained most of the countries biochemists and molecular biologists, was the first head of
the country’s patent office; Dr Peter Tukei, Africa’s top expert on hemorrhagic viruses including Marburg, Ebola and Rift Valley Fever;
Dr Simon Gichuki has headed the biotechnology centre at Kenya Agricultural Research Institute overseeing historic R&D activities
on GM crops; Mr Murenga Mwimali one of Kenya’s leading plant breeders; and Mr Nicholas Mwikwabe who received the award on
behalf of Africa Biosafety Association. Standing: Some NBA board members and management with other scientists.
-Animal-bone Diseases Threaten 1b Lives
-Responsible for 2.2m Deaths Annually.
FOCUS1
ON
VIRAL
HEPATITIS
nce again the deadly
Ebola – haemorrghagic fever virus- has
emerged from its hiding to kill
at least 13 people in Kibaale,
Uganda. Despite East and
Central Africa being the epicenter of several Ebola outbreaks for over four decades,
medical experts seem to forget
it immediately after controlling the epidemic that has now
spread to DR Congo.
Still, they do not know
or are unable to pinpoint
exactly which living or even
non-living organism hides the
highly contagious virus before
it strikes to kill in the most
horrifying manner. Internal
organs bleed. All body openings bleed including the ears,
HEALTH & CULTURES
NANOTECHNOLOGY?
Why FGM Thrives in Africa
Mechanical Insect Drone
Ready to Spy
By ScienceAfrica Correspodents: Hope Mafaranga (Uganda), Leocadia Bongben (Cameroon) and Ola Al-Ghazawy (Egypt)
F
emale Genital mutilation remains widespread in Africa.
The loud anti-FGM rhetoric
by governments seem designed for global audience as much
work waits to be done. Because of increasing risks to human life, Female
Genital Mutilation (FGM) has been
banned in several African countries.
Uganda is among the countries that
most recently joined the crusade
against this cruel cultural practice.
President Yoweri Museveni recently
signed into law a bill criminalizing
FGM mostly carried out in remote
villages.
But while the new law is now
operational, there is a different story
in remote parts of the country where
preparations for the next round of
female circumcision was well underway. When approaching Kalulu
village in Kapyoyon sub-county in
Bukwo district in Eastern Uganda
mouth, nose and eyes.
The latest outbreak was
confirmed a month after
emerging in a village 100
kilometres from Kampala, the
capital city. There are many
suggestions that rodents,
bats, monkeys, baboons,
chimpanzees, gorillas, insects
and other unknown sources
may be responsible for Ebola
outbreaks.
Unless the source or host
of the Ebola virus is known,
it could in the near future
easily cause a major havoc
in an ill prepared region that
undervalues, and does not
effectively fund and support
serious biomedical research
aimed at home grown solutions to such epidemics. q
one runs into 15-year-old Sheila
Chikwemoi carrying firewood from
the bush as she danced and sang in
Kupsabiny, a local dialect.
I am not circumcised/here I
come from Mariwey/daughter of
Namukweza. I have agreed to take
circumcision/ pave way for me/my
‘surgeon’ is Sande Simbura.
The teenage girl was singing in
preparation for her circumcision. This is
Cont’d on page 4
THE EVOLUTION OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION (STI)
An insect spy drone is in production in the US funded by
the US Government. It can be remotely controlled and
is equipped with a camera and a microphone. It can land
on you and has the potential to take a DNA sample or
leave RFID tracking nanotechnology on your skin. It can fly
through an open window, or it can attach to your clothing.
(Courtesy Prof Calestous Juma’s facebook page). n
MATHS & HEALTH
I
ntenational Livestock Research
Institute with headquarters in
Nairobi,Kenya has come up with the
most updated maps with global hotspots of human-animal infectious diseases
and emerging disease outbreaks. The maps
reveal animal-borne disease as a heavy
burden for one billion of world’s poor and
new evidence on zoonotic emerging disease
hotspots in the United States and western
Europe.
The new global study mapping humananimal diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and
Rift Valley fever finds that an ‘unlucky’ 13
zoonoses are responsible for 2.4 billion
cases of human illness and 2.2 million
deaths per year. The vast majority occur in
low- and middle-income countries.
The study, which was conducted by the
International Livestock Research Institute
(ILRI), the Institute of Zoology (UK) and
the Hanoi School of Public Health in Vietnam, maps poverty, livestock-keeping and
the diseases humans get from animals,
and presents a ‘top 20′ list of geographical
hotspots.
From cyst-causing tapeworms to avian
flu, zoonoses present a major threat to human and animal health,’ said Delia Grace,
a veterinary epidemiologist and food safety
expert with ILRI in Kenya and lead author
of the study. ‘Targeting the diseases in the
hardest hit countries is crucial to protecting
global health as well as to reducing severe
levels of poverty and illness among the
world’s one billion poor livestock keepers.’
‘Exploding global demand for livestock
products is likely to fuel the spread of a wide
range of human-animal infectious diseases,’
Grace added.
According to the study, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania in Africa, as well as
India in Asia, have the highest zoonotic
disease burdens, with widespread illness
and death. Meanwhile, the northeastern
United States, Western Europe (especially
the United Kingdom), Brazil and parts of
Southeast Asia may be hotspots of ‘emerging zoonoses’—those that are newly infecting humans, are newly virulent, or have
newly become drug resistant. 60 per cent
of human diseases and 75 per cent of all
emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic.
The report, Mapping of Poverty and
Likely Zoonoses Hotspots identified areas
where better control of zoonotic diseases
would most benefit poor people and updates a map of emerging disease events
published in Nature in 2008.
High-priority zoonoses studied included ‘endemic zoonoses’, brucellosis
causing majority of illness and death in
poor countries; ‘epidemic zoonoses’, which
occur as outbreaks, such as anthrax and
Rift Valley fever; and ‘emerging zoonoses’,
such as bird flu.
2.5 billion people live on less than $2
daily; three-quarters of the rural poor and
one-third of the urban poor depend on
livestock for their food, income, traction,
manure or other services. Livestock provide poor households with up to half their
income and upto 35 per cent of their protein
consumption.
The growing global demand for meat
and milk products is a big opportunity for
poor livestock keepers. Increased demand
will continue over the coming decades,
driven by rising populations and incomes,
urbanization and changing diets in emerging economies,’ noted Steve Staal, deputy
director general-research at ILRI. ‘Greater
access to global and regional meat markets
could move millions of poor livestock keepers out of poverty if they can effectively
participate in meeting that rising demand.’
But zoonoses present a major obstacle
to their efforts. The study estimates, for
example, that about one in eight livestock
in poor countries are affected by brucellosis;
this reduces milk and meat production in
cattle by around 8 per cent.The study found
a 99 per cent correlation between country
levels of protein-energy malnutrition and
the burden of zoonoses.
The researchers reviewed 56 zoonoses
responsible for around 2.5 billion cases
of human illness and 2.7 million human
deaths per year. A more detailed study
was made of the 13 zoonoses identified as
most important, based on analysis of 1,000
surveys covering more than 10 million
people, 6 million animals and 6,000 food
or environment samples.
The analysis found high levels of infection with these zoonoses among livestock
in poor countries. For example, 27 per cent
of livestock in developing countries showed
signs of current or past infection with bacterial food-borne disease—a source of food
contamination and widespread illness. The
researchers attribute at least one-third of
global diarrheal disease to zoonotic causes,
and find this disease to be the biggest zoonotic threat to public health.
In the booming livestock sector of developing countries, by far the fastest growing
sectors are poultry and pigs.
As production, processing and retail
food chains intensify, there are greater risks
of food-borne illnesses, especially in poorly
managed systems’, said John McDermott,
director of the CGIAR Research Program
on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health,
led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). ‘Historically, highdensity pig and poultry populations have
been important in maintaining and mixing
influenza populations. A major concern is
that as new livestock systems intensify,
particularly small- and medium-sized pig
production, the more intensive systems will
allow the maintenance and transmission of
pathogens. A number of new zoonoses, such
as Nipah virus infections, have emerged in
that way.’ (Source ILRI). q
Maths to Determine if HIV
Treatment Leads to Prevention
I
ScienceAfrica Also Offers Well Researched Documentaries
on All Aspects of ST&I in Africa:
n VIDEO COVERAGE n NEWS CLIPS n FEATURES
Tel: 020-2053532, Cell: +254 722 843101 / 721 248761
s it possible to control the
epidemic of HIV by using
antiretroviral therapy? A
collection of new articles written by members of the Gates
funded HIV Modelling Consortium published in the openaccess journal PLoS Medicine
aims to help improve scientific
support for decision making
using mathematical modelling
of HIV epidemic. Researchers
from the South African Centre
for Epidemiological Modelling
and Analysis (SACEMA) based
at Stellenbosch University (SU)
contributed to the papers.
The articles use mathematical models to examine the feasibility of interventions, their potential epidemiological impact,
affordability, scientific observational studies and community
trials, which support evidencebased decision-making on the
use of antiretroviral treatment
to prevent HIV transmission.
The introductory article
HIV Treatment as Prevention:
Models, Data and Questions
Towards Evidence-based Decision-Making says that there
have been positive advances in
HIV prevention research and
the finding that HIV-infected
individuals given antiretroviral treatment (ART) are less
likely to transmit the infection
to their heterosexual partners
than those who are not.
Currently ART is directed at
Cont’d on page 2
The Leading
Publication on
Science, Technology,
Innovation and
Development
ScienceAfrica
Vol. 19 February/April 2012
AGRICULTURE
70% of International Agricultural
Research Impact by IITA
I
nnovative research activities
at the International Institute
of Tropical Agriculture based
in Ibadan, Nigeria is responsible for 70 percent of research
impact by the Consultative Group
on International Agricultural
Research in Africa, according to
a study commissioned by the
Group.
“Under its new Director General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, the
institute is embarking on a comprehensive 10-year strategy that
outlines its bold plans of raising
20 million people out of poverty
and also reclaiming 25 million
hectares of degraded land in the
tropics including Africa, Asia, and
the Latin America by 2020,” IITA
board chair, Dr Bruce Coulman,
said recently.
The CGIAR has been undergoing a wide-ranging reform process
to make it more responsive to the
changing agricultural development landscape, positioning itself
to offer greater impact and improve the livelihoods of millions of
people. Africa missed Green Revolution is considered a “hard one.”
CGIAR after four decades in Africa
needed to evolve or change the
way it does “business” in Africa
focusing more on positive socioeconomic impact that are real
and measurable. There is need
for innovative ways to balance
the desire to “please donors” and
publish in “prestigious journals
with the delivery of R&D results
to the targeted communities. In
the already globalised world, the
CGIAR will constantly review its
relationship with national research institutions, government
ministries and departments to
come up with practical ways of
availing the bebefits of R&D results to theose who need it most.
Thus the chair of the Consortium Board of CGIAR, Dr Carlos
Pérez del Castillo while commending the high quality of research by
IITA, emphasized that results of
R&D, is needed now more than
ever, to tackle the challenges to
food security of tropical nations
not only in Africa but also the rest
of the world.
He was officially visiting the
Ibadan campus of IITA accompanied by the chief executive officer
of the CGIAR Consortium, Dr
Frank Rijsberman. q
(Source: IITA)
Published at Fatuma Flats, Suite No 6, Ground Floor by ScienceAfrica P.O. Box 57458-00200, Nairobi-Kenya, Tel: 020-2053532 Cell: +254 722 843 101