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Kapwata T, Wright CY, Reddy T, Street R, Kunene Z, Mathee A. Correction to: Relations between personal exposure to elevated concentrations of arsenic in water and soil and blood arsenic levels amongst people living in rural areas in Limpopo, South Africa. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2024; 31:16108. [PMID: 38286933 PMCID: PMC10884176 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32103-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa.
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa.
| | - Caradee Y Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, 0084, South Africa
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
| | - Tarylee Reddy
- Biostatistics Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban, 4001, South Africa
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, University of KwaZulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 3201, South Africa
| | - Renee Street
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban, 4001, South Africa
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
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Cohen C, Kleynhans J, Moyes J, McMorrow ML, Treurnicht FK, Hellferscee O, Wolter N, Martinson NA, Kahn K, Lebina L, Mothlaoleng K, Wafawanaka F, Gómez-Olivé FX, Mkhencele T, Mathunjwa A, Carrim M, Mathee A, Piketh S, Language B, von Gottberg A, Tempia S. Incidence and transmission of respiratory syncytial virus in urban and rural South Africa, 2017-2018. Nat Commun 2024; 15:116. [PMID: 38167333 PMCID: PMC10761814 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44275-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Data on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) incidence and household transmission are limited. To describe RSV incidence and transmission, we conducted a prospective cohort study in rural and urban communities in South Africa over two seasons during 2017-2018. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected twice-weekly for 10 months annually and tested for RSV using PCR. We tested 81,430 samples from 1,116 participants in 225 households (follow-up 90%). 32% (359/1116) of individuals had ≥1 RSV infection; 10% (37/359) had repeat infection during the same season, 33% (132/396) of infections were symptomatic, and 2% (9/396) sought medical care. Incidence was 47.2 infections/100 person-years and highest in children <5 years (78.3). Symptoms were commonest in individuals aged <12 and ≥65 years. Individuals 1-12 years accounted for 55% (134/242) of index cases. Household cumulative infection risk was 11%. On multivariable analysis, index cases with ≥2 symptoms and shedding duration >10 days were more likely to transmit; household contacts aged 1-4 years vs. ≥65 years were more likely to acquire infection. Within two South African communities, RSV attack rate was high, and most infections asymptomatic. Young children were more likely to introduce RSV into the home, and to be infected. Future studies should examine whether vaccines targeting children aged <12 years could reduce community transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Cohen
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Jackie Kleynhans
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jocelyn Moyes
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Meredith L McMorrow
- Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division (proposed), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Influenza Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Florette K Treurnicht
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Orienka Hellferscee
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nicole Wolter
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Neil A Martinson
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, MRC Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and TB, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Johns Hopkins University Center for TB Research, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Limakatso Lebina
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, MRC Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and TB, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Katlego Mothlaoleng
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, MRC Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and TB, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Floidy Wafawanaka
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Thulisa Mkhencele
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Azwifarwi Mathunjwa
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Maimuna Carrim
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stuart Piketh
- Unit for Environmental Science and Management, Climatology Research Group, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Brigitte Language
- Unit for Environmental Science and Management, Climatology Research Group, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Anne von Gottberg
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stefano Tempia
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Influenza Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pretoria, South Africa
- MassGenics, Duluth, GA, USA
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Kapwata T, Wright CY, Reddy T, Street R, Kunene Z, Mathee A. Relations between personal exposure to elevated concentrations of arsenic in water and soil and blood arsenic levels amongst people living in rural areas in Limpopo, South Africa. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2023; 30:65204-65216. [PMID: 37079235 PMCID: PMC10116462 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26813-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to arsenic even at low levels can lead to adverse health outcomes, however, there is a paucity of research from South Africa in relation to human exposure to arsenic. We investigated long-term exposure of residents in Limpopo province, South Africa, in a cross-sectional study by analysing water, soil and blood arsenic concentrations from two arsenic-exposed (high and medium-low exposure) villages and one non-exposed (control) village. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of arsenic in water, soil and blood amongst the three sites. The median drinking water arsenic concentration in the high-exposure village was 1.75 µg/L (range = 0.02 to 81.30 µg/L), 0.45 µg/L (range = 0.100 to 6.00 µg/L) in the medium- / low-exposure village and 0.15 µg/L (range = < limit of detection (LOD) to 29.30 µg/L) in the control site. The median soil arsenic concentration in the high-exposure village was 23.91 mg/kg (range = < LOD to 92.10 mg/kg) whilst arsenic concentrations were below the limit of detection in all soil samples collected from the medium-/low-exposure and control villages. In the high-exposure village, the median blood arsenic concentration was 1.6 µg/L (range = 0.7 to 4.2 µg/L); 0.90 µg/L (range = < LOD to 2.5 µg/L) in the medium-/low-exposure village and 0.6 µg/L (range = < LOD to 3.3 µg/L) in the control village. Significant percentages of drinking water, soil and blood samples from the exposed sites were above the internationally recommended guidelines (namely, 10 µg/L, 20 mg/kg and 1 µg/L, respectively). Majority of participants (86%) relied on borehole water for drinking and there was a significant positive correlation between arsenic in blood and borehole water (p-value = 0.031). There was also a statistically significant correlation between arsenic concentrations in participants' blood and soil samples collected from gardens (p-value = 0.051). Univariate quantile regression found that blood arsenic concentrations increased by 0.034 µg/L (95% CI = 0.02-0.05) for each one unit increase in water arsenic concentrations (p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, water source and homegrown vegetable consumption in multivariate quantile regression, participants from the high-exposure site had significantly higher blood concentrations than those in the control site (coefficient: 1.00; 95% CI = 0.25-1.74; p-value = 0.009) demonstrating that blood arsenic is a good biomarker of arsenic exposure. Our findings also provide new evidence for South Africa on the association between drinking water and arsenic exposure, emphasising the need for the provision of potable water for human consumption in areas with high environmental arsenic concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa.
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa.
| | - Caradee Y Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, 0084, South Africa
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
| | - Tarylee Reddy
- Biostatistics Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban, 4001, South Africa
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, University of KwaZulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 3201, South Africa
| | - Renee Street
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban, 4001, South Africa
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
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Zupunski L, Street R, Ostroumova E, Winde F, Sachs S, Geipel G, Nkosi V, Bouaoun L, Haman T, Schüz J, Mathee A. Environmental exposure to uranium in a population living in close proximity to gold mine tailings in South Africa. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2023; 77:127141. [PMID: 36857995 PMCID: PMC10030373 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2023.127141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gold mining activities in South Africa resulted in contamination of residential environment with uranium-rich wastes from mine tailings. Health of the people living around the mine tailings could be affected by uranium exposure due to its hazardous chemotoxic and radiological properties. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess i) uranium (U) concentrations in individual hair samples of children and adults living in close proximity to mine tailings in Northeast- Soweto in Johannesburg, South Africa, and ii) the association between U concentrations in hair and various factors, including zone of residence, socio-demographic and housing characteristics. Sampling sites were divided into three zones based on the distance between a dwelling and a cluster of mine tailings (zone 1: <= 500 m, zone 2: 2-3 km away, zone 3: 4-5 km away). U concentrations in hair samples were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. To test the association between U concentrations and selected factors we used robust regression models with log-transformed U concentrations. RESULTS Among 128 subjects with available U measurements, 63 (49%) were children (ages 7-15 years) of which 38 were girls, the remaining 65 (51%) were adult females. Mean (median) U concentration in hair samples was 143 (92) µg/kg. In the mutually adjusted analyses, only an inverse association between age and U concentration in hair remained statistically significant, with geometric mean in children being 2.1 times higher compared to adults (P < 0.001). There was no evidence of an association between zones and U concentration (P = 0.42). CONCLUSIONS There was little evidence of association between U concentration in hair and distance from the mine tailings within the 5 km range, but overall concentrations were elevated compared to general population samples in other parts of the world. Children had statistically significantly higher geometric mean of uranium concentration in hair compared to adults. The results are important for improvement of mining waste policies and implementation of health monitoring and protective measures in populations at risk. ARTICLE CATEGORY Research Article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ljubica Zupunski
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch, WHO, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, Lyon 69372, France
| | - Renée Street
- South African Medical Research Council, Environment and Health Research Unit, Health Clinic Building, University of Johannesburg, 55 Beit Street, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa
| | - Evgenia Ostroumova
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch, WHO, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, Lyon 69372, France
| | - Frank Winde
- North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, Research Unit Environmental Science and Management, Vanderbijlpark Campus, North-West University, P.O. Box 1174, Vanderbijlpark 1900, South Africa; Wismut GmbH, Engineering and Radiation Protection, Jagdschänkenstraße 29, Chemnitz 09117, Germany
| | - Susanne Sachs
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, Dresden 01328, Germany
| | - Gerhard Geipel
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Resource Ecology, Bautzner Landstraße 400, Dresden 01328, Germany
| | - Vusumuzi Nkosi
- South African Medical Research Council, Environment and Health Research Unit, Health Clinic Building, University of Johannesburg, 55 Beit Street, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa
| | - Liacine Bouaoun
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch, WHO, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, Lyon 69372, France
| | - Tanya Haman
- South African Medical Research Council, Environment and Health Research Unit, Health Clinic Building, University of Johannesburg, 55 Beit Street, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa
| | - Joachim Schüz
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Environment and Lifestyle Epidemiology Branch, WHO, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, CEDEX 08, Lyon 69372, France
| | - Angela Mathee
- South African Medical Research Council, Environment and Health Research Unit, Health Clinic Building, University of Johannesburg, 55 Beit Street, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Health Clinic Building, 55 Beit Street, Doornfontein 2028, South Africa.
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Kunene Z, Kapwata T, Mathee A, Sweijd N, Minakawa N, Naidoo N, Wright CY. Exploring the Association between Ambient Temperature and Daily Hospital Admissions for Diarrhea in Mopani District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:healthcare11091251. [PMID: 37174793 PMCID: PMC10177752 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11091251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Diarrhea contributes significantly to global morbidity and mortality. There is evidence that diarrhea prevalence is associated with ambient temperature. This study aimed to determine if there was an association between ambient temperature and diarrhea at a rural site in South Africa. Daily diarrheal hospital admissions (2007 to 2016) at two large district hospitals in Mopani district, Limpopo province were compared to average daily temperature and apparent temperature (Tapp, 'real-feel' temperature that combined temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed). Linear regression and threshold regression, age-stratified to participants ≤5 years and >5 years old, considered changes in daily admissions by unit °C increase in Tapp. Daily ranges in ambient temperature and Tapp were 2-42 °C and -5-34 °C, respectively. For every 1 °C increase in average daily temperature, there was a 6% increase in hospital admissions for diarrhea for individuals of all ages (95% CI: 0.04-0.08; p < 0.001) and a 4% increase in admissions for individuals older than 5 years (95% CI: 0.02-0.05; p < 0.001). A positive linear relationship between average daily Tapp and all daily diarrheal admissions for children ≤5 years old was not statistically significant (95% CI: -0.00-0.03; p = 0.107). Diarrhea is common in children ≤5 years old, however, is more likely triggered by factors other than temperature/Tapp, while it is likely associated with increased temperature in individuals >5 years old. We are limited by lack of data on confounders and effect modifiers, thus, our findings are exploratory. To fully quantify how temperature affects hospital admission counts for diarrhea, future studies should include socio-economic-demographic factors as well as WASH-related data such as personal hygiene practices and access to clean water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zamantimande Kunene
- School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2090, South Africa
| | - Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2090, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2090, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
| | - Neville Sweijd
- Applied Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Noboru Minakawa
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8521, Japan
| | - Natasha Naidoo
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Caradee Y Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
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Birkhead M, Grayson W, Grobbelaar A, Msimang V, Moolla N, Mathee A, Blumberg L, Marshall T, Morobadi D, Popara M, Weyer J. Tanapox, South Africa, 2022. Emerg Infect Dis 2023; 29:1206-1209. [PMID: 37022936 DOI: 10.3201/eid2906.230326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Tanapox is a rarely diagnosed zoonosis known to be endemic to equatorial Africa. All previously reported human cases were acquired within 10° north or south of the Equator, most recently 19 years ago. We describe a human case of tanapox in South Africa (24° south of the Equator). Expanded surveillance for this pathogen is warranted.
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Nkambule S, Johnson R, Mathee A, Mahlangeni N, Webster C, Horn S, Mangwana N, Dias S, Sharma JR, Ramharack P, Louw J, Reddy T, Surujlal-Naicker S, Mdhluli M, Gray G, Muller C, Street R. Wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 airport surveillance: key trends at the Cape Town International Airport. J Water Health 2023; 21:402-408. [PMID: 37338319 PMCID: wh_2023_281 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2023.281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater has revealed the role of mobility in the transmission of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and the surveillance of airport wastewater in cities across the world has demonstrated how travel entry points can give an indication of trends in transmission. This study undertook wastewater surveillance at the Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) to assess the use of a WBE approach to provide supplementary information on the presence of COVID-19 at a key air travel entry point in South Africa. Grab wastewater samples (n = 55) were collected from the CTIA wastewater pump station and analysed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method. The study found a correlation between the wastewater data and clinical cases reported in the City of Cape Town during various time periods and during the peak of a COVID-19 wave. Highly elevated viral loads in the wastewater were observed at times there was increased mobility through the airport. The study also revealed elevated viral load levels at the airport despite the stricter restrictions and through the lower restrictions. The study findings indicate wastewater surveillance and airports can provide supplementary information to airport authorities to assess the impacts of imposed travel restrictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sizwe Nkambule
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban 4091, South Africa E-mail:
| | - Rabia Johnson
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; Centre for Cardio-Metabolic Research in Africa, Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban 4091, South Africa E-mail: ; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nomfundo Mahlangeni
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban 4091, South Africa E-mail:
| | - Candice Webster
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban 4091, South Africa E-mail:
| | - Suranie Horn
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban 4091, South Africa E-mail: ; Occupational Hygiene and Health Research Initiative, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Noluxabiso Mangwana
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Stephanie Dias
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
| | - Jyoti Rajan Sharma
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
| | - Pritika Ramharack
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4001, South Africa
| | - Johan Louw
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa
| | - Tarylee Reddy
- Biostatistics Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban 4091, South Africa
| | - Swastika Surujlal-Naicker
- Scientific Services, Water and Sanitation Department, City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
| | - Mongezi Mdhluli
- Chief Research Operations Office, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg 7050, South Africa
| | - Glenda Gray
- Office of the President, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg 7050, South Africa
| | - Christo Muller
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; Centre for Cardio-Metabolic Research in Africa, Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa; Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa
| | - Renee Street
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban 4091, South Africa E-mail: ; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Wright CY, Mathee A, Goldstone C, Naidoo N, Kapwata T, Wernecke B, Kunene Z, Millar DA. Developing a Healthy Environment Assessment Tool (HEAT) to Address Heat-Health Vulnerability in South African Towns in a Warming World. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023; 20:2852. [PMID: 36833550 PMCID: PMC9957206 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20042852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can cause heat-related illnesses and accelerate death, especially in the elderly. We developed a locally-appropriate Healthy Environment Assessment Tool, or 'HEAT' tool, to assess heat-health risks among communities. HEAT was co-developed with stakeholders and practitioners/professionals from the Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM), a setting in which heat was identified as a risk in an earlier study. Feedback was used to identify vulnerable groups and settings in RLM, consider opportunities and barriers for interventions, and conceptualize a heat-health vulnerability assessment tool for a heat-resilient town. Using information provided by the RLM Integrated Development Plan, the HEAT tool was applied in the form of eight indicators relating to heat-health vulnerability and resilience and areas were evaluated at the ward level. Indicators included population, poverty, education, access to medical facilities, sanitation and basic services, public transport, recreation/community centres, and green spaces. Out of 45 wards situated in the municipality, three were identified as critical risk (red), twenty-eight as medium-high risk (yellow), and six as low risk (green) in relation to heat-health vulnerability. Short-term actions to improve heat health resilience in the community were proposed and partnerships between local government and the community to build heat health resilience were identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caradee Y. Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2090, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
| | | | - Natasha Naidoo
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
| | - Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2090, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
| | - Bianca Wernecke
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2090, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2090, South Africa
| | - Danielle A. Millar
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
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9
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Mahlangeni N, Street R, Horn S, Mathee A, Mangwana N, Dias S, Sharma JR, Ramharack P, Louw J, Reddy T, Surujlal-Naicker S, Nkambule S, Webster C, Mdhluli M, Gray G, Muller C, Johnson R. Using Wastewater Surveillance to Compare COVID-19 Outbreaks during the Easter Holidays over a 2-Year Period in Cape Town, South Africa. Viruses 2023; 15:162. [PMID: 36680203 PMCID: PMC9863979 DOI: 10.3390/v15010162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has shown to be an important approach to determine early outbreaks of infections. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is regarded as a complementary tool for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 trends in communities. In this study, the changes in the SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in wastewater during Easter holidays in 2021 and 2022 in the City of Cape Town were monitored over nine weeks. Our findings showed a statistically significant difference in the SARS-CoV-2 RNA viral load between the study weeks over the Easter period in 2021 and 2022, except for study week 1 and 4. During the Easter week, 52% of the wastewater treatment plants moved from the lower (low viral RNA) category in 2021 to the higher (medium to very high viral RNA) categories in 2022. As a result, the median SARS-CoV-2 viral loads where higher during the Easter week in 2022 than Easter week in 2021 (p = 0.0052). Mixed-effects model showed an association between the SARS-CoV-2 RNA viral loads and Easter week over the Easter period in 2021 only (p < 0.01). The study highlights the potential of WBE to track outbreaks during the holiday period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nomfundo Mahlangeni
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
| | - Renée Street
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
| | - Suranie Horn
- Occupational Hygiene and Health Research Initiative, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
| | - Noluxabiso Mangwana
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Stephanie Dias
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
| | - Jyoti Rajan Sharma
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
| | - Pritika Ramharack
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4001, South Africa
| | - Johan Louw
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa
| | - Tarylee Reddy
- Biostatistics Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban 4091, South Africa
| | - Swastika Surujlal-Naicker
- Scientific Services, Water and Sanitation Department, City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
| | - Sizwe Nkambule
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
| | - Candice Webster
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
| | - Mongezi Mdhluli
- Chief Research Operations Office, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7050, South Africa
| | - Glenda Gray
- Office of the President, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7050, South Africa
| | - Christo Muller
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
- Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Cardio-Metabolic Research in Africa, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Rabia Johnson
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
- Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Cardio-Metabolic Research in Africa, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
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10
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Bühler JL, Shrikhande S, Kapwata T, Cissé G, Liang Y, Pedder H, Kwiatkowski M, Kunene Z, Mathee A, Peer N, Wright CY. The Association between Apparent Temperature and Hospital Admissions for Cardiovascular Disease in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 20:ijerph20010116. [PMID: 36612437 PMCID: PMC9820030 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have a high disease burden both globally and in South Africa. They have also been found to be temperature-sensitive globally. The association between temperature and CVD morbidity has previously been demonstrated, but little is known about it in South Africa. It is important to understand how changes in temperature in South Africa will affect CVD morbidity, especially in rural regions, to inform public health interventions and adaptation strategies. This study aimed to determine the short-term effect of apparent temperature (Tapp) on CVD hospital admissions in Mopani District, Limpopo province, South Africa. A total of 3124 CVD hospital admissions records were obtained from two hospitals from 1 June 2009 to 31 December 2016. Daily Tapp was calculated using nearby weather station measurements. The association was modelled using a distributed lag non-linear model with a negative binomial regression over a 21-day lag period. The fraction of morbidity attributable to non-optimal Tapp, i.e., cold (6-25 °C) and warm (27-32 °C) Tapp was reported. We found an increase in the proportion of admissions due to CVDs for warm and cold Tapp cumulatively over 21 days. Increasing CVD admissions due to warm Tapp appeared immediately and lasted for two to four days, whereas the lag-structure for the cold effect was inconsistent. A proportion of 8.5% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 3.1%, 13.7%) and 1.1% (95% CI: -1.4%, 3.5%) of the total CVD admissions was attributable to cold and warm temperatures, respectively. Warm and cold Tapp may increase CVD admissions, suggesting that the healthcare system and community need to be prepared in the context of global temperature changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Lisa Bühler
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
- Epidemiology and Public Health Department, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- Faculty of Science, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Shreya Shrikhande
- Epidemiology and Public Health Department, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- Faculty of Science, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa
| | - Guéladio Cissé
- Epidemiology and Public Health Department, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- Faculty of Science, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yajun Liang
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hugo Pedder
- Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK
| | - Marek Kwiatkowski
- Epidemiology and Public Health Department, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- Faculty of Science, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa
| | - Nasheeta Peer
- Non-Communicable Diseases Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban 4091, South Africa
- Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
| | - Caradee Y. Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
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11
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Mangwana N, Archer E, Muller CJF, Preiser W, Wolfaardt G, Kasprzyk-Hordern B, Carstens A, Brocker L, Webster C, McCarthy D, Street R, Mathee A, Louw J, Mdhluli M, Johnson R. Sewage surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 at student campus residences in the Western Cape, South Africa. Sci Total Environ 2022; 851:158028. [PMID: 35973539 PMCID: PMC9375247 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) diagnostic capacity is limited in defined communities, posing a challenge in tracking and tracing new infections. Monitoring student residences, which are considered infection hotspots, with targeted wastewater surveillance is crucial. This study evaluated the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 targeted wastewater surveillance for outbreak mitigation at Stellenbosch University's student residences in South Africa. Using torpedo-style passive sampling devices, wastewater samples were collected biweekly from manholes at twelve Stellenbosch University Tygerberg (SUT) campus and Stellenbosch University-Main (SUM) campus student residences. The surveillance led to an early warning detection of SARS-CoV-2 presence on campus, followed by an informed management strategy leading to restriction of student activities on campus and a delay in the onset of the third wave that was experienced throughout the country. Moreover, the study highlighted the extent of possible infections at defined locations even when a low number of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases were reported. The study also tracked the surge of the Delta and Omicron variants in the student residences using the Thermo Fisher TaqMan® RT-qPCR genotyping assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noluxabiso Mangwana
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa; Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Edward Archer
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Christo J F Muller
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa; Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Cardiometabolic Research in Africa, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
| | - Wolfgang Preiser
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa; National Health Laboratory Services, Tygerberg Hospital, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
| | - Gideon Wolfaardt
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa; Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom
| | - Alno Carstens
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Ludwig Brocker
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Candice Webster
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - David McCarthy
- Environmental and Public Health Microbiology Lab (EPHM LAB), Monash Infrastructure Institute, Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Australia
| | - Renee Street
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Johan Louw
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
| | - Mongezi Mdhluli
- Chief Research Operations Office, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg 7050, South Africa
| | - Rabia Johnson
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa; Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Cardiometabolic Research in Africa, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
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12
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Mathee A, Haman T, Nkosi V, Naicker N, Street R. Elevated soil and blood lead levels with increasing residential proximity to a mine tailings facility in Soweto, South Africa. Sci Total Environ 2022; 851:158158. [PMID: 35988623 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mining has long been associated with the release of a range of toxic metals including lead, elevated levels of which have been found in land surrounding mine dumps as far afield as Spain, India, Macedonia and Nigeria. Mining has been a key pillar of economic development in South Africa for around a century and a half, and has left a legacy of major environmental contamination, with the poorest experiencing the highest burden of exposure. The current study was undertaken to ascertain the concentrations of lead in soil and in the blood of adults and children residing at increasing distances from a cluster of large tailings facilities (MTFs) in greater Johannesburg, South Africa. Through a cross-sectional survey data on household characteristics were collected through a questionnaire survey, and supplemented with samples of soil from household gardens, together with blood samples from child-adult pairs from all households included in the study. Soil lead concentrations decreased significantly (median = 35.7 mg/kg closest to the mine tailings facility (MTF) and 8.6 mg/kg at the furthest point in the study site) with increasing distance from the MTF. Blood lead levels were highest in both adults (median = 3.0 μg/dL) and children (median = 4.0 μg/dL) who lived closest (≤500 m) to the MTF, and lowest (1.4 μg/dL in adults and 2.5 μg/dL in children) in those who lived furthest away (4-5 km). The study findings point to a need for greater emphasis on the precautionary principle in environmental health and for health impact assessments to inform decisions on planning, especially with regard to the location of human settlements relative to major, polluting development initiatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, PO Box 87373, Houghton, 2041, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Tanya Haman
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, PO Box 87373, Houghton, 2041, South Africa.
| | - Vusumuzi Nkosi
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, PO Box 87373, Houghton, 2041, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Nisha Naicker
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Renée Street
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, PO Box 87373, Houghton, 2041, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
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13
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 plus a temporary ban on the sale of tobacco and vaping products, on smoking cessation in South Africa, by reviewing research surveys conducted while the prohibition was in place. METHOD An internet search was conducted on 20 August 2020, using the key words: 'South Africa', 'survey', 'poll', 'smoking', 'cigarettes', 'tobacco", 'vaping', and 'COVID-19'. There were no language restrictions. Additional studies were identified through press reports. Only studies conducted between March and August 2020 were included. RESULTS Four surveys which reported on smokers quitting behaviour were included. None had been published in a peer reviewed journal. The heterogeneity of the data did not allow pooling. Support for the ban on tobacco sales amongst smokers varied from 6% to 36%. Similarly, there were inconsistent findings about quitting behaviour. Nationally, between 16% to 49% of smokers reported not smoking during the ban. CONCLUSIONS Cigarette smoking in SA dropped during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, but the estimates were inconsistent, probably because of survey design. There was evidence that the lockdown achieved the fastest rate of decline in smoking prevalence in the country's history. The true extent of the fall though is uncertain. Prevalence studies post lockdown, using probability sampling, may more accurately show how many people quit smoking.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, University of Johannesburg-Doornfontein Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa
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14
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Millar DA, Kapwata T, Kunene Z, Mogotsi M, Wernecke B, Garland RM, Mathee A, Theron L, Levine DT, Ungar M, Batini C, John C, Wright CY. Respiratory health among adolescents living in the Highveld Air Pollution Priority Area in South Africa. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:2136. [PMID: 36411414 PMCID: PMC9677637 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14497-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Air pollution is a global, public health emergency. The effect of living in areas with very poor air quality on adolescents' physical health is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of adverse respiratory health outcomes among adolescents living in a known air pollution hotspot in South Africa. METHODS Ambient air quality data from 2005 to 2019 for the two areas, Secunda and eMbalenhle, in the Highveld Air Pollution Priority Area in Mpumalanga province, South Africa were gathered and compared against national ambient air pollution standards and the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines. In 2019, adolescents attending schools in the areas completed a self-administered questionnaire investigating individual demographics, socio-economic status, health, medical history, and fuel type used in homes. Respiratory health illnesses assessed were doctor-diagnosed hay fever, allergies, frequent cough, wheezing, bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma. The relationship between presence (at least one) or absence (none) of self-reported respiratory illness and risk factors, e.g., fuel use at home, was explored. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) of risk factors associated with respiratory illness adjusted for body mass index (measured by field assistants), gender, education level of both parents / guardians and socio-economic status. RESULTS Particulate matter and ozone were the two pollutants most frequently exceeding national annual air quality standards in the study area. All 233 adolescent participants were between 13 and 17 years of age. Prevalence of self-reported respiratory symptoms among the participants ranged from 2% for 'ever' doctor-diagnosed bronchitis and pneumonia to 42% ever experiencing allergies; wheezing chest was the second most reported symptom (39%). Half (52%) of the adolescents who had respiratory illness were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke in the dwelling. There was a statistically significant difference between the presence or absence of self-reported respiratory illness based on the number of years lived in Secunda or eMbalenhle (p = 0.02). For a one-unit change in the number of years lived in an area, the odds of reporting a respiratory illness increased by a factor of 1.08 (p = 0.025, 95% CI = 1.01-1.16). This association was still statistically significant when the model was adjusted for confounders (p = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS Adolescents living in air polluted areas experience adverse health impacts Future research should interrogate long-term exposure and health outcomes among adolescents living in the air polluted environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle A Millar
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mirriam Mogotsi
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Bianca Wernecke
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Rebecca M Garland
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Smart Places Cluster, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Linda Theron
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Diane T Levine
- Leicester Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Michael Ungar
- School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Chiara Batini
- Genetic Epidemiology Group, Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Catherine John
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Caradee Y Wright
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
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15
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Wright CY, Wernecke B, Kapwata T, Kunene Z, Mathee A, Vande Hey J, Theron L. Perceptions of thermal comfort and coping mechanisms related to indoor and outdoor temperatures among participants living in rural villages in Limpopo province, South Africa. South African Journal of Psychology 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/00812463221129363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Global heating is considered one of the greatest threats to human health and well-being. Supporting human resilience to heating threats is imperative, but under-investigated. In response, this article reports a study that drew together results from quantitative data on perceptions of thermal comfort and mechanisms for coping with thermal discomfort among 406 households in a study in Giyani, Limpopo province. Indoor dwelling and outdoor temperatures were also analysed. Most participants perceived their dwellings to be too hot when it was hot outdoors. People relied on recommended heat health actions such as sitting outdoors in the shade or opening windows. While this agency is meaningful, resilience to climate change requires more than personal action. In light of the climate threats and climate-related disaster risks facing South Africa, an all-encompassing approach, including education campaigns, climate-proofed housing, access to basic services, and financial considerations that will help support resilient coping among South Africans, is urgently required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caradee Y Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit (EHRU), South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
| | - Bianca Wernecke
- Environment and Health Research Unit (EHRU), South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
| | - Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit (EHRU), South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit (EHRU), South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit (EHRU), South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
| | - Joshua Vande Hey
- Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, University of Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Linda Theron
- Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, South Africa
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16
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Johnson R, Mangwana N, Sharma JR, Muller CJF, Malemela K, Mashau F, Dias S, Ramharack P, Kinnear C, Glanzmann B, Viraragavin A, Louw J, Surujlal-Naicker S, Nkambule S, Webster C, Mdhluli M, Gray G, Mathee A, Preiser W, Vorster A, Dalvie S, Street R. Delineating the spread and prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-lineages (BA.1- BA.5) and Deltacron using wastewater in the Western Cape, South Africa. J Infect Dis 2022; 226:1418-1427. [PMID: 36017801 PMCID: PMC9574669 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
This study was one of the first to detect Omicron sublineages BA.4 and BA.5 in wastewater from South Africa. Spearman rank correlation analysis confirmed a strong positive correlation between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral RNA in wastewater samples and clinical cases (r = 0.7749, P < .0001). SARS-CoV-2 viral load detected in wastewater, resulting from the Delta-driven third wave, was significantly higher than during the Omicron-driven fourth wave. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed presence of Omicron lineage defining mutations in wastewater with the first occurrence reported 23 November 2021 (BA.1 predominant). The variant spread rapidly, with prevalence of Omicron-positive wastewater samples rising to >80% by 10 January 2022 with BA.2 as the predominant sublineage by 10 March 2022, whilst on 18 April 2022 BA.4 and BA.5 were detected in selected wastewater sites. These findings demonstrate the value of wastewater-based epidemiology to monitor the spatiotemporal spread and potential origin of new Omicron sublineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabia Johnson
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.,Centre for Cardio-metabolic Research in Africa, Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
| | - Noluxabiso Mangwana
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
| | - Jyoti R Sharma
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.,Centre for Cardio-metabolic Research in Africa, Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
| | - Christo J F Muller
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.,Centre for Cardio-metabolic Research in Africa, Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Zululand, Kwa-Dlangezwa, South Africa
| | - Kholofelo Malemela
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
| | - Funanani Mashau
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
| | - Stephanie Dias
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
| | - Pritika Ramharack
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.,Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4001, South Africa
| | - Craig Kinnear
- Genomics Centre, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.,DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, South African Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Brigitte Glanzmann
- Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4001, South Africa
| | - Amsha Viraragavin
- Genomics Centre, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa
| | - Johan Louw
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.,Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Zululand, Kwa-Dlangezwa, South Africa
| | - Swastika Surujlal-Naicker
- Scientific Services, Water and Sanitation Department, City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sizwe Nkambule
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban, South Africa
| | - Candice Webster
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), JohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Mongezi Mdhluli
- Chief Research Operations Office, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg 7050, South Africa
| | - Glenda Gray
- Office of the President, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg 7050, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), JohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Wolfgang Preiser
- Division of Medical Virology at NHLS Tygerberg Hospital and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Alvera Vorster
- Central Analytical Facilities, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
| | - Shareefa Dalvie
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.,SAMRC, Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Renee Street
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban, South Africa
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Mokoatle C, Mathee A, Street R, Nkosi V. A study protocol to evaluate the impact of a personal and domestic hygiene intervention on lead exposure in a community next to a mine dump. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:1123. [PMID: 35658916 PMCID: PMC9166147 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-13439-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Lead has been associated with adverse health effects, especially neurocognitive and behavioural effects, in children. Communities living close to mining land are at risk of elevated exposure to lead.
Methods
This paper outlines a before and after intervention study protocol to evaluate the impact of a personal and domestic hygiene intervention on lead exposure in a community located adjacent to a mine dump. In each participating household, parents or guardians will be interviewed using a structured questionnaire to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics, living conditions, domestic hygiene practices and potential alternative sources of exposure to lead. A registered nurse will collect hand wipe samples from children aged one to five years, for whom parental consent and where possible child assent has been obtained. Environmental dust samples will be collected from the floors and/or windowsills of children’s dwellings for lead content analysis. Soil samples will be collected from yards to determine lead content. An educational intervention will then be applied to the intervention group, including the engagement of households or guardians in an educational discussion on the sources, pathways of exposure, health effects of lead exposure and protective measures, with the aid of a specially designed educational brochure. Data will be analysed for descriptive and inferential statistics using Stata version 16.
Discussion
The study will determine whether the intervention led to a reduction in indoor dust lead levels, and if shown to be effective, will inform the development of an awareness campaign to reduce lead exposure in communities located in close proximity to mine dumps.
Trial registration
The study is retrospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration and Results System with registration number NCT05265572 and first release date of 18th February 2022.
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Shezi B, Street RA, Webster C, Kunene Z, Mathee A. Heavy Metal Contamination of Soil in Preschool Facilities around Industrial Operations, Kuils River, Cape Town (South Africa). Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19:ijerph19074380. [PMID: 35410061 PMCID: PMC8998666 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19074380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The contamination of soil by heavy metals is a potential health risk, especially among susceptible populations. The aim of this study was to measure the levels of heavy metals, identify the contamination levels and possible sources of heavy metals, and evaluate the health risk caused by heavy metals to the children living in Kuils River. Composite samples of soil were collected at 34 preschools. A portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer was used to measure the levels of metals. Contamination levels were evaluated using a geoaccumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI). The spatial distribution of the Igeo contamination levels was assessed using ArcGIS. Sources of heavy metals and the correlation among metals were assessed using factor analysis and Pearson correlation, respectively. The measured concentrations of metals were used to estimate the health risk for children. The average levels of the metals were 16, 4469, 137, 30, 176, 1547 and 232 mg/kg for arsenic (As), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), strontium (Sr), titanium (Ti) and zinc (Zn), respectively. According to Igeo, EF, CF and PLI contamination exist in the study area. The health index (HI) for non-carcinogenic effects showed the ingestion route as the main contributor to the total risk, with the accumulative carcinogenic risk exceeding the maximum acceptable level. To protect the affected communities, and children in particular, this study provides evidence of the need for action, including the institution of mandatory buffer zones between pollutant-generating activities and human settlements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Busisiwe Shezi
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; (C.W.); (Z.K.); (A.M.)
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +27-12-339-8562
| | - Renée Anne Street
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa;
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban 4001, South Africa
| | - Candice Webster
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; (C.W.); (Z.K.); (A.M.)
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; (C.W.); (Z.K.); (A.M.)
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; (C.W.); (Z.K.); (A.M.)
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa;
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Behavioural and Lifestyle Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth 6019, South Africa
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19
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Johnson R, Sharma JR, Ramharack P, Mangwana N, Kinnear C, Viraragavan A, Glanzmann B, Louw J, Abdelatif N, Reddy T, Surujlal-Naicker S, Nkambule S, Mahlangeni N, Webster C, Mdhluli M, Gray G, Mathee A, Preiser W, Muller C, Street R. Tracking the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern in South Africa using wastewater-based epidemiology. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1182. [PMID: 35064174 PMCID: PMC8783013 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05110-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study uses wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to rapidly and, through targeted surveillance, track the geographical distribution of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (Alpha, Beta and Delta) within 24 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Western Cape of South Africa. Information obtained was used to identify the circulating variant of concern (VOC) within a population and retrospectively trace when the predominant variant was introduced. Genotyping analysis of SARS-CoV-2 showed that 50% of wastewater samples harbored signature mutations linked to the Beta variant before the third wave, with the Delta variant absent within the population. Over time, the prevalence of the beta variant decreased steadily. The onset of the third wave resulted in the Delta variant becoming the predominant variant, with a 100% prevalence supporting the theory that the Delta variant was driving the third wave. In silico molecular docking analysis showed that the signature mutations of the Delta variant increased binding to host proteins, suggesting a possible molecular mechanism that increased viral infectivity of the Delta variant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabia Johnson
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa.
- Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Cardiometabolic Research in Africa, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
| | - Jyoti R Sharma
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
| | - Pritika Ramharack
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
- Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, 4001, South Africa
| | - Noluxabiso Mangwana
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
| | - Craig Kinnear
- Genomics Centre, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
- Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, South African Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Amsha Viraragavan
- Genomics Centre, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
| | - Brigitte Glanzmann
- Genomics Centre, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
- Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, South African Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Johan Louw
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
| | - Nada Abdelatif
- Biostatistics Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban, South Africa
| | - Tarylee Reddy
- Biostatistics Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban, South Africa
| | - Swastika Surujlal-Naicker
- Scientific Services, Water and Sanitation Department, City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sizwe Nkambule
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban, South Africa
| | - Nomfundo Mahlangeni
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban, South Africa
| | - Candice Webster
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mongezi Mdhluli
- Office of the President, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, 7050, South Africa
| | - Glenda Gray
- Office of the President, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, 7050, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Wolfgang Preiser
- Division of Medical Virology at NHLS Tygerberg Hospital and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Christo Muller
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa
- Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Cardiometabolic Research in Africa, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Renee Street
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Durban, South Africa
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Street R, Mathee A, Mangwana N, Dias S, Sharma JR, Ramharack P, Louw J, Reddy T, Brocker L, Surujlal-Naicker S, Berkowitz N, Malema MS, Nkambule S, Webster C, Mahlangeni N, Gelderblom H, Mdhluli M, Gray G, Muller C, Johnson R. Spatial and Temporal Trends of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from Wastewater Treatment Plants over 6 Weeks in Cape Town, South Africa. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:12085. [PMID: 34831841 PMCID: PMC8618134 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182212085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Recent scientific trends have revealed that the collection and analysis of data on the occurrence and fate of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater may serve as an early warning system for COVID-19. In South Africa, the first COVID-19 epicenter emerged in the Western Cape Province. The City of Cape Town, located in the Western Cape Province, has approximately 4 million inhabitants. This study reports on the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the wastewater of the City of Cape Town's wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) during the peak of the epidemic. During this period, the highest overall median viral RNA signal was observed in week 1 (9200 RNA copies/mL) and declined to 127 copies/mL in week 6. The overall decrease in the amount of detected viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA over the 6-week study period was associated with a declining number of newly identified COVID-19 cases in the city. The SARS-CoV-2 early warning system has now been established to detect future waves of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renée Street
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (A.M.); (M.S.M.); (S.N.); (C.W.); (N.M.)
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (A.M.); (M.S.M.); (S.N.); (C.W.); (N.M.)
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2092, South Africa
| | - Noluxabiso Mangwana
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (N.M.); (S.D.); (J.R.S.); (P.R.); (J.L.); (C.M.); (R.J.)
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa;
| | - Stephanie Dias
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (N.M.); (S.D.); (J.R.S.); (P.R.); (J.L.); (C.M.); (R.J.)
| | - Jyoti Rajan Sharma
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (N.M.); (S.D.); (J.R.S.); (P.R.); (J.L.); (C.M.); (R.J.)
| | - Pritika Ramharack
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (N.M.); (S.D.); (J.R.S.); (P.R.); (J.L.); (C.M.); (R.J.)
| | - Johan Louw
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (N.M.); (S.D.); (J.R.S.); (P.R.); (J.L.); (C.M.); (R.J.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa
| | - Tarylee Reddy
- Biostatistics Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa;
| | - Ludwig Brocker
- Department of Microbiology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa;
| | - Swastika Surujlal-Naicker
- Scientific Services, Water and Sanitation Department, City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, Cape Town 8000, South Africa;
| | - Natacha Berkowitz
- Community Services and Health, City Health, City of Cape Town, Hertzog Boulevard, Cape Town 8001, South Africa;
| | - Mokaba Shirley Malema
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (A.M.); (M.S.M.); (S.N.); (C.W.); (N.M.)
| | - Sizwe Nkambule
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (A.M.); (M.S.M.); (S.N.); (C.W.); (N.M.)
| | - Candice Webster
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (A.M.); (M.S.M.); (S.N.); (C.W.); (N.M.)
| | - Nomfundo Mahlangeni
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (A.M.); (M.S.M.); (S.N.); (C.W.); (N.M.)
| | - Huub Gelderblom
- COVID-19 Prevention Network (COVPN), Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA;
| | - Mongezi Mdhluli
- Office of the President, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg 7050, South Africa;
| | - Glenda Gray
- Chief Research Operations Office, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg 7050, South Africa;
| | - Christo Muller
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (N.M.); (S.D.); (J.R.S.); (P.R.); (J.L.); (C.M.); (R.J.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa
- Centre for Cardio-Metabolic Research in Africa, Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Rabia Johnson
- Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; (N.M.); (S.D.); (J.R.S.); (P.R.); (J.L.); (C.M.); (R.J.)
- Centre for Cardio-Metabolic Research in Africa, Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4001, South Africa
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Kapwata T, Wright CY, du Preez DJ, Kunene Z, Mathee A, Ikeda T, Landman W, Maharaj R, Sweijd N, Minakawa N, Blesic S. Exploring rural hospital admissions for diarrhoeal disease, malaria, pneumonia, and asthma in relation to temperature, rainfall and air pollution using wavelet transform analysis. Sci Total Environ 2021; 791:148307. [PMID: 34139502 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Climate variables impact human health and in an era of climate change, there is a pressing need to understand these relationships to best inform how such impacts are likely to change. OBJECTIVES This study sought to investigate time series of daily admissions from two public hospitals in Limpopo province in South Africa with climate variability and air quality. METHODS We used wavelet transform cross-correlation analysis to monitor coincidences in changes of meteorological (temperature and rainfall) and air quality (concentrations of PM2.5 and NO2) variables with admissions to hospitals for gastrointestinal illnesses including diarrhoea, pneumonia-related diagnosis, malaria and asthma cases. We were interested to disentangle meteorological or environmental variables that might be associated with underlying temporal variations of disease prevalence measured through visits to hospitals. RESULTS We found preconditioning of prevalence of pneumonia by changes in air quality and showed that malaria in South Africa is a multivariate event, initiated by co-occurrence of heat and rainfall. We provided new statistical estimates of time delays between the change of weather or air pollution and increase of hospital admissions for pneumonia and malaria that are addition to already known seasonal variations. We found that increase of prevalence of pneumonia follows changes in air quality after a time period of 10 to 15 days, while the increase of incidence of malaria follows the co-occurrence of high temperature and rainfall after a 30-day interval. DISCUSSION Our findings have relevance for early warning system development and climate change adaptation planning to protect human health and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Caradee Y Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - David Jean du Preez
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Laboratoire de l'Atmosphère et des Cyclones (UMR 8105 CNRS, Université de La Réunion, MétéoFrance), 97744 Saint-Denis de La Réunion, France
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa; Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
| | | | - Willem Landman
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; International Research Institute for Climate and Society, The Earth Institute of Columbia University, New York, NY, 10964, USA
| | - Rajendra Maharaj
- Office of Malaria Research, South African Medical Research Council, Durban, South Africa
| | - Neville Sweijd
- Applied Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science, National Research Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Noboru Minakawa
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Suzana Blesic
- Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; Center for Participatory Science, Belgrade, Serbia
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22
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Pule V, Mathee A, Melariri P, Kapwata T, Abdelatif N, Balakrishna Y, Kunene Z, Mogotsi M, Wernecke B, Wright CY. Classroom Temperature and Learner Absenteeism in Public Primary Schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:ijerph182010700. [PMID: 34682446 PMCID: PMC8535629 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182010700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Children spend a significant proportion of their time at school and in school buildings. A healthy learning environment that supports children should be thermally conducive for learning and working. Here, we aimed to study the relations between indoor classroom temperatures and learner absenteeism as a proxy for children’s health and well-being. This one-year prospective study that spanned two calendar years (from June 2017 to May 2018) entailed measurement of indoor classroom temperature and relative humidity, calculated as apparent temperature (Tapp) and collection of daily absenteeism records for each classroom in schools in and around King Williams Town, Eastern Cape province, South Africa. Classroom characteristics were collected using a standardized observation checklist. Mean indoor classroom temperature ranged from 11 to 30 °C, while mean outdoor temperature ranged from 6 °C to 31 °C during the sample period. Indoor classroom temperatures typically exceeded outdoor temperatures by 5 °C for 90% of the study period. While multiple factors may influence absenteeism, we found absenteeism was highest at low indoor classroom Tapp (i.e., below 15 °C). Absenteeism decreased as indoor Tapp increased to about 25 °C before showing another increase in absenteeism. Classroom characteristics differed among schools. Analyses of indoor classroom temperature and absenteeism in relation to classroom characteristics showed few statistically significant relations—although not exceptionally strong ones—likely because of the multiple factors that influence absenteeism. However, given the possible relationship between indoor temperature and absenteeism, there is a learning imperative to consider thermal comfort as a fundamental element of school planning and design. Furthermore, additional research on factors besides temperature that affect learner absenteeism is needed, especially in rural areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicky Pule
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Behavioural and Lifestyle Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha 6019, South Africa; (V.P.); (A.M.); (P.M.)
| | - Angela Mathee
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Behavioural and Lifestyle Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha 6019, South Africa; (V.P.); (A.M.); (P.M.)
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; (T.K.); (Z.K.); (M.M.); (B.W.)
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa
| | - Paula Melariri
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Behavioural and Lifestyle Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha 6019, South Africa; (V.P.); (A.M.); (P.M.)
| | - Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; (T.K.); (Z.K.); (M.M.); (B.W.)
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa
| | - Nada Abdelatif
- Biostatistics Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban 4001, South Africa; (N.A.); (Y.B.)
| | - Yusentha Balakrishna
- Biostatistics Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban 4001, South Africa; (N.A.); (Y.B.)
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; (T.K.); (Z.K.); (M.M.); (B.W.)
| | - Mirriam Mogotsi
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; (T.K.); (Z.K.); (M.M.); (B.W.)
| | - Bianca Wernecke
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa; (T.K.); (Z.K.); (M.M.); (B.W.)
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa
| | - Caradee Yael Wright
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Behavioural and Lifestyle Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha 6019, South Africa; (V.P.); (A.M.); (P.M.)
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +27-12-339-8543
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Cohen C, McMorrow ML, Martinson NA, Kahn K, Treurnicht FK, Moyes J, Mkhencele T, Hellferscee O, Lebina L, Moroe M, Motlhaoleng K, Gómez-Olivé FX, Wagner R, Tollman S, Wafawanaka F, Ngobeni S, Kleynhans J, Mathunjwa A, Buys A, Maake L, Wolter N, Carrim M, Piketh S, Language B, Mathee A, von Gottberg A, Tempia S. Cohort profile: A Prospective Household cohort study of Influenza, Respiratory syncytial virus and other respiratory pathogens community burden and Transmission dynamics in South Africa, 2016-2018. Influenza Other Respir Viruses 2021; 15:789-803. [PMID: 34296810 PMCID: PMC8542945 DOI: 10.1111/irv.12881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose The PHIRST study (Prospective Household cohort study of Influenza, Respiratory Syncytial virus, and other respiratory pathogens community burden and Transmission dynamics in South Africa) aimed to estimate the community burden of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) including the incidence of infection, symptomatic fraction, and to assess household transmission. Participants We enrolled 1684 individuals in 327 randomly selected households in a rural and an urban site over three consecutive influenza and two RSV seasons. A new cohort of households was enrolled each year. Participants were sampled with nasopharyngeal swabs twice‐weekly during the RSV and influenza seasons of the year of enrolment. Serology samples were collected at enrolment and before and after the influenza season annually. Findings to Date There were 122 113 potential individual follow‐up visits over the 3 years, and participants were interviewed for 105 783 (87%) of these. Out of 105 683 nasopharyngeal swabs, 1258 (1%) and 1026 (1%) tested positive on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for influenza viruses and RSV, respectively. Over one third of individuals had PCR‐confirmed influenza each year. Overall, there was influenza transmission to 10% of household contacts of an index case. Future Plans Future planned analyses include analysis of influenza serology results and RSV burden and transmission. Households enrolled in the PHIRST study during 2016–2018 were eligible for inclusion in a study of SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission initiated in July 2020. This study uses similar testing frequency to assess the community burden of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and the role of asymptomatic infection in virus transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Cohen
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Meredith L McMorrow
- Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Influenza Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pretoria, South Africa.,United States Public Health Service, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Neil A Martinson
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Medical Research Council (MRC) Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis, Tygerberg, South Africa.,Center for Tuberculosis Research, Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Florette K Treurnicht
- Division of Medical Virology, National Health Laboratory Service, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jocelyn Moyes
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Thulisa Mkhencele
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Orienka Hellferscee
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Limakatso Lebina
- Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Matebejane Moroe
- Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Katlego Motlhaoleng
- Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Ryan Wagner
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stephen Tollman
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Floidy Wafawanaka
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Sizzy Ngobeni
- MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jackie Kleynhans
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Azwifari Mathunjwa
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Amelia Buys
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Lorens Maake
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nicole Wolter
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Maimuna Carrim
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stuart Piketh
- Climatology Research Group, Unit for Environmental Science and Management, School of Geo and Spatial Science, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Brigitte Language
- Climatology Research Group, Unit for Environmental Science and Management, School of Geo and Spatial Science, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Anne von Gottberg
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stefano Tempia
- Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Influenza Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pretoria, South Africa.,MassGenics, Duluth, Georgia, USA
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Cohen C, Kleynhans J, Moyes J, McMorrow ML, Treurnicht FK, Hellferscee O, Mathunjwa A, von Gottberg A, Wolter N, Martinson NA, Kahn K, Lebina L, Mothlaoleng K, Wafawanaka F, Gómez-Olivé FX, Mkhencele T, Mathee A, Piketh S, Language B, Tempia S. Asymptomatic transmission and high community burden of seasonal influenza in an urban and a rural community in South Africa, 2017-18 (PHIRST): a population cohort study. Lancet Glob Health 2021; 9:e863-e874. [PMID: 34019838 PMCID: PMC8262603 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(21)00141-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Background Data on influenza community burden and transmission are important to plan interventions especially in resource-limited settings. However, data are limited, particularly from low-income and middle-income countries. We aimed to evaluate the community burden and transmission of influenza in a rural and an urban setting in South Africa. Methods In this prospective cohort study approximately 50 households were selected sequentially from both a rural setting (Agincourt, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa; with a health and sociodemographic surveillance system) and an urban setting (Klerksdorp, Northwest Province, South Africa; using global positioning system data), enrolled, and followed up for 10 months in 2017 and 2018. Different households were enrolled in each year. Households of more than two individuals in which 80% or more of the occupants agreed to participate were included in the study. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected twice per week from participating household members irrespective of symptoms and tested for influenza using real-time RT-PCR. The primary outcome was the incidence of influenza infection, defined as the number of real-time RT-PCR-positive episodes divided by the person-time under observation. Household cumulative infection risk (HCIR) was defined as the number of subsequent infections within a household following influenza introduction. Findings 81 430 nasopharyngeal samples were collected from 1116 participants in 225 households (follow-up rate 88%). 917 (1%) tested positive for influenza; 178 (79%) of 225 households had one or more influenza-positive individual. The incidence of influenza infection was 43·6 (95% CI 39·8–47·7) per 100 person-seasons. 69 (17%) of 408 individuals who had one influenza infection had a repeat influenza infection during the same season. The incidence (67·4 per 100 person-seasons) and proportion with repeat infections (22 [23%] of 97 children) were highest in children younger than 5 years and decreased with increasing age (p<0·0001). Overall, 268 (56%) of 478 infections were symptomatic and 66 (14%) of 478 infections were medically attended. The overall HCIR was 10% (109 of 1088 exposed household members infected [95% CI 9–13%). Transmission (HCIR) from index cases was highest in participants aged 1–4 years (16%; 40 of 252 exposed household members) and individuals with two or more symptoms (17%; 68 of 396 exposed household members). Individuals with asymptomatic influenza transmitted infection to 29 (6%) of 509 household contacts. HIV infection, affecting 167 (16%) of 1075 individuals, was not associated with increased incidence or HCIR. Interpretation Approximately half of influenza infections were symptomatic, with asymptomatic individuals transmitting influenza to 6% of household contacts. This suggests that strategies, such as quarantine and isolation, might be ineffective to control influenza. Vaccination of children, with the aim of reducing influenza transmission might be effective in African settings given the young population and high influenza burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Cohen
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Jackie Kleynhans
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jocelyn Moyes
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Meredith L McMorrow
- Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Influenza Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Florette K Treurnicht
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Orienka Hellferscee
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Azwifarwi Mathunjwa
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Anne von Gottberg
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nicole Wolter
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Neil A Martinson
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Science and Technology, National Research Foundations, Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Center for Tuberculosis Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kathleen Kahn
- South African Medical Research Council Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Limakatso Lebina
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Katlego Mothlaoleng
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Soweto Matlosana Collaborating Centre for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Floidy Wafawanaka
- South African Medical Research Council Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé
- South African Medical Research Council Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Thulisa Mkhencele
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stuart Piketh
- Unit for Environmental Science and Management, Climatology Research Group, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Brigitte Language
- Unit for Environmental Science and Management, Climatology Research Group, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Stefano Tempia
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Influenza Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pretoria, South Africa; MassGenics, Duluth, GA, USA
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25
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Mbonane TP, Mathee A, Swart A, Naicker N. Lead Poisoning among Male Juveniles Due to Illegal Mining: A Case Series from South Africa. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:ijerph18136838. [PMID: 34202222 PMCID: PMC8296937 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18136838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Illegal mining is a major public health and societal concern. Recent scientific evidence indicates elevated blood–lead levels in illegal gold miners and associated communities. Yet, there is little research in this regard from low- to middle-income countries (LMICs), where illegal mining is growing. This case series is extracted from a cross-sectional study of lead exposure in incarcerated juveniles in greater Johannesburg. From survey records (blood–lead levels and questionnaires), three males had elevated blood–lead levels and presented with health conditions and behavioural problems putatively linked with lead poisoning. Based on the record review, all three juveniles were in a secure facility due to illegal mining-related activities. All three cases had high blood–lead levels and demonstrated a tendency toward aggressive or violent behaviour. They also presented with conditions associated with lead poisoning, such as anaemia, respiratory illness, abdominal disorders, and musculoskeletal conditions. Juveniles involved in illegal mining are at risk of exposure to heavy metals such as lead, and there is a need for relevant preventative action and health care programmes in this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thokozani Patrick Mbonane
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa; (A.M.); (A.S.); (N.N.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +27-(011)-559-6240
| | - Angela Mathee
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa; (A.M.); (A.S.); (N.N.)
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
| | - André Swart
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa; (A.M.); (A.S.); (N.N.)
| | - Nisha Naicker
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa; (A.M.); (A.S.); (N.N.)
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26
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Pedder H, Kapwata T, Howard G, Naidoo RN, Kunene Z, Morris RW, Mathee A, Wright CY. Lagged Association between Climate Variables and Hospital Admissions for Pneumonia in South Africa. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:ijerph18126191. [PMID: 34201085 PMCID: PMC8228646 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18126191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Pneumonia is a leading cause of hospitalization in South Africa. Climate change could potentially affect its incidence via changes in meteorological conditions. We investigated the delayed effects of temperature and relative humidity on pneumonia hospital admissions at two large public hospitals in Limpopo province, South Africa. Using 4062 pneumonia hospital admission records from 2007 to 2015, a time-varying distributed lag non-linear model was used to estimate temperature-lag and relative humidity-lag pneumonia relationships. Mean temperature, relative humidity and diurnal temperature range were all significantly associated with pneumonia admissions. Cumulatively across the 21-day period, higher mean daily temperature (30 °C relative to 21 °C) was most strongly associated with a decreased rate of hospital admissions (relative rate ratios (RR): 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.14–0.82), whereas results were suggestive of lower mean daily temperature (12 °C relative to 21 °C) being associated with an increased rate of admissions (RR: 1.27, 95%CI: 0.75–2.16). Higher relative humidity (>80%) was associated with fewer hospital admissions while low relative humidity (<30%) was associated with increased admissions. A proportion of pneumonia admissions were attributable to changes in meteorological variables, and our results indicate that even small shifts in their distributions (e.g., due to climate change) could lead to substantial changes in their burden. These findings can inform a better understanding of the health implications of climate change and the burden of hospital admissions for pneumonia now and in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Pedder
- Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Bristol BS8 2PN, UK; (H.P.); (R.W.M.)
| | - Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa; (T.K.); (Z.K.); (A.M.)
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
| | - Guy Howard
- School of Civil, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK;
| | - Rajen N. Naidoo
- Discipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa;
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa; (T.K.); (Z.K.); (A.M.)
| | - Richard W. Morris
- Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Bristol BS8 2PN, UK; (H.P.); (R.W.M.)
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa; (T.K.); (Z.K.); (A.M.)
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
| | - Caradee Y. Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria 0084, South Africa
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0084, South Africa
- Correspondence:
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27
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Van Schalkwyk FJ, Stander MA, Nsizwane M, Mathee A, Van Wyk BE. Fatal pyrrolizidine alkaloid poisoning of infants caused by adulterated Senecio coronatus. Forensic Sci Int 2020; 320:110680. [PMID: 33461004 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Senecio coronatus (known as izonkozonko and ubulibazi in Zulu) is commonly used in traditional medicine in South Africa as purification purgative and enemas for infants during weaning. We show for the first time that this species does not contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids and that reported cases of fatal hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in infants were caused by wrongly identified Senecio species containing large amounts of retrorsine-N-oxide. A validated ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the detection and quantitation of pyrrolizidine alkaloids is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- F J Van Schalkwyk
- Mass Spectrometry Unit, Central Analytical Facility, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7600, South Africa
| | - M A Stander
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7600, South Africa; Mass Spectrometry Unit, Central Analytical Facility, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7600, South Africa
| | - M Nsizwane
- Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - A Mathee
- Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - B-E Van Wyk
- Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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28
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Street RA, Goessler W, Naidoo S, Shezi B, Cele N, Rieger J, Ettinger K, Reddy T, Mathee A. Exposure to lead and other toxic metals from informal foundries producing cookware from scrap metal. Environ Res 2020; 191:109860. [PMID: 32768472 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Metal exposure remains a significant public health problem, particularly in the informal sector. The rise in informal foundries to cast scrap metal into artisanal cookware is widespread in low- and middle-income countries. The main aim of this study was to characterize metal exposure in artisanal cookware makers working in informal foundries in South Africa by measuring lead (Pb) in blood as well as sample metal concentrations on hands before and after work. The blood Pb distribution of the artisanal pot makers ranged from 1.1 to 4.6 μg/dl with the median blood Pb level being 2.1 μg/dl (IQR 1.7-2.5). The median blood Pb level in artisanal pot makers was 1.0 μg/dl higher compared with the non-exposed community members (p < 0.0001). Before-and-after handwipe sampling revealed a median increase in all 22 elements. Pre and post aluminum (Al) load on the handwipes revealed a 7.3 factor increase (0.53 and 3.9 mg Al/handwipe respectively) (p = 0.003). Hand Pb load before and after pot making revealed a 3.5-fold increase (median increase of 6.2 μg Pb/handwipe). An increase in backyard informal foundries may be linked to increased exposure to toxic metals for workers, family members and communities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Saloshni Naidoo
- University of KwaZulu-Natal College of Health Sciences, South Africa
| | - Busisiwe Shezi
- South African Medical Research Council Durban, South Africa
| | - Nokulunga Cele
- South African Medical Research Council Durban, South Africa
| | | | | | - Tarylee Reddy
- South African Medical Research Council Durban, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- South African Medical Research Council Durban, South Africa
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29
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Kapwata T, Mathee A, Sweijd N, Minakawa N, Mogotsi M, Kunene Z, Wright CY. Spatial assessment of heavy metals contamination in household garden soils in rural Limpopo Province, South Africa. Environ Geochem Health 2020; 42:4181-4191. [PMID: 32062739 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-020-00535-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Heavy metal pollution in soil poses a serious health threat to humans living in close proximity and in contact with contaminated soil. Exposure to heavy metals can result in a range of adverse health effects, including skin lesions, cardiovascular effects, lowering of IQ scores and cancers. The main objectives of this study were to (1) use a portable XRF spectrophotometer to measure concentrations of lead (Pb), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd) in residential soils in rural Giyani in the Limpopo province of South Africa; (2) to assess the spatial distribution of soil metal concentrations; and (3) to assess pollution levels in residential soils. There were elevated levels of As at one of the sites where 54% of soil samples exceeded the Canadian reference levels for As of 20 mg/kg. Using the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) to determine contamination levels of As, 57% of soil samples from the most polluted site were found to be moderately to heavily and extremely contaminated with As (Igeo class 2-5). The site is located near the Giyani Greenstone Belt, which is characterized by abandoned mines and artisanal mining activities. Gold ores are closely associated with sulphide minerals such as arsenopyrite, and these have been found to contain high amounts of As. This study highlighted the potential for soil contamination and the importance of site-specific risk assessment in the context of environment and health impact assessments prior to major developments, including human settlement developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa.
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, South Africa.
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, 2006, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
| | - Neville Sweijd
- Applied Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science, National Research Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Noboru Minakawa
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Mirriam Mogotsi
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2028, South Africa
| | - Caradee Y Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, 0084, South Africa
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
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Street R, Malema S, Mahlangeni N, Mathee A. Wastewater surveillance for Covid-19: An African perspective. Sci Total Environ 2020; 743:140719. [PMID: 32659559 PMCID: PMC7332947 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has once again highlighted the importance of access to sufficient quantities of safe water and sanitation in public health. In the current COVID-19 pandemic, an early warning wastewater system has been proposed as a platform for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance, and a potentially important public health strategy to combat the disease. This short communication on wastewater surveillance in sub-Saharan Africa highlights challenges, opportunities and alternatives taken into account the local context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renée Street
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa; School of Nursing and Public Health, Discipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
| | - Shirley Malema
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
| | - Nomfundo Mahlangeni
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, University of Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
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Naidoo M, Mbonane TP, Mathee A. Risk Factors and Perceptions of E-Cigarette Use Among Selected Users in Johannesburg, South Africa. J Community Health 2020; 46:405-412. [PMID: 33175264 DOI: 10.1007/s10900-020-00948-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
There is little scientific knowledge about e-cigarette use in South Africa. This study aimed to describe the risk factors and perceptions of selected Johannesburg-based users of e-cigarettes. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a convenient sample of 188 participants, of which 160 were males and 28 females. The survey results showed that participants used e-cigarettes at home (n = 28/ 14.8%), work (n = 76/ 40.4%), tertiary institutions (n = 50/ 26.5%) and in their vehicles (n = 24/ 12.7%), while (n = 96/ 51%) used the product in the presence of children. 57 participants (30.3%) started using e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation strategy, while 46 (24.4%) used it to manage smoking cravings. Most participants believed that e-cigarettes are addictive (n = 156/ 82.9%) and unhealthy (n = 139/ 73.9%). This study highlights the need and opportunity to improve public health action in the prevention and management of risks posed by e-cigarette products to users and non-users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mageshree Naidoo
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
| | - Thokozani P Mbonane
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa.
| | - Angela Mathee
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa.,Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
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Shezi B, Mathee A, Cele N, Ndabandaba S, Street RA. Occupational Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter (PM 4 and PM 2.5) during Hand-Made Cookware Operation: Personal, Indoor and Outdoor Levels. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020; 17:E7522. [PMID: 33081113 PMCID: PMC7602743 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17207522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
(1) Exposure of informal artisanal cookware makers to fine particles has not yet been characterized. The aim of this study was to characterize occupational exposure to fine particulate matter (PM4 and PM2.5) levels and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) elemental components; (2) Artisanal cookware makers were recruited from five cookware making sites. Exposure to fine particulate matter was measured for 17 male participants. SidePak personal aerosol monitors (AM520) were used to measure personal exposure to PM4, while a DustTrak monitor and an E-sampler were used to assess indoor and outdoor PM2.5 levels, respectively. A questionnaire was administered to capture information on demographic characteristics. The chemical characterization of indoor and outdoor PM2.5 filter mass was conducted using Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence. Time series record of 15-min averages for indoor and outdoor PM2.5 levels were assessed; (3) The median (range) was 124 µg/m3 (23-100,000), 64 µg/m3 (1-6097) and 12 µg/m3 (4-1178), respectively, for personal PM4, indoor and outdoor PM2.5. The highest levels for many of the elemental components of PM2.5 were found in the outdoor PM2.5 filter mass and (4). The information generated during this study may assist in extending occupational health and safety strategies to artisanal cookware makers and developing targeted prevention initiatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Busisiwe Shezi
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa;
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa;
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth 6019, South Africa
| | - Nokulunga Cele
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban 4001, South Africa; (N.C.); (S.N.); (R.A.S.)
| | - Sipho Ndabandaba
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban 4001, South Africa; (N.C.); (S.N.); (R.A.S.)
| | - Renee A. Street
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban 4001, South Africa; (N.C.); (S.N.); (R.A.S.)
- University of KwaZulu-Natal, Discipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, Durban 4001, South Africa
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Abstract
Lead exposure remains a significant public health problem, particularly in the informal sector. Recycling of scrap metal into artisanal pots is a growing concern in poorly resourced countries. Owing to the relatively light weight and low cost of the artisanal pots, as well as good conductivity which equates to lower usage of wood fuel, the pots are widely used. The aim of this article is to describe current insights and emerging evidence of health risks associated with artisanal pot making and usage. This thriving industry, particularly in poorly resourced communities, has multifaceted occupational, environmental and human health impacts. Given the complexity, innovative solutions need to be prioritized, evaluated and scaled up in relevant settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Mathee
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Behavioural and Lifestyle Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
| | - Renée Street
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Nursing and Public Health, Discipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa
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Mathee A, Street R, Teare J, Naicker N. Lead exposure in the home environment: An overview of risks from cottage industries in Africa. Neurotoxicology 2020; 81:34-39. [PMID: 32835764 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2020.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Angela Mathee
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Science, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Environmental Health, School of Behavioral and Lifestyle Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
| | - Renée Street
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - June Teare
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Environmental Health, School of Behavioral and Lifestyle Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
| | - Nisha Naicker
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Science, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Environmental Health, School of Behavioral and Lifestyle Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH), a Division of National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Kistan J, Ntlebi V, Made F, Kootbodien T, Wilson K, Tlotleng N, Kgalamono S, Mathee A, Naicker N. Health care access of informal waste recyclers in Johannesburg, South Africa. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0235173. [PMID: 32609735 PMCID: PMC7329099 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Informal waste recyclers contribute significantly to waste removal in South Africa. Waste recyclers face health hazards which are associated with handling and disposal of waste, a lack of personal protective wear and inaccessibility to occupational health care services. Consequently, accessing health care within the public health care sector is important for health outcomes in this population. This study assesses health care access of informal waste recyclers in South Africa to establish baseline information for health planning for potential inclusion of informal waste recyclers into occupational health services. Methods A cross-sectional study of informal waste recyclers in two landfill sites in Johannesburg was conducted from March 2018. A standardized structured questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic details, health care utilization, barriers to access and acceptability and affordability of health care. Factors associated with health care utilization were assessed using logistic regression. Results A total of 363 informal waste recyclers were included in the study. Less than half of informal waste recyclers (41.0%) used health care facilities in the last 12 months. Those who accessed services chose to use facilities close to where they live (87.0%). Barriers to accessing health care services included long waiting periods (36.6%), being unable to take time off work (26.3%) and transport problems (13%). In the univariate analysis, factors such as gender and being treated well at the clinic and location of the health care facility were associated with health care utilization (OR: 1.97, p = 0.05, OR: 1.94, p = 0.02, OR: 0.65, p = 0.04 respectively). Conclusion Informal waste recyclers face numerous challenges to accessing health care. Specific to their informal trade, barriers to health care utilization are related to financial repercussions due to the informal nature of their work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesne Kistan
- Department of Community Health Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- * E-mail:
| | - Vusi Ntlebi
- National Health Laboratory Services, National Institute for Occupational Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Felix Made
- National Health Laboratory Services, National Institute for Occupational Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tahira Kootbodien
- National Health Laboratory Services, National Institute for Occupational Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Kerry Wilson
- Department of Community Health Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- National Health Laboratory Services, National Institute for Occupational Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nonhlanhla Tlotleng
- National Health Laboratory Services, National Institute for Occupational Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Spo Kgalamono
- Department of Community Health Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- National Health Laboratory Services, National Institute for Occupational Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Department of Community Health Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nisha Naicker
- Department of Community Health Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- National Health Laboratory Services, National Institute for Occupational Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Shezi B, Mathee A, Alfers L, Dobson R, Ndlovu P, Reddy T, Street RA. Respiratory outcomes among plant processing workers in Durban, South Africa. Int J Occup Saf Ergon 2020; 28:1924-1928. [PMID: 32216544 DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2020.1748840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Plant products used by informal traditional medicine traders go through various methods of manual processing to yield a final single or multi-concoction product; however, the prevalence of potentially associated respiratory outcomes has yet to be established. The aim of this study was to describe respiratory outcomes associated with processing plants among informal traditional medicine traders. Questionnaires related to the preparation of plant products and respiratory outcomes were administered to study participants by trained researchers. Of the 216 traders, nocturnal cough, nasal allergies and waking with a feeling of tightness in the chest were the most frequently cited respiratory outcomes (43, 35 and 22%, respectively). The study highlighted the burden of respiratory outcomes among traders who process plant products and the need for targeted workplace interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Busisiwe Shezi
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa.,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa
| | - Laura Alfers
- Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing, South Africa
| | | | | | - Tarylee Reddy
- Biostatistics Unit, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
| | - Renee A Street
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
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Made F, Ntlebi V, Kootbodien T, Wilson K, Tlotleng N, Mathee A, Ndaba M, Kgalamono S, Naicker N. Illness, Self-Rated Health and Access to Medical Care among Waste Pickers in Landfill Sites in Johannesburg, South Africa. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020; 17:E2252. [PMID: 32230743 PMCID: PMC7177792 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17072252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Waste pickers are exposed to various environmental health hazards, and self-rated health (SRH) could influence their medical care access. This study investigated the association between illness, clinic visits and SRH, and assessed if SRH can increase clinic visits. A cross-sectional study was conducted. SRH was defined as "very good", "good", "fair", and "poor". The illnesses were mental health, infectious, and chronic diseases. Medical care access included clinic visits in the previous 12 months. An ordinal logistic regression model was fitted to assess the association. There were 361 participants, 265 (73.41%) were males. Median age was 31 years, (interquartile range (IQR): 27-39). SRH: poor (29.89%), fair (15.92%), good (43.30%) very good (10.89%). Ever smoked (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.72; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-2.66), mental health (AOR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.22-2.84), chronic (AOR: 2.34; 95% CI:1.47-3.68) and infectious (AOR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.77-3.63) diseases were significantly associated with increased odds of reporting poor health. Clinic visit was not associated with SRH. From 99 (31%) individuals who rated their health as poor and ill, 40% visited a clinic (p = 0.0606). Acute and chronic illnesses were associated with poor SRH but this did not increase clinic visits. Provision of mobile clinic services at the landfill sites could increase access to medical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Made
- Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa; (V.N.); (T.K.); (K.W.); (N.T.); (N.N.)
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa (S.K.)
| | - Vusi Ntlebi
- Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa; (V.N.); (T.K.); (K.W.); (N.T.); (N.N.)
| | - Tahira Kootbodien
- Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa; (V.N.); (T.K.); (K.W.); (N.T.); (N.N.)
| | - Kerry Wilson
- Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa; (V.N.); (T.K.); (K.W.); (N.T.); (N.N.)
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa (S.K.)
| | - Nonhlanhla Tlotleng
- Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa; (V.N.); (T.K.); (K.W.); (N.T.); (N.N.)
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa (S.K.)
| | - Angela Mathee
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa (S.K.)
- Department of Environmental Heath, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
| | - Mpume Ndaba
- Occupational Medicine Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa;
| | - Spo Kgalamono
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa (S.K.)
- Occupational Medicine Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa;
| | - Nisha Naicker
- Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa; (V.N.); (T.K.); (K.W.); (N.T.); (N.N.)
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa (S.K.)
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
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Street RA, Mathee A, Tanda S, Hauzenberger C, Naidoo S, Goessler W. Recycling of scrap metal into artisanal cookware in the informal sector: A public health threat from multi metal exposure in South Africa. Sci Total Environ 2020; 699:134324. [PMID: 33736189 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Recycling of scrap metal into artisanal cookware is widespread in poorly resourced countries. The aim of the study was to determine the risk of metal exposure from the use of artisanal cookware available in South Africa. Twenty cookware samples were purchased from local manufacturers and informal traders across South Africa. Aluminum and silicon concentrations were determined using XRF and the total content of 18 elements (Ag, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, V and Zn) were evaluated using ICPMS. Leaching of metals from cut pieces of cookware over a 2-h period of boiling in a 3% acetic acid solution was repeated 3 times and revealed multi-metal migration that was compared to EU maximum permissible levels. The mean Al migration of 509 mg L-1 was over 100 times the EU maximum permissible level allowed for cookware. Lead was detected in all samples with 11 (55%), 12 (60%) and 9 (45%) of samples being over the maximum EU permissible level (10 μg Pb L-1) for 1st, 2nd and 3rd migrations respectively. The mean As migration concentrations in the first leaching event ranged from 0.23 to 24.1 μg L-1 with four pots (20%) over the maximum EU permissible limit for As (2 μg L-1). Notably, all four pots were well below the maximum EU permissible As limit by the 3rd migration. Cadmium and mercury were detected in each pot across all three migrations however the levels were relatively low. Transmission electron microscopy revealed dramatic changes in surface structure after leaching of cookware.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renée A Street
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; University of KwaZulu-Natal, Discipline of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Nursing and Public Health, Durban, South Africa.
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Stefan Tanda
- University of Graz, Institute of Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry for Health and Environment, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Christoph Hauzenberger
- University of Graz, NAWI Graz Geocenter, Institute of Earth Sciences, Universitaetsplatz 2, Graz A-8010, Austria
| | - Saloshni Naidoo
- University of KwaZulu-Natal, Discipline of Public Health Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, Durban, South Africa
| | - Walter Goessler
- University of Graz, Institute of Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry for Health and Environment, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010 Graz, Austria
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Mathee A, Street R. WITHDRAWN:Recycled Aluminium Cooking Pots: A Priority For The Unfinished Agenda Of Lead Exposure Reduction In Poorly Resourced Countries. Current Opinion in Toxicology 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cotox.2019.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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40
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Abstract
The editorial speaks to the Global Statement on Air Pollution and Health and How it may assist African countries to eliminate air pollution-related health impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caradee Y. Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, ZA
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, ZA
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Unit, Johannesburg, ZA
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, ZA
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, ZA
| | - Stuart Piketh
- School of Geo- and Spatial Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, ZA
| | - Kristy Langerman
- Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, ZA
| | - Tafadzwa Makonese
- Sustainable Energy Technology and Research Centre, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, ZA
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Tlotleng N, Kootbodien T, Wilson K, Made F, Mathee A, Ntlebi V, Kgalamono S, Mokone M, Du Preez K, Naicker N. Prevalence of Respiratory Health Symptoms among Landfill Waste Recyclers in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019; 16:ijerph16214277. [PMID: 31689929 PMCID: PMC6862197 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16214277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
In developing countries, waste sorting and recycling have become a source of income for poorer communities. However, it can potentially pose significant health risks. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of acute respiratory symptoms and associated risk factors for respiratory health outcomes among waste recyclers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 361 waste recyclers at two randomly selected landfill sites in Johannesburg. Convenience sampling was used to sample the waste recyclers. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms in the population was 58.5%. A persistent cough was the most common symptom reported (46.8%), followed by breathlessness (19.6%) and rapid breathing (15.8%). Approximately 66.4% of waste recyclers reported exposure to chemicals and 96.6% reported exposure to airborne dust. A multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that exposure to waste containing chemical residues (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.01–3.22 p = 0.044) increased the odds of respiratory symptoms. There was a significant difference in respiratory symptoms in landfill sites 1 and 2 (OR 2.77, 95% CI 1.03–7.42 p = 0.042). Occupational health and safety awareness is important to minimize hazards faced by informal workers. In addition, providing waste recyclers with the correct protective clothing, such as respiratory masks, and training on basic hygiene practices, could reduce the risks associated with waste sorting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nonhlanhla Tlotleng
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Tahira Kootbodien
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Kerry Wilson
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Felix Made
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Angela Mathee
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Vusi Ntlebi
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Spo Kgalamono
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Moses Mokone
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Karen Du Preez
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Nisha Naicker
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
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Nkosi V, Haman T, Naicker N, Mathee A. Overcrowding and health in two impoverished suburbs of Johannesburg, South Africa. BMC Public Health 2019; 19:1358. [PMID: 31651269 PMCID: PMC6813127 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7665-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Rapid urbanization, unmatched by an associated supply of housing, has resulted in overcrowding in the cities of many developing countries, including in Johannesburg, South Africa. Household overcrowding has been associated with a range of ill-health outcomes, including acute respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases. The aim of this study was to describe the levels of household crowding, and examine associations with respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms in selected two low-income neighbourhoods in Johannesburg. Methods Questionnaire data from a panel study conducted over an 11-year period between 2006 and 2016 were extracted to conduct the analyses. Structured questionnaires, designed to collect information on housing conditions, socio-economic and health status were administered to adult representatives of households occupying the primary dwelling on pre-selected study sites. Results Over the 11-year study period, levels of overcrowding remained unchanged. Around 57.6% of dwellings in the study neighbourhoods were determined to be overcrowded in relation to international guidelines. Results from the multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that crowded dwellings were associated with elevated levels of acute respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as fever/chills. Conclusion Respondent perceptions varied from objective measures of overcrowding. Crowded dwellings were associated with elevated reports of acute respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as fever/chills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vusumuzi Nkosi
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2094, South Africa. .,School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa. .,Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Cnr Sherwell and Beit Street, Health Clinic building, 2nd Floor, Doornfontein Campus, Doornfontein, Johannesburg, 2094, South Africa.
| | - Tanya Haman
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2094, South Africa.,Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Cnr Sherwell and Beit Street, Health Clinic building, 2nd Floor, Doornfontein Campus, Doornfontein, Johannesburg, 2094, South Africa
| | - Nisha Naicker
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2094, South Africa.,Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Cnr Sherwell and Beit Street, Health Clinic building, 2nd Floor, Doornfontein Campus, Doornfontein, Johannesburg, 2094, South Africa.,School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2094, South Africa.,National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, 2094, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, 2094, South Africa.,Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Cnr Sherwell and Beit Street, Health Clinic building, 2nd Floor, Doornfontein Campus, Doornfontein, Johannesburg, 2094, South Africa.,School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2094, South Africa
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Affiliation(s)
- Caradee Y. Wright
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Matthew Chersich
- Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Wright CY, Dominick F, Kapwata T, Bidassey-Manilal S, Engelbrecht JC, Stich H, Mathee A, Matooane M. Socio-economic, infrastructural and health-related risk factors associated with adverse heat-health effects reportedly experienced during hot weather in South Africa. Pan Afr Med J 2019; 34:40. [PMID: 31762907 PMCID: PMC6859010 DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2019.34.40.17569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Poor urban communities are likely to bear the brunt of climate change impacts on health and well-being. The City of Johannesburg, South Africa, is predicted to experience an average increase in ambient temperature of 4°C by 2100. Focusing on the urban environment, this study aimed to determine socio-economic, infrastructural and health-related risk factors for heat-related adverse health effects. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study. Data of interest were collected using a pretested and validated questionnaire administered to parents of children attending schools participating in a school heat study. Information related to demographic, socio-economic and household-level determinants of health, which has an impact on the individual prevalence of adverse heat-health effects associated with hot weather, was collected for 136 households and 580 individuals. RESULTS Sweating (n = 208 individuals; 35%), headache and nausea (n = 111; 19%) and weakness, fatigue and dizziness (n = 87; 15%) were the most common heat-health effects reportedly experienced by individuals (n = 580) during hot weather. Individuals who suffered from hypertension (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.34 - 4.05, p = 0.003) and individuals older than 60 years (OR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.27-1.99, p < 0.001) compared to other age groups were more likely to experience 'any heat-health effects'. Living in government-sponsored detached housing and in houses with asbestos roofs were associated with an increase in reported experience of 'any heat-health effects' compared to living in other housing types. CONCLUSION Heat-health awareness campaigns should target people suffering from pre-existing diseases and the elderly, as these groups are especially vulnerable to heat. Focus should also be given to appropriate roofing and insulation in government-sponsored housing since summertime temperatures are projected to increase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caradee Yael Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Thandi Kapwata
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shalin Bidassey-Manilal
- University of Johannesburg and Department of Environmental Health, Tshwane University of Technology, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | | | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
- University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mamopeli Matooane
- Tlhoeko Environmental Consultants, Maseru, Lesotho
- Previously Natural Resources and the Environment Unit, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
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Makhubele M, Ravhuhali K, Kuonza L, Mathee A, Kgalamono S, Made F, Tlotleng N, Kootbodien T, Ntlebi V, Wilson K, Naicker N. Common Mental Health Disorders among Informal Waste Pickers in Johannesburg, South Africa 2018-A Cross-Sectional Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019; 16:ijerph16142618. [PMID: 31340469 PMCID: PMC6678252 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16142618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Waste-picking is an income-generating opportunity for individuals living in poverty. Waste picking is associated with a range of risk factors for common mental disorders (CMD). This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with CMD among waste pickers in Johannesburg. A cross-sectional study analyzed secondary data for 365 waste pickers. A validated Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) was used to assess CMD. Multivariable logistic regression was fitted to identify factors associated with CMD. The overall prevalence of CMD among waste pickers was 37.3%. The odds of having CMD were 2.5 and 3.2 higher in females and cigarette smokers, respectively (p = 0.019 and p = 0.003). Life enjoyment (Adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.54, p = 0.02) and a good quality of life (aOR 0.34, p ≤ 0.001) were associated with lower odds of CMD. The high prevalence of CMD among waste pickers was significantly associated with cigarette smoking, being female, not enjoying life, and a poor quality of life. Mental health awareness of CMD will assist with the prevention, early detection, and comprehensive management of CMD among waste pickers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matimba Makhubele
- School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
- South African Field Epidemiology Training Program, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2192, South Africa.
| | - Khuliso Ravhuhali
- South African Field Epidemiology Training Program, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2192, South Africa
| | - Lazarus Kuonza
- School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
- South African Field Epidemiology Training Program, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg 2192, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Parktown 2000, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Parktown 2000, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2012, South Africa
| | - Spo Kgalamono
- School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Parktown 2000, South Africa
- National Institute of Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa
| | - Felix Made
- National Institute of Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa
| | - Nohlanhla Tlotleng
- National Institute of Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa
| | - Tahira Kootbodien
- National Institute of Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa
| | - Vusi Ntlebi
- National Institute of Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa
| | - Kerry Wilson
- National Institute of Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa
| | - Nisha Naicker
- School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Parktown 2000, South Africa
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
- National Institute of Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa
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Mbonane TP, Mathee A, Swart A, Naicker N. A study protocol to determine the association between lifetime lead exposure and violent criminal behaviour in young males in conflict with the law. BMC Public Health 2019; 19:932. [PMID: 31296174 PMCID: PMC6625036 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-7025-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Low-level lead exposure has harmful and persistent effects on behaviour. Recent studies have linked environmental lead exposure and the development of aggressive, violent and criminal behaviour. This protocol is designed to study an association between lifetime (bone) lead levels and violent criminal behaviour among young males in conflict with the law in Gauteng youth development centres. Methods This paper describes a study to determine a link between lifetime lead exposure and violent criminal behaviour. Lifetime lead exposure will be measured using bone lead measurement, while blood lead levels will be observed for current exposure. Thereafter, criminal records of participants will be reviewed whereas violent behaviour and risk factors will be observed using a questionnaire. The study focused on young males in conflict with the law in three centres within Gauteng Provence, South Africa. After stratifying the centres, we randomly selected participants. The researcher shall adhere to ethical requirements throughout the study. Data will be analysed for descriptive and inferential analysis using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Discussion The study will provide a strong foundation for an improved understanding of the relationship between environmental contamination from lead exposure and aggression/violent criminal behaviour. Beyond the health sector, the study findings may be able to inform new approaches to crime prevention through environmental action with an emphasis on the role of non-health sectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thokozani P Mbonane
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Angela Mathee
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - André Swart
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nisha Naicker
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.,School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,The Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
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Kootbodien T, Iyaloo S, Wilson K, Naicker N, Kgalamono S, Haman T, Mathee A, Rees D. Environmental Silica Dust Exposure and Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Johannesburg, South Africa. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019; 16:ijerph16101867. [PMID: 31137851 PMCID: PMC6571666 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16101867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Background: Occupational crystalline silica dust exposure is associated with an elevated risk of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). However, there is less evidence for an association with environmental silica dust exposure. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 310 participants was conducted in an exposed community living within 2 km of gold mine tailings and an unexposed population residing more than 10 km from the nearest gold mine tailing. Chest radiographs (n = 178) were read for PTB, past or current, by three readers. Results: Past or current PTB was radiologically identified in 14.4% (95%CI 9.2–21.8) in the exposed and 7.5% (95%CI 2.8–18.7) in the unexposed groups. Multivariate logistic regression models suggested that PTB prevalence was independently associated with exposure to second-hand smoke (OR = 8.13, 95%CI 1.16–57.22), a lower body mass index (OR = 0.88, 95%CI 0.80–0.98), previous diagnosis and treatment of PTB (OR = 8.98, 95%CI 1.98–40.34), and exposure to dust in the workplace from sand, construction, and/or mining industries (OR = 10.2, 95%CI 2.10–50.11). Conclusion: We found no association between PTB and environmental exposure to gold mine tailing dust. However, workplace silica dust exposure is a significant risk factor for PTB in South Africa, and PTB patients of working age should be screened for silica exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahira Kootbodien
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa.
| | - Samantha Iyaloo
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa.
| | - Kerry Wilson
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa.
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, South Africa.
| | - Nisha Naicker
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa.
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, South Africa.
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Spo Kgalamono
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa.
| | - Tanya Haman
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - Angela Mathee
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, South Africa.
- Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
| | - David Rees
- National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Service, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg 2001, South Africa.
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown 2193, South Africa.
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Shezi B, Naidoo RN, Muttoo S, Mathee A, Alfers L, Dobson R, Ndlovu P, Street RA. Informal-sector occupational hazards: an observational workplace assessment of the traditional medicine trade in South Africa. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics 2019; 27:562-569. [DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2019.1602329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Busisiwe Shezi
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
| | - Rajen N. Naidoo
- Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Sheena Muttoo
- Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
| | - Laura Alfers
- Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing, South Africa
| | | | | | - Renee A. Street
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, South Africa
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Shezi B, Mathee A, Siziba W, Street RA, Naicker N, Kunene Z, Wright CY. Environmental health practitioners potentially play a key role in helping communities adapt to climate change. BMC Public Health 2019; 19:54. [PMID: 30634954 PMCID: PMC6330385 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-6378-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vulnerable population groups in South Africa, especially those living in poverty, young children, women, the elderly and people with pre-existing diseases, are susceptible to new or exacerbated health threats resulting from climate change. Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) can play an important role in helping communities adapt to climate change health impacts, however, effective coordination of this requires further understanding of their roles in implementing climate change-related adaptation actions in communities. Methods A cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling was undertaken at the January 2017 conference for EHPs hosted by the South African Institute of Environmental Health in Cape Town. All EHPs who attended the conference were invited to complete a study questionnaire that requested information on participant demographics, as well as climate change related-knowledge, practices and perceptions. Results Majority of participating EHPs (n = 48; 72.8%) had received formal or informal training on climate change and health. Thirty-nine percent of EHPs indicated that they had a climate change and health-related committee / working group in their department, a policy or strategy (41.0%) and budget allocated for climate change and health-related work (51.5%). A total of 33.3% had participated in climate change-related projects. Majority (62.2%) of EHPs believed that they should play a supportive role in addressing climate change while 37.8% believed that EHPs should play a leading role. Conclusions Recognising the need for raising awareness about climate change adaptation as well as implementing appropriate interventions to combat climate-related ill health effects, especially among vulnerable groups, EHPs are well-placed to adopt significant roles in helping communities to adapt to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Busisiwe Shezi
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban, South Africa.
| | - Angela Mathee
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.,University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Wellington Siziba
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Renée A Street
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban, South Africa.,Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Nisha Naicker
- The Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Zamantimande Kunene
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Caradee Y Wright
- Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Geography, Geo-informatics and Meteorology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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50
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Mathee A, Kootbodien T, Kapwata T, Naicker N. Concentrations of arsenic and lead in residential garden soil from four Johannesburg neighborhoods. Environ Res 2018; 167:524-527. [PMID: 30142628 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Revised: 08/05/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The 2017 Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health identified soil as an important, daily route of public exposure to a variety of pollutants. Lead and arsenic are two potential soil contaminants associated with serious health effects including reductions in intelligence, behavioral effects and aggressive or violent behavior (lead), as well as skin changes, cancer of the skin, bladder, liver and lungs and developmental delays (arsenic). In this study soil samples were collected, using US EPA methods, from gardens in four Johannesburg neighborhoods, and analyzed for lead and arsenic content using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The results showed widely varied concentrations of arsenic and lead in soil collected across the four neighborhoods. Concentrations of lead (range: 0.1-2141.0 mg/kg; mean: 241.7 mg/kg (SD 282.8); median 158.1 mg/kg) exceeding local and international reference levels were found in an inner city suburb, while raised arsenic concentrations (range: 0.1-65.3 mg/kg; mean: 18.3 mg/kg (SD 11.7); median: 19.1) were found in the gardens of a suburb located very close to a mine tailings facility. This study confirms the potential for high levels of exposure to toxic metals in residential gardens in an urban African setting. There is a pressing need for scaled up attention to the public health implications of exposure to soil pollution in developing countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Mathee
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
| | - Tahira Kootbodien
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Thandi Kapwata
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Nisha Naicker
- Environment & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Environmental Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa; School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa; Epidemiology and Surveillance Section, National Institute for Occupational Health, National Health Laboratory Services, Johannesburg, South Africa
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