A B S T R A C TThe Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing its tenth outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD), in North-Kivu and Ituri provinces. This is the second most deadly EVD outbreak in history, after the one that occurred in West Africa in 2014. The DRC Ministry of Health (MoH), supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and a range of regional and international partners, are implementing EVD response plans in these affected areas such as screening of suspect cases at points of entry, case detection, contact tracing, laboratory testing, case management and infection prevention and control, safe and dignified burials, ring vaccination (this involves vaccination of infected individuals, direct contacts of infected individuals and contacts of their contacts), and therapeutics, community mobilization and free access to healthcare services. Despite these efforts, there has been a sharp rise in the number of confirmed cases within the identified affected areas, and due to a number of challenges unique to DRC, there has been an expansion in the geographical extent of transmission. The significance of the proximity of these regions to wildlife and the Virunga National Park is questionable in the EVD transmission dynamics. The close interaction between human, animal, and environmental factors, in combination with high population movement due to regular rebel attacks in these regions, suggest the need for the integration of the One Health approach in the holistic response plans for control and prevention of EVD. This paper seeks to highlight the implications and importance of a One Health-based approach into the infectious diseases control program implementation in DRC.

Background During its first wave of COVID-19 infection in sub-Saharan Africa, there was insufficient understanding of the pandemic among frontline health workers. This study was carried out to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of frontline health workers (HWs) towards COVID-19 in Africa and their related factors. Methods This was a multicenter online cross-sectional study conducted between April 2020 and July 2020 using a Google survey link among frontline HWs involved in the COVID-19 response in 26 African countries. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyse the determinants of KAP. Data were analyzed using STATA ver 16; all tests were two-sided with 95% confidence interval. Results Five hundred and seventeen participated in this study from 26 African countries; 289 (55.9%) were male and 228 (44.1%) female. Most of HWs, 379 (73.3%) showed poor knowledge about COVID-19 infection and preventive measures. In contrast, majority of them showed good attitude (89%) and practice (90.3%) towards prevention of COVID-19 infections. Knowledge varied among countries; Uganda had the greatest number of HWs with good knowledge (OR: 28.09, p<0.0001) followed by Ghana (OR=10.92, p=0.001) and DRC (OR: 4.59, p=0.015). The cadre of HWs also influenced knowledge; doctors were the most knowledgeable as compared to other cadres (OR: 3.4, p= 0.005). Attitude and practice were both influenced by HWs country of workplace and their cadre (p<0.05). Conclusion Majority of the frontline HWs in the African region had an overall good attitude and practice towards COVID-19 infection and practice measures despite relatively poor knowledge. The KAP is influenced by HWs country of workplace, their cadre. The knowledge of HWs in Africa should be increased to concourt with their attitude and practice to reduce the burden of intra-hospital transmission of the COVID-19.

Background: The burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) is on the rise in low-income countries and many countries in sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing an epidemic of diabetic complications. Patients who suffer from DM with hyperuricemia have a significantly increased risk of diabetic complications. There is paucity of data on the burden of hyperuricemia in Uganda. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of hyperuricemia, its associated factors, and its effect on the risk of coronary artery disease among out-patients with Diabetes Mellitus in Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital between May and August 2022 which recruited diabetic participants. A questionnaire was used to obtain patient data. Laboratory investigations were done including serum uric acid levels. SPSS version 22.0 was used to analyze the data. Results: Of the 210 participants, the majority were female (61.4 %) with a mean age of 55.34(12.36) years. The prevalence of hyperuricemia was 38.57%. The factors that were independently associated with hyperuricemia were: the presence of systolic hypertension (p=0.047), use of furosemide (p=0.003), alcohol intake (p=0.014), impaired estimated glomerular filtration rate (p<0.001) and abnormal total cholesterol (p<0.001). There was a significant positive moderately strong correlation between uric acid levels and the Framingham risk score (FRS) (p=<0.001). Conclusion: Regular screening for uric acid levels in diabetic patients should be done to improve health outcomes through early diagnosis and treatment. Diabetic patients should also be educated on the effect of alcohol intake and advised on cessation.

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Background: During its first wave of COVID-19 infection in sub-Saharan Africa, there was insufficient understanding of the pandemic among front-line health care professionals that has led to a misidentification, and mistreatment of affected patients, with a potential risk of contracting and spreading the disease. This study was carried out to determine the Knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of front-line health workers (HWs) towards COVID-19 in Africa and their related factors.Methods: This was a multi-centers online cross-sectional study conducted over a 3-months study-period using a google survey link among front lines HWs involved in the COVID-19 response in 26 African countries. Chi-square test & logistic regression were used in the bivariate and multivariate analysis respectively to assess determinants of KAP. Statistical analysis was done using STATA version 16; all tests were two-sided with 95% confidence interval. Results: Five hundred and seventeen (517, 96.3%) consented to participate in this study from 26 African countries; 289 (55.9%) were male and 228 (44.1%) female. Overall, most of HWs, 379 (73.3%) showed poor knowledge about COVID-19 infection and preventive measures. In contrast, majority of them showed good attitude (89%) and practice (90.3%) towards prevention of COVID-19 infections. Knowledge varied among countries; Uganda had the greatest number of HWs with good knowledge. (OR = 28.09, p <0.0001) followed by Ghana (OR=10.92, p=0.001) and DRC (OR: 4.59, p=0.015). The cadre of HWs also influenced knowledge; doctors were the most knowledgeable as compared to other cadres (OR: 3.4, p= 0.005). Additionally, knowledge increased with increasing HWs’ education level (p=0.011).Attitude and practice were both influenced by HWs country of workplace (p=0.05 & p< 0.0001 respectively) and their cadre (p = 0.025 & p < 0.0001 respectively).Conclusions: Majority of the front-line HWs in the African region had an overall good attitude and practice towards COVID-19 infection and practice measures despite relatively poor Knowledge. The KAP is influenced by HWs country of workplace, their cadre and level of education.