SummaryBacteraemia is a leading cause of morbidity in sickle cell anaemia (SCA), but information from studies in Africa is limited. We evaluated 890 admissions from 648 SCA patients at a tertiary hospital in Tanzania. Bacteraemia was present in 43 admissions (4·8%); isolates included Staphylococcus aureus (12/43; 28%), non‐Typhi Salmonella (9/43; 21%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (3/43; 7%) and Salmonella Typhi (2/43; 5%). Compared to SCA patients without bacteraemia, SCA patients with bacteraemia had significantly lower haemoglobin [71 g/l vs. 62 g/l, odds ratio 0·72 (95% confidence interval 0·56–0·91), P < 0·01]. Further exploration is needed of the relationship between anaemia and bacterial infections in SCA in Africa.

Background East Africa is one of the fastest growing regions in the world and faces a rising burden of cancer; however, few people are equipped to effectively conduct research in this area. Materials and Methods A 31‐item questionnaire was distributed to current trainees and recent graduates of the Master in Medicine in Clinical Oncology Program at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania. Areas that were assessed included (a) demographic information, (b) prior research training, (c) prior and current research activities, (d) attitudes toward the importance of research, and (e) supports and barriers to inclusion of research in an oncology career path. Results A total of 30 individuals responded to the survey, of whom 53% (n = 16) were male and 70% (n = 21) identified as current trainees. Among the majority of respondents, attitudes toward research were strongly favorable. Although only 37% (n = 11) reported receiving any formal training in research methodology, 87% (n = 26) reported intentions to incorporate research into their careers. The absence of protected time for research and lack of access to research funding opportunities were identified by a majority of respondents as critical barriers. Conclusion A majority of current or recent oncology trainees in Tanzania desire to incorporate research into their careers, but most also lack adequate training in research methodology and longitudinal mentorship. Our future collaboration will focus on creation of appropriate research training curriculums and fostering an environment that catalyzes interprofessional development and transforms and extends context‐specific cancer research in East Africa. Implications for Practice Current and recent oncology trainees in East Africa expressed a high enthusiasm for research, driven by a sense of urgency related to the burden from cancer that the region faces. This highlights the need for cancer research training and mentorship in this setting. This work hypothesizes that African principal investigators can operate effectively if proper attention is given to selection and provision of high‐quality foundational didactic training to learn the theory and implementation of research as well as to the development of an environment conducive to mentoring.

PURPOSE We investigated the impact of screening rural patients on referral and management of cervical cancer in Tanzania. METHODS After reviewing more than 10,000 medical records of patients with cervical cancer who visited Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) from 2005 to 2014, 108 patients were from the rural communities of Bagamoyo and Chalinze. We abstracted demographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors and linked the data set to databases of all 1,151 patients who visited the Bagamoyo screening clinic from 2011 to 2014 and 1,273 patients who visited the Chalinze screening clinic from 2012 to 2014. RESULTS After initiation of the rural screening clinics, difference in duration from diagnosis to prescribed treatment increased from 50.5 to 88 days ( P = .030), and duration from referral to treatment increased from 38.6 to 101.3 days ( P = .041). Proportion of patients who received combination chemoradiotherapy increased from 34.3% to 69% ( P = .001) and completion of treatment decreased from 94.4% to 72.41% ( P = .002) after initiation of the ORCI screening clinic. Patients who visited Muhimbili National Hospital had significantly shorter periods between referral and prescribed treatment than patients who did not use the Muhimbili National Hospital (mean ± standard deviation, 49.4 ± 128.8 and 112.1 ± 195.31 days, respectively; P = .010). Patients who were treated at ORCI had significantly shorter periods between diagnosis and referral to treatment (mean ± standard deviation, 31.4 ± 62.35 and 36.4 ± 121.79 days, respectively; P = .005). CONCLUSION Future research should focus on investigating barriers to seeking cancer care, benefits of chemoradiotherapy in this population considering the change in prescribed treatment, and time until diagnosis and treatment. Prescription of complex treatments that require more visits to treatment centers may also contribute to decline in completion of treatment.

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