Background: Congenital abnormality (CA) is one among eminent problems in the society that affects the livelihood of the individual, communities and the health sector. It creates uncertainty among family members as they strive to identify ways and means to assist one another in the upbringing of these children born with an anomaly. The ultimate purpose of this study was to describe and explore the experiences of parents of children with congenital abnormalities and to identify the source of support such as parents employs when dealing with the child born with congenital abnormalities. This study was conducted at Intermediate Hospital Oshakati (IHO) in Namibia's Oshana region. Methods: A qualitative, explorative and a contextual study design using a phenomenological approach was utilized throughout this study. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve "purposefully" selected participants from the population of parents of children born with congenital abnormalities whose children were either admitted in hospital or brought for follow-up. Data analysis was done using a content analytical method. Results: Data were derived from 12 participants interviewed, comprised of parents of children with reversible and irreversible conditions, long hospitalization, more frequent follow ups and those waiting for surgery. The results were categorized in seven categories, including: 1) A child with congenital abnormalities: the impact of disability; 2) Family relationships; 3) Parenting expectations and practices; 4) Altering one's family daily life-treading a new path; 5) Social support; 6) Formal services; 7) Societal and community acceptance. Conclusion: The expectations parents had for a normal child becomes a nightmare when the child they were expecting is born with the disability. Living with such a child can be stressful for parents and other family members. Therefore, exploring and describing the lived experiences of parents of children born with congenital abnormalities is an important in the process of finding ways to assist or support parents to provide proper care for their children.

Background. Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities are critical in preventing, detecting, and managing sickness and injury, thereby lowering morbidity and mortality. This is easily accomplished through health education, which is one of the most effective disease prevention methods. Objective. The goal of this study is to evaluate the implementation of the health education technique in PHC facilities in the Kavango East Region. Materials and Methods. A quantitative method was used in conjunction with a descriptive cross-sectional design to evaluate the implementation of health education in PHC facilities in the Kavango East Region. Results. The outcomes show that 76% of patients who visit health facilities did not receive health education about their condition, and those who did receive health education know six times more about how to prevent the conditions they are suffering from than those who did not. The study also found that 49.14% of patients got information that was irrelevant to their conditions. These results indicate a statistically significant relationship (2.32 OR 0.93 at 95% CI) between patients who did not receive health education and frequent visits to the PHC facility with the same complaints. Conclusion. There is a lack of health education implementation in PHC facilities, with patients not getting or being provided with relevant health education to empower them to take care of their own health. The emphasis of PHC centers is on curative services rather than preventative and rehabilitation services. PHC facilities must improve health education as a critical approach to health promotion and disease prevention. This will allow patients to take appropriate preventive measures, resulting in fewer trips to PHC facilities.

Solid waste management in Rundu, Namibia, is a major challenge, resulting in significant environmental health hazards. The purpose of this study was therefore to identify and describe the factors contributing to poor environmental hygiene specifically in Kehemu location in Rundu, while the objectives were to explore the factors contributing to poor environmental hygiene in the area. A qualitative approach was employed comprising an explorative and descriptive design. The research population for this particular study consisted of residents of Kehemu location and a sample was drawn from this population using purposive sampling. Data were collected from focus group discussions conducted with 15 (fifteen) residents. The transcribed interviews and narratives from the research notes were organised into codes, main themes and sub-themes. The results from this study revealed, among other things, that the methods used by most households for disposing of waste included digging holes, burning the waste and dumping it in open areas. In addition, factors contributing to poor environmental hygiene in Kehemu location include a lack of dumping sites, dustbins and refuse removal services. The findings of this study call for well-articulated actions to address the factors identified as being associated with poor environmental hygiene in Kehemu. The study recommends that the town council should empower the community by providing dustbins, initiating clean-up campaigns and providing education and awareness-raising as some measures for curbing problems related to environmental health.

Background: Diarrheal diseases due to rotavirus infection contribute greatly to morbidity and mortality rates of babies and young children in many developing countries. This public health concern can effectively be reduced by the use of the rotavirus vaccine, though there is an anecdotal evidence indicating that despite introduction of the vaccine the number of cases of diarrhoea diseases are still high in Namibia, particularly in Kavango east and west regions. Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of the rotavirus vaccine in preventing diarrhoea cases among children under age five years in Kavango regions. Methods: The study employed a quasiexperimental design comparing diarrhoea cases before (2010-2013) and after (2014- 2017) introduction of the rotavirus vaccine among children under age five years. Data were extracted from District Health Information System version 2 and analysed by using one way analysis of covariance. Results: Before introduction of the rotavirus vaccine, there were 14 500 diarrhoea cases, which is 1.6% rate of infection. After introduction of the rotavirus vaccine, there were 14 400 diarrhoea cases, which is 1.58% rate of infection. This is supported by the effect size (partial eta2) of 0.01%, which is very small. The trend of diarrhoea cases after rotavirus vaccine introduction fluctuated with no major decline of diarrhoea cases. Conclusions: The study concluded that rotavirus vaccine is less effective in preventing diarrhoea diseases among children under age five years in the Kavango regions. Further research is needed to substantiate these findings as other factors can contribute to fluctuation of diarrhoea cases.