Public health discourses on safe abortion assume the term to be unambiguous. However, qualitative evidence elicited from Kenyan women treated for complications of unsafe abortion contrasted sharply with public health views of abortion safety. For these women, safe abortion implied pregnancy termination procedures and services that concealed their abortions, shielded them from the law, were cheap and identified through dependable social networks. Participants contested the notion that poor quality abortion procedures and providers are inherently dangerous, asserting them as key to women's preservation of a good self, management of stigma, and protection of their reputation, respect, social relationships, and livelihoods. Greater public health attention to the social dimensions of abortion safety is urgent.

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Objective: To determine the prevalence and causes of visual impairment and blindness among Kibera slum dwellers. Design: Population based Survey. Setting: Kibera Slums, Kibera Division, Nairobi, Kenya. Subjects: One thousand four hundred and thirty eight randomly selected slum dwellers. Results: The prevalence of blindness and visual impairment was 0.6% (95% CI: 0.21 to 1.0), and 6.2% (95% CI: 4.95 to 7.15) respectively. 37.5% of those found blind were due to cataract followed by refractive errors 25.0%. 58.1% of those with visual impairment had refractive errors while 35.5% had cataracts. Females had a higher prevalence of visual impairment compared to males but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.104). Conclusions: Prevalence of blindness in Kibera slums is slightly lower than the estimated national average (0.7%) while that of visual impairment is almost three times higher. The leading causes of blindness are cataract followed by refractive errors. For visual impairment, refractive error was the leading cause followed by cataract. Recommendation: Kibera slum dwellers are in need of comprehensive eye care services offering cataract surgery and low cost spectacles.

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Summary The work was carried out in semi‐arid northern Kenya at Gatab (2°38′N, 36°56′E; altitude 1800m), Luai (2°36′N, 36°57′E; altitude 1350m) and Balesa Kulal (2°32′N, 37°04′E; altitude 650 m). The three sites have two rainfall peaks each year, in April and November. Thirty‐one plant species were individually presented to a total of twenty‐three grasshopper species. It was estimated that grasshoppers in this part of Kenya eat 2·2% of the primary production. The graminivorous and forbivorous grasshopper species ate significantly more grasses and forbs, respectively (P <0·001). Times during the day when feeding activity is high were shown to vary significantly between species (P <0·05) in three grasshopper species: one Pyrgomorphinae (Parasphena kulalensis Kevan) and two Oedipodinae (Aiolopus thalassinus Fieber and Acrotylus patruelis Herrich‐Schaeffer). RÉSUMEÉ Ce travail a été effectue dans le Nord semi‐aride du Kenya à Gatab (2†38'N, 36†56'E, alt. 1800 m), Luai (2†36'N, 36†57'E, alt. 1350 m)et Balesa Kulal (2†32'N, 37†04'E, alt. 650 m). Ces trois sites ont deux maxima de chutes de pluies par an, en avril et novembre. On a présenté séparément 31 expèces végétales à un total de 23 espèces de sauterelles. On a estimé que les sauterelles, dans cette partie du Kenya, mangent 2,2% de la production primaire. Les espèces granivores et ‘forbivores’ mangent significativement plus d'herbes et de ‘forbes’, respectivement (P< 0,001). Pendant la journée, le moment où l'activité alimentaire est élevée varie significativement selon les espèces (P<0,05) pour 3 espèces de sauterelles: une Pyrgomorphinae (Parasphena kulalensis Kevari) et deux Oedipodinae (Aiolopus thalassinus Fieber et Acrotylus patruelis Herrich‐Schaeffer).