Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB), caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), has recently emerged as a critical threat to rice production in East and Southern Africa (ESA). Since 2019, confirmed outbreaks in Tanzania and Madagascar, and more recently, signs of the disease in Kenya and Uganda, have exposed vulnerabilities within the region's rice sector. Despite these developments, published data from ESA remain extremely limited, with only a handful of confirmed reports and scarce molecular characterization beyond Tanzania and Madagascar. This Perspective consolidates the current evidence on the expansion of BLB, reveals critical gaps in research and management and proposes a comprehensive seven-pillar management framework. Building long-term resilience against BLB in ESA will require a unified, science-driven approach that integrates innovative methods with proven practices and effective policy support. Success will also depend on merging traditional and scientific knowledge with forward-thinking research and coordinated policy development. Moreover, leveraging historical data, adopting advanced analytics and using modern technologies, such as early detection sensors, digital advisory services and real-time pathogen tracking, could empower smallholder farmers and improve regional response capacities.
In case of a disease, the family system can function as a burden or a resource and support system. The genogram (a visual depiction of the patient’s family relationships and other relevant information) helps the doctor to get a clear understanding of symptoms, life events, and diseases across three generations. The different phases of the family dialogue are: joining, context and mission clarification, questions about family dynamics and psychological resources and challanges, treatment planning, and conclusion of the interview. The following communication techniques can proof to be useful tools in conducting a family interview: direct disease-related questions, indirect or circular questions, and hypothetical questions.
The COVID-19 pandemic intensified employees' challenges in balancing work and family roles, heightening concerns about work-life conflict (WLC) and turnover intentions (TOIs). This study examines the effect of work-life conflict, captured as work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC), on TOIs, and the mediating role of job embeddedness (JE) among health-service employees in India and Uganda. Using survey data, the study conducts separate country-specific analyses and a combined dataset analysis to provide a comparative perspective. Findings reveal that WFC significantly increases TOIs in Uganda, while FWC drives TOIs in India. Job embeddedness reduces TOIs in both countries. In Uganda, both WFC and FWC significantly influence JE, whereas in India, only FWC has a significant effect. JE has a direct effect on TOIs in India but not in Uganda. Mediation results show that FWC indirectly affects TOIs through JE in India, while no indirect effects are observed in Uganda. In the combined-country analysis, both WFC and FWC significantly affect JE and TOIs, with JE partially mediating these relationships. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of contextual differences in shaping work-life conflict dynamics, job embeddedness, and turnover intentions, offering valuable theoretical and managerial insights for emerging economies during crisis periods.
British colonial urban planners in Kampala, Uganda, designed segregated neighborhoods for Europeans, Asians, and Africans, under the colonial public health guidance. No studies have investigated how these historical urban design decisions relate to modern air pollution exposure disparities in African cities. We sought to determine whether colonial-era racial segregation of settlements in Kampala, Uganda, influences modern intra-urban spatial distribution of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in the city. Using an urban network of 52 low-cost PM sensors, we estimated monthly PM2.5 concentrations across Kampala from 2021 to 2022. We manually digitized and correlated 2020 satellite imagery and street maps of the three historical boundaries of European/Asian and African settlements from a 1951 map. Extreme gradient boosting trees, random forest models, and empirical Bayes kriging were used to predict gridded monthly PM2.5 averages for the study area. We used non-parametric statistical tests and multivariable linear regression to compare monthly PM2.5 levels between European/Asian and African settlements. We observed significantly higher median monthly PM2.5 concentration in African settlements (median = 33.0 mu g/m3 [interquartile range = 28.2, 39.3]) compared to European/Asian areas (median = 28.8 mu g/m3 [IQR = 25.2, 33.5]). In crude linear regression models, African settlements had a higher PM2.5 concentration by 9.2% (95% CI: 6.4, 18.5). African settlements showed greater seasonal PM2.5 variations and higher current social vulnerability. This study highlights the enduring influence of colonial urban planning on today's environmental health inequalities.
Teen motherhood is a growing global problem that affects thousands of young girls annually, especially in developing countries. It causes complex challenges that can affect the future opportunities of teen mothers if strong coping strategies are not in place. This study aims to explore resilience and coping strategies of single teen mothers in the face of adversity. This study employed a qualitative research approach. Life story interviews were conducted with 10 single teen mothers, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with six mothers of these single teen mothers. Using thematic analysis, recurring themes and patterns were identified in the participants' narratives. Single teen mothers faced sleeplessness and energy loss, feelings of aimlessness and self-defeat, and limited social support networks as key hardships associated with early motherhood. Single teen mothers' agency and resilience were supported by both informal and formal social support systems that enhanced coping skills, optimism, and access to some opportunities. Single teen mothers face complex adversities, for which solutions require resilience-oriented interventions that can thus lead to sustainable solutions grounded in the strengths of single teen mothers. As such, future research should explore single teen mothers' perspectives on future opportunities by examining the long-term advantages of supporting interventions.
