BACKGROUND: Indoor residual spraying (IRS) has been implemented to prevent malaria in Zambia for several decades, but its effectiveness has not been evaluated long term and in Vubwi District yet. This study aimed to assess the association between IRS and the malaria burden in Zambia and Vubwi District and to explore the factors associated with refusing IRS.
METHODS: A retrospective study was used to analyze the association between IRS and malaria incidence in Zambia in 2001-2020 and in Vubwi District in 2014-2020 by Spearman correlation analysis. A case-control study was used to explore the factors associated with IRS refusals by households in Vubwi District in 2021. A logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with IRS refusals.
RESULTS: The malaria incidence reached its peak (391/1000) in 2001 and dropped to the lowest (154/1000) in 2019. The annual percentage change in 2001-2003, 2003-2008, 2008-2014, 2014-2018 and 2018-2020 was - 6.54%, - 13.24%, 5.04%, - 10.28% and 18.61%, respectively. A significantly negative correlation between the percentage of population protected by the IRS against the total population in Zambia (coverage) and the average malaria incidence in the whole population was observed in 2005-2020 (r = - 0.685, P = 0.003) and 2005-2019 (r = - 0.818, P < 0.001). Among 264 participants (59 in the refuser group and 205 in the acceptor group), participants with specific occupations (self-employed: OR 0.089, 95% CI 0.022-0.364; gold panning: OR 0.113, 95% CI 0.022-0.574; housewives: OR 0.129, 95% CI 0.026-0.628 and farmers: OR 0.135, 95% CI 0.030-0.608 compared to employees) and no malaria case among household members (OR 0.167; 95% CI 0.071-0.394) had a lower risk of refusing IRS implementation, while those with a secondary education level (OR 3.690, 95% CI 1.245-10.989) had a higher risk of refusing IRS implementation compared to those who had never been to school.
CONCLUSIONS: Increasing coverage with IRS was associated with decreasing incidence of malaria in Zambia, though this was not observed in Vubwi District, possibly because of the special geographical location of Vubwi District. Interpersonal communication and targeted health education should be implemented at full scale to ensure household awareness and gain community trust.

Mutations have driven the evolution and development of new variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with potential implications for increased transmissibility, disease severity and vaccine escape among others. Genome sequencing is a technique that allows scientists to read the genetic code of an organism and has become a powerful tool for studying emerging infectious diseases. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study in selected districts of the Eastern Province of Zambia, from November 2021 to February 2022. We analyzed SARS-CoV-2 samples (n = 76) using high-throughput sequencing. A total of 4097 mutations were identified in 69 SARS-CoV-2 genomes with 47% (1925/4097) of the mutations occurring in the spike protein. We identified 83 unique amino acid mutations in the spike protein of the seven Omicron sublineages (BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.1.14, BA.1.18, BA.1.21, BA.2, BA.2.23 and XT). Of these, 43.4% (36/83) were present in the receptor binding domain, while 14.5% (12/83) were in the receptor binding motif. While we identified a potential recombinant XT strain, the highly transmissible BA.2 sublineage was more predominant (40.8%). We observed the substitution of other variants with the Omicron strain in the Eastern Province. This work shows the importance of pandemic preparedness and the need to monitor disease in the general population.

Zambia\'s adult HIV prevalence is high at 11% and faces challenges in achieving UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets for HIV, with a national viral load suppression of 86.2% falling short of the required 95%. North-Western Province has the lowest viral load suppression at 77.5%. Our study investigated the role of an integrated sample referral system in optimizing HIV viral load coverage and Early Infant Diagnosis turnaround time in the province. Using electronic data from the DISA Laboratory Information System and Smartcare, a retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted, involving 160,922 viral load and Early Infant Diagnosis results. The chi-square test and multiple linear regression were used for analysis. Following the implementation of the integrated sample referral system, viral load coverage consistently increased monthly (p < 0.001), Early Infant Diagnosis turnaround time improved by 47.7%, and sample volume increased by 25%. The study identifies associations between various factors and testing outcomes. These findings demonstrate improvements in viral load coverage and the Early Infant Diagnosis turnaround time and suggest targeting modifiable factors to further optimize the referral system. We recommend continued strengthening of the referral system and more deliberate demand-creation implementation strategies.

Scholars worldwide have defined the COVID-19 pandemic as a mass-disabling event of our time. The situation is grave for families experiencing financial hurdles while caring for young adults in recovery from addiction problems.
Using semi-structured interviews with 30 purposively selected family caregivers (FCGs) of young adults with substance use disorders (SUDs) in Lusaka, Zambia, this study reveals several factors influencing forgone healthcare for this medically vulnerable group.
Financial challenges and huge out-of-pocket bills; caregivers\' perceived far-fetched recovery of the young adult; the cost of medication and transportation; the young adult\'s little perceived need for healthcare service use, their runaway and treatment elusive tendencies; caregiver concerns about contracting the virus, and the stigma associated with it; and a fragmented child and adolescent mental health system influenced forgone healthcare. The young adults were often unavailable for days and months, posing challenges to the continuity of care. Despite caregivers\' acknowledgment of the availability of healthcare professionals, young adults with problematic substance use had limited access to SUD recovery services, resulting in adverse health outcomes. Results also show that most family caregivers encountered challenges in accessing and purchasing psychotropic medications, which were difficult to find during the lockdowns. Some family caregivers lost their sources of income by being laid off from work due to the pandemic and skipping work to attend to caregiving responsibilities. Most of those in self-employment had to close their business and stay home to look after their youth. Several caregivers kept their youth at home because they failed to access private residential SUD recovery services. Family caregivers mostly relied on outpatient public health services, alternative medicine from traditional healers, and faith-based healing, all of which some young adults rarely accessed because of their problematic behaviors of escaping healthcare.
These identifiable risk factors, and their detrimental consequences highlight the need for interventions to improve healthcare access for this vulnerable population. Supporting FCGs of addicted young adults is crucial in ensuring the well-being of both the caregivers and care recipients. Further research is warranted to explore potential solutions, such as peer support programs, policy changes, and education initiatives for carers and recipients in the (post) pandemic era.

UNASSIGNED: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted classroom-based learning, necessitating the adoption of online learning in most universities. However, there has been a lack of information on university students\' perspectives regarding online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assessed the perspectives, satisfaction and experiences with online and classroom learning among human health students at the University of Zambia.
UNASSIGNED: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 737 students at the University of Zambia from October 2022 to April 2023. Data were analysed using Stata version 16.1.
UNASSIGNED: Of the 737 participants, 51.6% were female and 56.5% agreed that blended learning should continue even after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, 78.4% of the students believed that group discussions were more suitable in the classroom than online learning. Most students (67.1%) disagreed that they preferred online learning to classroom learning. Furthermore, 77.6% of the students disagreed that online learning gave more satisfaction than classroom learning.
UNASSIGNED: This study found that most students recommended the continuation of blended learning after the pandemic. However, they believed that follow-up tutorials and assessments were better undertaken in physical classrooms than online learning. These findings are important in sensitising stakeholders in the education sector and governments to consider blended learning as a teaching strategy in the future. There is a need to develop and implement curricula that offer blended learning to students as well as ensure the students have the necessary facilities and equipment to support such learning.

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UNASSIGNED: Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are critical in preventing the risk of acquiring and transmitting nosocomial infections. In Zambia, there is little information concerning IPC practices among pharmacy students who are exposed to potentially infectious areas both in public and private healthcare settings. Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practices of undergraduate pharmacy students toward infection prevention and control at the University of Zambia.
UNASSIGNED: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 290 undergraduate pharmacy students at the University of Zambia using a structured questionnaire from August 2022 to October 2022. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25.0, and statistical significance was set at a 95% confidence level.
UNASSIGNED: Of the 290 participants, 166(57.2%) were female and the majority were aged between 18 and 23 years. Overall, 252(86.9%) had good knowledge, 167(57.6%) had positive attitudes, and 248(85.5%) had good practices toward IPC measures. These results indicate lower attitude scores compared to knowledge and practices. Having good knowledge of IPC was associated with being a Christian by religion compared to other religions (OR = 5.314, 95% CI: 1.141-24.745). There was no association between sociodemographics and attitude and practice concerning IPC.
UNASSIGNED: This study found that pharmacy students had good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices toward IPC measures. Consequently, more emphasis is needed to improve the student\'s knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward IPC, especially in areas where gaps were identified. Additionally, there is a need to improve curricula on IPC measures in the training of pharmacy programs.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a public health problem threatening human, animal, and environmental safety. This study assessed the AMR profiles and risk factors associated with Escherichia coli in hospital and environmental settings in Lusaka, Zambia. This cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2022 to August 2022 using 980 samples collected from clinical and environmental settings. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using BD PhoenixTM 100. The data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0. Of the 980 samples, 51% were from environmental sources. Overall, 64.5% of the samples tested positive for E. coli, of which 52.5% were from clinical sources. Additionally, 31.8% were ESBL, of which 70.1% were clinical isolates. Of the 632 isolates, 48.3% were MDR. Most clinical isolates were resistant to ampicillin (83.4%), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (73.8%), and ciprofloxacin (65.7%) while all environmental isolates were resistant to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (100%) and some were resistant to levofloxacin (30.6%). The drivers of MDR in the tested isolates included pus (AOR = 4.6, CI: 1.9-11.3), male sex (AOR = 2.1, CI: 1.2-3.9), and water (AOR = 2.6, CI: 1.2-5.8). This study found that E. coli isolates were resistant to common antibiotics used in humans. The presence of MDR isolates is a public health concern and calls for vigorous infection prevention measures and surveillance to reduce AMR and its burdens.

The African leafhopper genus Angolaia Linnavuori & Al-Ne\'amy, 1983 (Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Selenocephalini: Selenocephalina) is reviewed, including description of the new species, Angolaia picea sp. nov., from Zambia. An updated checklist with distribution and a key to males in this genus are also provided. Type specimens of this new species are deposited in the Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois, USA (INHS).

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a neglected tropical disease that has not received much attention in Zambia and most of the countries in which it occurs. In this study, we assessed the adequacy of the healthcare delivery system in diagnosis and management of rHAT cases, the environmental factors associated with transmission, the population at risk and the geographical location of rHAT cases. Structured questionnaires, focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted among the affected communities and health workers. The study identified 64 cases of rHAT, of which 26 were identified through active surveillance and 38 through passive surveillance. We identified a significant association between knowledge of the vector for rHAT and knowledge of rHAT transmission (p < 0.028). In all four districts, late or poor diagnosis occurred due to a lack of qualified laboratory technicians and diagnostic equipment. This study reveals that the current Zambian healthcare system is not able to adequately handle rHAT cases. Targeted policies to improve staff training in rHAT disease detection and management are needed to ensure that sustainable elimination of this public health problem is achieved in line with global targets.