Biomass Prediction Equation for Colophospermum mopane (Mopane) in Botswana

This study aimed to develop a biomass equation for estimating the total above-ground biomass for Colophospermum mopane (mopane) based on the pooled data from three study sites. The mopane woodlands in Botswana represent 14.6% of Botswana’s total area. The woodlands directly or indirectly support the livelihood of the majority of the rural population by providing wood and non-wood products. However, there is limited information on the pattern, trends and distribution of woody biomass production and their primary, environmental, and climatic determinants in different parts of Botswana. All the data were collected by destructive sampling from three study sites in Botswana. Stratified random sampling was based on the stem diameter at breast height (1.3 m from the ground or Diameter at Breast Height (DBH)). A total of 30 sample trees at each study site were measured, felled and weighed. The data from the three sites were pooled together, and the study employed regression analysis to examine the nature of relationships between total above-ground biomass (dependent variable) and five independent variables: 1) total tree height;2) crown diameter;3) stem diameters at 0.15 m;1.3 m (DBH) and 3 m from the ground respectively. There were significant relationships between all the independent variables and the dependent variable. However, DBH emerged as the strongest predictor of total tree above-ground biomass for mopane. The equation lnBiomass=-1.163+2.190lnDBH was adopted for use in the indirect estimation of total tree above-ground biomass for mopane in Botswana.

Effects of AIDS-related disability on workforce participation and earned income in Botswana: A quasi-experimental evaluation

Background: Botswana is regarded as a leader of progressive HIV/AIDS policy, as the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to establish a free, national antiretroviral therapy program. In light of such programmatic successes, it is important to evaluate the potentially changing relationship of HIV/AIDS to the wellbeing of individuals, households, and institutions in the country. Methods: We evaluate the effects of HIV-related illness on absenteeism and earnings several years after the start of the national treatment program among a random sample of adults in Botswana using survey data from 3999 individuals aged 15 to 49, using quasi-experimental methods. We compare absenteeism between individuals with and without HIV-related illness, using a propensity score matching approach. We then estimate the effect of HIV-related illness on earnings using a Heckman selection model to account for selection into the workforce. We stratify our analyses by sex. Results: Men and women with HIV-related illness were absent by about 5.2 and 3.3 additional days, respectively, in the month prior to the survey compared to matched controls, and earned approximately 38% and 43% less, respectively, in the month prior to the survey compared to those without HIV-related illness. Conclusions: HIV-related illness appears to increase absenteeism in this sample and dramatically reduce earnings. The findings suggest a need for policies that confer greater financial security to individuals with HIV/AIDS in Botswana.

The Occurrence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia Infections Among Patients Reporting Diarrheal Disease in Chobe District, Botswana

Diarrheal disease is a chronic public health problem in Chobe District, Botswana. Acute diarrheal outbreaks occur annually with a bimodal seasonal pattern coinciding with major hydrological phenomena. Information is lacking regarding the etiology of reoccurring outbreaks. Cryptosporidium and Giardia are recognized as important waterborne causes of diarrheal disease with Cryptosporidium transmission potentially involving zoonotic reservoirs. In Chobe District, municipal water is obtained from the Chobe River after it exits the Chobe National Park where high concentrations of wildlife occur. Using the Giardia/Cryptosporidium QUIK CHEK rapid antigen cartridge test, we evaluate the occurrence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium among patients (n = 153) presenting to medical facilities in Chobe District with diarrhea (August 2011-July 2012). Cryptosporidium was only identified in children less than two years of age (10%, n = 42, 95% CI 3% - 23%), with positive cases occurring during diarrheal outbreak periods. Infections were not identified in adults despite the high level of human immunodeficiency virus infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in the region (n = 117). Although not significant, cases were predominately identified in the wet season outbreak (p = 0.94, 25%, n = 12, 95% CI 5% - 57%, dry season outbreaks 3%, n = 30, CI 95% 0% - 17%). Giardia infections occurred across age groups and seasons (7%, n = 153, 95% CI 4% - 10%). This is the first published report of human infections with Cryptosporidium and Giardia in this area of Africa. This study suggests that Cryptosporidium may be a potentially important cause of diarrheal disease in children less than 2 years of age in this region. Further research is required to identify pathogen transmission and persistence dynamics and public health implications, particularly the role of HIV/AIDS and vulnerability to waterborne disease.

Waiting Times and Length of Stay of Trauma Patients in a Botswana Referral Hospital Emergency Department

Background: Mortality and morbidity due to trauma are a significant public health challenge. There is paucity of data on the waiting times and length of stay (LOS) of trauma patients in emergency departments in Botswana. The aim of this study was to determine the Emergency Department (ED) waiting times and LOS of trauma patients at Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana. Methods: This was a retrospective medical records review of waiting times (time from triage to review by ED medical officer) and LOS (time from triage to disposition from the emergency department). The waiting times for the different assigned acuities were assessed against the South African Triage System (SATS) standards. All trauma patients seen from 19/11/2018 to 18/12/2018 were included in the study. Prolonged length of stay was defined as duration > 6 hours. Categorical data was summarized with frequencies while numeric data was summarized with medians and interquartile ranges. Results: A total of 187 trauma patients’ files were analyzed. Of these, 72 (38.5%) were females. The median waiting time was 3.8 hours and the maximum was 19.2 hours. The median length of stay (LOS) was 8.8 hours with a maximum of 37.2 hours. Only 53 (28.3%) of the participants had a LOS of less than 6 hours. None of the emergent patients were seen immediately. Only 5 (4.0%) of the very urgent patients were seen within the target of 10 minutes. Finally, only 10 (20.4%) of urgent patients were seen within the target time of 1 hour. Conclusion: The waiting times and length of stay in Princess Marina Hospital were mostly above the recommended standards. Urgent interventions are needed to reduce waiting times and length of stay for trauma patients. More studies are needed to explore the sources of delay and investigate possible solutions to this public health challenge.

Geophysical and Hydrogeological Groundwater Prospectivity Mapping in the Kraaipan Granite-Greenstone Terrain, Southeast Botswana

Application of regional geophysical methods for hydrogeological purposes has increased over the last two decades especially in arid and semi-arid areas. A project to map the Kraaipan granite-greenstone terrain in southeast Botswana has recently been undertaken using regional aeromagnetic and gravity data with the aim to map the rocks at depth to understand the geology while the secondary objective was to subsequently assess the mineralization and groundwater potential in the area. An integrated analysis of the aeromagnetic and gravity data and their derived/processed products is hereby investigated for groundwater for drinking and agricultural purposes. The studies include: subsurface characterisation and delineation of structural framework suitable for groundwater exploration and determination of petrophysical relationships used to link the geophysical properties (e.g., density) to hydrological properties (e.g., porosity). The results of interpretation indicate that the rocks are under ~50 m of Kalahari cover and the study area is composed of three aquifers: the extensive hard rock aquifer (granitic and volcanic), the important (fractured) karst aquifer and the minor sedimentary aquifer. The area is dissected by an ENE-to-EW-trending dyke swarm visible on the regional aeromagnetic data and much clearer on high resolution aeromagnetic data. Minor fault and/or dyke elements of NW-SE and NE-SW trend are observed. Spectral analysis reveals three main average ensample interfaces at depths of 0.7 km, 1.99 km and 4.8 km. The linear Euler solutions maps reveal that the majority depths to top of magnetic bodies range from 40 m to 400 m throughout the survey area. The shallowest depths are the most significant one in this case as they probably relate to depth of bedrock and thickness of regolith or thickest sediments. For 2695 existing boreholes analysed, maximum borehole depth is 482 m (mean 108 m), and almost half (1263) were dry with another 972 having low yield (1 - 5 m3/hr) and 432 yielding 6 - 49 m3/hr and only 28 above 50 m3/hr (maximum ~160 m3/hr) and an average water strike of 64 m. There is very little correlation between interpreted hydrogeological features and the existing borehole locations. The study shows the importance of preliminary geophysical investigations before ground borehole siting and drilling in order to improve borehole success rates and/or reduce costs inherent in groundwater projects.

Institutions and water governance in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

The goals of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) can be achieved by embracing the principles of distributive governance, which places both customary and statutory water institutions on the same pedestal in the governance of water resources. As culture and traditions constitute intangible aspects of water resources management in rural Africa, the recognition of water governance systems grounded in local norms, which correspond better with the aspirations of local water users as against the expert-knowledge systems is desirable. Following the introduction of the statutory institutions in postcolonial Africa, customary institutions, which were once effective in regulating water resources became relegated to the background in those countries, including Botswana . Adopting a critical literature review approach, this article employs the concept of legal pluralism to analyze the institutional factors that create the disharmony between cultural and statutory water governance and management institutions. Findings indicate that water has been abstracted from its social nature and transformed into a tradable economic good. Ultimately, the local meanings and images encoded in water as a nature-given resource are overlooked, thus generating conflicts in water governance. The paper recommends the adoptions of legal pluralism under which water institutions need to embrace both customary and statutory institutions.

Modification of soil properties by <i>Prosopis</i>L. in the Kalahari Desert, South-Western Botswana

The aim of this research was to investigate the interactions between Prosopis plants and soils in the Kalahari area, south west of Botswana. The underlying assumptions of the research were that Prosopis plants significantly enhanced the nutrient content and improved the condition of soils in the study area, and that the height and canopy size of Prosopis plants affected the interactions between Prosopis plants and the soils. Firstly, soil samples were collected under 42 randomly selected Prosopis plant canopies and in the spaces between Prosopis plant canopies at the depth of 0 -20 cmand 60 –80 cm. Secondly, soil samples were collected under 45 randomly selected Prosopis plant canopies of three different categories of height and canopy size at the depth of 0 -10 cm. The soil samples were analysed for soil organic carbon, pH, total nitrogen (N), electrical conductivity (EC), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), potassium (K), and magnesium (Mg). Soil collected under Prosopis plant canopies and in the spaces between Prosopis plant canopies showed statistically significant difference in the soil organic carbon content (F = 2.68, P = 0.05, α = 0.05), pH (F = 44.81, P α = 0.05) and electrical conductivity (EC) (F = 3.75, P = 0.01, α = 0.05). Statistically significant difference was also observed in the comparison of soils existing under Classes 1, 2 and 3 Prosopis plant canopies in relation to pH and EC (F = 6.56, P = 0.01 and F = 4.77, P = 0.01 respectively at α = 0.05). Therefore, it was concluded that the fundamental assumptions of the study were valid.

HIV Hospital Admissions Attributable to Specific Opportunistic Infections and Factors Associated with Them at a Botswana Referral Hospital

Hospital admissions among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Botswana are high. Opportunistic infections (OIs) are responsible for most of these admissions. Although leading OIs causing these admissions have been identified in the region, their correlates are poorly understood. This study aimed to: 1) evaluate major OIs responsible for admissions among HIV patients at Princess Marina Hospital (PMH) in Botswana;2) estimate the proportion and identify the most frequent admissions attributable to specific OIs;3) characterize major correlates of admissions attributable to each specific OIs and identify populations most at risk as a base for effective policy and resource orientation. HIV infected patients were randomly selected from hospital record lists. Biomedical, sociodemographic and economic data were collected from the records and from face-to-face patient interviews and analyzed. Tuberculosis was the most important OI responsible for 234.6 per 1000 HIV admissions. Cryptococcal meningitis accounted for 162.0 per 1000 admissions. Patients with a CD4-cell count < 350/μL and males were more likely to be admitted for both tuberculosis and cryptococcal meningitis compared to those with a CD4-cell count > 350/μL and females. The risk of admission due to cryptococcal meningitis was also high among patients with low socioeconomic status (SES). Females were more at risk for Cryptosporidium, Bacterial pneumonia (BP), Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP), Herpes and candidiasis-specific admissions than male and, patients not on co-trimoxazole were more likely to be admitted than those on co-trimoxazole. Comprehensive implementation strategies to address OIs among PLWH are needed. To be effective, such strategies should address not only biomedical factors but should also focus on PLWH’s SES.

Some Foreshocks and Aftershocks Associated with the Moiyabana Earthquake of 2017 in Botswana

On the 3rd of April 2017, an earthquake of moment magnitude 6.5 occurred near Moiyabana in central Botswana. This paper is aimed at studying the spatial distribution of the foreshock and aftershock sequences associated with the Moiyabana earthquake. The foreshocks and aftershocks data used were from the Botswana Geoscience Institute (BGI) and the Seisan software was used to analyze the foreshock and aftershock events. The analyses revealed nine epicenter locations of foreshocks which are spread out across the country and most of them are located in the central and southern parts of Botswana, while the aftershocks are clustered around the mainshock. Although five of the nine foreshocks occurred far from the boundaries of major tectonic units, the other four occurred near key features such as the Zoetfontein, Lecha and Chobe faults. The spatial distribution of aftershocks indicates that the stress released by the mainshock, re-activated the planes of weakness in the vicinity of the mainshock and farther away from the mainshock. Hence, this affected the Zoetfontein fault, the boundary between Passarge basin and Magondi belt and the boundary between the Kaapvaal craton and Limpopo mobile belt. The aftershocks also show a northwest-southeast trend, which probably indicates the rupture plane;and mainly lie within the Limpopo mobile belt that is sandwiched between the Kaapvaal craton to the south and Zimbabwe craton to the north. Furthermore, the aftershocks concentration to the south reveals a close relation in demarcating the boundary of the Kaapvaal craton and the Limpopo mobile belt.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Experiences of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Trial Participants in Botswana

Recent clinical trials have shown that a daily dose of oral TDF/FTC pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective in reducing human immunodeficiency (HIV) risk. Understanding trial participants’ perspectives about retention and PrEP adherence is critical to inform future PrEP trials and the scale-up and implementation of PrEP programs. We analyzed 53 in-depth interviews conducted in April 2010 with participants in the TDF2 study, a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, place-bo-controlled clinical trial of daily oral TDF/FTC with heterosexual men and women in Francistown and Gaborone, Botswana. We examined participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of the trial, identified facilitators and barriers to enrollment and retention, and compared participant responses by study site, sex, and study drug adherence. Our findings point to several factors to consider for participant retention and adherence in PrEP trials and programs, including conducting pre-enrollment education and myth reduction counseling, providing accurate estimates of participant obligations and side effect symptoms, ensuring participant understanding of the effects of non-adherence, gauging personal commitment and interest in study outcomes, and developing a strong external social support network for participants.

Demographic, Socio-Economic and Psychosocial Determinants of Current and Consistent Condom Use among Adolescents in Botswana

Background: To facilitate effective program designs aimed at assisting youth avoid unnecessary negative reproductive health outcomes, there is need to understand determinants of condom use among adolescents. Objectives: To determine demographic, socioeconomic and psychosocial factors associated with adolescent condom use in Botswana. Methods: Logistic regression models were employed to analyse a weighted sample of 221 adolescents aged 15 to 19 years from the 2012 Botswana AIDS Impact Survey who had a sexual relationship during the 12 months preceding the survey. Results: A majority of adolescents were current and consistent condom users (81% and 72% respectively). Both current and consistent condom use were positively associated with secondary or higher education, unemployed, high perception of severity of HIV to health and high self-efficacy perception. However, being female, non-Christian, having medium or comprehensive HIV/AIDS related knowledge and high perceived personal risk to HIV infection were negatively associated with both outcomes. Although being 18 to 19 years, having multiple sexual partners and high perception of condom attributes were positively associated with current condom use, they were negatively associated with consistent use. Conclusions: The study showed that in addition to demographic and socioeconomic factors, psychosocial factors are important predictors for condom use among adolescents.

Wildfires in Botswana and Their Frequency of Occurrence

Fires play an essential part in the maintenance of the environment, but amplified fire activity often leads to adverse effects in the environment such as destruction of property and loss of life. Botswana has experienced wildfires that are caused by humans intentionally and unintentionally. Some of these wildfires grow into mega fires such as the 2008 wildfires. Data of wildfires reported in Botswana from the Department of Forestry and Range Resources and the frequency of occurrence was studied and analyzed. It shows the period of 2006-2017, Ghanzi and Ngamiland districts were mostly affected by wildfires. These districts have protected land such as the wildlife parks which may lead to the outbreak of natural wildfires that burns unnoticed due to minimal movements of people. The wildfires reported in each district show an increase over the years and this may affect the smooth running of operations.

My Impressions of Botswana Former President Mogae

Festus Mogae, the third president in the history of the Republic of Botswana, served between April 1998 and March 2008. Before that, he had been the Vice-President for 6 years. During his presidency, Mogae managed to maintain the stability and prosperity of Botswana, thanks to

Building an Educated & Informed Botswana

THIS year marks the 36th anniversary of the establishment of China-Botswana diplomatic ties.Invited by China’s Ministry of Education,a Botswana highlevel educational delegation headed by Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi,Botswana’s Minister of Education and Skills Development,paid a one-week visit to

贝西·黑德小说中的女性形象与身份建构——以《珍宝收藏者及其他博茨瓦纳乡村故事集》为例

博茨瓦纳女作家贝西·黑德在小说集《珍宝收藏者及其他博茨瓦纳乡村故事集》(1974)中,塑造了博茨瓦纳从殖民地走向独立建国的过程中涌现的多种女性形象。本文运用女性主义、后殖民主义理论及其他研究方法,通过考察发现,贝西·黑德在这部小说中主要描绘了3类女性形象:在守旧状态中屈从于乡村传统和殖民地压迫的女乡民;以暴力反抗男权统治、逃离家庭束缚的女囚犯;获得教育机会、学会阅读与写作的新女性。贝西·黑德借助女乡民、女囚犯和新女性等形象,描摹了博茨瓦纳女性顽强抗争、发现自我、争取权力的艰难历程。通过带有自传性的写作,她为沉默的非洲女性发声,建构了追求独立自主、具有创造力的非洲新女性身份。