A retrospective study of the pattern of poisoning cases admitted to eight major urban referral hospitals in Zimbabwe over a 2-year period (1998-1999 inclusive) was conducted to describe the pattern of poisoning at these centres. There were a total of 2764 hospital admissions due to poisoning, involving a total of 2846 toxic agents. Accidental poisoning (AP) and deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) accounted for 48.9% (1352 cases) and 41.3% (1142 cases), respectively. With AP, the highest number of cases (45.9%) occurred in children below the age of 5 years, with half of these due to chemicals, mainly paraffin. In the DSP group, however, more than 60% of all cases occurred in the 16-25-year age group. In addition, twice as many females as males were admitted for DSP compared with an overall male/female ratio of 1 : 1.2. Pesticides (31.4%) and pharmaceuticals (30.4%) were the most common groups of toxic agents responsible for the hospital admissions. Unknown toxins, natural toxins and pesticides showed the highest mortality rates (15.4%, 8.3% and 6.7%, respectively). Compared with the last major survey of poisoning in Zimbabwe, the pattern of poisoning at referral hospitals has changed over the last decade, with an increase in pesticide and pharmaceutical cases and a marked fall in cases of traditional medicine poisoning. Educational and legislative interventions may be required to address these changes. There is the need also to investigate further the high mortality rates associated with traditional medicine poisoning.

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Pralidoxime is an organophosphate antidote with poor central nervous system distribution due to a high polarity. In the present study, pralidoxime-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles were prepared and evaluated as a potential delivery system of the drug into the central nervous system. The nanoparticles were prepared using double emulsion solvent evaporation method. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) in ethyl acetate made the organic phase and pralidoxime in water made the aqueous phase. The system was stabilized by polyvinyl alcohol. Different drug/polymer ratios were used (1 : 1, 1 : 2, and 1 : 4) and the fabricated particles were characterized for encapsulation efficiency using UV-VIS Spectroscopy; particle size distribution, polydispersity index, and zeta potential using photon correlation spectroscopy; and in vitro drug release profile using UV-VIS Spectroscopy. Mean particle sizes were 386.6 nm, 304.7 nm, and 322.8 nm, encapsulation efficiency was 28.58%, 51.91%, and 68.78%, and zeta potential was 5.04 mV, 3.31 mV, and 5.98 mV for particles with drug/polymer ratios 1 : 1, 1 : 2, and 1 : 4, respectively. In vitro drug release profile changed from biphasic to monobasic as the drug/polymer ratio decreased from 1 : 1 to 1 : 4. Stable pralidoxime-loaded PLGA nanoparticles were produced using double emulsion solvent evaporation techniques.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that has become a global pandemic. COVID-19 is spreading in Africa, and Zimbabwe has not been spared. The cases in Zimbabwe are mainly from imported cases due to high volume of travellers from the COVID-19 hotspots. In Zimbabwe, local transmission is also anticipated due to inter- and intracity travelling. Frontline health workers are at risk of infection due to contact with infected people as they discharge their duties. In this setting, the risk to community pharmacists and pharmacy personnel is poorly understood and characterised. This paper looked at the risks of infection that are peculiar to community pharmacy personnel and suggested some recommendations to reduce the risk to COVID-19 infection.

Background: Routine antibiotic prophylaxis following snakebite is not recommended but evidence suggests that it may be common practice in Zimbabwe. This study set out to determine and describe the extent of this practice at Parirenyatwa Hospital, a large teaching hospital in Zimbabwe