Marburg virus (MARV) causes sporadic outbreaks of severe Marburg virus disease (MVD). Most MVD outbreaks originated in East Africa and field studies in East Africa, South Africa, Zambia, and Gabon identified the Egyptian rousette bat (ERB; Rousettus aegyptiacus) as a natural reservoir. However, the largest recorded MVD outbreak with the highest case-fatality ratio happened in 2005 in Angola, where direct spillover from bats was not shown. Here, collaborative studies by the

As threats facing wildlife and protected areas across Africa increase, demand for innovative and transformational leadership to tackle the challenges remains high. Traditional academic training programmes are playing a critical role in meeting capacity development needs, yet opportunities for strengthening leadership capabilities are limited. This was the rationale behind Mentoring for ENvironmental Training in Outreach and Resource conservation (MENTOR), initiated in 2007 by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service through a collaborative effort with various partners to support conservation leadership and capacity development across sub-Saharan Africa. Five independent programmes were implemented over a decade, each designed to combine rigorous academic and field-based training with mentoring and experiential learning for teams of 8–9 fellows selected through a competitive process. It was envisioned that this approach to leadership and capacity development would strengthen the resolve, capabilities and competences of the fellows and position them as conservation leaders. Using data from interviews and online surveys, we assessed three key aspects of the programmes: strategic relevance and design; progress, effectiveness and impact; and sustainability. Overall, we found that all five programmes successfully delivered the objective of strengthening leadership for conservation in Africa, with the cadre of professionals acquiring new skills and expertise to advance their careers, and developing life-long relationships and networks. We discuss the potential of this approach for developing African conservation leaders.

This research conducted on 900 dog-owning households randomly selected in urban Freetown investigated dog population and ecology, and how they relate with human populations, with regards to rabies. Pre-tested questionnaires designed according to World Health Organization standards were administered from Allen town in the east to Juba hills in the west. Area measurements using prescribed methods were done in the east, central and west of Freetown. Dog population was obtained by counting the number of dogs in the three clusters. Results obtained revealed an estimated total dog population of 13,246 with a ratio of 1:14 dogs to humans respectively., Life expectancy of dogs was 3-4 years, although some lived up to 7 years and above. More males were involved in dog rearing than females. Although 72% of dog owners are skilled income earners, however, 81% do not feed their dogs with canned food; hence 88% don't know the cost of feeding their dogs. Approximately, 44% of households allow their dogs to scavenge garbage dumps and to mix with other dogs. Most dogs (77%) are owned by parents, mainly for security purposes, but 59% do not monitor or register their dogs with veterinary clinics and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. Lack of care and attention accounted for 78% of dog mortality; hence dog owners need to pay closer attention in the management of their dogs to reduce the incidence of dog bites and rabies for a healthy coexistence with them.

Aim and Scope: The importance of students' social environments intheir day-to-day lives cannot be overstated. The extent to which students arehappy in their hostel depends on its facilities' availability, adequacy, andfunctionality. A case study of Njala University, Njala campus, was used todetermine the amenities provided and the level of satisfaction the students derived from those amenities. Methods: A cross-sectional research designwas used to conduct the research through a close-ended questionnaire. Thestudy's sample size was 482 students. SPSS version 26.0 was used for the dataanalysis. Result: Most (82.0%) of the respondents were within the age group20-29 years, and more than two-thirds (70.7%) were living in overcrowdedrooms with double the number than the room was designed for.; this isattributed to the common phenomenon of students who get a place sub-lettingto their less fortunate colleagues on a cost-sharing basis. Overcrowding hasimplications of increasing pressure on the available facilities. Students werereasonably satisfied with hostel facilities such as recreational grounds, securitystatus, Library/ICT, waste management, and electricity, but very dissatisfiedwith the drainage system, state of mattresses, toilet facilities, water supply,kitchen, room size, laundry, and lack of firefighting devices. Conclusion :Students are dissatisfied with current facilities as enrollment continues to risefaster than Government intervention the paper suggests that a public-privatepartnership be established to fund the construction of other hostels withupdated designs and amenities.

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Background: Bats are considered wildlife species of public health concern, as they are known to host various pathogenic agents, and their interactions with humans are potential routes of pathogen spillover. A high level of knowledge on Bat-borne Zoonotic Diseases (BZD), their causative agents, signs, symptoms, mode and pattern of transmission, health attitudes, and practices towards the disorders are vital parameters in handling them. This study aimed to look into BZD knowledge, public attitudes, and behaviour. Methods: We surveyed the 14 chiefdoms of Moyamba district. A total of 421 participants were randomly sampled using closedended questionnaire. Simple linear regression analysis was used to determine the effects of gender, age, education, and livelihood opportunities on BZD knowledge (at 95% confidence interval and alpha value = 0.05). The findings were analysed and correlated with a scientific and public health perspective to assess the breadth of knowledge and awareness of BZD among the people of Moyamba district. Results:The findings from the study show a low level of knowledge on BZD among the people of the Moyamba district, with only 119 (28.3%) individuals that had some knowledge about BZD. Of those that knew about BZD, 94 (79.0%) had very little knowledge, 24 (20.2%) had a fair amount, and 1 (0.8%) had a great deal of knowledge about BZD. The primary mode of knowledge dissemination was through social media platforms. Conclusion:The level of knowledge about BZD is also very low. As a result of these findings, policymakers, health professionals, and environmental educators will be compelled to develop strategies to reduce the risk of BZD transmission in Sierra Leone's population.

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Aim and Scope: The importance of students' social environments in their day-to-day lives cannot be overstated. The extent to which students are happy in their hostel depends on its facilities' availability, adequacy, and functionality. A case study of Njala University, Njala campus, was used to determine the amenities provided and the level of satisfaction the students derived from those amenities. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was used to conduct the research through in-field observations and a standardized questionnaire. The study's sample size was estimated at 482 total students. SPSS version 26.0 was used for the data analysis. Result: The study revealed that 82.0% of the respondents were within the age group 20-29 years, and more than two-thirds (70.7%) of the respondents were living in overcrowded rooms with a population of more than the required number of persons per room; this is attributed to the squatting phenomenon among the hostel occupants with the attendant implications of increasing pressure on the available facilities. Equally, students were reasonably satisfied with hostel facilities such as recreational grounds, security status, Library/ICT, waste management and electricity. Results showed respondents were unhappy with the adequacy and performance of certain facilities such as the drainage system, foam, toilet, water supply, kitchen, room size, laundry, and firefighting device. Conclusion: For student convenience, as enrollment continues to rise, the paper suggests that public-private partnerships be established to fund the construction of other hostels with updated designs and amenities.