Introduction Cervical cancer remains one of the leading health hazards affecting a majority women across the globe. The situation is even more, preoccupying particularly in areas where screening programmes and services are absent. The World Health Organization (WHO) says “cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women, with an estimated 570,000 new cases diagnosed in 2018 which represents 6.6% of all female cancers. Approximately 90% of deaths from cervical cancer occurred in low- and middle-income countries”. Despite the high mortality rate from cervical cancer globally, the trend could be reduced through a comprehensive approach that includes prevention, early diagnosis, effective screening and treatment programmes. In Cameroon, the prevalence of cervical cancer is 24% among women of reproductive age. An estimated 1,993 new cases are recorded annually in Cameroon with 1676 deaths. Despite this precarious situation, the uptake in cervical cancer screening service remains poor and stands at 19.6% in Cameroon. It is against this background that this paper evaluates the uptake of cervical cancer among women aged 25-65 years in the Kumbo West Health District (KWHD). Specifically, this study assesses the knowledge of women in this health district on cervical cancer and determines factors that affect the uptake of cervical cancer screening services. Methods This study is a cross-sectional study in the KWHD involving 253 consented women between the ages 25 to 65 years. The principal research instrument was a three-part questionnaire designed to collect information on socio-demographic profile, cervical cancer knowledge and associated factors for uptake in cervical cancer screening. Data was entered in MS Excel and analysed using Excel. Results were presented in tables and figures. Results Our study reveals that a majority of the participants (74.70%) had heard of cervical cancer and 43.48% had undergone cervical cancer screening. Again, 24.51% and 29.25% of the participants respectively could not identify any risk factor and symptom of cervical cancer. Conclusion The study revealed that the uptake of cervical cancer screening in KWHD is higher than the national uptake. The level of awareness on the risk factors and symptoms of cervical cancer is low, posing a need to put more emphasis on educating and creating awareness of cervical cancer among communities on risk factors, prevention measures and signs and symptoms in all the health areas of the KWHD.

BackgroundAn association between wheeze (a symptom of asthma) and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), types of fuel used for residential heating or cooking and the frequency of trucks passing near homes, has been reported mainly in developed countries. Little is known about the strength of such associations in developing countries. This study was conducted in residential areas situated in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, namely Tembisa and Kempton Park, which form part of the Highveld region, a priority area in terms of air pollution in South Africa.MethodsFrom 3764 eligible school children, aged between 13 and 14 years, from 16 selected high schools in the study area, 3468 completed a modified questionnaire based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Data were analysed using multiple logistic regression models.ResultsThe results are based on data from 3424 children. In the adjusted models, exposure to ETS at school was associated with wheeze ever (OR 1.22 95% CI: 1.03 - 1.45) and current wheeze (OR 1.33 95% CI: 1.08 - 1.64). When gas was most frequently used for residential heating the likelihood of wheeze ever increased by 47% (OR 1.47 95% CI: 1.15 - 1.88). Trucks passing near homes for almost the whole day during weekdays, increased the likelihood of wheeze ever (OR 1.32 95% CI: 1.01 - 1.73), current wheeze (OR 1.61 95% CI: 1.15 - 2.24) and current severe wheeze (OR 2.22 95% CI: 1.28 - 3.77). When data were stratified according to residential area, for children living in Tembisa, ETS exposure at home was associated with current wheeze (OR 1.36 95% CI: 1.06 - 1.77); gas most frequently used for residential heating was associated with wheeze ever (OR 1.68 95% CI: 1.23 - 2.28) and current wheeze (OR 1.61 95% CI: 1.08 - 2.39); paraffin most frequently used for residential heating was associated with current severe wheeze (OR 1.85 95% CI: 1.04 - 3.28).ConclusionIt was concluded that children living in one of the air pollution priority areas of South Africa, have an increased risk of wheezing due to exposure to both indoor and outdoor air pollution sources.

IntroductionEvery day, approximately 830 women globally die from pregnancy-child birth related complications and all maternal deaths are mainly due to the three phases of delay usually experienced in maternal care which originates from inadequate or lack of birth and emergency preparedness. Despite the benefit of Birth Preparedness and Complications Readiness (BPACR) in the reduction of the three phases of delay and thus reduction of maternal deaths and complications, no study has been conducted in Adjumani district to assess the knowledge and practice of birth preparedness and complication readiness, thus our objective was to assess the knowledge and practice of Birth Preparedness and Complications Readiness (BPACR) among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Openzinzi Health Centre (HC) III in Adjumani District.MethodsA descriptive cross sectional study design with a sample of 80 respondents was used for the study. Simple random sampling was used to select the respondents in the study area. A research administered questionnaire was used for data collection.ResultsMost of the respondents (27.5%) were in the age group of 26-35 years. The majority 43.75% ended at primary level of education, 50% were unemployed, and the majority 71.25% and 70% knew identifying skilled birth attendants and health facilities respectively as components of BPACR. 76.25% of the respondents mentioned vaginal bleeding and 62.5% over vomiting as danger signs in pregnancy while 12.5% did not know any danger sign in pregnancy. 76.25% identified place for skilled birth, 66.25% identified skilled birth attendant, and only 15% identified blood donor.ConclusionThe practice of BPACR was poor among the pregnant women attending antenatal care at Openzinzi Health Centre III in Adjumani District. The knowledge about BPACR was higher among the educated respondents involved in the study.

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