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Children in Lusaka and in a rural area in central Zambia were examined during November 1984 and April 1985 to assess the effect of urbanization on malaria transmission. Of 423 urban children examined in November, 2.4% had scanty parasitaemia, and low titres of malarial antibodies were found in 46%. These proportions increased in April to a parasite rate of 10.3% and malaria antibodies were detected by indirect fluorescent antibody tests (IFAT) in 62%. The presence of malaria antibodies was positively associated with journeys outside the main towns. Examination of paired sera from the 2 periods showed an association between a history of malaria and an increased antibody titre, but failed to show an association between travel outside the main towns and conversion from a negative to a positive IFAT. The spleen rate in children under 15 years old in Lusaka was 3%, indicating hypoendemic malaria. In rural children the parasite rate was 10% and 27% in the 2 seasons, respectively, and over 97% of the children had malaria antibodies. The spleen rate was 20%, indicating mesoendemic malaria. It is concluded that there is only low transmission of malaria in Lusaka so that many people do not develop resistance and are therefore at risk of severe attacks if they do become infected. Possible measures to protect the urban population are discussed.

Objective: To describe types of strategic actions nurses take to promote environmental justice (EJ) through research, education, advocacy, and practice (REAP) reported in peer-reviewed literature. Design and Sample:A scoping review of literature was conducted that described EJ nursing strategies and included nurses listed as authors, subjects, partners, or organizational members. The sample consisted of 35 articles, representing 24 primary research studies and 11 nonresearch articles. Data were separately analyzed by research and nonresearch articles for a clearer understanding of evidence-based strategies within domains of REAP. Results: Articles in the sample highlighted the importance of authentic community partnership and represented diversity of nursing strategies that addressed a range of environmental exposures and subsequent health and racial inequities. Climate justice, a concept that emerged from the EJ movement and intersects with planetary health, is a recent focus in professional nursing. Conclusions: This scoping review establishes an understanding of the extent of nursing knowledge and research in EJ and lays the groundwork for further research on effective EJ nursing strategies. Community-Based Participatory Research/ Participatory Action Research methods are fundamental for EJ research, and further theoretical development is needed to guide evaluation of EJ nursing strategies for education, advocacy, and practice.

The transportation sector is a major factor contributing to climate change. Transportation Network Companies (TNC) may become part of solutions to reduce emissions and their drivers play an important role in doing so. This study aims to understand TNC driver’s perceptions of climate change, to understand how climate change and extreme weather affects their business and how they see their role in contributing to or mitigating climate change. We conducted an in-person survey of TNC drivers in Nevada, USA, and analyzed the derived information with descriptive statistics and content analysis. Among the 75 TNC drivers, almost half believe climate change is happening and is caused by human activities. We found TNC drivers and their business are affected by extreme weather events. Currently the drivers do not see their role in mitigating climate change and lack the awareness of green initiatives already in place by TNCs’. We conclude that TNCs could increase their climate change responsibility by providing driver incentives for cars with reduced emissions or by geographically expanding customer incentives for using sustainable TNC options such as car-pooling. By doing so, TNC may play a role in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion; thus, contributing to improved sustainable transportation practices.

Objective Guided by the vulnerable population framework, the aim was to describe the risks and protective strategies for COVID-19 spread and infections in a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF). Method We conducted a retrospective cohort (March 1st–August 31st, 2020) study. Data were collected from internal COVID-19 documents and resident electronic health records. Data were summarized and analyzed using descriptive statistics, relative risk calculations, and cases charted by week onset. Results There were 325 residents who lived in and 296 staff who worked at the SNF during the study period. There was a total of 2 confirmed cases among residents and 4 confirmed cases among staff. Cases were isolated and all were living at their baseline health status at the end of the study. Conclusion Understanding the vulnerability to and protective strategies for COVID-19 within SNFs could strengthen resident care, resiliency among the SNF community, and improve health policies.