University of Botswana Public Health Medicine Unit contributions to the national COVID-19 response

Siamisang, Keatlaretse; Kebadiretse, Dineo; Masupe, Tiny

doi:10.11604/pamj.2021.39.82.28314

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…This scale was divided into normal (0-9), mild depression (10-13), moderate depression (14-20), severe depression (21-27) and extremely severe depression (>28). The anxiety subscale is made of questions 2,4,7,9,15,19,20,23,25,28,30,36,40 and 41. The scale was divided into normal (0-7), mild anxiety (8-9), moderate anxiety (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), severe anxiety (15)(16)(17)(18)(19) and extremely severe anxiety (>20).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety and stress among frontline healthcare workers at COVID-19 isolation sites in Gaborone, Botswana

et al. 2022

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Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with mental health outcomes and healthcare workers (HCWs) are at the highest risk. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety and stress, among frontline HCWs at COVID-19 isolation and treatment sites in Gaborone, Botswana. Methods This was a cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires at the six (6) isolation facilities. The 42-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42) was used to assess for the outcomes. The proportions are presented with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Logistic regression analysis identified predictors of the outcomes. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results A total of 447 participants with a median age of 30 years responded. Depression, anxiety and stress were detected in 94 (21.0% (95% CI 17.3–25.1%)), 126 (28.2% (CI 24.1–32.6%)) and 71 (15.9% (12.6–19.6%)) of the participants respectively. Depression was associated with smoking (AOR 2.39 (95% CI 1.23–4.67)), working at the largest COVID-19 isolation centre, Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (SKMTH) (AOR 0.25 (95% CI 0.15–0.43)) and experience of stigma (AOR 1.68 (95% CI 1.01–2.81)). Tertiary education (AOR 1.82 (95% CI 1.07–3.07)), SKMTH (AOR 0.49 (95% CI 0.31–0.77)), household members with chronic lung or heart disease (AOR 2.05 (95% CI 1.20–3.50)) and losing relatives or friends to COVID-19 (AOR 1.72 (95% CI 1.10–2.70)) were predictors of anxiety. Finally, predictors of stress were smoking (AOR 3.20 (95% CI 1.42–7.39)), household members with chronic heart or lung disease (AOR 2.44 (95% CI 1.27–4.69)), losing relatives or friends to COVID-19 (AOR 1.90 (1.05–3.43)) and working at SKMTH (AOR 0.24 (0.12–0.49)). Conclusion Depression, anxiety and stress are common among frontline HCWs working in the COVID-19 isolation sites in Gaborone. There is an urgent need to address the mental health outcomes associated with COVID-19 including addressing the risk factors identified in this study.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several measures were implemented to control the spread of COVID-19 in the country. These measures included appointment of a national COVID-19 task team and restricting movement into the country at points of entry [ 4 ]. Contact tracing was implemented with quarantine of close contacts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety and stress among frontline healthcare workers at COVID-19 isolation sites in Gaborone, Botswana

et al. 2022

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“…Botswana declared its first confirmed case in March 2020, which was followed by a steady increase in imported cases throughout that year [ 3 ]. The government implemented several measures to manage the epidemic including setting up a national taskforce and restricting travel into and out of the country [ 4 ]. Princess Marina Hospital (PMH) had multiple and ongoing positive cases of COVID-19 affecting both patients and staff from early August 2020.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 in Princess Marina Hospital, Botswana: An Outbreak Investigation

Siamisang

Kebadiretse

Smith-Lawrence

2022

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases

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The Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana, had an outbreak of COVID-19 from early August 2020. The aim of this paper was to describe the outbreak investigation. The investigation’s specific objectives were to describe the COVID-19 cases in terms of person, place, and time (PPT) and to determine measures to prevent further transmission of the infection. The data reported herein were collected over a 3-month period from beginning of August to end of October 2020. The investigation included all COVID-19 cases i.e. both patients and healthcare workers. It followed the steps of an outbreak investigation. These included assembling an investigation team comprising both the hospital and DHMT staff. All the wards reported their confirmed cases to the infection control team who in turn prepared line lists and case reports. Epicurves were produced from date of positive result. A total of 193 cases were reported, of which 110 (57.0%) were patients and 83 (43.0%) were healthcare workers. The median age was 35 years. Females accounted for 154 (79.8%) participants. Most of the wards were affected. The wards with the highest numbers of cases were female medical ward (39), emergency department (24), gynecology ward (17), and pediatric medical ward (10). Control measures included restricting movement into the hospital as well as clinical screening at all entry points. Furthermore, all patients were tested before admission into the wards. Surveillance of COVID-19 cases was continued beyond the 3 months reported in this paper. COVID-19 can spread rapidly in hospital settings affecting both patients and healthcare workers. Outbreak investigations including describing cases in terms of person, place, and time are critical if the most effective and efficient control measures are to be implemented.

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“…The World Health Organization (WHO) emergency committee convened under the International Health Regulations (IHR) and advised the director general to declare COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) [ 2 , 3 ]. The declaration was made on 30 January 2020 [ 4 , 5 ]. By definition, PHEIC is “an extraordinary event that may constitute a public health risk to other countries through international spread of the disease and may require an international coordinated response” [ 6 , 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices towards COVID-19 among workers at two points of entry in South-Eastern Botswana: A cross-sectional study

et al. 2022

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Introduction Adherence to control measures and provision of appropriate information at international borders and points of entry (POE) are key to limiting the importation of COVID-19. This study aimed to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of POE staff towards COVID-19 in Botswana. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of the COVID-19 KAPs among workers at Tlokweng border and Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA) using a self-administered questionnaire. The tool incorporated the participants’ demographics and selected questions on COVID-19 KAPs. Analysis was descriptive. Categorical data were summarized with frequencies while numeric data were summarized with medians and interquartile ranges (IQR). The total knowledge and practice scores of each individual were computed by adding their individual scores for each question. The scores were then categorized according to Bloom’s cutoffs of good (80–100%), moderate (60–79%) and poor (<60%). Results A total of 276 individuals participated in the study. Of these, 70 were from Tlokweng border and 206 were from SSKIA. The participants performed worst on questions on the frequency of severe disease and asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19. The attitudes were mainly positive. However, 54.6% of participants thought that the COVID-19 burden is exaggerated. For practice, the worst performance was on social distancing, sanitizing shared surfaces, and going to work while symptomatic. Overall, good and moderate knowledge was observed in 47.8% and 38.0% of participants, respectively. Similarly, good and moderate performance on practices was observed in 63.6% and 24.4% of participants respectively. Conclusion The knowledge, attitudes, and practices were generally good at the 2 points of entry. More than 85% of respondents had moderate or good performance on knowledge and practice questions. However, the respondents performed poorly in some key questions. Targeted health information and promotion must address the identified gaps.

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University of Botswana Public Health Medicine Unit contributions to the national COVID-19 response

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

Prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety and stress among frontline healthcare workers at COVID-19 isolation sites in Gaborone, Botswana

Prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety and stress among frontline healthcare workers at COVID-19 isolation sites in Gaborone, Botswana

COVID-19 in Princess Marina Hospital, Botswana: An Outbreak Investigation

Knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices towards COVID-19 among workers at two points of entry in South-Eastern Botswana: A cross-sectional study

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