The Climate and Health Interdisciplinary Research Programme (CHIRP) at Leeds is based in the Priestly International Centre for Climate at the University of Leeds. CHIRP@LEEDS is a joint collaboration across the climate and global health themes, and partners the Leeds School of Earth and Environment, and the Leeds Institute for Health Sciences, including the Nuffield Centre for Global Health and Development. Led by Professor Lea Berrang-Ford, the programme integrates interdisciplinary expertise across Leeds faculties, including strengths in public health, epidemiology, medicine, engineering, climate science, nutrition, and geography.
CLARK, S., BERRANG-FORD, L., LWASA, S., NAMANYA, D., EDGE, V., & HARPER, S. The burden and determinants of self-reported acute gastrointestinal illness in an Indigenous Batwa Pygmy population in southwestern Uganda. Epidemiology and Infection, 1-12.
Abstract: Acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) is an important public health priority worldwide. Few studies have captured the burden of AGI in developing countries, and even fewer have focused on Indigenous populations. This study aimed to estimate the incidence and determinants of AGI within a Batwa Pygmy Indigenous population in southwestern Uganda. A retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted in January 2013 via a census of 10 Batwa communities (n = 583 participants). The AGI case definition included any self-reported symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting in the past 2 weeks. The 14-day prevalence of AGI was 6·17% [95% confidence interval (CI) 4·2-8·1], corresponding to an annual incidence rate of 1·66 (95% CI 1·1-2·2) episodes of AGI per person-year. AGI prevalence was greatest in children aged <3 years (11·3%). A multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression model controlling for clustering at the community level indicated that exposure to goats [odds ratio (OR) 2·6, 95% CI 1·0-6·8], being a child aged <3 years (OR 4·8, 95% CI 1·2-18·9), and being a child, adolescent or senior Batwa in the higher median of wealth (OR 7·0, 95% CI 3·9-9·2) were significantly associated with having AGI. This research represents the first Indigenous community-census level study of AGI in Uganda, and highlights the substantial burden of AGI within this population. Stephanie Austin attended the Ouranos Symposium in Quebec City December 4th and 5th. Ouranosis a consortium on regional climatology and adaptation to climate change (www.ouranos.ca). Stephanie Austin presented on current Canadian federal, provincial, territorial and municipal health adaptation strategies due to climate change. (Poster title: Public Health Adaptation to Climate Change in Canadian Jurisdictions / Adaptation des systèmes de santé publique aux changements climatiques à travers les juridictions canadiennes. By: Stephanie E. Austin, James D. Ford, Lea Berrang-Ford, Malcolm Araos, Stephen Parker and Manon D. Fleury)
Also you can check out Stephanie's live tweets from the Symposium @se_austin Congratulations to Kate Bishop for her second place win at the Arctic Change (Dec 8-12th 2014) Student Poster Session. Kate's poster titled, "Seasonal Changes in Prevalence of Acute Gastrointestinal Illness in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Canada" (Bishop-Williams K, Berrang-Ford L, Edge VL, Ford J, Thomas K, Shiwak, I, RICG, IHACC Research Group, Harper S), found the greatest prevalence of AGI in the winter months and may be associated with respiratory conditions such as influenza. Click to view Kate's poster
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