Abstract BACKGROUND: Efforts to mitigate vision loss due to uncorrected refractive errors (UREs) in Africa remain unpredictable. This study investigated the prevalence and socio-demographic distribution of UREs in school-going adolescents of Kakamega County in Kenya. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with randomly selected secondary school adolescents. Participants were screened and clinically examined for URE types and dioptric strength and were administered questi...
Abstract BACKGROUND: Low-vision assistive devices play an essential role in improving the reading performance and quality of life of low-vision children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A school-based observational cross-sectional study design was employed based on a census survey that identified 21 low-vision learners who had been assessed and placed in 11 primary public inclusive schools in Kakamega County, of whom 19 consented to participate in this study. Participants responded to the LV Prasad Fu...
Abstract Genome studies in Australia reported a novel virus, Phasey bean mild yellows virus (genus Polerovirus; PBMYV), in mixed infections with Bean leaf roll virus, Faba bean polerovirus 1, Soybean dwarf virus and Turnip yellows virus naturally infecting phasey bean (Macroptilium lathyroides) (Sharman et al., 2021). Transmission studies with Aphis craccivora and by grafting with infected scions identified fabaceous hosts including chickpea, faba bean and pea as additional hosts of PBMYV (W...
Abstract Background: Severe malarial anemia (SMA; Hb < 5.0 g/dl) is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in holoendemic Plasmodium falciparum transmission regions such as western Kenya. Methods: We investigated the relationship between two novel complement component 5 (C5) missense mutations [rs17216529:C>T, p(Val145Ile) and rs17610:C>T, p(Ser1310Asn)] and longitudinal outcomes of malaria in a cohort of Kenyan children (under 60 mos, n = 1,546). Molecular modeling was used to...