The National Research Repository of Uganda - NRU

Welcome to the National Research Repository of Uganda, abbreviated as "NRU". NRU was established in 2021. NRU is a collection of scholarly output by researchers from the UNCST Community, including scholarly articles and books, electronic theses and dissertations, conference proceedings, journals, technical reports and digitised library collections. It is the official Institutional Archive (IA) of UNCST.

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For information about the publishers' copyright policy on archiving your articles online or in an institutional archive, visit the Sherpa Site at http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo.php The site gives a summary of the permissions normally given as part of each publisher's copyright transfer agreement. If you wish to publish your research findings in the NRU, please contact NRU administrator at admin@uncst.go.ug for details. NRU operates both open access and closed access models. Access to fulltext has been restricted in adherence to the UNCST Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Copyrights policies.

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Africa Portal is an online repository of open access library collection with over 3,000 books, journals, and digital documents on African policy issues. This is an initiative by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Makerere University (MAK), and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). Please visit the Africa Portal at http://www.africaportal.org/library.

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Recent Submissions

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Factors associated with malaria transmission in children aged 3 to 59 months during seasonal malaria chemoprevention implementation, Kotido District, Uganda, 2024
(African Field Epidemiology Network, 2026-01-06) Charity Mutesi;; Richard Migisha;; Lilian Bulage ;; Gerald Rukundo;; Jane Irene Nabakooza;; Patrick Kwizera;; Mathias Mulyazaawo;; Ronald Kimuli;; Benon Kwesiga;; Alex Riolexus Ario
Introduction: Uganda introduced seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) in the Karamoja region, an area where transmission of malaria is high. While SMC is effective in similar settings, 2023 surveillance data in Kotido District showed a 15% increase in malaria incidence among children during implementation. We investigated the factors driving transmission of malaria among children aged 3 to 59 months in Kotido and assessed SMC effectiveness. Methods: An unmatched 1:1 case-control study was conducted at three high-volume health facilities in Kotido in September 2024. Cases were children aged 3–59 months with parasitological’ confirmed malaria, while controls were children who tested negative for malaria at the same facilities, recruited concurrently. We conducted health facility exit interviews with caregivers of children to collect information on sociodemographic and clinical features. Logistic regression identified factors associated with malaria, and SMC effectiveness was computed as 1-adjusted odds ratio (aOR)*100. Results: We enrolled 272 cases and 272 controls. Most cases were female (141, 52%). More of the cases’ caregivers had a low malaria risk perception (64, 24%) compared to those of the controls (10, 4%). SMC provided a 94% (95% CI: 91%–96%) protection against malaria in children who took it within 28 days of the previous cycle. Children who had spent more than the recommended 28 days without SMC administration (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 17, 95%CI = 11–26), those with underlying medical conditions (aOR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.02–2.5), and those whose caregivers had a low malaria risk perception (aOR = 5.0, 95% CI=2.3–11) were at a higher risk of getting malaria. Conclusion: Children who did not adhere to the 28-day SMC schedule, had existing health conditions, or whose caregivers perceived malaria as low risk had increased odds of contracting malaria. Strengthening adherence to SMC schedules, providing integrated care for children, and enhancing caregiver awareness could maximize SMC effectiveness and sustain malaria control efforts.
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Deep Learning for Automated Detection of Periportal Fibrosis in Ultrasound Imaging: Improving Diagnostic Accuracy in Schistosoma mansoni Infection
(MDPI AG, 2025-12-12) Alex Mutebe;; Bakhtiyar Ahmed;; Agnes Natukunda ;; Emily Webb;; Andrew Abaasa;; Simon Mpooya;; Moses Egesa;; Ayoub Kakande;; Alison M. Elliott;; Samuel O. Danso
This study investigates advanced deep learning methods to improve the detection of periportal fibrosis (PPF) in medical imaging. Schistosoma mansoni infection affects over 54 million individuals globally, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa, with around 20 million experiencing chronic complications. PPF, present in up to 42% of these cases, is a leading outcome of chronic liver disease, significantly contributing to morbidity and mortality. Early and accurate detection is critical for timely intervention, yet conventional ultrasound diagnosis remains highly operator-dependent. We adapted and trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) using ultrasound images to automatically identify and classify PPF severity. The proposed approach achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 80%. Sensitivity and specificity reached 84% and 76%, respectively, demonstrating robust generalisability across varying image qualities and acquisition settings. These findings highlight the potential of deep learning to reduce diagnostic subjectivity and support scalable screening programmes. Future work will focus on validation with larger datasets and multi-class fibrosis grading to enhance clinical utility.
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Local species richness of parasitoid wasps (Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) in Afrotropical forest: Conservation perspectives
(Wiley Subscription Services, Inc, 2026-01) Österman, Emil M.;; Hopkins, Tapani;; Sääksjärvi, Ilari E.
Effective conservation of biodiversity relies on an understanding of its composition and distribution. Parasitoid wasps are an ecologically important and highly species‐rich group of Hymenoptera but are poorly known in the tropics. One strategy for conserving their richness is based on finding out how the richness is distributed in different habitats. Here, we investigate the local species richness and biological composition of parasitoid wasps (Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) collected with Malaise traps in Ugandan tropical forest. We link the richness of Pimplinae and its four biological groups to habitat types across a successional gradient. We found higher pimpline richness in forest than in nearby farmland, with the highest richness in the group of idiobiont parasitoids of weakly concealed hosts. Our results suggest that protecting primary tropical forest may be particularly important for conserving a high richness of koinobiont ectoparasitoids of spiders and that nearby disturbed forest can have high parasitoid wasp richness after a few decades of regeneration. Trapping in forest collected 5623 individuals of 83 species, which is high compared with pimpline richness at temperate latitudes, supporting a typical latitudinal diversity gradient of at least the Pimplinae subfamily of Ichneumonidae. Entomology Abstracts
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Parental death: a systematic review of support experiences and needs of children and parent survivors
(British Medical Journal Publishing Group, 2026-01) Wray, Alexandra;; Pickwell-Smith, Benjamin;; Greenley, Sarah ;; Pask, Sophie;; Bamidele, Olufikayo;; Wright, Barry;; Murtagh, Fliss;; Boland, Jason W
BackgroundBereaved people need a supportive response from those around them. Knowing children’s and surviving parents' needs following parental death is the first step to ensuring a supportive response. However, no systematic review has reported on this phenomenon.AimTo systematically identify and synthesise qualitative literature exploring support experiences of parentally bereaved children and surviving parents.MethodsSystematic review with thematic synthesis, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and the British Nursing Database were searched for relevant papers to September 2021. Included studies were appraised for quality and thematically synthesised using Thomas and Harden’s thematic synthesis framework.ResultsFifteen qualitative studies from nine countries were included. There were four analytical themes from the children’s perspectives (1) Openness of communication with children about death and dying, (2) Children’s challenges of managing change, (3) Navigating emotions, and (4) Children’s acceptability, access and engagement with support. There were three analytical themes from the parents' perspectives: (1) Adjusting as a parent, (2) Supporting their children, and (3) Parent’s acceptability, access and engagement with support.ConclusionsFollowing a parental death, open and honest communication and involvement in what is happening within the family will help children cope. Both children and parents suppress emotions and avoid conversations to protect each other and those around them. A taboo around death exists and constrains the support some families receive. Childhood bereavement is a public health issue, with a need for professionals and communities to better understand and respond to the needs of bereaved families.CRD42020166179
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Susceptibility Patterns and Factors Associated with Multidrug Antibiotic Resistance Among Patients with Productive Cough in Southwestern Uganda
(Dove Medical Press, 2026-01) Ezekiel W;; Kegoye ES;; Ssempijja F ;; Maniga JN;; Ampeire IP;; Abdi AA
Winnie Ezekiel,1 Eric Simidi Kegoye,2,3 Fred Ssempijja,4,5 Josephat Nyabayo Maniga,6 Isaac Petit Ampeire,1 Awil Abdulkadir Abdi1 1Department of Internal Medicine, Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, Bushenyi, Uganda; 2Department of Human Anatomy, Kenya Methodist University, Meru, Kenya; 3Department of Human Anatomy, Kampala International University, Bushenyi, Uganda; 4Infection Medicine, Edinburgh Medical School, Deanery of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; 5School of Allied Health, St. Lawrence College, Kingston, Canada; 6Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kampala International University, Bushenyi, UgandaCorrespondence: Awil Abdulkadir Abdi, Department of Internal Medicine, Kampala International University Teaching Hospital, Bushenyi, Uganda, Email awil6263@gmail.comBackground: Antibiotic resistance is a growing global public health concern, yet data on bacterial pathogens and susceptibility patterns among patients with productive cough in Uganda are scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, bacterial isolates, susceptibility profiles, and factors associated with antibiotic resistance at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 216 adult outpatients presenting with productive cough. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, and medical data were obtained using structured questionnaires. Sputum samples were cultured, and antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M100 (2022) guidelines. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with antibiotic resistance. A p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Bacterial pathogens were isolated in 139 (64.4%) patients. The most frequent were Streptococcus pneumoniae 57 (40.8%), Staphylococcus aureus 40 (28.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 17 (12.2%), and Streptococcus pyogenes 14 (10.2%). Most bacterial isolates were sensitive to imipenem 105 (75.5%), ceftazidime 92 (66.7%), and cefepime 81 (58.5%), while the lowest was to ampicillin 13 (9.5%) and amoxicillin 13 (9.5%). Antibiotic resistance was associated with smoking (aOR = 2.89, 95% CI: 1.074– 7.784, p = 0.036) and prior use of antibiotic (aOR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.103– 6.369, p = 0.029).Conclusion: Among outpatients with a productive cough at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus were the leading Gram-positive isolates, and Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most common Gram-negative. Gram-negative isolates showed more susceptibility to ceftazidime, and overall susceptibility was more for imipenem, whereas ampicillin and amoxicillin demonstrated very low activity. Antibiotic resistance was significantly associated with smoking and prior use of antibiotic. These findings underscore the need for routine sputum culture and sensitivity testing, and strengthened public health measures to reduce smoking and inappropriate use of antibiotic.Keywords: multidrug resistance, productive cough, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, use of antibiotic, smoking, Uganda