Taarifa kwa vyombo vya Habari

Chanzo: MUHIMBILI UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH AND ALLIED SCIENCES

Dar es Salaam| 24-FEB-2024. Watafiti wameonya juu ya hatari za kiafya zinazohusishwa na utumiaji mbaya wa dawa ya diazepam, maarufu kama Valium, baada ya utafiti kubaini kuwa dawa hiyo inauzwa kinyume cha sheria katika maduka ya dawa jijini.

Dawa hiyo ilipatikana katika asilimia 91 ya maduka ya dawa (178) ambayo yalihusishwa kwenye utafiti wilayani Kinondoni.

Asilimia 70 ya watoa dawa waliwauzia wateja bila kuona cheti cha daktari, licha ya kuwepo kwa sheria na kanuni za dawa zinazodhibiti utumiaji wa dawa hiyo.

Kinondoni, ilichaguliwa kwa ajili ya utafiti kutokana na kuwepo wa maduka mengi ya dawa, ikilinganishwa na maeneo mengi ya Tanzania.

Watafiti walijikita katika kufuatilia diazepam (tracer medicine) kwani ina uwezo mkubwa wakusababisha madhara makubwa kwa mtumiaji.  Pia, inapatikana kwa urahisi katika maduka ya dawa.

“Ikitumiwa vibaya kwa muda mrefu [dawa hii] inaweza kuleta athari mbaya kama vile utegemezi na dalili ambazo zinaweza kuzidisha mashambulizi ya hofu, fadhaa, na matatizo ya kisaikolojia ya papo hapo,” watafiti waliandika.

Utafiti huo ulichapishwa katika Jarida la Utafiti wa Huduma za Afya wa BMC mwaka 2019 lakini matokeo yake bado yana maana hata leo, kwa mujibu wa mtafiti mkuu Wigilya Padili Mikomangwa, mfamasia katika Chuo Kikuu cha Afya na Sayansi Shirikishi Muhimbili (MUHAS).

Utoaji holela wa diazepam katika maduka ya dawa ya jamii unaweza kuwa unatokana na ukosefu wa usimamizi wa moja kwa moja wa wafamasia waliosajiliwa, watafiti wanasema.

Mikomangwa anasema ni wakati muafaka kwa mamlaka kuimarisha zaidi ufuatiliaji wa utoaji wa dawa zinazotakiwa kutolewa na daktari pekee.

“Ingawa utafiti [wetu] ulilenga dawa ya diazepam, matokeo yanaweza kuakisi mazoea katika utoaji wa dawa nyingine ambazo utoaji wake umedhibitiwa,” Mikomangwa ameliambia MwanaSayansi.

Zaidi ya miezi sita iliyopita, Msajili wa Baraza la Famasi Bibi Elizabeth Shekalaghe alitoa onyo kali kwa maduka ya dawa na wataalamu wa afya dhidi ya kutoa dawa zilizodhibitiwa. 178

Alizungumza katika mkutano mkuu wa mwaka wa Chama cha Wafamasia Tanzania, Juni 2021.

Hata hivyo, tangu utafiti huu ulipofanyika, jitihada mbalimbali zimechukuliwa ili kudhibiti utoaji holela wa dawa.

“Baraza la Famasi kwa mfano, sasa lina nia ya dhati ya kuhakikisha kuwa watoa dawa katika kila duka la dawa wanapata angalau diploma ya mafunzo ya famasi,” anasema Mikomangwa.

Wakati wa utafiti, mmoja wa watafiti alijifanya kuwa mtu mwenye ndugu anayehitaji diazepam, bila kuwa na cheti cha daktari. Hii inaelezea kwa nini taarifa kuhusu wanaotoa dawa kiholela hazikuweza kupatikana, mathalani viwango vyao vya elimu.

Jinsi ya kupata utafiti huu:

BMC Health Services Research, Mikomangwa, W.P., Madende, N.A., Kilonzi, M. et al. Unlawful dispensing practice of diazepam: a simulated client approach in community pharmacies in the north-west of Dar-es-Salaam region, Tanzania.

Kwa mawasiliano zaidi:

Wigilya Padili Mikomangwa

MUHIMBILI UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH AND ALLIED SCIENCES

Barua Pepe: wpad.miko@gmail.com

Piga Simu: +255 742159901

News Release

Source:  MUHIMBILI UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH AND ALLIED SCIENCES

Dar es Salaam| 10-JUN-2024. Researchers have warned of health risks associated with abusing popular anti-anxiety drug diazepam popularly marketed as Valium, after a study found that the drug is widely sold illegally to clients in pharmacies in the city.

Seven out of 10 clients were able to buy the drug from pharmacies without a prescription note during a study in which researchers surveyed 178 community pharmacies in Kinondoni District.

Kinondoni, known for its big and culturally diverse population, was chosen for the study because of the rich distribution of community pharmacies compared to most areas of Tanzania.

The researchers assessed the dispensing practices in community pharmacies using diazepam as a tracer medicine.

Researchers are raising concern over diazepam, a drug that carries a massive potential for being abused, yet it is easily accessible in pharmacies especially in its tablet form, thus creating a danger of addiction and other health risks.

“If misused for long time [the drug] could bring devastating effects such as dependence and withdrawal symptoms which can aggravate panic attacks, anxiety, agitation, acute psychosis” the study authors wrote.

The drug was available in 91% of the surveyed community pharmacies and 70% of the dispensers issued it without prescription despite the presence of laws and regulations on controlled drugs.

The study was published in the BMC Health Services Research in 2019 but the results still make sense even today, according to the lead researcher Wigilya Padili Mikomangwa, a pharmacist at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS).

Poor dispensing practice of diazepam in community pharmacies could be due to the lack of direct supervision by registered pharmacists, the authors observe.

Mikomangwa says it is high time the authorities further heightened the surveillance on dispensing of prescription-only drugs.

“Even though [our] study focused on diazepam, the findings can be used to reflect the dispensing practice of other controlled and prescription only medicines,” Mikomangwa says.

Over six months ago, the Pharmacy Council Registrar Ms Elizabeth Shekalaghe issued a stern warning to pharmacies and health professionals against dispensing controlled medicines contrary to stipulated guidelines.

“Despite the challenges we face in controlling the illicit trafficking of medicines, it has been identified that [controlled] tabs such as misoprostol and P2 are being used contrary to the government’s intentions,” she told the annual general meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Tanzania, as quoted by The Citizen on 1st June 2021.

Where to find the paper

BMC Health Services Research, Mikomangwa, W.P., Madende, N.A., Kilonzi, M. et al. Unlawful dispensing practice of diazepam: a simulated client approach in community pharmacies in the north-west of Dar-es-Salaam region, Tanzania.

Who to contact

Wigilya Padili Mikomangwa

MUHIMBILI UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH AND ALLIED SCIENCES

Barua Pepe: wpad.miko@gmail.com

Piga Simu: +255 742159901

News Release

Source:  NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORT(NIT)

Dar es Salaam| 10-JUN-2024. Pedestrians in Dar es Salaam risk crossing multiple lanes with heavy traffic on roads despite the presence of overhead bridges, with most of them saying the bridges are too long to cross, a study says.

This comes at the time the government has constructed and is still planning to construct more overhead bridges across busy roads in the city to protect pedestrians from preventable road traffic accidents and deaths.

About 30% of all road traffic deaths in Tanzania involve pedestrians, with most traffic injuries among pedestrians resulting from road crossing, according to the Global Status Report on Road Safety.

The researchers conducted interviews with 19 pedestrians at six overhead bridges located in suburbs of Kawe, Buguruni, Manzese, Morocco, Kimara and Ubungo, and found that there was little involvement of communities in plans and decisions to construct the bridges.

However, general conclusions cannot be drawn from this study alone as it used opinions from pedestrians crossing the bridges at the time of the study, attracting potential bias.

The researchers say, “There will be a follow-up study that will involve the police officers and other road users to further understand the challenges of overhead bridge uses and its impact on road traffic accidents and deaths.”

Results of the study show that majority of the people understand the importance of the bridges but “a common remark throughout the interviews was that it was a bit of a surprise to [them] to see pedestrian bridges [ ] projects.”

During the study, some of the pedestrians said they avoided crossing the overhead bridges because of safety concerns especially at night, theft and physical fitness.

Authors say the involvement of communities in planning and design, comes with a clear and common understanding about how, when, where, and why the bridge should be built.

“Another noted benefit was for the communities around [can] to take care of the facilities both within and around the bridge,” said the authors in the study whose findings have been published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

The majority of Dar es Salaam residents commute daily from one point to another for various reasons, with most of the commuters are aged between 15 to 45 years which is the economically productive group.

According to the 2016 Global Road Safety facility, 54% of road deaths and injuries in Tanzania were between 15 to 64 years hence the need for strong road safety management in all aspects of road safety.

“Our results also suggest that the consequences of long pedestrian bridges may lead to ineffective use not only by old, sick, and physically challenged people but also by young and energetic ones,” the authors wrote.

The study was conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Transport (NIT), Karolinska Institutet and the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS).

The lead researcher, Daudi Katopola, Assistant Lecturer at the National Institute of Transport in Dar es Salaam calls for more innovative and cost-effective solutions for commuters when crossing roads.

“The government spends a lot of money in the construction of overhead bridges while they are not used effectively by the intended people for their intended purpose,’’ says Katopola, who is pursuing a PhD in Global Public Health at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

Overhead bridges in Tanzania are not common in Tanzania. The first bridge was built in 1991 across Morogoro road at Manzese, with the rest constructed in the 2010s.

Katopola says he was motivated to carry out the research because of his interests in preventing pre-crash injuries and during his interview with Tanzania Roads Agency engineers, he discovered a gap in community participation.

In carrying out the study, the team of researchers found that there was a discrepancy between the beliefs and intentions of crossing the road between the end users of the overhead bridges and the authorities responsible for the construction.

Co-author Dr Frederick Mashili, Lecturer at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences says the bridges would be used for the intended purpose if pedestrian recommendations were considered before construction.

Where to find the paper:

Kwenye jairida la International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1238; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031238

Who to contact

Daudi Katopola

National Institute of Transport (NIT)

Email: dkatopola@hotmail.com

Mobile: +255693500454

Taarifa kwa vyombo vya Habari

Chanzo: AFRICA ACADEMY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH(AAPH)

Dar es Salaam| 24-FEB-2024. Wanawake wajawazito nchini Tanzania na nchi nyingine za kipato cha chini na cha kati wanaweza kunufaika na njia rahisi na nafuu zaidi ya kujikinga dhidi ya hatari. Hii ni baada ya utafiti mpya uliofanywa nchini India na Tanzania kupendekeza kuwa kidonge kimoja cha kalsiamu kinachomezwa kila siku kinafaa sawa na vidonge vitatu kwa siku katika kuzuia matatizo kama vile preeclampsia na kujifungua kabla ya wakati.

Preeclampsia ni hali inayosababishwa na shinikizo la damu kuwa juu na protini kuwepo kwenye mkojo wakati wa ujauzito, ambayo inaweza kuwa hatari kwa mama na mtoto. Kuzaliwa kabla ya wakati, kama jina linavyosema, ni kujifungua mtoto kabla ya wiki za 37 za ujauzito. Matatizo yote mawili yanaweza kuwa na athari mbaya, ikiwa ni pamoja na kuongeza hatari ya kifo cha mama, vifo vya watoto wachanga, na matatizo ya muda mrefu ya kiafya kwa mama na mtoto.

Kwa sasa, Shirika la Afya Duniani (WHO) linapendekeza kuwa wanawake wajawazito wenye ulaji wa chini wa kalsiamu kwenye mlo wao, ambao ni jambo la kawaida katika nchi nyingi za kipato cha chini na cha kati, wachukue miligramu 1500 hadi 2000 za kalsiamu kila siku katika dozi tatu zilizogawanyika. Hata hivyo, utaratibu huu unaweza kuwa changamoto kwa wanawake kuzingatia kutokana na wingi wa vidonge na changamoto za kimfumo za kuvichukua mara kwa mara.

“Matokeo yetu yanaonyesha kuwa kidonge kimoja kwa siku kinaweza kuwa na ufanisi kama vidonge vitatu,” alisema Christopher Sudfeld, mhadhiri msaidizi katika Chuo Kikuu cha Harvard Chan, mwandishi wa utafiti huo.

Matokeo haya yalitangazwa Januari 19, 2024 wakati wa Mkutano wa 5 wa Kisayansi wa Mtandao wa ARISE uliofanyika Dar es Salaam, Tanzania kwa kaulimbiu ya: “Kuziba pengo: Kubadilisha utafiti wa afya na lishe ya vijana kuwa vitendo na sera halisi katika Afrika Kusini mwa Jangwa la Sahara”.

“Nyongeza ya kalsiamu inapaswa kuzingatiwa katika utekelezaji wa mipango ya lishe kwa kiasi kikubwa katika maeneo ambayo inahitajika zaidi—na inapaswa kuanza kuokoa maelfu ya maisha ya mama na watoto wachanga,” anasema Sudfeld, kwa kuzingatia kwamba hii hupunguza idadi ya vidonge kwa wanawake na gharama kwa serikali na programu ambazo hununua vidonge hivi vya kalsiamu.

Matokeo ya utafiti yalitolewa kwa watunga sera, akiwemo Waziri wa Afya Ummy Mwalimu, wabunge wengine wawili, na wadau kutoka CDC Tanzania, Ubalozi wa Marekani nchini Tanzania na mashirika mengine kadhaa ya afya.

Utafiti huu mpya, uliochapishwa Januari 11, 2024 katika The New England Journal of Medicine, ulihusisha wanawake wajawazito zaidi ya 22,000 nchini India na Tanzania. Nusu walipewa utaratibu wa kawaida wa vidonge vitatu, wakati nusu nyingine walipewa kidonge kimoja cha 500mg. Watafiti walifuatilia afya zao katika ujauzito wote na kufuatilia hali ya preeclampsia na kuzaa kabla ya wakati.

Matokeo yalikuwa ya kushangaza, watafiti wanasema. Nchini India na Tanzania, kundi la kidonge kimoja hakikuonyesha tofauti kubwa katika viwango vya preeclampsia ikilinganishwa na kundi la vidonge vitatu. Wakati matokeo ya kuzaa kabla ya wakati yalipingana kati ya nchi hizo mbili, data zote zilizounganishwa hazikuonyesha tofauti yoyote kubwa pia.

Hata hivyo, watafiti wanaonya kuwa utafiti zaidi unahitajika kuthibitisha matokeo haya katika vikundi tofauti vya watu na kuchunguza athari za muda mrefu.

Utafiti huu ulifadhiliwa na Taasisi ya Bill na Melinda Gates, na uliongozwa na Shule ya Afya ya Umma ya Harvard T.H. Chan pamoja na washirika kutoka India na Tanzania. Washirika nchini India walikuwa Taasisi ya St. Johns. Hapa Tanzania, taasisi zilizoshirikiana katika utafiti huu ni pamoja na Chuo Kikuu cha Afya na Sayansi Shirikishi cha Muhimbili (MUHAS), Taasisi ya Afya ya Ifakara (IHI) na Taasisi ya Afrika ya Kitaaluma kwa Afya ya Jamii (AAPH).

“Utumiaji wa kalsiamu umekuwa mdogo sana katika mazingira mengi, kwa ujumla kwa sababu ya ukubwa wa vidonge, lakini pia gharama kwa mfumo wa afya, kwa sababu ni vidonge vingi vinavyohitajika kutolewa, lakini changamoto za gharama na usafirishaji zinaweza kuwa zinaongeza ugumu,” alisema Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa AAPH Mary Mwanyika wakati wa mkutano huo, akielezea kuwa huu ulikuwa utafiti wa miaka minne lakini kwa sababu ya changamoto za wa janga la UVIKO-19, ulifanyika kwa miaka mitano.

Profesa Andrea Pembe, ambaye ni Daktari Bingwa wa magonjwa ya wanawake na aliyekuwa Makamu Mkuu wa MUHAS, aliongoza utafiti huo nchini Tanzania. Akizungumza wakati wa Mkutano wa 5 wa Kisayansi wa Mtandao wa ARISE uliofanyika leo jijini Dar es Salaam, alipendekeza, “Kuna haja ya kurejea mapendekezo yetu kuhusu nyongeza ya kalsiamu kwa kiwango cha juu, ili kuwawezesha Tanzania na nchi nyingine zinazoendelea kutekeleza utaratibu  matumizi ya nyongeza ya kalsiamu wakati wa ujauzito ili kuzuia pre-eclampsia na kuzaa kabla ya wakati.”

“Haya ndiyo mapendekezo yetu, na tunatarajia taasisi nyingine kama WHO, Wizara ya Afya kuyachukua kwaajili ya utekelezaji,” alisema Profesa Pembe alipokuwa akiwasilisha mapendekezo ya majaribio.

Jinsi ya kupata utafiti huu:

Kwenye jarida la The New England Journal of Medicine (2024).  Umeandikwa na Pratibha Dwarkanath, Ph.D., Alfa Muhihi, M.D., M.P.H., Christopher R. Sudfeld, Sc.D., Blair na wenzake Kichwa cha Habari: “Two Randomized Trials of Low-Dose Calcium Supplementation in Pregnancy” Ipate mtandaoni: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2307212

Kwa mawasiliano zaidi:

Africa Academy of Public Health (AAPH)

Barua Pepe: info@aaph.or.tz

Piga Simu: (+255) 735166105

WhatsApp: (+255) 739166105

News Release

Source: AFRICA ACADEMY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH(AAPH)

Dar es Salaam| 22-FEB-2024. Pregnant women in Tanzania and other low- and middle-income countries could benefit from a simpler and cheaper way to protect themselves and their babies from potentially fatal complications, after a new study conducted in India and Tanzania suggested that a single calcium pill taken daily is just as effective as three pills per day in averting complications: preeclampsia and preterm birth.

Preeclampsia is a condition characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine during pregnancy, which can be dangerous for both mother and baby. Preterm birth, as the name suggests, is the delivery of a baby before 37 weeks of gestation. Both complications can have devastating consequences, including increasing the risk of maternal death, infant mortality, and long-term health problems for both mother and child.

Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that pregnant women with low dietary calcium intake, which is common in many low- and middle-income countries, take 1500 to 2000 milligrams of calcium daily in three divided doses. However, this regimen can be challenging for women to adhere to due to the bulkiness of the pills and the logistical challenges of taking them consistently.

“Our findings show that a single pill per day can be as effective as three,” said Christopher Sudfeld, an associate professor at Harvard Chan, author of a study.

The findings were disseminated today 19th January 2024 during the 5th ARISE Network Annual Scientific Symposium held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania today, themed: Bridging the gap: Turning adolescent health and nutrition research into tangible practice and policy in sub-Saharan Africa“.

“With a reduced pill burden for women and lower costs for governments and programs that buy calcium pills, calcium supplementation should be considered widely implementable in the places it’s needed most—and should start saving thousands of maternal and newborn lives,” says Sudfeld.

The results of the study were disseminated to the policymakers, including the Minister of Health Ummy Mwalimu, other two members of Parliament, and stakeholders from CDC Tanzania, the United States Embassy in Tanzania and several other health organizations.

The new study, published January 11, 2024 in The New England Journal of Medicine enrolled over 22,000 pregnant women across India and Tanzania. Half received the standard three-pill regimen, while the other half received a single 500mg pill. The researchers monitored their health throughout their pregnancies and tracked the incidence of preeclampsia and preterm birth.

The results were striking, researchers say. In both India and Tanzania, the single-pill group showed no significant difference in preeclampsia rates compared to the three-pill group. While the findings on preterm birth were mixed between the two countries, the overall pooled data showed no significant difference either.

However, the researchers caution that further research is needed to confirm these findings in different populations and to explore the long-term effects of different calcium supplementation levels on both mother and baby.

Despite these limitations, the study offers significant hope for a simpler and more accessible approach to preventing pregnancy complications in resource-limited settings. With further research and policy changes, a single calcium pill could become a powerful tool in improving maternal and infant health outcomes around the world.

Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the study was led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and collaborators in India and Tanzania. The collaborators in India were St. Johns Institute. Here in Tanzania, the institutions that collaborated in the study are Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) and Africa Academy for Public Health (AAPH).

“The uptake of calcium has really been limited across many settings, generally because of the bulkiness of the pills, but also it costs the health system, because it’s a lot of pills to be provided, yet the expense issues and logistics can be challenging,” said the Chief Executive Officer of the Africa Academy for Public Health(AAPH) Mary Mwanyika during the symposium, explaining that this was a four year study but because of the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was conducted for five years.

Professor Andrea Pembe, a renowned Gynecologist and former Vice Chancellor of MUHAS, led the study in Tanzania.  Speaking during the 5th ARISE Network Annual Scientific Symposium, he said held today in Dar es Salaam, he recommended, “There is need to revisit our recommendations about high dose calcium supplementation, to enable Tanzania and other developing countries to implement calcium supplementation during pregnancy to prevent pre-eclampsia and pre-term birth.”

“These are our recommendations, and we expect other institutions such as the WHO, Ministry of Health to take them forward,” said Prof Pembe as he presented the recommendations of the clinical trials.

Where to find the paper:

In The New England Journal of Medicine (2024), authored by Pratibha Dwarkanath, Ph.D., Alfa Muhihi, M.D., M.P.H., Christopher R. Sudfeld, Sc.D., Blair et al. Title: “Two Randomized Trials of Low-Dose Calcium Supplementation in Pregnancy.” Online access: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2307212

Who to contact 

Africa Academy of Public Health (AAPH)

Email: info@aaph.or.tz

Mobile (+255) 735166105

WhatsApp: (+255) 739166105

Taarifa kwa vyombo vya Habari

Chanzo: LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR ZOO AND WILDLIFE RESEARCH

Dar es Salaam| 24-FEB-2024. Fisi wenye madoadoa wanakabiliwa na hatari katika Hifadhi ya Serengeti. Watafiti kutoka Taasisi ya Leibniz ya Utafiti wa Wanyama na Wanyamapori walichambua takwimu za miongo mitatu, na kubainisha sababu kadhaa  za vifo vya fisi barabarani kutokana na kugongwa na vyombo vya moto. Uchunguzi huu wa muda mrefu umegundua vihatarishi vikuu zaidi ya vile vilivyotarajiwa. Awali, ilidhaniwa kuwa idadi ya watalii wanaoingia ndani ya hifadhi ni sababu kubwa.  Fuatilia kwa undani habari hii ili kufahamu ni mambo gani hatarishi yanaweza kuchangia wanyamapori kugongwa na magari hadi kufa katika Hifadhi ya Serengeti.

Kwa zaidi ya miongo mitatu, watafiti wamekuwa wakitafuta majibu kuhusu suala hili. Yafuatayo ni matokeo ya utafiti wao.

Hifadhi ya Serengeti nchini Tanzania ni makao ya idadi kubwa ya wanyamapori, ikiwa ni pamoja na fisi wenye madoadoa au wakifahamika kama Crocuta crocuta kwa jina la kisayansi.  Licha ya shughuli nyingi za binadamu kupigwa marufuku katika hifadhi hii, magari hurusiwa kuendeshwa kupita  ndani ya eneo hilo lililohifadhiwa.

Kwa kutumia mkusanyiko wa takwimu za miaka 34, timu ya wanasayansi kutoka Taasisi ya Leibniz ya Utafiti wa Wanyamapori na Bustani za wanyama au Zoo (Leibniz-IZW) walichambua mambo yaliyochangia fisi kugongwa na magari hadi kufa. Kwanza kabisa, ni aina ya barabara, na pili, uhamaji  wa kila mwaka wa makundi makubwa ya wanyama walao majani katika hifadhi ya Serengeti na mabadiliko ya msimu ya maeneo ya wanyama wanaowindwa na fisi wenye madoadoa.

Matokeo haya yalichapishwa katika jarida la kisayansi la hifadhi zakibaiolojia, linaloitwa Biological Conservation. Yanatoa ufahamu mpya kuhusu mambo yakiikolojia na kitabia yanayowaweka wanyama wanaokula wanyama wengine, katika hatari ya kufa kutokana na kugongana na magari.

Duniani kote, wanyamapori wengi huuliwa kwa kugongwa na magari, hata katika maeneo yaliyohifadhiwa. Athari hizi za barabarani zinazidi kuongezeka kutokana na ukuaji wa idadi ya watu wanaoishi karibu na maeneo yaliyohifadhiwa na kuongezeka kwa utalii wa wanyamapori. Hata hivyo, kulikuwa na ufamamu mdogo kuhusu mambo yanayosababisha uwepo wa matukio ya wanyamapori hao kugongwa na magari hadi kufa.

Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Serengeti imeunganishwa na mtandao wa barabara. Barabara kuu ni za changarawe zilizofunikwa na murram ambazo hutumiwa sio tu na magari ya watalii, malori ya kusafirisha vitu katika kambi za watalii, wafanyakazi wa hifadhi na wanasayansi, bali pia na magari yanayopita huko kama vile malori na mabasi yanayosafiri nchi nzima mwaka mzima. Mbali na hayo, kuna njia nyingi zisizo na lami za uangalizi wa wanyamapori zinazofika hadi kwenye kambi za watalii. Kama sehemu ya utafiti huu wa muda mrefu katika Hifadhi ya Serengeti kati ya 1989 na 2023, wanasayansi wa Leibniz-IZW walibaini fisi wenye madoadoa 104 waliokuwa wamegongwa na gari. Wanasayansi hao walitumia visa hivi kuchunguza mambo ya  kimazingira na muda yaliyochangia fisi hawa wenye madoadoa kugongwa na kuuawa na magari, na kuchunguza ni kwa kiasi gani fisi wa kundi fulani la umri, jinsia au cheo cha kijamii waliathiriwa.

Katika uchunguzi huu, vipengele viwili vilionekana kuwa vya muhimu sana. Kwanza kabisa, fisi waligongwa zaidi kwenye barabara kuu kuliko njia ndogo; huenda ni kwasababu magari hupita kwa kasi zaidi barabara kuu na magari yanayopita huko huwa ni mengi. Pili, muda na eneo la ajali viliendana na matukio ya uhamaji wa msimu wa makundi makubwa ya wanyama walao nyasi (nyumbu, pundamilia na swala wa Thomson), ambao ndio mawindo makuu ya fisi wenye madoadoa katika hifadhi ya Serengeti. Matokeo haya yanaakisi tafiti nyingine zilizoonyesha kuwa hatari ya kugongwa na gari hadi kufa huongezeka sambamba na uhamaji  wa wanyama na umbali ambao wanyama hao hutembea. Mbali na hayo, fisi waliogongwa walipatikana karibu sana na vyanzo vya maji na makazi ya watu, mahali ambapo inadhaniwa fisi hawa huvutiwa na uwepo wa masalia ya chakula cha binadamu.

“Kinyume na matarajio, mabadiliko yakimsimu ya idadi ya watalii katika ukanda huo hayakuonekana kuathiri kiwango cha vifo vya wanyama hao,” anasema Marwan Naciri, ambaye alijiunga na Leibniz-IZW kwa ajili ya mradi huu na ndiye mtafiti kiongozi na mwandishi mkuu wa chapisho hili.

Sehemu ya kipekee ya takwimu zilizotumika ni kwamba baadhi ya fisi waliogongwa na magari walikuwa wanajulikana mmoja mmoja, hivyo basi historia ya maisha yao iliweza kuchunguzwa. Matokeo yalionyesha kuwa fisi wazima wakike walikuwa wanagongwa zaidi, labda kwa sababu wanatembea umbali mrefu zaidi, kwani wao ndiyo hutembea mara kwa mara kati ya mapango ya pamoja na wanyama wanaoohama ili kusaka chakula karibu na wanyama hao na kuwatunza watoto.

Sarah Benhaiem, Mtafiti kutoka Taasisi ya Leibniz-IZW na Kiongozi mwenza wa Mradi wa Fisi wa Serengeti(Serengeti Hyena Project), anasema: “Kama tulivyogundua katika utafiti wa awali, majeraha yanayosababishwa na mitego haramu ya waya yanaathiri hasa fisi wazima majike.”

Vifo vya barabarani na mitego ni visababishi muhimu vya kuzingatia kuhusu vifo vya fisi wazima katika eneo la Serengeti.

Mtafiti mwenza, Sonja Metzger, ambaye pia ni kiongozi mwenza wa Mradi wa Fisi wa Serenget(Serengeti Hyena Project), anaongeza: “Bado haijabainika iwapo vifo hivi vinavyoathiri zaidi fisi wazima wa majike vinatishia ustawi wa spishi ya  fisi wenye  madoadoa katika hifadhi ya Serengeti.”

Mtandao wa barabara unatarajiwa kupanuka siku za usoni. Ufahamu wa mambo yanayosababisha magari kugongana na wanayamapori hadi kufa,utasaidia katika kubuni hatua madhubuti za kupunguza madhara.

Katika hifadhi ya Serengeti, hatua hizi huenda zikajumuisha ufuatiliaji bora wa mwendo wa magari, hasa kikomo cha kasi cha kilomita 50 kwa saa, udhibiti mkali wa marufuku ya kuendesha magari usiku na ukomo wa idadi ya magari katika barabara kuu. Upangaji mzuri wa ujenzi wa barabara na utekelezaji wa hatua za kupunguza madhara ni muhimu ili kuhakikisha uendelevu wa uhifadhi wa wanyamapori katika maeneo yaliyohifadhiwa.

Jinsi ya kupata utafiti huu:

Naciri M, Planillo A, Gicquel M, East ML, Hofer H, Metzger S, Benhaiem S (2023): Miongo mitatu ya matukio ya wanyamapori kugongana na  magari katika eneo lililohifadhiwa: Barabara kuu na safari ndefu za kuelekea wanyama wanaoohama zinaongeza vifo vya barabarani vya fisi wenye madoadoa Serengeti. ( Jarida la Biological Conservation) 279, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.109950.

Benhaiem S, Kaidatzi S, Hofer H, East ML (2023): Gharama za uzazi wa muda mrefu zitokanazo na majeraha ya mitego kwa spishi muhimu za wanyama wanaokamatwa bila kukusudiwa kwenye nchi kavu.  Jarida la Animal Conservation 26, 61-71 https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12798.

Kwa mawasiliano zaidi:

Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW)
in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.

Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin

Dr. Sarah Benhaiem (German, English and French)
Scientist Dept. Ecological Dynamics
Tel.: +49 30 5168-466
E-Mail: benhaiem@izw-berlin.de

Steven Seet (German, English)
Head Science Communication
Tel.: +49 30 5168-125
E-Mail: seet@izw-berlin.de

News Release
Source: LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR ZOO AND WILDLIFE RESEARCH
Dar es Salaam| 22-FEB-2024. Spotted hyenas face dangers in the Serengeti National Park. Researchers with the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research analyzed data from over three decades, revealing surprising factors contributing to hyena road fatalities. This long-term investigation identified key threats beyond the expected – tourist numbers weren’t the biggest concern. Find out which factors influence the risk of fatal collisions between vehicles and spotted hyenas in the Serengeti.
The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania is home to large populations of wildlife species, including spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). While many human activities are prohibited in the national park, driving is allowed in and through the protected area. Using a 34-year long-term data set, a scientific team from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) analysed which factors significantly contributed to hyenas being run over and killed by vehicles.
These were, firstly, the type of road, and secondly, the annual migration of the large ungulate herds in the Serengeti and the associated seasonal changes in the localization of the prey animals of spotted hyenas. The findings provide new insights into which ecological and individual factors influence the risk of fatalities for carnivores in collisions with vehicles; they were published in the scientific journal Biological Conservation.
Worldwide, many wild animals are killed by vehicles even in protected areas. These negative impacts of roads continue to increase because of the growth of the human populations in the vicinity of protected areas and the growing interest in wildlife tourism. However, the factors that contribute to fatal collisions between wildlife and vehicles are still poorly understood.

The Serengeti National Park is covered by a network of roads. Main roads are gravel roads covered in murram which are used not only by tourist vehicles, supply trucks for tourist camps, park staff and scientists, but also by through traffic in terms of trucks and national bus lines throughout the year. In addition, there are a large number of unpaved tracks for wildlife observation and access to tourist camps.
As part of a long-term study in the Serengeti National Park between 1989 and 2023, the Leibniz-IZW scientists found a total of 104 spotted hyenas that had been run over. They used these cases to investigate the spatial and temporal factors which contributed to spotted hyenas being run over and killed by vehicles, and explored to what extent spotted hyenas of a particular age group, sex or social status were affected.
Two factors turned out to be crucial. Firstly, hyenas were more often run over on main roads than on tracks, probably because vehicles travel faster there and there is more traffic. Secondly, the timing and location of fatal collisions coincided with the seasonal migration of the large herds of ungulates (blue wildebeest, plains zebra, Thomson’s gazelles), the main prey of spotted hyenas in the Serengeti. The results are consistent with other studies where the risk of being killed by a vehicle increases with the mobility and distance travelled by the animals. In addition, killed hyenas were found particularly close to watercourses and human dwellings, to which the hyenas are presumably attracted by the presence of human food waste.
“Contrary to expectations, the seasonal variation in the number of tourists in the region did not seem to play a role for the level of mortality,” says Marwan Naciri, who joined the Leibniz-IZW for this project and is the lead author of the publication.
A special feature of the dataset was that some of the hyenas which were run over were individually known and therefore aspects of their life history could be explored in the analysis. This showed that adult females were most frequently run over, probably because they cover the longest distances, as they are the ones who regularly commute between the communal dens and the migratory herds in order to forage near the herds and nurse their cubs left at the communal dens in their home territory.
“Injuries from illegal wire snares also particularly affect adult female hyenas, as we found in a previous study,” says Sarah Benhaiem, Leibniz-IZW scientist and co-head of the Serengeti Hyena Project. Road kills and death by snares are important causes of mortality in adult hyenas in the Serengeti. “Whether this mortality, which mainly affects adult females, threatens the viability of the spotted hyena population in the Serengeti is still unclear” adds co-author Sonja Metzger, co-head of the Serengeti Hyena Project.
Road networks will expand in future. Knowledge of the factors which contribute to fatal collisions between wildlife and vehicles will help design effective mitigation measures. In the Serengeti, these are likely to include an improved surveillance of the current speed limit of 50 km/h, a stricter control of the prohibition of night drives and a limit to the number of vehicles on main roads. Good planning of road construction and implementation of mitigation measures will be essential to ensure the continued conservation of wildlife in protected areas.
Where to find the paper:
Biological Conservation 279, authored by Naciri M, Planillo A, Gicquel M, East ML, Hofer H, Metzger S, Benhaiem S (2023): Three decades of wildlife-vehicle collisions in a protected area: Main roads and long-distance commuting trips to migratory prey increase spotted hyena roadkills in the Serengeti. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.109950.
Benhaiem S, Kaidatzi S, Hofer H, East ML (2023): Long-term reproductive costs of snare injuries in a keystone terrestrial by-catch species. Anim Conserv 26, 61-71. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12798.

Who to contact
Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW)
in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.

Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin
Dr. Sarah Benhaiem (German, English and French)
Scientist Dept. Ecological Dynamics
Tel.: +49 30 5168-466
E-Mail: benhaiem@izw-berlin.de

Steven Seet (German, English)
Head Science Communication
Tel.: +49 30 5168-125
E-Mail: seet@izw-berlin.de