Malaria is a major infectious disease globally with the highest incidence in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease contributes to significant morbidity and

Childhood trauma is strongly connected to both mental and physical health problems that can occur and persist for a lifetime. Humanitarian crises often cause trauma, especially to vulnerable populations such as children and women. This review seeks to evaluate early childhood trauma in the context of humanitarian crises, highlighting the predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating, and protective factors as well as identifying the short- and long-term consequences of childhood trauma while also examining some strategies that would help mitigate the effect of childhood trauma in humanitarian settings. We searched four databases, namely PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and grey literature sources for relevant literature. We reviewed 50 eligible studies. We found that factors that can either predispose, precipitate, or perpetuate physical, mental, and social trauma to children are more pronounced during humanitarian crises, and this could have serious consequences on the neurodevelopmental process of a child. Factors such as age, gender, location, and family predispose children to trauma, while factors like family separation, migration, food insecurity, and poor healthcare access are found to precipitate childhood trauma. These have harmful effects on children’s mental health, especially when they occur in early childhood. Family response to traumatic experiences in humanitarian crises, duration of exposure, and exposure to several types of traumas worsen the impact of humanitarian crises on the child’s mental health. Implementation of strategies and policies such as the Mental Health Gap Action Program can significantly reduce the incidence of early childhood trauma in humanitarian crises.

Cholera is a disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and is of public health significance especially in Sub- Saharan Africa where the disease is st

Achieving equitable access to healthcare remains a major challenge across African health systems, largely influenced by inequitable financing mechanisms. W

Introduction: Partner involvement plays a critical role in shaping women’s contraceptive choices, yet evidence on its influence remains limited in Nigeria, where contraceptive prevalence is low. This study explored how partner support and communication affect women’s family planning decisions. Methods: A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was conducted over 6 weeks at the family planning clinic of a tertiary healthcare facility in southwest Nigeria, using in-depth interviews, with data analysed through inductive thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s six-step framework. Using purposive sampling, 20 women aged 21–42 years were recruited for in-depth interviews. Trustworthiness was ensured through member checking, independent coding and peer debriefing. Results: Participants were mostly married (90%) and had secondary or tertiary education; they showed varied awareness of contraceptive methods, with knowledge gaps mainly around side effects. Partner influence ranged from encouragement and financial or emotional support to neutral acceptance, shaping women’s autonomy and method choice. Frequent and open spousal communication facilitated shared decision-making, while cultural expectations for large families and health concerns acted as barriers. Healthcare providers were key sources of information; however, participants emphasised the need for greater male engagement in family planning education. Conclusion: These findings suggest that male partners play an important role in shaping contraceptive decision-making through attitudes, support and communication. Strengthening male engagement and couple-centred approaches may improve family planning uptake in similar settings.

Background and Aims: Alzheimer's disease (AD), primarily characterized by cognitive impairment, places an immense burden on patients and caregivers. Non‐invasive neuromodulation with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has been proposed to improve cognition in mild to moderate AD. This narrative review aimed to summarize clinical trial evidence on the effects, safety, and tolerability of rTMS for AD‐related cognitive impairment and to identify research gaps. Methods: A narrative review of clinical trials was performed. PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Google scholar, and Scopus were searched from inception to January 25, 2025, using terms for “repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation”, “Alzheimer's disease”, “cognitive impairment”, “clinical trials”, and “randomized controlled trial”. Clinical trials of active rTMS versus sham or treatment‐as‐usual in adults with mild to moderate AD that reported validated cognitive outcomes were included. Data on rTMS protocols, cognitive measures, adverse effects, and follow‐up were extracted and synthesized narratively without statistical pooling. Results: 14 trials were included. Across most studies, rTMS delivered at 5–20 Hz for 4 to 12 weeks, at least 5 days per week, was associated with improved cognitive function. Improvements were reported on tools such as the MMSE, CDR‐SB, SIB, and ADAS‐Cog, with statistically significant differences versus sham in most trials [ p < 0.05], and some evidence of sustained benefit at follow‐up. rTMS was generally safe and tolerable. Reported adverse effects were mild to moderate and included transient headache, scalp or skin discomfort, pain, and fatigue. Preliminary evidence also suggested potential neuropsychiatric benefits. However, substantial heterogeneity in duration, frequency, treatment plan, targets, and outcome measures limited definitive conclusions. Conclusion: rTMS appears safe in the short term and may be linked to short‐term cognitive and neuropsychiatric gains in mild to moderate AD. However, marked protocol heterogeneity, small sample sizes, short follow‐up, and risk of bias limit certainty and prevent identification of optimal parameters. rTMS is not ready for routine AD care. Larger, sham‐controlled trials with standardized protocols and biomarker or long‐term outcomes are needed.