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Background: The University of Lurio, School of Optometry in Mozambique is a new program in Africa. The school, the first to serve Portuguese-speaking Africa, can act as a template for such initiatives in other African countries and other limited-resource settings around the world. A major challenge facing such programs is the lack of knowledge about the profession, which impacts the recruitment of students and their expectations of the program. This study was conducted to understand students'pre-enrollment educational background, perceptions and career expectations as an optometrist in Mozambique so as to inform future enrollment and other similar initiatives. Methods: First-year optometry students were asked to complete a questionnaire containing open-ended, close-ended and Likert-scale questions. Results: Respondents perceived their language literacy skills as average or good. The majority of participants acknowledged that there is lack of eyecare personnel in Mozambique and agreed that optometry training will resolve this challenge. Students retained high expectations regarding their expected salary and work placement. Conclusion: The timely understanding of the poor self-rating of the students' English language ability, gaps in their perception of the role of optometry in Mozambique, and expectations can assist planning for student support, awareness strategies for prospective students and sustainable eye health professional training. The results from the study can be useful when setting up new professional programs in other Lusophone African countries and similar settings, with particular relevance to optometry programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The study sought to ascertain the prevalence of the aetiological agents of genital discharge and genital ulcer diseases in Maputo, Mozambique., Methodology: Consecutive consenting patients presenting to the Centro de Saúde do Porto in Maputo between March and April 2005 with genital discharge syndrome and/or genital ulcer diseases were recruited. Specimens were collected for the identification of STI pathogens., Results: Of 346 recruited patients, 164 were male and 182 female. The prevalence of confirmed single aetiological agents for male urethritis was as follows: N. gonorrhoeae, 35%; C. trachomatis, 10%; and M. genitalium 4%. For vaginal discharge, N. gonorrhoeae was found in 11% of the women tested, followed by C. trachomatis (6.5%), bacterial vaginosis (34%), and T. vaginalis (2%). The prevalence of genital ulcers was as follows: Herpes simplex virus type 2, 62%; H. ducreyi 4 %; and C. trachomatis biovar LGV, 4%. Five percent of patients with genital ulcers had a positive syphilis serology (RPR ≥ 1:8 and confirmed by TPHA) and 35% of all tested patients were HIV-1/2 infected. Cases of mixed infections were present in 5%, 11% and 3% of patients with male urethritis, vaginal discharge, and genital ulcers respectively., Conclusion: The classic sexually transmitted infection aetiologies are still prevalent in Maputo. The study highlights the need for a periodic surveillance to inform syndromic management protocols.

Objective: To ascertain the effectiveness of kanamycin for the treatment of gonorrhoea in Maputo, Mozambique., Methods & Design: A cross-sectional study design was employed. Urethral and cervical specimens were collected for the isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from patients attending Centro de Saúde do Porto. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined for kanamycin, spectinomycin, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, cefixime, tetracycline and penicillin., Results: Twenty-two (40%) Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates were intermediate and 4(7%) were resistant to kanamycin; 42(77%) displayed high level resistance to tetracycline (MIC > or = 16 mg/L); 34 (65%) were penicillinase producers, and 52 (95%) had spectinomycin MICs of 64 mg/L. All isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin (MIC < or = 0.06 mg/L), ceftriaxone (MIC < or = 0.015 mg/L) and cefixime (MIC < or = 0.015 mg/L)., Conclusion: The observations underscore the need for broader susceptibility surveillance studies to elucidate the pattern and extent of drug resistance in Mozambique. A review of the current treatment guidelines for genital discharge syndrome is warranted.