Joconiah Chirenda

Person icon

Lecturer

University of Zimbabwe

Tel: +263773242425

Email: joconiahc@gmail.com

 

 

 

VALIDATE Role: Network Affiliate

Research area keywords:

Tuberculosis and drug resistant tuberculosis epidemiology, migration related transmission and treatment. Malaria epidemiology and HIV co-infection

Biography:

My research work has been on Tuberculosis (TB) and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) transmission, treatment and epidemiology.  I have used geographical information systems (GIS) to estimate the risk of TB transmission in urban poor settings with inadequate social services. Inadequate social services like health facilities, schools and shops seemed to be risk factors for TB transmission.  Prospective TB transmission studies using GIS technologies and genomic surveillance will accurately estimate transmission models.

I have also used genomic surveillance to estimate the transmission of drug-resistant TB between Zimbabwe and South Africa.  Although this could not be confirmed, due to the possibility of mixed infections, the short follow up study duration and the use of retrospectively collected data, our results strongly suggest that migration patterns between South Africa and Zimbabwe may have influenced the spread of DRTB between the two countries. I am interested in a well-coordinated regional genomic surveillance plus GIS mapping project.

A new research area of interest is the look at TB immune response in areas with high poor nutrition, HIV infection and other parasitic infections. 

Key publications

  • Chirenda J, Nhlema Simwaka B , Sandy C, Bodnar K, Corbin S, Desai P, Mapako T, Shamu S, Timire C, Antonio E, Makone A, Birikorang A, Mapuranga T, Ngwenya M, Masunda T, Dube M, Wandwalo E, Morrison L and Kaplan R.  A feasibility study using time-driven activity-based costing as a management tool for provider cost estimation: lessons from the national TB control program in Zimbabwe in 2018 .  BMC Health Services Research (2021) 21:242
  • Tadyanemhandu C, Chirenda J, Garvey C, Metcalfe J. Treatment success, but living with the consequences of post-tuberculosis sequelae. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases. 2020 Jul 1;24(7):657-658. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.20.0143. PMID: 32718395.
  • DesJardin CP, Chirenda J, Ye W, Mujuru HA, Yang Z. Factors associated with unfavorable treatment outcomes among pediatric tuberculosis cases in Harare, Zimbabwe during 2013-2017. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2020 Sep 2;101:403-408. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.08.079. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32890725.
  • Martino RJ, Chirenda J, Mujuru HA, Ye W, Yang Z. Characteristics Indicative of Tuberculosis/HIV Coinfection in a High-Burden Setting: Lessons from 13,802 Incident Tuberculosis Cases in Harare, Zimbabwe. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and  Hygiene. 2020 Jul;103(1):214-220. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0856. Epub 2020 May 14. PMID: 32431282; PMCID: PMC7356430.
  • Joconiah Chirenda¶. Isaiah Gwitira¶. Robin M Warren¶. Samantha L Sampson¶. Amon Murwira. Collen Masimirembwa. Kudzanai M Mateveke. Cremence Duri. Prosper Chonzi.Simbarashe  Rusakaniko. Elizabeth M Streicher. Spatial Distribution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Metropolitan Harare, Zimbabwe.  PLoS ONE 15(4): April 2020.
  • Collins Timire, John Z. Metcalfe, Joconiah Chirenda, Jerod N. Scholten, Barbara Manyame-Murwira, Mkhokheli Ngwenya, Ronnie Matambo, Kelvin Charambira, Herbert Mutunzi, Nico Kalisvaart, Charles Sandy. Prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Zimbabwe: a health facility-based cross-sectional survey. International Journal of Infectious Diseases
  • Joconiah Chirenda. Martha Chipunduro. Marianna de Kock. Claudio Spies. Tanaka Saburi. Robin M Warren. Samantha Sampson. Elizabeth M Streicher.  Recovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from positive mycobacterium growth indicator tubes stored at room temperatre for upto 6 years in low income and high tuberculosis burden country. Int J Mycobacteriol 2019; 8: 185-9
  • Michelle Earley, Joconiah Chirenda, Alexandra Highet, Hilda A. Mujuru, and Zhenhua Yang.  Characterizing Pediatric Tuberculosis with and without Human Immunodeficiency Virus Coinfection in Harare, Zimbabwe.  American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 99(3), July 2018
  • Grace Noppert, Zhenhua Yang, Charles Sandy and Joconiah Chirenda*.  Trends of sputum‑smear positive tuberculosis in Zimbabwe: 2008–2011.  BMC Res Notes (2015) 8:575
  • E.S Click. J Chirenda. S Kibias. H. J. Menzies. J. E Oeltmann. C. Sentle. T Muribe. T. D. Lere. R. Makombe. S. Bamrah. B. K. Moore. K. P. Cain (November 2014).  The disconnect between a national tuberculosis drug resistance survey and treatment outcomes: a lost opportunity.  International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases: 18(11): 1319-1322

Weblinks of interest