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Article History

Received: 6 November 2024

Accepted: 6 February 2026

First Online: 12 February 2026

Declarations

:

: The study was approved by the Tropical Diseases Research Centre (TDRC) in Ndola, Zambia (IRB Registration Number: 00002911 & FWA Number: 00003729), and permission was granted by the National Health Research Authority (NHRA), Zambia (Ref No: NHRA000001/01/06/2022), and the Biomedical Research Committee (BREC) of the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa approved the study (Approval number: BRE/00004141/2022). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants before data collection. The study followed the standard procedures of informed consent, which included anonymity and confidentiality in accordance with the declaration of Helsinki. For adolescents under the age of 18 years, we obtained consent from their parents and guardians to participate in the study.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.