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Article History

Received: 18 June 2025

Accepted: 27 January 2026

First Online: 3 February 2026

Declarations

:

: Ethical clearance to conduct this study was obtained from the University of Malawi College of Medicine Research and Ethics Committee (COMREC) (No.P.11/20/3198).Participants who met the inclusion criteria were informed about the study and invited to participate. Those who expressed willingness to take part were asked to provide written informed consent, or a thumbprint where necessary, prior to enrolment in the study. Participants were also informed of their right to decline participation or to withdraw from the study at any time without any consequences. Data collected were anonymized using unique participant identification numbers, and all personally identifying information was stored separately from the participant data files.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.