BMJ Global Health
January 2019 – Volume 4 – – Suppl 1
https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/1
Complex health interventions in complex systems: concepts and methods for evidence-informed health decisions
Taking account of context in systematic reviews and guidelines considering a complexity perspective (25 January, 2019)
Andrew Booth, Graham Moore, Kate Flemming, Ruth Garside, Nigel Rollins, Özge Tunçalp, Jane Noyes
BMJ Global Health
January 2019 – Volume 4 – – Suppl 1
https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/1
Complex health interventions in complex systems: concepts and methods for evidence-informed health decisions
Formulating questions to explore complex interventions within qualitative evidence synthesis (25 January, 2019)
Andrew Booth, Jane Noyes, Kate Flemming, Graham Moore, Özge Tunçalp, Elham Shakibazadeh
BMJ Global Health
January 2019 – Volume 4 – – Suppl 1
https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/1
Complex health interventions in complex systems: concepts and methods for evidence-informed health decisions
Qualitative evidence synthesis for complex interventions and guideline development: clarification of the purpose, designs and relevant methods (25 January, 2019)
Kate Flemming, Andrew Booth, Ruth Garside, Özge Tunçalp, Jane Noyes
BMJ Global Health
January 2019 – Volume 4 – – Suppl 1
https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/1
Complex health interventions in complex systems: concepts and methods for evidence-informed health decisions
Synthesising quantitative evidence in systematic reviews of complex health interventions (25 January, 2019)
Julian P T Higgins, José A López-López, Betsy J Becker, Sarah R Davies, Sarah Dawson, Jeremy M Grimshaw, Luke A McGuinness, Theresa H M Moore, Eva A Rehfuess, James Thomas, Deborah M Caldwell
BMJ Global Health
January 2019 – Volume 4 – – Suppl 1
https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/1
Complex health interventions in complex systems: concepts and methods for evidence-informed health decisions
Synthesising quantitative and qualitative evidence to inform guidelines on complex interventions: clarifying the purposes, designs and outlining some methods (25 January, 2019)
Jane Noyes, Andrew Booth, Graham Moore, Kate Flemming, Özge Tunçalp, Elham Shakibazadeh
Research papers
BMJ Global Health
January 2019 – Volume 4 – – Suppl 1
https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/1
Complex health interventions in complex systems: concepts and methods for evidence-informed health decisions
Considerations of complexity in rating certainty of evidence in systematic reviews: a primer on using the GRADE approach in global health (25 January, 2019)
Paul Montgomery, Ani Movsisyan, Sean P Grant, Geraldine Macdonald, Eva Annette Rehfuess
BMJ Global Health
January 2019 – Volume 4 – – Suppl 1
https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/1
Complex health interventions in complex systems: concepts and methods for evidence-informed health decisions
The WHO-INTEGRATE evidence to decision framework version 1.0: integrating WHO norms and values and a complexity perspective (25 January, 2019)
Eva A Rehfuess, Jan M Stratil, Inger B Scheel, Anayda Portela, Susan L Norris, Rob Baltussen
BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 2 Mar 2019)
Research article
Determinants of delayed or incomplete diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccination in parallel urban and rural birth cohorts of 30,956 infants in Tanzania
Delayed vaccination increases the time infants are at risk for acquiring vaccine-preventable diseases. Factors associated with incomplete vaccination are relatively well characterized in resource-limited setti…
Authors: Pranay Nadella, Emily R. Smith, Alfa Muhihi, Ramadhani A. Noor, Honorati Masanja, Wafaie W. Fawzi and Christopher R. Sudfeld
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2019 19:188
Published on: 26 February 2019
BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 2 Mar 2019)
Research article
Going beyond the individual: how state-level characteristics relate to HPV vaccine rates in the United States
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is an underutilized cancer control practice in the United States. Although individual contextual factors are known to impact HPV vaccine coverage rates, the impact of mac…
Authors: Melissa Franco, Stephanie Mazzucca, Margaret Padek and Ross C. Brownson
Citation: BMC Public Health 2019 19:246
Published on: 28 February 2019
BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 2 Mar 2019)
Research article
Factors influencing basic vaccination coverage in Myanmar: secondary analysis of 2015 Myanmar demographic and health survey data
Immunization is one of the most effective measures for preventing disease when vaccination coverage is sufficient. Although vaccination coverage is known to be influenced by social and cultural barriers, the d…
Authors: Ikuma Nozaki, Masahiko Hachiya and Tomomi Kitamura
Citation: BMC Public Health 2019 19:242
Published on: 28 February 2019
Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 97, Number 3, March 2019, 169-244
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/97/3/en/
EDITORIALS
Governance for health: the HIV response and general global health
– Linda-Gail Bekker, Jirair Ratevosian, Julia Spencer, Peter Piot & Chris Beyrer
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.19.230417
Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 97, Number 3, March 2019, 169-244
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/97/3/en/
PERSPECTIVES
Prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases: lessons from the HIV experience
– Seye Abimbola, Emma Thomas, Stephen Jan, Barbara McPake, Kremlin Wickramasinghe & Brian Oldenburg
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.18.216820
Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 97, Number 3, March 2019, 169-244
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/97/3/en/
Connectivity of rapid-testing diagnostics and surveillance of infectious diseases
– Damien Ming, Timothy Rawson, Sorawat Sangkaew, Jesus Rodriguez-Manzano, Pantelis Georgiou & Alison Holmes
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.18.219691
The World Health Organization (WHO) developed the ASSURED criteria to describe the ideal characteristics for point-of-care testing in low-resource settings: affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, rapid and robust, equipment-free and deliverable.1 These standards describe. Over the last decade, widespread adoption of point-of-care testing has led to significant changes in clinical decision-making processes. The development of compact molecular diagnostics, such as the GeneXpert® platform, have enabled short turnaround times and allowed profiling of antimicrobial resistance. Although modern assays have increased operational requirements, many devices are robust and can be operated within communities with minimal training. These new generation of rapid tests have bypassed barriers to care and enabled treatment to take place independently from central facilities. Here we describe the importance of connectivity, the automatic capture and sharing of patient healthcare data from testing, in the adoption and roll-out of rapid testing…
Conflict and Health
http://www.conflictandhealth.com/
[Accessed 2 Mar 2019]
Research
| 26 February 2019
Cost-effectiveness of birth-dose hepatitis B vaccination among refugee populations in the African region: a series of case studies
Authors: Joseph Michael Reardon, Siobhán M. O’Connor, Joseph D. Njau, Eugene K. Lam, Catherine A. Staton and Susan T. Cookson
Contemporary Clinical Trials
Volume 78 Pages 1-146 (March 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/contemporary-clinical-trials/vol/78/suppl/C
Review article Abstract only
Synthesis of researcher reported strategies to recruit adults of ethnic minorities to clinical trials in the United Kingdom: A systematic review
Yumna Masood, Peter Bower, Muhammad Wali Waheed, Gill Brown, Waquas Waheed
Pages 1-10
Ethics & Human Research
Volume 41, Issue 1 January-February 2019
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/25782363
New Challenges and Unresolved Issues
The inaugural issue of Ethics & Human Research (E&HR) marks an exciting milestone in The Hastings Centers’ 40‐year history of publishing a journal that focuses on the ethical, regulatory, and policy issues related to research with humans. Like its predecessor, IRB: Ethics & Human Research, E&HR will publish conceptual and empirical analyses on a wide range of topics related to the human research enterprise.
The journal’s name change conveys to the global community of authors and readers that E&HR is not solely about issues related to institutional review boards (IRBs) in the United States. The title shift provides an opportunity to identify new ethical, policy, and regulatory challenges that rapid developments in science, medicine, and regulatory frameworks bring to the conduct and oversight of human subjects research in the United States and elsewhere. Along with publishing work that investigates new challenges, E&HR aims not only to draw attention to unresolved issues but also to broaden the scope of issues for investigation and analysis in the field of human research ethics. The pieces in this inaugural issue identify several new challenges and hint at some of the unresolved issues and broader topics that merit further attention.
Health Economics, Policy and Law
Volume 14 – Special Issue 2 – April 2019
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/health-economics-policy-and-law/latest-issue
SPECIAL ISSUE: Frontiers of Health Policy Research
If the enhancement of human freedom is both the main object and the primary means to development (Sen, 1999), then good individual and population health are both ends and means to development and freedom in all countries, regardless of their current ranking on the Human Development Index or other indexes on wealth, prosperity and well-being…
This special issue on the ‘frontiers in health policy research’ focuses attention on three distinct areas of inquiry. One set of papers analyses efforts to improve the quality of care and increase the value of care that health systems purchase. A second set of articles focuses on issues of health behaviour and social determinants of health. Finally, the third set of articles presents differing views on how to predict the adequacy of supply of medical professionals. The range of these articles illustrates, not only the exciting breadth of health policy research, but the degree to which scholars within this field are addressing issues of high importance to policy makers around the world. We think it is fair to claim that all of the articles address issues that are on the ‘frontier’ of health policy in the sense that they attempt to provide answers to questions that policy makers around the world are currently grappling with…
Humanitarian Exchange Magazine
Number 74, February 2019
https://odihpn.org/magazine/communication-community-engagement-humanitarian-response/
Communication and community engagement in humanitarian response
This edition of Humanitarian Exchange, co-edited with Charles-Antoine Hofmann from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), focuses on communication and community engagement. Despite promising progress, coherent and coordinated information is still not provided systematically to affected communities, and humanitarian responses take insufficient account of the views and feedback of affected people. In 2017, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other partners came together under the auspices of the Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities (CDAC) Network to establish the Communication and Community Engagement (CCE) initiative, which aims to organise a collective service for communications and community engagement. The articles in this edition take stock of efforts to implement this initiative.
Drawing on lessons from 23 Peer 2 Peer Support missions, Alice Chatelet and Meg Sattler look at what’s needed to integrate CCE into the humanitarian architecture. Viviane Lucia Fluck and Dustin Barter discuss the institutional and practical barriers to implementing community feedback mechanisms. Bronwyn Russel analyses the performance of the Nepal inter-agency common feedback project; Justus Olielo and Charles-Antoine Hofmann outline the challenges of establishing common services in Yemen; and Gil Francis Arevalo reports on community engagement in preparedness and response in the Philippines. Ian McClelland and Frances Hill discuss emerging findings from a strategic partnership in the Philippines between the Humanitarian Innovation Fund and the Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network.
Charlotte Lancaster describes how call centres in Afghanistan and Iraq are enhancing two-way communication with crisis-affected people. Mia Marzotto from Translators without Borders reflects on the importance of language and translation in communication and community engagement, and Ombretta Baggio and colleagues report on efforts to bring community perspectives into decision-making during an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ayo Degett highlights emerging findings from a Danish Refugee Council project on participation in humanitarian settings, and Jeff Carmel and Nick van Praag report on the Listen Learn Act (LLA) project. Geneviève Cyvoct and Alexandra T. Warner write on an innovative common platform to track the views of affected people in Chad. The edition ends with an article by Stewart Davies on collective accountability in the response to the Central Sulawesi earthquake.
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
February 2019 Volume 79, Supplement 1, p1-150 Open Access
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(18)X0014-9
International Meeting on Emerging Diseases and Surveillance (IMED) 2018 Abstracts; November 9-12, 2018; Vienna, Austria
Ebola in animals – our knowledge to date: assessing human exposure risks
Published in issue: February 2019
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
February 2019 Volume 79, Supplement 1, p1-150 Open Access
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(18)X0014-9
International Meeting on Emerging Diseases and Surveillance (IMED) 2018 Abstracts; November 9-12, 2018; Vienna, Austria
Global flu view: a platform to connect crowdsourced disease surveillance around the world
A.W. Crawley, D. Paolotti, C. Dalton, J. Brownstein, M. Smolinski
Published in issue: February 2019
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
February 2019 Volume 79, Supplement 1, p1-150 Open Access
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(18)X0014-9
International Meeting on Emerging Diseases and Surveillance (IMED) 2018 Abstracts; November 9-12, 2018; Vienna, Austria
Novel platform (wEB) to study flu virus evolution and predict vaccine efficacy
Published in issue: February 2019
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
February 2019 Volume 79, Supplement 1, p1-150 Open Access
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(18)X0014-9
International Meeting on Emerging Diseases and Surveillance (IMED) 2018 Abstracts; November 9-12, 2018; Vienna, Austria
The potential for international dissemination of emerging viral pathogens
J.M. Read, D. Cummings
Published in issue: February 2019
Journal of Adolescent Health
Volume 64, Issue 2, Supplement, S1-S140
https://www.jahonline.org/issue/S1054-139X(18)X0002-0
PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING: INTERNATIONAL TRANSCULTURAL PERSPECTIVES
06 March 2019 – 09 March 2019
Abstracts
Katheryn N.H. Schloss, Katharine J. Head, Stephen F. Wintermeyer, Philip Huynh, Cynthia L. Robbins
S26–S27
Published in issue: February 2019
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health
March 2019 – Volume 73 – 3
https://jech.bmj.com/content/73/3
Social programmes and health
Government social assistance programmes are failing to protect the health of low-income populations: evidence from the USA and Canada (2003–2014) (15 November, 2018) Free
Faraz Vahid Shahidi, Odmaa Sod-Erdene, Chantel Ramraj, Vincent Hildebrand, Arjumand Siddiqi
Journal of Pediatrics
March 2019 Volume 206, p1-310
http://www.jpeds.com/current
Original Articles
Association of Provider Recommendation and Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Initiation among Male Adolescents Aged 13-17 Years—United States
Peng-Jun Lu, David Yankey, Benjamin Fredua, Alissa C. O’Halloran, Charnetta Williams, Lauri E. Markowitz, Laurie D. Elam-Evans
p33–41.e1
Published online: November 15, 2018
The Lancet
Mar 02, 2019 Volume 393Number 10174 p847-958
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current
Articles
Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity of the therapeutic monoclonal antibody mAb114 targeting Ebola virus glycoprotein (VRC 608): an open-label phase 1 study
Martin R Gaudinski, Emily E Coates, Laura Novik, Alicia Widge, Katherine V Houser, Eugeania Burch, LaSonji A Holman, Ingelise J Gordon, Grace L Chen, Cristina Carter, Martha Nason,
Sandra Sitar, Galina Yamshchikov, Nina Berkowitz, Charla Andrews, Sandra Vazquez, Carolyn Laurencot, John Misasi, Frank Arnold, Kevin Carlton, Heather Lawlor, Jason Gall, Robert T Bailer, Adrian McDermott, Edmund Capparelli, Richard A Koup, John R Mascola, Barney S Graham, Nancy J Sullivan, Julie E Ledgerwood on behalf of the VRC 608 Study team
Summary
Background
mAb114 is a single monoclonal antibody that targets the receptor-binding domain of Ebola virus glycoprotein, which prevents mortality in rhesus macaques treated after lethal challenge with Zaire ebolavirus. Here we present expedited data from VRC 608, a phase 1 study to evaluate mAb114 safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity.
Methods
In this phase 1, dose-escalation study (VRC 608), conducted at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center (Bethesda, MD, USA), healthy adults aged 18–60 years were sequentially enrolled into three mAb114 dose groups of 5 mg/kg, 25 mg/kg, and 50 mg/kg. The drug was given to participants intravenously over 30 min, and participants were followed for 24 weeks. Participants were only enrolled into increased dosing groups after interim safety assessments. Our primary endpoints were safety and tolerability, with pharmacokinetic and anti-drug antibody assessments as secondary endpoints. We assessed safety and tolerability in all participants who received study drug by monitoring clinical laboratory data and self-report and direct clinician assessment of prespecified infusion-site symptoms 3 days after infusion and systemic symptoms 7 days after infusion. Unsolicited adverse events were recorded for 28 days. Pharmacokinetic and anti-drug antibody assessments were completed in participants with at least 56 days of data. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03478891, and is active but no longer recruiting.
Findings
Between May 16, and Sept 27, 2018, 19 eligible individuals were enrolled. One (5%) participant was not infused because intravenous access was not adequate. Of 18 (95%) remaining participants, three (17%) were assigned to the 5 mg/kg group, five (28%) to the 25 mg/kg group, and ten (55%) to the 50 mg/kg group, each of whom received a single infusion of mAb114 at their assigned dose. All infusions were well tolerated and completed over 30–37 min with no infusion reactions or rate adjustments. All participants who received the study drug completed the safety assessment of local and systemic reactogenicity. No participants reported infusion-site symptoms. Systemic symptoms were all mild and present only in four (22%) of 18 participants across all dosing groups. No unsolicited adverse events occurred related to mAb114 and one serious adverse event occurred that was unrelated to mAb114. mAb114 has linear pharmacokinetics and a half-life of 24·2 days (standard error of measurement 0·2) with no evidence of anti-drug antibody development.
Interpretation
mAb114 was well tolerated, showed linear pharmacokinetics, and was easily and rapidly infused, making it an attractive and deployable option for treatment in outbreak settings.
Funding
Vaccine Research Center, US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and NIH.
The Lancet
Mar 02, 2019 Volume 393Number 10174 p847-958
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current
Seminar
Ebola virus disease
Denis Malvy, Anita K McElroy, Hilde de Clerck, Stephan Günther, Johan van Griensven
Summary
Ebolaviruses are pathogenic agents associated with a severe, potentially fatal, systemic disease in man and great apes. Four species of ebolaviruses have been identified in west or equatorial Africa. Once the more virulent forms enter the human population, transmission occurs primarily through contact with infected body fluids and can result in major epidemics in under-resourced settings. These viruses cause a disease characterised by systemic viral replication, immune suppression, abnormal inflammatory responses, major fluid and electrolyte losses, and high mortality. Despite recent progress on vaccines, and with no licensed prophylaxis or treatment available, case management is essentially supportive with management of severe multiple organ failure resulting from immune-mediated cell damage. The 2013–16 outbreak was classified by WHO as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, which drew attention to the challenges of diseases caused by infections with ebolaviruses and questioned scientific, clinical, and societal preparation to handle future epidemics.
Lancet Global Health
Mar 2019 Volume 7Number 3e281-e384
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current
Articles
Classification of global measles cases in 2013–17 as due to policy or vaccination failure: a retrospective review of global surveillance data
Minal K Patel, Walter A Orenstein
Summary
Background
Despite improvements in reported coverage of measles-containing vaccine (MCV) and progress towards elimination of measles, 172 939 measles cases were reported worldwide in 2017. Questions have been raised about whether measles cases are due to failure of immunisation programmes or vaccine policy failure, which might require changes to vaccination schedules or number of doses.
Methods
This retrospective review of global surveillance data analysed case-based data for cases of measles occurring during 2013–17 submitted to WHO by its member states. Cases were classified as programmatically preventable (ie, did not receive the age-appropriate number of doses for that country) or programmatically non-preventable (ie, appropriately vaccinated as per national programme) on the basis of age at onset, year of birth, vaccination status, and eligibility for MCV doses in the country reporting the case. We grouped reasons why cases were non-preventable into four categories as follows: (1) received at least two doses of MCV; (2) too young for first dose; (3) received one dose but was too young to receive the second; or (4) was only eligible for one dose according to the national schedule. We analysed numbers and proportions of preventable and non-preventable cases of measles by region and year, reasons for non-preventable cases by year, preventable cases by age group, and preventable and non-preventable cases, including reasons for non-preventable cases, by measles elimination status of countries.
Findings
Between Jan 1, 2013, and Dec 31, 2017, 634 139 measles cases were reported; 7850 (1%) cases were excluded because they did not provide age at onset, so 626 289 were included in our analysis. 191 333 (31%) of these cases had unknown vaccination status. 275 754 (63%) of the 434 956 cases with available vaccination data were categorised as programmatically preventable, 213 461 (77%) of whom were aged 1 year to less than 15 years. 156 384 (36%) cases were categorised as non-preventable, of whom 38 677 (25%) were two-dose vaccine recipients, 74 438 (48%) were too young to receive their first MCV dose, 11 914 (8%) received their first dose and were too young to receive their second dose, and 31 355 (20%), mostly in the Africa region, were non-preventable because they were only eligible for one dose on the basis of the national immunisation programme.
Interpretation
Most measles cases during 2013–17 were programmatically preventable, highlighting the need for improving the effectiveness of immunisation programmes that already exist. Individual countries should do similar analyses to establish the changes needed in their country to decrease numbers of measles cases.
Funding
None.
Lancet Global Health
Mar 2019 Volume 7Number 3e281-e384
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current
Comment
Measles vaccination: no time to rest
Alessia Melegaro
Lancet Global Health
Mar 2019 Volume 7Number 3e281-e384
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current
Trends in infant mortality in Venezuela between 1985 and 2016: a systematic analysis of demographic data
Jenny García, Gerardo Correa, Brenda Rousset
Summary
Background
Between the 1950s and 2000, Venezuela showed one of the most substantial improvements in infant mortality rates in Latin America. However, the recent economic crisis alongside an increase in infectious and parasitic diseases might be reversing previous patterns. Because no official updated mortality statistics have been published since 2013, the effect of these recent events has been difficult to assess accurately. We therefore aimed to estimate infant mortality rate trends and report the effect of the crisis.
Methods
We estimated infant mortality rates using direct methods (ie, death counts from Venezuelan Ministry of Health via yearbooks and notifiable diseases bulletins, and birth records published by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Venezuelan National Institute of Statistics) and indirect methods (using census data and a Living Conditions Survey ENCOVI 2016). We shaped yearly estimations using a semiparametric regression model, specifically a P-Spline model with a cubic thin plate base. The primary objective was to estimate infant mortality rate trends from 1985 to 2016.
Findings
Around 2009, the long-term decline in infant mortality rate stopped, and a new pattern of increase was observed. The infant mortality rate reached 21·1 deaths per 1000 livebirths (90% CI −17·8 to 24·3) in 2016, almost 1·4 times the rate of 2008 (15·0, −14·0 to 16·1). This increase represents a huge setback on previous achievements in reducing infant mortality.
Interpretation
Our conservative estimation indicates that Venezuela is in the throes of a humanitarian crisis. The increase in infant mortality rate in 2016 compared with 2008 takes the country back to the level observed at the end of the 1990s, wiping out 18 years of expected progress, and leaves the Venezuelan Government far from achieving the target of nine deaths per 1000 livebirths stated in the UN Millennium Development Goals.
Funding
None.
Lancet Global Health
Mar 2019 Volume 7Number 3e281-e384
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current
Effect of 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on the incidence of radiologically-confirmed pneumonia and clinically-defined pneumonia in Kenyan children: an interrupted time-series analysis
Micah Silaba, Michael Ooko, Christian Bottomley, Joyce Sande, Rachel Benamore, Kate Park,
James Ignas, Kathryn Maitland, Neema Mturi, Anne Makumi, Mark Otiende, Stanley Kagwanja,
Sylvester Safari, Victor Ochola, Tahreni Bwanaali, Evasius Bauni, Fergus Gleeson, Maria Deloria Knoll, Ifedayo Adetifa, Kevin Marsh, Thomas N Williams, Tatu Kamau, Shahnaaz Sharif, Orin S Levine, Laura L Hammitt, J Anthony G Scott
Lancet Infectious Diseases
Mar 2019 Volume 19Number 3p217-338, e63-e108
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current
Series
Tuberculosis transmission in HIV-endemic settings
Advances in the understanding of Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission in HIV-endemic settings
Julian S Peters, Jason R Andrews, Mark Hatherill, Sabine Hermans, Leonardo Martinez,Erwin Schurr, Yuri van der Heijden, Robin Wood, Roxana Rustomjee, Bavesh D Kana
Lancet Infectious Diseases
Mar 2019 Volume 19Number 3p217-338, e63-e108
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current
Tuberculosis transmission in HIV-endemic settings
Transmission of drug-resistant tuberculosis in HIV-endemic settings
Palwasha Y Khan, Tom A Yates, Muhammad Osman, Robin M Warren, Yuri van der Heijden, Nesri Padayatchi, Edward A Nardell, David Moore, Barun Mathema, Neel Gandhi, Vegard Eldholm,Keertan Dheda, Anneke C Hesseling, Valerie Mizrahi, Roxana Rustomjee, Alexander Pym
Lancet Infectious Diseases
Mar 2019 Volume 19Number 3p217-338, e63-e108
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current
Tuberculosis transmission in HIV-endemic settings
Spatially targeted screening to reduce tuberculosis transmission in high-incidence settings
Patrick G T Cudahy, Jason R Andrews, Alyssa Bilinski, David W Dowdy, Barun Mathema,
Nicolas A Menzies, Joshua A Salomon, Sourya Shrestha, Ted Cohen
Lancet Infectious Diseases
Mar 2019 Volume 19Number 3p217-338, e63-e108
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current
Review
Tuberculosis susceptibility and protection in children
Robindra Basu Roy, Elizabeth Whittaker, James A Seddon, Beate Kampmann
Lancet Respiratory Medicine
Mar 2019 Volume 7Number 3p187-282, e10-e12
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/issue/current
Comment
The way forward for tuberculosis vaccines
Richard G White, Willem A Hanekom, Johan Vekemans, Rebecca C Harris
Tuberculosis is now the largest single-pathogen cause of adult mortality globally; more than 10 million incident cases of the disease occur worldwide every year. In 2018, global tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis, and treatment efforts were estimated to cost US$10·4 billion. With such a high global burden, and a current average annual decline in incidence of only 1·8%, new efficacious vaccines are urgently needed to accelerate progress towards the WHO End TB and elimination goals.
Nature
Volume 566 Issue 7745, 28 February 2019
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html
World View | 26 February 2019
Why were scientists silent over gene-edited babies?
To be successful as researchers, we must be able to think through the impacts of our work on society and speak up when necessary, says Natalie Kofler.
Nature Genetics
Volume 51 Issue 3, March 2019
https://www.nature.com/ng/
Editorial | 28 February 2019
Brave new dialogue
The development of CRISPR–Cas technology and its applications in biomedical research have generated much excitement. If fully realized, this technology has the potential to help treat or prevent severe diseases. However, these tools also carry considerable risk if improperly used. The scientific community must promote constructive dialogue among its members and within society at large to ensure that research on genome editing is conducted responsibly.
Pediatrics
March 2019, VOLUME 143 / ISSUE 3
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/143/3?current-issue=y
From the American Academy of Pediatrics
Open Access
Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedules: United States, 2019
COMMITTEE ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Pediatrics Mar 2019, 143 (3) e20190065; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-0065
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 2 Mar 2019)
Research Article
A multi-country study of the economic burden of dengue fever based on patient-specific field surveys in Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Cambodia
Jung-Seok Lee , Vittal Mogasale , Jacqueline K. Lim , Sowath Ly , Kang Sung Lee , Sopheak Sorn , Esther Andia , Mabel Carabali , Suk Namkung , Sl-Ki Lim , Valéry Ridde , Sammy M. Njenga , Seydou Yaro , In-Kyu Yoon
Abstract
Background
Dengue fever is a rapidly growing public health problem in many parts of the tropics and sub-tropics in the world. While there are existing studies on the economic burden of dengue fever in some of dengue-endemic countries, cost components are often not standardized, making cross-country comparisons challenging. Furthermore, no such studies have been available in Africa.
Methods/Principal findings
A patient-specific survey questionnaire was developed and applied in Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Cambodia in a standardized format. Multiple interviews were carried out in order to capture the entire cost incurred during the period of dengue illness. Both private (patient’s out-of-pocket) and public (non-private) expenditure were accessed to understand how the economic burden of dengue is distributed between private and non-private payers.
A substantial number of dengue-confirmed patients were identified in all three countries: 414 in Burkina Faso, 149 in Kenya, and 254 in Cambodia. The average cost of illness for dengue fever was $26 (95% CI $23-$29) and $134 (95% CI $119-$152) per inpatient in Burkina Faso and Cambodia, respectively. In the case of outpatients, the average economic burden per episode was $13 (95% CI $23-$29) in Burkina Faso and $23 (95% CI $19-$28) in Kenya. Compared to Cambodia, public contributions were trivial in Burkina Faso and Kenya, reflecting that a majority of medical costs had to be directly borne by patients in the two countries.
Conclusions/Significance
The cost of illness for dengue fever is significant in the three countries. In particular, the current study sheds light on the potential economic burden of the disease in Burkina Faso and Kenya where existing evidence is sparse in the context of dengue fever, and underscores the need to achieve Universal Health Coverage. Given the availability of the current (CYD-TDV) and second-generation dengue vaccines in the near future, our study outcomes can be used to guide decision makers in setting health policy priorities.
Author summary
Dengue fever is a major public health concern in many parts of South-East Asia and South America. In addition to countries where dengue has been highly prevalent for many years, there is a growing concern on the undocumented burden of dengue in Africa. Following the successful execution of the first-round economic burden study in Vietnam, Thailand, and Colombia by the Dengue Vaccine Initiative, the second-round economic burden study was implemented in Burkina Faso, Kenya and Cambodia using the same standardized methodology. In particular, the second-round study targeted GAVI eligible countries for future vaccine introductions and included two African countries where the burden of dengue was relatively unknown. Our study outcomes show that the economic burden of dengue fever is significant in all three countries. The dengue vaccination era began in 2016 with the first dengue vaccine (CYD-TDV) although its public use should be carefully determined due to the safety concerns related to the vaccine. Considering that there are other second-generation dengue vaccines in development, the current study outcomes provide an important step to estimate the economic benefits of vaccination in the three countries.
Qualitative Health Research
Volume 29 Issue 4, March 2019
http://qhr.sagepub.com/content/current
Research Articles
“I Knew I Could Make a Difference”: Motivations and Barriers to Engagement in Fighting the West African Ebola Outbreak Among U.S.-Based Health Professionals
Alexandra Greenberg, Georgia J. Michlig, Elizabeth Larson, Ilona Varallyay, Karen Chang, Blessing Enobun, Ellen Schenk, Benjamin Whong, Pamela J. Surkan, Caitlin E. Kennedy, Steven A. Harvey
First Published April 21, 2018; pp. 522–532
Science Translational Medicine
20 February 2019 Vol 11, Issue 480
http://stm.sciencemag.org/
Genome Editing
Both sides of the CRISPR coin
By Steven M. Jay
Science Translational Medicine27 Feb 2019 Full Access
Examination of the long-term effects of genome editing reveals potential and perils.
Tropical Medicine & International Health
Volume 24, Issue 3 Pages: i-iv, 259-378 March 2019
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/13653156/current
Reviews
Open Access
The willingness to participate in biomedical research involving human beings in low‐ and middle‐income countries: a systematic review
Joyce L. Browne, Connie O. Rees, Johannes J. M. van Delden, Irene Agyepong, Diederick E. Grobbee, Ama Edwin, Kerstin Klipstein‐Grobusch, Rieke van der Graaf
Pages: 264-279
First Published: 18 December 2018
Abstract
Objectives
To systematically review reasons for the willingness to participate in biomedical human subjects research in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs).
Methods
Five databases were systematically searched for articles published between 2000 and 2017 containing the domain of ‘human subjects research’ in ‘LMICs’ and determinant ‘reasons for (non)participation’. Reasons mentioned were extracted, ranked and results narratively described.
Results
Ninety‐four articles were included, 44 qualitative and 50 mixed‐methods studies. Altruism, personal health benefits, access to health care, monetary benefit, knowledge, social support and trust were the most important reasons for participation. Primary reasons for non‐participation were safety concerns, inconvenience, stigmatisation, lack of social support, confidentiality concerns, physical pain, efficacy concerns and distrust. Stigmatisation was a major concern in relation to HIV research. Reasons were similar across different regions, gender, non‐patient or patient participants and real or hypothetical study designs.
Conclusions
Addressing factors that affect (non‐)participation in the planning process and during the conduct of research may enhance voluntary consent to participation and reduce barriers for potential participants.
Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 2 Mar 2019)
Open Access Article
Analysis of State-Specific Differences in Childhood Vaccination Coverage in Rural India
by Nijika Shrivastwa, Abram L. Wagner and Matthew L. Boulton
Vaccines 2019, 7(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines7010024 – 24 February 2019
Abstract
There is little research on state-level differences in child health outcomes in India. The aim of this study was to identify state-level characteristics that relate to childhood immunizations. Most state-level characteristics came from the 2011 Indian Census. Individual-level data and other state-level characteristics were obtained from the 2007–2008 District Level Household and Facility Survey. Predictors of full vaccination were assessed with logistic regression models. Among 86,882 children 12–36 months, 53.2% were fully vaccinated. Children living in bigger households (≥7 members), born in non-institutional settings, and female had lower odds of complete vaccination. Individuals living in states in the mid-range of poverty had lower odds of full vaccination compared to those in lower or higher poverty states (3rd vs. 1st quintile: odds ratio [OR]: 0.36, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30, 0.42). Greater average population per primary health center was associated with decreased odds of full vaccination (5th vs. 1st quintile: OR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.47). Vaccination coverage in India can be explained by a complex interplay of individual- and state-level factors. Solutions to increasing vaccination must be multisectoral and acknowledge the cultural and socio-economic diversity that influences an individual child’s vaccination coverage along with within-state disparities
From Google Scholar & other sources: Selected Journal Articles, Newsletters, Dissertations, Theses, Commentary
Frontiers in Public Health
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health#
Accepted on 25 February 2019
Articles
Vaccine production in Africa: a feasible business model for capacity building and sustainable new vaccine introduction
G Makenga, S Bonoli, E Montomoli, T Carrier…
Abstract
Africa has the highest incidence of mortality caused by infectious diseases, and remarkably does not have the capacity to manufacture vaccines that are essential to reduce mortality, improving life expectancy, and promoting economic growth. GAVI has significantly helped introduction of new vaccines in Africa but its sustainability is questionable, and new vaccines introduction post-graduation is rare. Conversely, Africa with its high population and economy growth is an increasing potential market for vaccines. This study aimed to investigate how investment for vaccine production in Africa could be triggered and in which way it could be affordable to most African governments or investors.
The investigation was based on a literature review and supplemented by online questionnaires directed to global vaccine stakeholders, African governments and regulatory authorities, and also in-depth interviews with experts in manufacturing capacity implementation and regulatory capacity building in Africa to complement the study. We developed business plan scenarios including facility costs calculations and a possible investment plan based on expert opinions and publicly available information from pertinent sources.
We saw that, governments in Africa, show interest in vaccine production establishments but only with external support for investment. The common regulatory functionality gap was the quality control laboratories to test vaccine lots before regulatory release. The global vaccine stakeholders showed less preference in investment for vaccine production establishment in Africa. The diverse political ambitions among African governments make it difficult to predict and access the market, a prerequisite for competitive production. A feasible solution could be a small production facility that would use technologies with high yield at low costs of goods to cover the regional needs. A respective antigen production facility is estimated to cost USD 25 Million, an affordable dimension for investors or interested African governments.
Attractiveness for the African market is deemed to be high when targeting diseases almost exclusively for Africa (e.g. malaria or invasive non-typhoidal salmonella). With a smart five-years tangible implementation plan, marketing agreements within existing regional collaborations and with a strong political will, an African government alone or together with an investor could convince global vaccine stakeholders and investors to support
Media/Policy Watch
This watch section is intended to alert readers to substantive news, analysis and opinion from the general media and selected think tanks and similar organizations on vaccines, immunization, global public health and related themes. Media Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues CVEP is actively tracking. This section will grow from an initial base of newspapers, magazines and blog sources, and is segregated from Journal Watch above which scans the peer-reviewed journal ecology.
We acknowledge the Western/Northern bias in this initial selection of titles and invite suggestions for expanded coverage. We are conservative in our outlook in adding news sources which largely report on primary content we are already covering above. Many electronic media sources have tiered, fee-based subscription models for access. We will provide full-text where content is published without restriction, but most publications require registration and some subscription level.
The Associated Press
https://apnews.com/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
Amid measles outbreak, Ore. eyes vaccine requirements
By SARAH ZIMMERMAN 3/1/2019yesterday
The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
Health
The Small, Small World of Facebook’s Anti-vaxxers
Squelching vaccine misinformation might be easier than the platform makes it seem.
Alexis C. Madrigal Feb 27, 2019
…While there is no dearth of posts related to vaccines, the top 50 Facebook pages ranked by the number of public posts they made about vaccines generated nearly half (46 percent) of the top 10,000 posts for or against vaccinations, as well as 38 percent of the total likes on those posts, from January 2016 to February of this year. The distribution is heavy on the top, particularly for the anti-vax position. Just seven anti-vax pages generated nearly 20 percent of the top 10,000 vaccination posts in this time period: Natural News, Dr. Tenpenny on Vaccines and Current Events, Stop Mandatory Vaccination, March Against Monsanto, J. B. Handley, Erin at Health Nut News, and Revolution for Choice…
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
Published Date
1 Mar 2019
Vaccination deniers gaining traction, NHS boss warns
The head of NHS England has warned that “vaccination deniers” are gaining traction on social media as part of a “fake news” movement.
Simon Stevens said parents were seeing “fake messages” online about vaccines, which was making it harder to “win the public argument” on vaccination.
NHS England is considering what action can be taken to stop such messages spreading, Mr Stevens said…
The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]
Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
Feb 25, 2019
Is YouTube Right to Demonetize Anti-Vax Channels?
YouTube’s censorship of anti-vaccine videos is counterproductive. Here’s why.
By Mason Sands Contributor
Feb 25, 2019
65 Measles Cases In Washington, Yet Arizona May Expand Vaccine Exemptions
With at least 65 cases in Washington measles outbreak, the state of Washington legislature considering reducing vaccine exemptions, and over 900 people dying from a Madagascar measles outbreak, what is the Arizona state legislature doing?
By Bruce Y. Lee Contributor
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]
The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
Vaccines and immunisation
Japan battles worst measles outbreak in a decade | World news …
Japan’s health ministry urged people to get vaccinated immediately and hospitals and other medical facilities to take preventive measures.
New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
Our Columnists
Why Measles Is a Quintessential Political Issue of Our Time
Measles is contagious and potentially deadly—but also preventable through vaccination. The immunization debate around it is one that turns on the conflict between facts and lies.
By Masha Gessen
2 March 2019
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
March 1, 2019
U.S.
Measles Outbreak in Pacific Northwest About Half of US Cases
The focus on measles in the Pacific Northwest intensified Friday as public health officials in Oregon announced a new case of the highly contagious disease unrelated to an ongoing outbreak in Washington state that’s sickened 68 people so far.
March 1, 2019
Europe
Sanofi ‘Strongly Disagrees’ With Philippines Prosecutors Over Its Dengue Vaccine
Sanofi on Friday said it “strongly” disagreed with the findings made against the company and six of its employees in the Philippines over its controversial dengue vaccine.
March 1, 2019
Europe
Philippines to Charge Officials of Sanofi, Government Over Dengue Vaccine
The Philippine Department of Justice on Friday said it had found probable cause to indict officials from French drugmaker Sanofi and former and current Philippine health officials over 10 deaths it said were linked to use of a dengue vaccine.
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/home-page?_wsjregion=na,us&_homepage=/home/us
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
Schools
Measles Cases in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish Communities Rise
By Leslie Brody, Melanie Grayce West
Feb. 28, 2019 6:42 pm ET
The measles outbreak in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community continues to grow, New York City health officials said, even after the city ordered schools to bar unvaccinated students in some ZIP Codes from attending.
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
‘Something is in those vaccines’: Lawmaker says mandatory measles shots are ‘Communist’
Timothy Bella · Mar 1, 2019
Amid a surging measles outbreak in the United States that has grown to about 160 cases in 10 states, Arizona’s legislature recently passed bills allowing for a religious exemption for required vaccination shots — a move that public health advocates warn could lead to fewer immunizations. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who describes himself as “pro-vaccination” and “anti-measles,” suggested Wednesday he would strike down those proposals.
But one state lawmaker begged to differ with the governor. Republican State Rep. Kelly Townsend, a five-term state representative who is no stranger to making controversial and befuddling statements on social media, took to Facebook on Thursday to bemoan that Arizona was “prepared to give up our liberty, the very sovereignty of our body, because of measles.”
Why? Because doing so would be “Communist.”
“I read yesterday that the idea is being floated that if not enough people get vaccinated, then we are going to force them to,” Townsend wrote on Thursday morning. “The idea that we force someone to give up their liberty for the sake of the collective is not based on American values but rather, Communist.”…
Think Tanks et al
Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
[No new relevant content]
Center for Global Development
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
[No new relevant content]
CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
[No new relevant content]
Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
[No new relevant content]
Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 2 Mar 2019
[No new relevant content]
vaccines and global health :: ethics and policy 