Serological evaluation for Chagas disease in migrants from Latin American countries resident in Rome, Italy

Chagas disease (CD) is a systemic parasitic infection caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, whose chronic phase may lead to cardiac and intestinal disorders. Endemic in Latin America where it is transmitted mainly by vectors, large-scale migrations to other countries have turned CD into a global health problem because of its alternative transmission routes through blood transfusion, tissue transplantation, or congenital. Aim of this study was to compare the performance of two commercially available tests for serological diagnosis of CD in a group of Latin American migrants living in a non-endemic setting (Rome, Italy). The study was based on a cross-sectional analysis of seroprevalence in this group. Epidemiological risk factors associated to CD were also evaluated in this study population

Prevalence of depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress related symptoms in the Kashmir Valley – a cross sectional study, 2015.

Research ProtocolObjectives\ud 1.5 Primary objective\ud To estimate prevalence of mental health related problems, specifically depression/anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptoms in the Kashmir Valley and to determine the accessibility to mental health services.\ud 1.6 Specific objectives\ud • Using validated screening tools determine the percentage of people with depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms in Kashmir;\ud • To correlate scores obtained on validated mental health screening tools with individual psychiatric evaluations using the mini international neuropsychiatric interview (MINI);\ud • To explore local knowledge and perceptions of mental illness in Kashmir;\ud • To determine the level of access to mental heath services across Kashmir;\ud • To identify mental health service needs perceived by the Kashmiri community.\ud 1.7 Goal\ud To provide an updated insight into current mental health needs in Kashmir, which will help MSF to increase relevance and impact of current activities in Kashmir and to advocate for supportive programming and policy review

Morbidity, healthcare needs and barriers to access medical care amongst local and displaced populations in west Dar’a and Quneitra, Southern Syria.

Research ProtocolObjectives\ud 2.1 Primary objective\ud To determine the health care needs for local population and IDP’s in west Dar’a and Quneitra by estimating the prevalence of underlying morbidities, vaccination coverage and identifying barriers to access to health care, in order to obtain a baseline that can guide MSF and actor response.\ud 2.2 Secondary objectives \ud The relevance of subjects for the (secondary) objective(s) has been informed by insights from reports of, and explorative meetings with MSF and medical NGOs active in southern Syria (section 3.2.3). Of the secondary objectives identified, similar objectives are reflected in MSF-ERB approved protocols for surveys conducted in the region. We formulated the objectives (and related indicators on page 15) as much as possible on basis of these approved secondary objectives .\ud I. To describe the socio-demographic characteristics of the surveyed population including age, gender and household characteristics. \ud II. To estimate the prevalence of self-reported morbidities in previous two weeks, an estimate of the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, and the main reasons for requiring medical care.\ud III. To estimate the vaccination coverage for key vaccine preventable diseases in children aged 6-59 months.\ud IV. To characterise health care utilisation, the degree of access to healthcare for common morbidities in the population (health seeking behviour) and determine the most common barriers to access to health care.\ud V. To estimate the global acute malnutrition [GAM] rate of in children aged 6-59 months.\ud VI. To estimate the prevalence of conflict-related trauma experienced during the recall period.\ud VII. To what extent maternal and reproductive health services are utilized by assessed crisis-affected women of 15-49 years of age in this area.\ud VIII. To estimate the retrospective mortality and cause of mortality, over the past 6 months (since Ramadan 2017).\ud IX. To better understand the configuration of the health system following the crisis, the characteristics of care-seeking and the quality of the services

Assessing the feasibility of preventing injury risks and improving work safety amongst factory workers in an urban slum: a participatory before-and-after intervention study

Research ProtocolSpecific Objectives: 1. Explain dynamics of injury risk over time by:\ud 1.1. Describing the circumstances of incidents leading to an injury (injury risks or dynamics of incident)\ud 1.2. Describing the circumstances of near-miss incident where no injury or illness occurs (incident risks)\ud 1.3. Measuring frequency and severity of injuries (burden)\ud 1.4. Describe perceptions of risks amongst owner/manager/workers\ud \ud 2. Design acceptable interventions to reduce injury risks \ud \ud 3. Document intervention feasibility by:\ud 3.1. Describing acceptability, capturing adherence to interventions and changes in risk perceptions\ud 3.2. Describing practicality: \ud 3.2.1. Documenting operational challenges and lessons learned\ud 3.2.2. Capturing resources (human resources, time, materials and cost) of implementation\ud \ud 4. Describe any changes in worker safety behaviour and incident incidence rat

Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a poverty-related disease with two main clinical forms: visceral leishmaniasis and cutaneous leishmaniasis. An estimated 0·7-1 million new cases of leishmaniasis per year are reported from nearly 100 endemic countries. The number of reported visceral leishmaniasis cases has decreased substantially in the past decade as a result of better access to diagnosis and treatment and more intense vector control within an elimination initiative in Asia, although natural cycles in transmission intensity might play a role. In east Africa however, the case numbers of this fatal disease continue to be sustained. Increased conflict in endemic areas of cutaneous leishmaniasis and forced displacement has resulted in a surge in these endemic areas as well as clinics across the world. WHO lists leishmaniasis as one of the neglected tropical diseases for which the development of new treatments is a priority. Major evidence gaps remain, and new tools are needed before leishmaniasis can be definitively controlled

Noma surgery

Noma is a devastating and destructive disease of the face for which there is a dearth of information regarding surgical options. Herein, we describe the facial deformities and patient characteristics in a patient population affected by noma and the surgical approaches used in treatment

Oral cholera vaccination in hard-to-reach communities, Lake Chilwa, Malawi

To evaluate vaccination coverage, identify reasons for non-vaccination and assess satisfaction with two innovative strategies for distributing second doses in an oral cholera vaccine campaign in 2016 in Lake Chilwa, Malawi, in response to a cholera outbreak

Vulnerability to snakebite envenoming: a global mapping of hotspots

Snakebite envenoming is a frequently overlooked cause of mortality and morbidity. Data for snake ecology and existing snakebite interventions are scarce, limiting accurate burden estimation initiatives. Low global awareness stunts new interventions, adequate health resources, and available health care. Therefore, we aimed to synthesise currently available data to identify the most vulnerable populations at risk of snakebite, and where additional data to manage this global problem are needed

Identifying human encounters that shape the transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae and other acute respiratory infections

Although patterns of social contacts are believed to be an important determinant of infectious disease transmission, it remains unclear how the frequency and nature of human interactions shape an individual's risk of infection. We analysed data on daily social encounters individually matched to data on S. pneumoniae carriage and acute respiratory symptoms (ARS), from 566 individuals who took part in a survey in South-West Uganda. We found that the frequency of physical (i.e. skin-to-skin), long (≥1 h) and household contacts - which capture some measure of close (i.e. relatively intimate) contact - was higher among pneumococcal carriers than non-carriers, and among people with ARS compared to those without, irrespective of their age. With each additional physical encounter the age-adjusted risk of carriage and ARS increased by 6% (95%CI 2-9%) and 7% (2-13%) respectively. In contrast, the number of casual contacts (<5 min long) was not associated with either pneumococcal carriage or ARS. A detailed analysis by age of contacts showed that the number of close contacts with young children (<5 years) was particularly higher among older children and adult carriers than non-carriers, while the higher number of contacts among people suffering from ARS was more homogeneous across contacts of all ages. Our findings provide key evidence that the frequency of close interpersonal contact is important for transmission of respiratory infections, but not that of casual contacts. Those results are essential for both improving disease prevention and control efforts as well as informing research on infectious disease dynamics and transmission models, and more studies should be undertaken to further validate our results