Unequal access to testing and vaccination services for the homeless and undocumented population during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives: To furnish a model to ensure access and use of healthcare services to the undocumented and homeless population. Methods: Between March 2020 and October 2021, public and third sector actors in Rome implemented an accessible COVID-19 screening service and vaccination program targeting the homeless and undocumented population. Results: 95.6% of the patients tested negative to both rapid and molecular tests. 0.9% tested positive to both. 0.7% were false negatives, while 2.8% were false positives. None of the participants refused the diagnostic treatment. From July to October 2021, 1384 people received a complete cycle of the COVID-19 vaccine through the program. 632 (45.6%) also agreed to perform the antibodies testing before inoculation. 318 (50.31%) of these were positive at the time of vaccination. Conclusion: We present a cost-effective model for reducing structural barriers to access diagnostic and preventive services for the homeless and undocumented population that can be applied to different public health settings

Monolateral Ocular Tuberculosis in an Immunocompetent Patient: A Case Report

Abstract Introduction -A rare case of monolateral tubercular choroiditis in a 25 year old Bengali man without pulmonary involvement was reported

Bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide ensures high rates of virological suppression maintenance despite previous resistance in PLWH who optimize treatment in clinical practice

We evaluated virological response and resistance profile in virologically suppressed individuals switching to bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (B/F/TAF) in real-life

Identification and evaluation of non-quality effects on the production cost of large power transformers

The costs of non-Quality in the industrial production process of large power transformers is discussed. The different phases of the production process are studied; each phase is detailed in terms of time and costs. Time and cost increments, due to the lack of quality during the production process, are defined and calculated. A computer program for the numerical evaluation of such quantities, realized by the Authors, is described. Some numerical results, presented in the paper, confirm that Quality is not a cost, but a saving, even from the point of view of short-term benefits. The computer program allows evaluating time and cost of different production layouts, i.e. in terms of manpower, significantly contributing to the optimisation of the production process

A report about the experience of COVID-19 active surveillance of homeless, undocumented people, and shelter staff in two cities of Lazio, Italy

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate COVID-19 spread among people experiencing homelessness (PEH), undocumented migrants (UMs), and shelter staff of homeless service sites. Another aim has been to prevent an outbreak among these populations. A San Gallicano Institute's initiative to sustain the health system in helping hard-to-reach populations, very often with no community medical care coverage. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The San Gallicano Dermatological Institute performed active surveillance for COVID-19 on PEH and UMs living in Rome and Latina, Italy. The screening was performed with two swabs: real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and antigen rapid tests. RESULTS: From June 2020 to January 2022, we performed 10,651 tests: 5,442 molecular swabs and 5,209 antigen rapid tests. A total of 3,503 individuals were screened. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 2.9% among the health and social workers and 5.7% among PEH and UMs. None of the people positive for COVID-19 had symptoms or signs of several illnesses. PEH and UMs who tested positive for COVID-19, asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic, were transferred to a COVID Hotel or dedicated apartment for further clinical monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: People experiencing homelessness and undocumented migrants are often not registered in the National Health Service and, therefore, difficult to trace. These data could aid in estimating the spread of SARS-CoV-2 among people experiencing homelessness, undocumented migrants, and shelter staff in two Italian cities

Cluster of Cases of Salmonella enterica Serotype Rissen Infection in a General Hospital, Italy, 2007

In 2007, three strains of Salmonella enterica serotype Rissen (S. Rissen) were isolated in the laboratory of diagnostic microbiology of the General Hospital of Prato, Tuscany, Italy, over a 1 month and half interval of time. The first isolate was recovered on January 26 from an outpatient with enteritis. Then, two strains were isolated on February 16 and March 11 respectively, from central venous catheters of patients who were being hospitalized in two departments of the Hospital. An epidemiologically linked cluster of cases of salmonellosis was suspected. The three strains were submitted to single enzyme-amplified fragment length polymorphism (SE-AFLP) and XbaI macrorestriction and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) that yielded undistinguishable profiles. Epidemiological investigations failed to identify a common source of infection within the Hospital. Moreover, the third patient had been exclusively total parenteral nutrition fed since his admission with a stomach cancer diagnosis. The first patient had a community-acquired infection, but the source of her illness was uncertain. Twenty-five further isolates identified in the years 2004-2007 in the same geographical area showed distinctly different PFGE and SE-AFLP patterns. The three patients seemed to represent a cluster of epidemiologically unrelated cases caused by a previously never recognized S. Rissen strain. Rapid subtyping of isolates is essential in the early investigation of potential outbreaks, but synthesis of conventional and molecular epidemiological investigation and availability of surveillance data is often critical to prevent the initiation of time-consuming, expensive and ineffective further investigations and control interventions