Vortrag: Entnazifizierte Universität? Zur Bedeutung der politischen Überprüfung der Professoren für die Universität Hamburg

Nach der kampflosen Besetzung Hamburgs durch britische Truppen am 3. Mai 1945 wurde die Hamburger Universität geschlossen, aber bereits am 6. November 1945 – ein halbes Jahr nach Ende des „Dritten Reichs“ und des Zweiten Weltkriegs – mit einem Festakt in der Musikhalle wiedereröffnet. Den 70. Jahrestag dieser Wiedereröffnung am 6. November 2015 nahm die Universität Hamburg zum Anlass, sich erneut öffentlich mit dem schwierigen Übergang der eigenen Institution von der NS-Diktatur in die demokratische Nachkriegszeit auseinanderzusetzen. Dieser Band der „Hamburger Universitätsreden“ dokumentiert die vier am 6. November 2015 im Magdalene-Schoch-Hörsaal im Hauptgebäude der Universität gehaltenen Reden.After the occupation of Hamburg by British troops on May 3rd, 1945, the Hamburg University was closed, but reopened on November 6th, 1945 - half a year after the end of the "Third Reich" and the Second World War. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of this reopening on 6 November 2015, the University of Hamburg took the opportunity to publicly discuss the difficult transition of its own institution from the Nazi dictatorship into the democratic post-war period. This volume of "Hamburger Universitätsreden" documents the four speeches held on on this occation

The costs of preventing and treating chagas disease in Colombia

Background: The objective of this study is to report the costs of Chagas disease in Colombia, in terms of vector disease control programmes and the costs of providing care to chronic Chagas disease patients with cardiomyopathy. Methods: Data were collected from Colombia in 2004. A retrospective review of costs for vector control programmes carried out in rural areas included 3,084 houses surveyed for infestation with triatomine bugs and 3,305 houses sprayed with insecticide. A total of 63 patient records from 3 different hospitals were selected for a retrospective review of resource use. Consensus methodology with local experts was used to estimate care seeking behaviour and to complement observed data on utilisation. Findings: The mean cost per house per entomological survey was $4.4 (in US$ of 2004), whereas the mean cost of spraying a house with insecticide was $27. The main cost driver of spraying was the price of the insecticide, which varied greatly. Treatment of a chronic Chagas disease patient costs between$46.4 and $7,981 per year in Colombia, depending on severity and the level of care used. Combining cost and utilisation estimates the expected cost of treatment per patient-year is$1,028, whereas lifetime costs averaged $11,619 per patient. Chronic Chagas disease patients have limited access to healthcare, with an estimated 22% of patients never seeking care. Conclusion: Chagas disease is a preventable condition that affects mostly poor populations living in rural areas. The mean costs of surveying houses for infestation and spraying infested houses were low in comparison to other studies and in line with treatment costs. Care seeking behaviour and the type of insurance affiliation seem to play a role in the facilities and type of care that patients use, thus raising concerns about equitable access to care. Preventing Chagas disease in Colombia would be cost-effective and could contribute to prevent inequalities in health and healthcare.Wellcome Trus

Gesamtverzeichnis der Hamburger Universitätsreden

Nach der kampflosen Besetzung Hamburgs durch britische Truppen am 3. Mai 1945 wurde die Hamburger Universität geschlossen, aber bereits am 6. November 1945 – ein halbes Jahr nach Ende des „Dritten Reichs“ und des Zweiten Weltkriegs – mit einem Festakt in der Musikhalle wiedereröffnet. Den 70. Jahrestag dieser Wiedereröffnung am 6. November 2015 nahm die Universität Hamburg zum Anlass, sich erneut öffentlich mit dem schwierigen Übergang der eigenen Institution von der NS-Diktatur in die demokratische Nachkriegszeit auseinanderzusetzen. Dieser Band der „Hamburger Universitätsreden“ dokumentiert die vier am 6. November 2015 im Magdalene-Schoch-Hörsaal im Hauptgebäude der Universität gehaltenen Reden.After the occupation of Hamburg by British troops on May 3rd, 1945, the Hamburg University was closed, but reopened on November 6th, 1945 - half a year after the end of the "Third Reich" and the Second World War. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of this reopening on 6 November 2015, the University of Hamburg took the opportunity to publicly discuss the difficult transition of its own institution from the Nazi dictatorship into the democratic post-war period. This volume of "Hamburger Universitätsreden" documents the four speeches held on on this occation

Evaluation of Spatially Targeted Strategies to Control Non-Domiciliated Triatoma dimidiata Vector of Chagas Disease

Chagas disease is one of the most important parasitic diseases in Latin America. Since the 1980's, many national and international initiatives have contributed to eliminate vectors developing inside human domiciles. Today's challenge is to control vectors that are non-adapted to the human domicile, but still able to transmit the parasite through regular short stay in the houses. Here, we assess the potential of different control strategies applied in specific spatial patterns using a mathematical model that reproduces the dynamic of dispersion of such ‘non-domiciliated’ vectors within a village of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. We show that no single strategy applied in the periphery of the village, where the insects are more abundant, provides satisfying protection to the whole village. However, combining the use of insect screens in houses at the periphery of the village (to simultaneously fight insects dispersing from the garden and the forest), and the cleaning of the peri-domicile areas of the centre of the village (where sylvatic insects are absent), would provide a cost-effective control. This type of spatially mixed strategy offers a promising way to reduce the cost associated with the repeated interventions required to control non-domiciliated vectors that permanently attempt to infest houses

Feasibility, drug safety, and effectiveness of etiological treatment programs for Chagas disease in Honduras, Guatemala, and Bolivia: 10-year experience of Médecins Sans Frontières

BACKGROUND: Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is a zoonotic or anthropozoonotic disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Predominantly affecting populations in poor areas of Latin America, medical care for this neglected disease is often lacking. Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has provided diagnostic and treatment services for Chagas disease since 1999. This report describes 10 years of field experience in four MSF programs in Honduras, Guatemala, and Bolivia, focusing on feasibility protocols, safety of drug therapy, and treatment effectiveness. METHODOLOGY: From 1999 to 2008, MSF provided free diagnosis, etiological treatment, and follow-up care for patients <18 years of age seropositive for T. cruzi in Yoro, Honduras (1999-2002); Olopa, Guatemala (2003-2006); Entre Ríos, Bolivia (2002-2006); and Sucre, Bolivia (2005-2008). Essential program components guaranteeing feasibility of implementation were information, education, and communication (IEC) at the community and family level; vector control; health staff training; screening and diagnosis; treatment and compliance, including family-based strategies for early detection of adverse events; and logistics. Chagas disease diagnosis was confirmed by testing blood samples using two different diagnostic tests. T. cruzi-positive patients were treated with benznidazole as first-line treatment, with appropriate counseling, consent, and active participation from parents or guardians for daily administration of the drug, early detection of adverse events, and treatment withdrawal, when necessary. Weekly follow-up was conducted, with adverse events recorded to assess drug safety. Evaluations of serological conversion were carried out to measure treatment effectiveness. Vector control, entomological surveillance, and health education activities were carried out in all projects with close interaction with national and regional programs. RESULTS: Total numbers of children and adolescents tested for T. cruzi in Yoro, Olopa, Entre Ríos, and Sucre were 24,471, 8,927, 7,613, and 19,400, respectively. Of these, 232 (0.9%), 124 (1.4%), 1,475 (19.4%), and 1,145 (5.9%) patients, respectively, were diagnosed as seropositive. Patients were treated with benznidazole, and early findings of seroconversion varied widely between the Central and South American programs: 87.1% and 58.1% at 18 months post-treatment in Yoro and Olopa, respectively; 5.4% by up to 60 months in Entre Ríos; and 0% at an average of 18 months in Sucre. Benznidazole-related adverse events were observed in 50.2% and 50.8% of all patients treated in Yoro and Olopa, respectively, and 25.6% and 37.9% of patients in Entre Ríos and Sucre, respectively. Most adverse events were mild and manageable. No deaths occurred in the treatment population. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate the feasibility of implementing Chagas disease diagnosis and treatment programs in resource-limited settings, including remote rural areas, while addressing the limitations associated with drug-related adverse events. The variability in apparent treatment effectiveness may reflect differences in patient and parasite populations, and illustrates the limitations of current treatments and measures of efficacy. New treatments with improved safety profiles, pediatric formulations of existing and new drugs, and a faster, reliable test of cure are all urgently needed