Equity and vaccine uptake : a cross-sectional study of measles vaccination in Lasbela District, Pakistan

Vaccination coverage is lower in most developing countries, particularly in the poorest segments of these countries. Although vaccination is theoretically free, this does not account for costs of travel to the facilities and time away from work or home. In both urban and rural areas, access to a government facility providing vaccinations, a key equity factor, was a determining factor for uptake. This cross-sectional study of communities in the Lasbela district of south Pakistan, explores knowledge, attitudes and discussion around measles vaccination. Findings illustrate the role of equity in determining vaccination uptake

Clustering of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cases in Acapulco: Spoligotyping and Risk Factors

Recurrence and reinfection of tuberculosis have quite different implications for prevention. We identified 267 spoligotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from consecutive tuberculosis patients in Acapulco, Mexico, to assess the level of clustering and risk factors for clustered strains. Point cluster analysis examined spatial clustering. Risk analysis relied on the Mantel Haenszel procedure to examine bivariate associations, then to develop risk profiles of combinations of risk factors. Supplementary analysis of the spoligotyping data used SpolTools. Spoligotyping identified 85 types, 50 of them previously unreported. The five most common spoligotypes accounted for 55% of tuberculosis cases. One cluster of 70 patients (26% of the series) produced a single spoligotype from the Manila Family (Clade EAI2). The high proportion (78%) of patients infected with cluster strains is compatible with recent transmission of TB in Acapulco. Geomatic analysis showed no spatial clustering; clustering was associated with a risk profile of uneducated cases who lived in single-room dwellings. The Manila emerging strain accounted for one in every four cases, confirming that one strain can predominate in a hyperendemic area

Mobilising communities for Aedes aegypti control: the SEPA approach.

UNLABELLED: Camino Verde (the Green Way) is an evidence-based community mobilisation tool for prevention of dengue and other mosquito-borne viral diseases. Its effectiveness was demonstrated in a cluster-randomised controlled trial conducted in 2010-2013 in Nicaragua and Mexico. The common approach that brought functional consistency to the Camino Verde intervention in both Mexico and Nicaragua is Socialisation of Evidence for Participatory Action (SEPA). In this article, we explain the SEPA concept and its theoretical origins, giving examples of its previous application in different countries and contexts. We describe how the approach was used in the Camino Verde intervention, with details that show commonalities and differences in the application of the approach in Mexico and Nicaragua. We discuss issues of cost, replicability and sustainability, and comment on which components of the intervention were most important to its success. In complex interventions, multiple components act in synergy to produce change. Among key factors in the success of Camino Verde were the use of community volunteers called brigadistas, the house-to-house visits they conducted, the use of evidence derived from the communities themselves, and community ownership of the undertaking. Communities received the intervention by random assignment; dengue was not necessarily their greatest concern. The very nature of the dengue threat dictated many of the actions that needed to be taken at household and neighbourhood levels to control it. But within these parameters, communities exercised a large degree of control over the intervention and displayed considerable ingenuity in the process. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN27581154

Reducing corruption in a Mexican medical school: impact assessment across two cross-sectional surveys

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Corruption pervades educational and other institutions worldwide and medical schools are not exempt. Empirical evidence about levels and types of corruption in medical schools is sparse. We conducted surveys in 2000 and 2007 in the medical school of the Autonomous University of Guerrero in Mexico to document student perceptions and experience of corruption and to support the medical school to take actions to tackle corruption.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In both 2000 and 2007 medical students completed a self-administered questionnaire in the classroom without the teacher present. The questionnaire asked about unofficial payments for admission to medical school, for passing an examination and for administrative procedures. We examined factors related to the experience of corruption in multivariate analysis. Focus groups of students discussed the quantitative findings.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In 2000, 6% of 725 responding students had paid unofficially to obtain entry into the medical school; this proportion fell to 1.6% of the 436 respondents in 2007. In 2000, 15% of students reported having paid a bribe to pass an examination, not significantly different from the 18% who reported this in 2007. In 2007, students were significantly more likely to have bribed a teacher to pass an examination if they were in the fourth year, if they had been subjected to sexual harassment or political pressure, and if they had been in the university for five years or more. Students resented the need to make unofficial payments and suggested tackling the problem by disciplining corrupt teachers. The university administration made several changes to the system of admissions and examinations in the medical school, based on the findings of the 2000 survey.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The fall in the rate of bribery to enter the medical school was probably the result of the new admissions system instituted after the first survey. Further actions will be necessary to tackle the continuing presence of bribery to pass examinations and for administrative procedures. The social audit helped to draw attention to corruption and to stimulate actions to tackle it.</p

Dispareunia en mujeres después del parto: estudio de casos y controles en un hospital de Acapulco, México Women’s dyspareunia after childbirth: a case study in a hospital in Acapulco, Mexico

OBJETIVO: Identificar los factores asociados con la dispareunia entre 60 y 180 días después del parto en mujeres con antecedentes de uno o dos partos. MÉTODOS: Estudio de casos y controles, pareados por la edad y la paridad en 304 mujeres que acudieron al servicio de planificación familiar de un hospital de Acapulco, Guerrero, México, entre los 60 y 180 días después del parto. Se aplicó un cuestionario con preguntas sobre su situación socioeconómica (edad, escolaridad propia y de su pareja, estado civil, situación laboral, de seguridad social y de tenencia de su casa) y sus antecedentes obstétricos (características del parto, paridad, lugar de atención, desgarros, episiotomía y complicaciones) y ginecológicos (sensación de estrechez del introito, presencia de cicatriz queloide de la episiorrafia, síntomas de vaginitis, resequedad vaginal, métodos anticonceptivos empleados y tipo y duración de la lactancia). Se consideraron como casos a las mujeres que refirieron dolor, ardor o sangrado al tener relaciones sexuales con penetración vaginal después del parto. Se aplicó un modelo de regresión logística no condicionada y se calcularon las razones de posibilidades (odds ratios, OR) y los intervalos de confianza de 95% (IC95%). RESULTADOS: De 368 mujeres que habían reiniciado relaciones sexuales, 152 (41,3%) refirieron dispareunia. Los factores asociados con dispareunia fueron haber tenido infección con o sin dehiscencia de la episiorrafia (OR = 34,09; IC95%: 10,59 a 109,78), presentar síntomas de vaginitis (OR = 7,43; IC95%: 3,68 a 14,99), tener sensación de estrechez del introito vaginal (OR = 6,38; IC95%: 2,92 a 13,94) y practicar la lactancia exclusiva (OR = 4,86; IC95%: 2,44 a 9,69). CONCLUSIONES: La dispareunia estuvo relacionada con las complicaciones de la episiotomía y sus posibles secuelas, como la infección, la dehiscencia de la episiorrafia y la estrechez del introito vaginal. Se debe realizar una mejor vigilancia de la episiorrafia durante el puerperio y seleccionar más apropiadamente las mujeres a quienes se les realiza la episiotomía.OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors associated with dyspareunia, during the 60-180 days following childbirth, in women with a history of one or two childbirths. METHODS: A case study of 304 women, matched by age and parity who visited family planning services in a hospital in Acapulco, State of Guerrero, Mexico, 60-180 days after giving birth. A questionnaire was administered to assess socioeconomic status (age, level of education, partner’s level of education, marital status, employment, social security, and homeownership), obstetric history (type of birth, parity, location of the birth, tearing, episiotomy, and complications), and gynecological status (constricted introitus, scar tissue at the episiotomy site, symptoms of vaginitis, vaginal dryness, contraceptive use, and breast feeding duration). Cases were defined as those women who related pain, burning, or bleeding following vaginal intercourse after childbirth. An unconditional logistic regression model was applied and odd ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval were calculated. RESULTS: Of the 368 women who had reinitiated sexual relations, 152 (41.3%) mentioned dyspareunia. The factors associated with dyspareunia were: an infection with or without episiorrhaphy dehiscence (OR = 34.09; CI95%: 10.59-109.78); symptoms of vaginitis (OR = 7.43; CI95%: 3.68-14.99); tightness in the introitus of the vagina (OR = 6.38; CI95%: 2.92-13.94), and breast feeding exclusively (OR = 4.86; CI95%: 2.44- 9.69). CONCLUSIONS: Dyspareunia was related to complications with episiotomy and its possible sequelae, such as infection, episiorrhaphy dehiscence, and constricted introitus. More attention should be given to the episiotomy site during the postpartum period and greater selectivity is needed when deciding which women require an episiotomy