Should home-based HIV testing and counseling services be offered periodically in programs of ARV treatment as prevention? A case study in Likoma (Malawi).

To reduce HIV incidence, prevention programs centered on the use of antiretrovirals require scaling-up HIV testing and counseling (HTC). Home-based HTC services (HBHTC) increase HTC coverage, but HBHTC has only been evaluated during one-off campaigns. Two years after an initial HBHTC campaign ("round 1"), we conducted another HBHTC campaign ("round 2") in Likoma (Malawi). HBHTC participation increased during round 2 among women (from 74 to 83%, P < 0.01). New HBHTC clients were recruited, especially at ages 25 and older. Only 6.9% of women but 15.9% of men remained unreached by HBHTC after round 2. HIV prevalence during round 2 was low among clients who were HIV-negative during round 1 (0.7%), but high among women who received their first ever HIV test during round 2 (42.8%). The costs per newly diagnosed infection increased significantly during round 2. Periodically conducting HBHTC campaigns can further increase HTC, but supplementary interventions to enroll individuals not reached by HBHTC are needed

Provider and user acceptability of intermittent screening and treatment for the control of malaria in pregnancy in Malawi.

BACKGROUND: Malaria in pregnancy is a major cause of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) is one of the control strategies promoted by WHO. In response to mounting resistance to SP, intermittent screening and treatment (ISTp) has been proposed as an alternative. The objective of this study was to explore the acceptability of ISTp for health workers and pregnant women. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews of ten health workers and five focus group discussions of 38 women enrolled in an ongoing trial comparing IPTp-SP and ISTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) were conducted at two antenatal clinics in rural Malawi. All transcripts were coded and themes were identified using a content analysis approach. RESULTS: Amongst health workers, there were contrasting opinions on the preference of blood sampling methods, and the influence of method on reliability of diagnosis. The perceived greater effectiveness of DP compared to SP was appreciated, however concerns of user compliance with the full dose of DP in non-trial settings were raised. Despite the discomfort of repeated finger pricks, pregnant women were generally accepting of ISTp, particularly the chance for regular blood tests to check for infections and the perceived greater effectiveness with fewer side effects of DP compared to SP. CONCLUSION: In the trial context, pregnant women tended to prefer ISTp-DP over IPTp-SP. Health workers were also accepting of ISTp-DP as an alternative to IPTp-SP in light of increasing SP resistance. However, reliability of stock, adherence to malaria test results and user adherence to the full course of DP may present barriers to successful routine implementation. Effective communication with health workers and between health workers, pregnant women and their communities will be essential for the acceptability of focused antenatal care, including the best malaria control measures available

Buccal, intranasal or intravenous lorazepam for the treatment of acute convulsions in children in Malawi: An open randomized trial

IntroductionAcute convulsions in children are a common emergency worldwide. Benzodiazepines are the recommended first line treatment. Intravenous lorazepam is inexpensive, long acting and the first line drug in resource-rich settings. However, comparable efficacy by other routes of administration is unknown. We wished to compare the efficacy of lorazepam by the buccal, intranasal or intravenous route in the treatment of acute seizures in Malawian children.MethodsA prospective, open-label, randomised, non-inferiority trial was performed in children aged 2months to 14years presenting to the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi with acute seizures lasting longer than 5min. Children were randomly assigned to receive lorazepam, 0.1mg/kg, by the buccal, intranasal or intravenous route. The primary endpoint was seizure cessation within 10min of drug administration.ResultsThere were 761 seizures analysed, with 252 patients in the buccal, 245 in the intranasal and 264 in the intravenous groups. Intravenous lorazepam stopped seizures within 10min in 83%, intranasal lorazepam in 57% (RR 2.46, CI 1.82–3.34), and the buccal route in 46% (RR 3.14, CI 2.35–4.20; p=0.001) of children. There were no significant cardio-respiratory events and no difference in mortality or neurological deficits. The study was halted after an interim analysis showed that the primary endpoint had exceeded the protocol-stopping rule.ConclusionsIntravenous lorazepam effectively treats most childhood seizures in this setting. Intranasal and buccal routes are less effective but may be useful in pre-hospital care or when intravenous access cannot be obtained. Further studies comparing intranasal lorazepam to other benzodiazepines, or alternative doses by a non-intravenous route are warranted

Adjusted Risk Difference Estimation: An Assessment of Convergence Problems with Application to Malaria Efficacy Studies

A common measure of treatment effect in malaria efficacy studies is the risk difference, which can be estimated using binomial regression models. These models can fail to provide estimates, however, due to model failure or model convergence problems. Such failure most commonly occurs when the rate is close to 0% or 100% (a “boundary problem”) but can also occur occasionally even when the rate is not close to a boundary. This paper reports the findings from simulation studies performed to evaluate the factors that may contribute to model failure when using binomial regression to derive risk difference estimates. Convergence rates were found to fall: i) As one or both efficacy rates moved towards a boundary value, irrespective of the number of covariates included in the model; ii) As the numbers of covariates in the model increased; iii) As the levels of correlation between covariates the covariates increased. In all circumstances, convergence was poor when the efficacy rate in either group was 90% or more

Rapid Diagnostic Test Performance Assessed Using Latent Class Analysis for the Diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum Placental Malaria.

Placental malaria causes low birth weight and neonatal mortality in malaria-endemic areas. The diagnosis of placental malaria is important for program evaluation and clinical care, but is compromised by the suboptimal performance of current diagnostics. Using placental and peripheral blood specimens collected from delivering women in Malawi, we compared estimation of the operating characteristics of microscopy, rapid diagnostic test (RDT), polymerase chain reaction, and histopathology using both a traditional contingency table and a latent class analysis (LCA) approach. The prevalence of placental malaria by histopathology was 13.8%; concordance between tests was generally poor. Relative to histopathology, RDT sensitivity was 79.5% in peripheral and 66.2% in placental blood; using LCA, RDT sensitivities increased to 93.7% and 80.2%, respectively. Our results, if replicated in other cohorts, indicate that RDT testing of peripheral or placental blood may be suitable approaches to detect placental malaria for surveillance programs, including areas where intermittent preventive therapy in pregnancy is not used

Effect of HIV Infection and Plasmodium falciparum Parasitemia on Pregnancy Outcomes in Malawi

Plasmodium falciparum and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are both risk factors for low birth weight (LBW) and maternal anemia, and they may interact to increase risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. In 2005 and 2006, we followed 831 pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics in southern Malawi through delivery. HIV was associated with increased risk of LBW (adjusted prevalence ratio [PRadj] = 3.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.40, 6.79). Having greater than or equal to three episodes of peripheral parasitemia was also associated with increased risk of LBW (PRadj = 2.68, 95% CI = 1.06, 6.79). Among multigravidae, dual infection resulted in 9.59 (95% CI = 2.51, 36.6) times the risk of LBW compared with uninfected multigravidae. HIV infection and placental parasitemia were each associated with increased risk of anemia. Thus, HIV infection and parasitemia are important independent risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Among multigravidae, HIV infection and placental parasitemia may interact to produce an impact greater than the sum of their independent effects

Incidence and Seasonality of Influenza-Like Illnesses Among Pregnant Women in Blantyre, Malawi.

Pregnant women with influenza infection are at increased risk of developing complications compared with other adults. Information about burden of influenza in pregnant women in Africa is limited. To determine incidence and seasonality of influenza-like illness (ILI) in pregnant women in Blantyre, Malawi, we recruited a cohort of 450 pregnant women and conducted surveillance for ILI and malaria infection. We recorded gestational age and birthweight. We accrued 157 person-years of observation (PYO) and detected 37 episodes of ILI (24/100 PYO) and 83 episodes of malaria infection (including all new episodes of parasitemia) (53/100 PYO). ILI was the most common cause of fever, but was not associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. ILI incidence peaked during the hot dry season. These results indicate that ILI is a significant burden among Malawian pregnant women and it is somewhat seasonal. Studies with molecular diagnostics are needed to establish influenza-specific burden and the potential role of vaccination

The Effect of HIV Infection on the Risk, Frequency, and Intensity of Plasmodium falciparum Parasitemia in Primigravid and Multigravid Women in Malawi

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is common in pregnant women in many malaria-endemic regions and may increase risk of placental parasitemia. Placental malaria is more common in primigravidae than multigravidae, but the relationship between HIV and malaria across gravidities is not well characterized. We recruited pregnant Malawian women during the second trimester and followed them until delivery. Parasitemia was assessed at enrollment, follow-up visits, and delivery, when placental blood was sampled. There was no difference in risk of parasitemia between HIV-positive and HIV-negative primigravidae. Among multigravidae, HIV-infected women had greater than twice the risk of parasitemia as HIV-uninfected women throughout follow-up. Human immunodeficiency virus was also associated with more frequent peripheral parasitemia in multigravidae but not primigravidae. Both HIV and primigravid status were independently associated with higher peripheral and placental parasite densities. Although risk of parasitemia is lower in multigravidae than primigravidae, the HIV effect on risk of malaria is more pronounced in multigravidae

Fistula awareness among sisters of women with fistula

ObjectiveTo determine whether sisters of women with obstetric fistula (OF) were aware of their sisters’ condition, in order to inform the development of survey questions that adapt the sister‐based method to fistula rate estimation.MethodsTwelve women with OF and 20 of their sisters were interviewed using semi‐structured questionnaires in rural Uganda in 2007. Topics included fistula awareness and perceptions of causality.ResultsEleven women had vesicovaginal fistula and 1 had rectovaginal fistula. Three were primiparous at time of fistula occurrence; 6 had a parity of 6 or more. Nineteen sisters were aware their sister had OF; 12 became aware at the time of occurrence. The majority of participants (fistula patients and their sisters) associated OF with mistakes made by hospital personnel or problems during procedures.ConclusionSisters were generally aware of OF within their family. Larger studies are needed to assess the validity and reliability of the sister‐based method in capturing fistula through household surveys. In the present study, there was a widespread perception among fistula patients and their sisters that fistula is caused by medical procedures. More research is needed to understand this perception, and program development efforts are required to improve patient perceptions of hospital care.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135323/1/ijgo232.pd

Knowledge and malaria treatment practices using artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) in Malawi: survey of health professionals

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria still remains a life-threatening disease worldwide causing between 190 and 311 million cases of malaria in 2008. Due to increased resistance to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), the Ministry of Health in Malawi, as in many sub-Saharan African countries, changed the malaria treatment policy to use artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). In order to optimize the correct use of this drug, and protect against the development of the parasite's resistance, it is important to assess the knowledge and practices of medical practitioners on the use of ACT and its impact on adherence to new treatment policy guidelines.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the knowledge and perceptions of Malawian medical doctors and pharmacists on the use of ACT and the drivers of treatment choice and clinical treatment decisions. Medical doctors and pharmacists who are involved in managing malaria patients in Malawi were recruited and a self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics of the study participants, knowledge on ACT, source of information on ACT and methods used to decide on the treatment of patients with malaria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most of the participants (95.7%) know at least one form of ACT, 67.4% reported that different forms of ACT have different characteristics, 77.3% reported that there are special formulations for children. The most commonly mentioned ACT was artemether-lumefantrine (AL), by 94.6% of the participants and 75.0% of the participants indicated that they prefer to prescribe AL. 73.9% of participants had ever received information on ACT. However, only 31.5% had received training on management of malaria using ACT. There were 71.7% respondents who had heard of ACT causing side effects. Only 25.0% of the participants had received training on how to report SAEs.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It was found that most of the participants know about ACT and treatment guidelines for malaria. However, most of the participants have not received any training on how to use ACT and how to report adverse effects arising from the use of ACT. There is need for more training of health care professionals to ensure correct and effective use of ACT.</p