Strongyloides stercoralis in Low-Income Immigrants from Portuguese Speaking African Countries in Lisbon, Portugal

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors, but the authors acknowledge “Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia” for funds to GHTM - UID/04413/2020 and LA-REAL – LA/P/0117/2020.publishersversionpublishe

Aspectos da branquidade e os atravessamentos da amabilidade artificiosa na mídia televisiva

O presente trabalho problematiza a hipervalorização da branquidade e suas implicações na vida em sociedade, principalmente no que toca à condição de subalternização do povo negro. O corpus de discussão será um veículo da mídia televisiva, o quadro RJ-Móvel, transmitido pelo diário telejornalístico local RJTV, da Rede Globo de Televisão. O quadro aborda situações em que uma jornalista, juntamente com sua equipe, tenta mediar e solucionar problemas relativos à falta de infraestrutura em bairros periféricos da cidade do Rio de Janeiro, bem como na região do chamado Leste Metropolitano e na Baixada Fluminense. Analisaremos a construção do roteiro do quadro e sua inserção em meio à população negra e pobre, maioria das(os) residentes nestes locais e sobre as(os) quais o programa se debruça, destinando suas investidas de caráter assistencialista. Como complemento de análise deste objeto, onde se observam outros modos de operar práticas de racismo e estabelecer lógicas de condutas civilizatórias, faremos uma leitura crítica também a respeito da postura da apresentadora, seus movimentos e dinâmicas de interação com a população local. Para tanto, traçaremos um diálogo com a noção de amabilidade artificiosa, mobilizada por Fanon (2008) em Pele Negra, Máscaras Brancas, em aproximação com duas outras categorias: a primitivização da pessoa negra e a caricata espetacularização da negritude e da pobreza. Assim nos interessa refletir estratégias que repensem o enaltecimento da branquidade, rompendo com o discurso midiático hegemônico que performa assistencialismo, produz e reproduz - entre outros modos de estereotipação - práticas racistas

Post-exposure serological responses to malaria parasites in potential blood donors

Additional file 4. Contingency table for Hosmer and Lemeshow Test

Moringa as a household water purification method – community perception and pilot study in Guinea-Bissau

Background: Public perceptions of water-related issues are still under-researched topics. The current paper intends to explore a local community’s perceptions regarding household water purification (HWP) strategies, namely before and after trying a new method: moringa seeds powder (moringa-teabag). Methods: In September 2020, six focus group discussions (N = 65) assessing perceptions about the usefulness of Moringa oleifera Lam (Moringaceae) as a HWP method (before moringa-based HWP trials), and questionnaires (N = 104) evaluating successes and identifying difficulties (after one week of moringa-based HWP trials). Participants were all women aged over 18 years, living in Ondame, Biombo region, Guinea-Bissau. Data were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative approaches. Results: The focus group discussions revealed that people are aware of the fact that water can transmit diseases. Although certain persons showed concern about shallow well water safety, people generally underestimate the risk, as they trust tubewell water. Not everyone had an understanding of what water contamination is, or the concept of medical importance. Some respondents declared they use traditional methods such as boiling and bleach to treat water before drinking. However, those who reported no kind of treatment indicated reasons such as lack of time, cost, and bleach’s taste and smell. In the questionnaire, more than half of the participants (68%) reported treating water before consumption. Nevertheless, these results are not consistent with our field notes. Participants demonstrated a strong belief in the capacity of moringa-teabags to purify water and even consider them better or much better (81%) than other methods. Participants asked for more information on moringa-teabag for household water purification. Conclusion: More information on water treatment and water safety would help to raise public awareness about waterborne diseases. These findings could be used to promote greater adherence to moringa-based HWP as an alternative to household water treatment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

a systematic review

The release of modified mosquitoes to suppress/replace vectors constitutes a promising tool for vector control and disease prevention. Evidence regarding these innovative modification techniques is scarce and disperse. This work conducted a systematic review, gathering and analysing research articles from PubMed and Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde databases whose results report efficacy and non-target effects of using modified insects for disease prevention, until 2016. More than 1500 publications were screened and 349 were analysed. Only 12/3.4% articles reported field-based evidence and 41/11.7% covered modification strategies’ post-release efficacy. Variability in the effective results (90/25.7%) questioned its reproducibility in different settings. We also found publications reporting reversal outcomes 38/10.9%, (e.g. post-release increase of vector population). Ecological effects were also reported, such as horizontal transfer events (54/15.5%), and worsening pathogenesis induced by natural wolbachia (10/2.9%). Present work revealed promising outcomes of modifying strategies. However, it also revealed a need for field-based evidence mainly regarding epidemiologic and long-term impact. It pointed out some eventual irreversible and important effects that must not be ignored when considering open-field releases, and that may constitute constraints to generate the missing field evidence. Present work constitutes a baseline of knowledge, offering also a methodological approach that may facilitate future updates.publishersversionpublishe

USOS E REUSOS DE JAZIGOS FUNERÁRIOS NO CEMITÉRIO DA SOLEDADE, BELÉM DO PARÁ – BRASIL

The Soledade Cemetery is the first public cemetery in Belém, operating between 1850 and 1880. As part of a restoration project, this article aims to investigate the patterns of use of the inner part of the cemetery's tombs in the light of mortuary archeology and bioarchaeology. Methodologies of mapping, systematic photographic documentation and description of structures, objects and human bones were used. 31 tombs were investigated, representing burial sites of members of noble families in Belém. The results show that secondary burials, deposited in stone, iron and wooden urns, occurred between 1870 and 1983. The tombs showed deterioration of walls, doors and ceiling, and systematic violation of the urns. Inside the tombs, popular ritual and discarded materials were found. These results indicate that the Cemetery has been occupied and reoccupied incessantly since its creation, indicating a combination of abandonment and reuse of the space for other purposes.El Cementerio de la Soledade es el primer cementerio público de Belém, funcionando entre 1850 y 1880. Como parte de un proyecto de restauración, este artículo tiene como objetivo investigar los patrones de uso en el interior de las tumbas del cementerio a la luz de la arqueología mortuoria y bioarqueología. Se utilizaron metodologías cartográficas, documentación fotográfica sistemática y descripción de estructuras, objetos y huesos humanos. Se investigaron 31 tumbas que representan lugares de enterramiento de miembros de familias nobles de Belém. Los resultados muestran que los entierros secundarios, depositados en urnas de piedra, hierro y madera, ocurrieron entre 1870 y 1983. Las tumbas presentaban deterioro de paredes, puertas y techos, y violación sistemática de las urnas. En el interior de las tumbas se encontraron rituales populares y materiales desechados. Estos resultados indican que el Cementerio ha sido ocupado y reocupado incesantemente desde su creación, indicando una combinación de abandono y reutilización del espacio para otros fines.O Cemitério da Soledade é o primeiro cemitério público de Belém, funcionando entre 1850 e 1880. Como parte de um projeto de restauro, o presente artigo objetiva investigar os padrões de uso do interior dos jazigos do cemitério a luz da arqueologia mortuária e bioarqueologia. Foram utilizadas metodologias de mapeamento, documentação fotográfica sistemática e descrição das estruturas, objetos e ossos humanos. Foram investigados 31 jazigos, representando locais de sepultamento de membros de famílias nobres de Belém. Os resultados mostram que os sepultamentos secundários, depositados em urnas de pedra, ferro e madeira, ocorreram entre 1870 e 1983. Os jazigos apresentaram deterioração de paredes, portas e teto, e violação sistemática das urnas. No interior dos jazigos foram encontrados materiais de ritualização popular e de descarte. Esses resultados indicam que o Cemitério foi ocupado e reocupado incessantemente desde sua criação, indicando uma combinação de abandono com reutilização do espaço para outros propósitos.

Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding the Vaccination of Brazilian Immigrants in Portugal: Risks When Returning to Their Country of Origin?

Vaccination is one of the main advancements in public health in the prophylaxis of infectious diseases. We intend to describe the general knowledge about vaccines/vaccination among Brazilian immigrants in Portugal, characterize their attitudes toward vaccination, and describe their knowledge of the yellow fever (YF) vaccine. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-completion questionnaire (face-to-face or remote). A total of 542 people participated in the study; the mean age was 36.81 years; 40.1% were male; 44.8% had their 12th year of schooling; and 27.0% had resided for ≥10 years in Portugal. Regarding general knowledge about vaccination, 53.8% answered at least 6/8 questions correctly. A total of 37.1% tended to have a favorable attitude toward vaccination. Concerning traveling, 76.7% attributed the risk of disease at the destination as the main reason for accepting vaccines. A total of 89.3% knew that there was a risk of YF in Brazil. A total of 40% answered correctly only one question about the YF vaccine; 21.6% did not answer any questions correctly. Thus, most of the Brazilian immigrants in this study have high general knowledge about vaccines/vaccination, few have a favorable attitude, and their knowledge about the YF vaccine is scarce. This could limit vaccination adherence when visiting Brazil, making health education actions necessary to increase knowledge and prevent YF risks

Sexually transmitted infections in an African migrant population in Portugal: A baseline study

Background: For geographical and recent historic reasons, Portugal is a gateway and home for immigration from sub-Saharan countries. Misconceptions related to these populations often lead to consider them as high-frequency clusters for dissemination of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Epidemiological evidence-based data is needed to elucidate these issues and baseline prevalence studies are the starting point for this.Methodology: A prospective study was conducted in 220 African migrants (171 men and 49 women), recently arrived in Portugal, at the time of their first consultation. The presence of STIs was evaluated using a clinical syndromic approach and biological confirmation for gonorrhoea, Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection, syphilis, Hepatitis B and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.Results: Global prevalence of the targeted infections were 1.8% for gonorrhoea, 0 % for Chlamydia infection, 4.1% for Syphilis, 5.9% for HBsAg presence and 7.3% for HIV infection. Globally, 16.4% of the studied persons had at least one sexually transmitted infection.Conclusions: We concluded that prevalence rates encountered in this population is similar to that of non-migrant Portuguese populations with a high risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore migration from sub-Saharan Africa doesn’t seem to constitute a particularly critical isolated factor for public health risk of STIs in the community