TB and TB-HIV care for adolescents and young adults

SETTING: Nine high-burden public tuberculosis (TB) clinics in Gaborone, Botswana. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the challenges encountered, healthcare worker (HCW) approaches, and supported interventions in TB and TB-HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) care for adolescents and young adults (AYA, aged 10–24 years). DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews with HCW in TB clinics, analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Sixteen HCWs were interviewed. AYA developmental needs included reliance on family support for care, increasing autonomy, attending school or work, building trust in HCWs, and intensive TB education and adherence support. Stigma strongly influenced care engagement, including clinic attendance and HIV testing. Health system barriers to optimal AYA TB care included limited staffing and resources to follow-up or support. HCWs utilized intensive education and counseling, and transitioned AYA to community-based directly observed therapy whenever feasible. HCWs supported implementation of youth-friendly services, such as AYA-friendly spaces or clinic days, training in AYA care, use of mobile applications, and peer support interventions, in addition to health system strengthening. CONCLUSION: HCWs utilize dedicated approaches for AYA with TB, but have limited time and resources for optimal care. They identified several strategies likely to improve care and better retain AYAs in TB treatment. Further work is needed to study interventions to improve AYA TB care and outcomes

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

The Jamaica Injury Surveillance System A Profile of the Intentional and Unintentional Injuries in Jamaican Hospitals

Background: Injuries in Jamaica are a major public health problem as demonstrated by a hospital based computerized injury surveillance system established in 1999 that provides a risk profile for injuries. Subjects and Method: Injury data from 2004 were selected to provide an annual profile, as comprehensive injury data were available from nine public hospitals. These nine public hospitals provide care for 70% of the Jamaicans admitted to hospitals annually. Results: Data are presented on unintentional injuries where falls caused 44%, lacerations 27% and accidental blunt injuries were 17% of these. For motor vehicle related injuries, 55% were sustained while commuting by motorcars, 17% while riding motorbikes/bicycles and 16% of those injured were pedestrians. Most violence related injuries were due to fights (76%) with acquaintances (47%) who used sharp objects (40%) to inflict the injury. Conclusion: The Jamaica Injury Surveillance System (JISS) data, augmented by data collected on injuries from the health centres and the sentinel surveillance system, give a measure of the magnitude of the impact of injuries on the health services. The JISS provides data on the profile of injuries seen and treated at health facilities in Jamaica. In collaboration with police data and community-based surveys, it can be used to complete the risk profiles for different types of injuries. The data generated at the parish, regional and national levels form the basis for the design and monitoring of prevention programmes, as well as serve to support and evaluate policy, legislative control measures and measures that impact on interventions. Keywords: Injury Surveillance, Unintentional Injuries, Intentional Injuries, Motor Vehicle Related Injuries, Jamaica. "El Sistema de Vigilancia de Lesiones en Jamaica (SVLJ) Un Perfil de las Lesiones Intencionales y no Intencionales en Hospitales de Jamaica" RESUMEN Antecedentes: Las lesiones constituyen un problema importante de la salud pública en Jamaica, como lo demuestra el sistema de vigilancia computarizada de las lesiones, establecido en 1999, el cual proporciona un perfil de riesgo de las lesiones. Sujetos y Método: Datos de lesiones ocurridas en el 2004 fueron seleccionados a fin de ofrecer un perfil anual, ya que se disponía de un conjunto amplio de datos de nueve de los hospitales públicos. Estos nueve hospitales públicos dan atención al 70% de los jamaicanos ingresados a los hospitales cada año. Resultados: Se presentan datos sobre lesiones no intencionales, según los cuales las caídas representaron el 44%, las laceraciones el 27% y las contusiones accidentales el 17%. En cuanto a las lesiones relacionadas con automóviles, el 55% fueron producidas durante la transportación diaria en vehículos automotores a centros de trabajo o estudio; el 17% se produjo en viajes en motos o bicicletas; y el 16% de los heridos fueron peatones. La mayoría de las lesiones relacionadas con la violencia se debieron a peleas (76%) con conocidos (47%) que usaron objetos perforocortantes (40%) para infligir las heridas. Conclusión: Los datos del SVLJ, aumentados con los datos sobre lesiones recopilados en los centros de salud y el sistema de vigilancia centinela, dan una medida de la magnitud del impacto de las lesiones en los servicios de salud. El SVLJ proporciona datos sobre el perfil de las lesiones vistas y tratadas en los centros de salud de Jamaica. En colaboración con datos de la policía y encuestas a nivel de la comunidad, el sistema puede ser usado para completar los perfiles de riesgo en relación con diferentes tipos de lesiones. Los datos generados a nivel provincial, regional y nacional constituyen la base para el diseño y monitoreo de los programas de prevención. Asimismo, sirven para apoyar y evaluar políticas, legislaciones, medidas de control así como medidas relativas al impacto de las intervenciones. Palabras claves: Vigilancia de lesiones, lesiones no intencionales, lesiones intencionales, lesiones automovilísticas, Jamaic

Cross-country analysis of strategies for achieving progress towards global goals for women’s and children’s health

To identify how 10 low- and middle-income countries achieved accelerated progress, ahead of comparable countries, towards meeting millennium development goals 4 and 5A to reduce child and maternal mortality

Association of Respiratory Viruses with Outcomes of Severe Childhood Pneumonia in Botswana

Background: The highest incidence of childhood acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRI) is in low- and middle-income countries. Few studies examined whether detection of respiratory viruses predicts ALRI outcomes in these settings. Methods: We conducted prospective cohort and case-control studies of children 1-23 months of age in Botswana. Cases met clinical criteria for pneumonia and were recruited within six hours of presentation to a referral hospital. Controls were children without pneumonia matched to cases by primary care clinic and date of enrollment. Nasopharyngeal specimens were tested for respiratory viruses using polymerase chain reaction. We compared detection rates of specific viruses in matched case-control pairs. We examined the effect of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other respiratory viruses on pneumonia outcomes. Results: Between April 2012 and August 2014, we enrolled 310 cases, of which 133 had matched controls. Median ages of cases and controls were 6.1 and 6.4 months, respectively. One or more viruses were detected from 75% of cases and 34% of controls. RSV and human metapneumovirus were more frequent among cases than controls, but only enterovirus/rhinovirus was detected from asymptomatic controls. Compared with non-RSV viruses, RSV was associated with an increased risk of treatment failure at 48 hours [risk ratio (RR): 1.85; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20, 2.84], more days of respiratory support [mean difference (MD): 1.26 days; 95% CI: 0.30, 2.22 days], and longer duration of hospitalization [MD: 1.35 days; 95% CI: 0.20, 2.50 days], but lower in-hospital mortality [RR: 0.09; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.80] in children with pneumonia. Conclusions: Respiratory viruses were detected from most children hospitalized with ALRI in Botswana, but only RSV and human metapneumovirus were more frequent than among children without ALRI. Detection of RSV from children with ALRI predicted a protracted illness course but lower mortality compared with non-RSV viruses

The prevalence and clinical characteristics of pertussis-associated pneumonia among infants in Botswana

Background: There are scant data on the prevalence and clinical course of pertussis disease among infants with pneumonia in low- and middle-income countries. While pertussis vaccination coverage is high (≥90%) among infants in Botswana, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection affects nearly one-third of pregnancies. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and clinical course of pertussis disease in a cohort of HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU), HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU), and HIV-infected infants with pneumonia in Botswana. Methods: We recruited children 1–23 months of age with clinical pneumonia at a tertiary care hospital in Gaborone, Botswana between April 2012 and June 2016. We obtained nasopharyngeal swab specimens at enrollment and tested these samples using a previously validated in-house real-time PCR assay that detects a unique sequence of the porin gene of Bordetella pertussis. Results: B. pertussis was identified in 1/248 (0.4%) HUU, 3/110 (2.7%) HEU, and 0/33 (0.0%) HIV-infected children. All pertussis-associated pneumonia cases occurred in infants 1–5 months of age (prevalence, 1.0% [1/103] in HUU and 4.8% [3/62] in HEU infants). No HEU infants with pertussis-associated pneumonia were taking cotrimoxazole prophylaxis at the time of hospital presentation. One HUU infant with pertussis-associated pneumonia required intensive care unit admission for mechanical ventilation, but there were no deaths. Conclusions: The prevalence of pertussis was low among infants and young children with pneumonia in Botswana. Although vaccination against pertussis in pregnancy is designed to prevent classical pertussis disease, reduction of pertussis-associated pneumonia might be an important additional benefit.Medicine, Faculty ofOther UBCNon UBCInfectious Diseases, Division ofMedicine, Department ofPathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department ofPediatrics, Department ofReviewedFacult

Effect of Haemophilus influenzae Type b and 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines on Childhood Pneumonia Hospitalizations and Deaths in Botswana

Background: Globally, pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children. Few data exist regarding the effect of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) on the burden of childhood pneumonia in African settings. Methods: We collected data on children aged 1 to 59 months at 3 hospitals in Botswana. Hib vaccine and PCV-13 were introduced in Botswana in November 2010 and July 2012, respectively. We compared pneumonia hospitalizations and deaths prevaccine (January 2009 to October 2010) with postvaccine (January 2013 to December 2017) using seasonally adjusted, interrupted time-series analyses. Results: We identified 6943 pneumonia hospitalizations and 201 pneumonia deaths. In the prevaccine period, pneumonia hospitalizations and deaths increased by 24% (rate, 1.24; 95% CI, .94-1.64) and 59% (rate, 1.59; 95% CI, .87-2.90) per year, respectively. Vaccine introduction was associated with a 48% (95% CI, 29-62%) decrease in the number of pneumonia hospitalizations and a 50% (95% CI, 1-75%) decrease in the number of pneumonia deaths between the end of the prevaccine period (October 2010) and the beginning of the postvaccine period (January 2013). During the postvaccine period, pneumonia hospitalizations and deaths declined by 6% (rate, .94; 95% CI, .89-.99) and 22% (rate, .78; 95% CI, .67-.92) per year, respectively. Conclusions: Pneumonia hospitalizations and deaths among children declined sharply following introduction of Hib vaccine and PCV-13 in Botswana. This effect was sustained for more than 5 years after vaccine introduction, supporting the long-term effectiveness of these vaccines in preventing childhood pneumonia in Botswana

Respiratory viruses detected using multiplex PCR of nasopharyngeal specimens from n = 310 pneumonia episodes among children 1 to 23 months of age and n = 133 matched control children in Gaborone, Botswana, April 2012 to August 2014.

<p>PCR, polymerase chain reaction; URI, upper respiratory infection; RSV, respiratory syncytial virus; NA, not analyzed</p><p>^aDefined as presence of rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, or cough.</p><p>^b<i>P</i> value estimated using Fisher’s exact test.</p><p>Respiratory viruses detected using multiplex PCR of nasopharyngeal specimens from n = 310 pneumonia episodes among children 1 to 23 months of age and n = 133 matched control children in Gaborone, Botswana, April 2012 to August 2014.</p