Social norms that sustain transactional sex and associations with sexual health outcomes: A mixed-methods study in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, a rural-Indigenous region of Panama.

The Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé (CNB), home to >200,000 Indigenous people, is one of the poorest regions in Panama. We describe transactional sex (TS) behaviours, normative beliefs and factors associated with TS among Indigenous adolescents(14-19years) in the CNB. We conducted a mixed-methods study in the CNB between January and November 2018, which included a qualitative study with participant observation and semi-structured interviews that focused on descriptive norms related to TS; and a cross-sectional study among public-school-going adolescents using self-administered questionnaire to report sexual behaviour and injunctive norms related to TS.

Sexual health challenges in migrant, immigrant, and displaced populations 2022-2023.

Purpose Of Review: This article reviews recently published research on sexual health challenges and HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among migrant, immigrant and displaced people (MIDP) worldwide. We aimed to identify current evidence gaps regarding HIV/STI epidemiology, sexual health needs and interventions.

Recent Findings: Incidence and prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and syphilis were higher among MIDP compared to host populations.

"": sexual and reproductive health needs and sexual behaviours among migrant people in transit through Panama.

Background: Unprecedented numbers of migrant people transiting through the Darién Gap at the Panama-Colombia border were recorded in 2021 and 2022. Data on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs and service provision among migrant people in transit is generally extremely sparse. This study aimed to collect personal accounts of sexual behaviours and SRH needs and access to services among migrant people in transit through Panama.

Dating violence prevalence and risk factors among adolescents (14-19 years) in urban public schools in Panama.

Background: Adolescent dating violence (ADV) can have lasting effects on youth's well-being and development. However, few studies in Latin America have described its prevalence and risk factors for having experienced ADV.

Methods: We conducted a multisite, cross-sectional study using two-stage cluster sampling among adolescents (14-19 years) attending public high schools in the urban districts of Panama, San Miguelito, Colón, and Arraiján/La Chorrera from 2015 to 2018 (N = 2469).

Intimate Partner Violence During COVID-19 Restrictions: A Study of 30 Countries From the I-SHARE Consortium.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) causes substantial physical and psychological trauma. Restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including lockdowns and movement restrictions, may exacerbate IPV risk and reduce access to IPV support services. This cross-sectional study examines IPV during COVID-19 restrictions in 30 countries from the International Sexual HeAlth and REproductive Health (I-SHARE) study conducted from July 20th, 2020, to February, 15th, 2021.

Sexual and reproductive health and access: Results of a rapid epidemiological assessment among migrant peoples in transit through Darién, Panamá.

Background: The foot transit of migrant peoples originating from the Caribbean, South America, Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa through the Darién Forest (DF) in Eastern Panamá towards North America has increased in recent years from approximately 30,000 people/year to >133,000 in 2021. In the DF, there is no food/housing provision nor healthcare access. Very little is known of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among this population.

Barriers and facilitators to antiretroviral adherence and retention in HIV care among people living with HIV in the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama.

Introduction: Panama's HIV epidemic is far from under control. One of the populations with the fastest-growing epidemic among the Indigenous peoples of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé (CNB). The CNB is an administratively autonomous Indigenous region in Western Panama that is home to over 200,000 individuals of Ngäbe and Buglé ethnicities.

U.S. bound journey of migrant peoples InTransit across Dante's Inferno and Purgatory in the Americas.

Rapid rise of population migration is a defining feature of the 21st century due to the impact of climate change, political instability, and socioeconomic downturn. Over the last decade, an increasing number of migrant peoples travel across the Americas to reach the United States seeking asylum or cross the border undocumented in search of economic opportunities. In this journey, migrant people experience violations of their human rights, hunger, illness, violence and have limited access to medical care.

The International Sexual Health And REproductive Health during COVID-19 (I-SHARE) Study: A Multicountry Analysis of Adults from 30 Countries Prior to and During the Initial Coronavirus Disease 2019 Wave.

Background: There is limited evidence to date about changes to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) during the initial wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To address this gap, our team organized a multicountry, cross-sectional online survey as part of a global consortium.

Methods: Consortium research teams conducted online surveys in 30 countries.

Rapid health evaluation in migrant peoples in transit through Darien, Panama: protocol for a multimethod qualitative and quantitative study.

Background: The world is currently unprepared to deal with the drastic increase in global migration. There is an urgent need to develop programs to protect the well-being and health of migrant peoples. Increased population movement is already evident throughout the Americas as exemplified by the rising number of migrant peoples who pass through the Darien neotropical moist broadleaf forest along the border region between Panama and Colombia.

The International Sexual Health And Reproductive Health Survey (I-SHARE-1): A Multi-Country Analysis of Adults from 30 Countries Prior to and During the Initial COVID-19 Wave.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced billions of people to shelter in place, altering social and sexual relationships worldwide. In many settings, COVID-19 threatened already precarious health services. However, there is limited evidence to date about changes to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) during the initial wave of COVID-19 disease.

How did COVID-19 measures impact sexual behaviour and access to HIV/STI services in Panama? Results from a national cross-sectional online survey.

Objective: To describe reported changes in sexual behaviours, including virtual sex (sexting and cybersex), and access to HIV/STI testing and care during COVID-19 measures in Panama.

Methods: We conducted an online cross-sectional survey from 8 August to 12 September 2020 among adults (≥18 years) residing in Panama. Participants were recruited through social media.

Development of an international sexual and reproductive health survey instrument: results from a pilot WHO/HRP consultative Delphi process.

Population health surveys are rarely comprehensive in addressing sexual health, and population-representative surveys often lack standardised measures for collecting comparable data across countries. We present a sexual health survey instrument and implementation considerations for population-level sexual health research. The brief, comprehensive sexual health survey and consensus statement was developed via a multi-step process (an open call, a hackathon, and a modified Delphi process).

Prevalence and determinants of genital among school-going, sexually experienced adolescents in urban and rural Indigenous regions of Panama.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of genital (CT) among school-going sexually experienced male and female adolescents in Panama.

Methods: We conducted two multisite cross-sectional studies using two-stage cluster sampling to select adolescents aged 14-19 years attending urban public high schools (URB) in Panama City, San Miguelito, Colón and Panama Oeste from 2015 to 2018, and in the rural Indigenous Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé (CNB) from July-November 2018. CT testing was performed by real-time PCR on urine samples.

High Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections, and High-Risk Sexual Behaviors Among Indigenous Adolescents of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama.

Background: There is scant information on sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence and risk factors among Latin American indigenous populations. We investigated STI prevalence and risk factors among adolescents of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous region of Panama.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted among school-going adolescents aged 14 to 19 years.

Gender norms and sexual behaviours among Indigenous youth of the Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, Panama.

The Comarca Ngäbe-Buglé, an administratively autonomous Indigenous region in western Panama, is home to a significant population rural Indigenous people of Ngäbe and Buglé ethnicity. HIV prevalence in the Comarca is two times higher than the national average, and the great majority of cases are concentrated in young men. Yet, there is little data regarding socio-cultural and sexual behaviour factors that may drive this high prevalence.

Social representations of malaria in the Guna indigenous population of Comarca Guna de Madungandi, Panama.

Background: The purpose of the study was to recognize the social representation of the Guna indigenous population by identifying cultural elements related to malaria, in order to create an intercultural approach to any health intervention to control and prevent the disease.

Methods: This qualitative study has an anthropological focus that used participant observation, informal conversations, focus groups, interviews, in-depth interviews with key actors. Analyses included review, classification and categorization of interviews.

Correlates of Sexually Transmitted Infections among Adolescents Attending Public High Schools, Panama, 2015.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common in adolescents worldwide. Vulnerability to STIs increases with risky sexual practices. This study described the sexual practices, estimated the prevalence of STIs, and identified correlates associated with STIs among participants, enrolled in public high schools, in the District of Panama, Panama.

Distribution of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Hard Ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) from Panamanian Urban and Rural Environments (2007-2013).

Tick-borne rickettsiosis is an important emerging disease in Panama; to date, there have been 12 confirmed cases, including eight fatalities. To evaluate the distribution of rickettsiae in Panamanian ticks, we collected questing and on-host ticks in urban and rural towns in elevations varying between 0 and 2300 m. A total of 63 sites (13 urban and 50 rural towns) were used to develop models of spatial distributions.

Questing Amblyomma mixtum and Haemaphysalis juxtakochi (Acari: Ixodidae) Infected with Candidatus "Rickettsia amblyommii" from the Natural Environment in Panama Canal Basin, Panama.

This work emphasizes the detection of Candidatus "Rickettsia amblyommii" in questing Haemaphysalis juxtakochi and Amblyomma mixtum. From February 2009 to December 2012, questing ticks were collected from the vegetation and leaf-litter of four protected forests and two grassy areas around the Panama Canal basin. DNA was extracted from Amblyomma mixtum, Amblyomma naponense, Amblyomma oblongoguttatum, Amblyomma pecarium, Amblyomma tapirellum, Haemaphysalis juxtakochi, and unidentified immature Amblyomma.

Serologic evidence of human Rickettsia infection found in three locations in Panamá.

Introduction: Since the middle of last century, cases of rickettsiosis have been found in Panamá when outbreaks of murine typhus and spotted fever were reported. Since then, little information exists about its prevalence in this country, since it is most often is misdiagnosed as another disease.

Objectives: The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the presence of Rickettsia infections in humans in three locations in Panamá.