State-of-the-Art Review: Ocular Infections.

Collaborations between ophthalmologists and infectious disease specialists are critical for optimizing care of many patients with eye infections. We review challenges in common and uncommon eye infections to promote better understanding of these infections and prioritize areas for further research.

Association Between Medical Debt and Vaccine Uptake in the USA, 2021-2022.

Background: Many individuals do not receive recommended vaccines, increasing infectious disease morbidity and mortality. It is unknown whether the financial practices of US healthcare institutions contribute to vaccine hesitancy.

Objective: To determine whether medical debt is associated with low vaccine uptake.

Health effects and user perceptions of the US Customs and Border Patrol One™ mobile application: A qualitative analysis among asylum seekers at the Mexico-US border.

Background: The number of migrants at the Mexico-US border has increased to historic levels, and frequently changing immigration policy impacts this population as they await entry into the US. This study evaluated the usability and health effects of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One™ mobile application among asylum seekers near the US port of entry in Reynosa, Mexico.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 20 asylum seekers in Reynosa, Mexico, in February 2023.

Self-reported hepatitis B testing among noninstitutionalized adults in the United States before the implementation of universal screening, 2013-2017: A nationwide population-based study.

In 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended universal screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV); however, the proportion of US adults screened before implementing this recommendation is unknown. We analysed nationally representative data from the National Health Interview Survey (2013-2017) on self-reported HBV testing among noninstitutionalized US adults ≥18 years. We employed Poisson logistic regression to identify factors associated with self-reported testing, using a conceptual framework that included four overarching factors: sociodemographic characteristics, healthcare access, health-seeking behaviours and experiences, and access to internet-based health information.

Costs of Community-Based Viral Hepatitis Screening in Cameroon Using Point-of-Care Technologies.

This cost analysis of a community-based viral hepatitis screening program in Cameroon found an investment of $3.52 per person screened, $50.63 per new diagnosis of hepatitis B, $159.

Ocular syphilis in patients with nonreactive RPR and positive treponemal serologies: a retrospective observational cohort study.

Background: Screening for syphilis increasingly relies on positive treponemal rather than nontreponemal tests (rapid plasma reagin [RPR]). We compared ocular syphilis in patients with nonreactive versus positive RPR.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of ocular syphilis treated at two New England hospitals 1996-2021 based on ophthalmologist-diagnosed eye findings and positive treponemal serology, regardless of RPR.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Disseminated Strongyloidiasis in the United States-A Multicenter Network Analysis.

Human strongyloidiasis is a potentially life-threatening parasitic disease among immunocompromised hosts. We aim to determine the factors and mortality associated with disseminated strongyloidiasis. We conducted a U.

Responding to the Health Needs of Newly Arrived Families Within Fractured Policy Environments.

The increase in forcibly displaced populations seeking refuge in the United States has been met with fragmented, chaotic, and highly politicized responses to the detriment of migrants and receiving communities alike. Migrants encounter compounding systemic barriers to accessing basic resettlement resources. Expanding on pandemic-era innovations can strengthen social safety net infrastructure as a whole.

School-Based Mobile Clinics to Improve Vaccine Access: A Cross-sectional Study of COVID-19 Vaccination.

School-based COVID-19 vaccine clinics were more likely to vaccinate children who identified as a racial minority, who lacked a regular source of primary care, and who lacked private insurance compared to those vaccinated in non-school-based community locations.

What does the scale-up of long-acting HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis mean for the global hepatitis B epidemic?

Introduction: The HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) epidemics are interconnected with shared routes of transmission and specific antiviral drugs that are effective against both viruses. Nearly, 300 million people around the world live with chronic HBV, many of whom are from priority populations who could benefit from HIV prevention services. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV has implications in the prevention and treatment of HBV infection, but many people at increased risk of HIV acquisition may instead prefer long-acting formulations of PrEP, which are currently not active against HBV.

Epidemiology of asylum seekers and refugees at the Mexico-US border: a cross-sectional analysis from the migrant settlement camp in Matamoros, Mexico.

Background: The number of migrants and asylum seekers at the Mexico-US border has increased to historic levels. Our objective was to determine the medical diagnoses and treatments of migrating people seeking care in humanitarian clinics in Matamoros, Mexico.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of patient encounters by migrating people through a humanitarian clinic in Matamoros, Mexico, from November 22, 2019, to March 18, 2021.

Virological, serological and clinical outcomes in chronic hepatitis B virus infection: development and validation of the HEPA-B simulation model.

Objectives: Detailed simulation models are needed to assess strategies for prevention and treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the world's leading cause of liver disease. We sought to develop and validate a simulation model of chronic HBV that incorporates virological, serological and clinical outcomes.

Methods: We developed a novel Monte Carlo simulation model (the HEPA-B Model) detailing the natural history of chronic HBV.

Impact of COVID-19 on hepatitis B screening in Sierra Leone: insights from a community pharmacy model of care.

Objectives: To assess the impact of COVID-19-related interruptions and seasonal patterns on hepatitis B virus (HBV) screening in a hyperendemic setting in Sierra Leone.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of HBV testing in a community pharmacy in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from October 01, 2019, through September 30, 2022. We compared participant characteristics using Pearson's chi-square test.

Dermatologic conditions of adult refugees following resettlement in the United States, 2015 to 2018.

Background: There is a paucity of literature regarding dermatologic conditions in migrant and refugee populations.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of all adult refugees resettling in a region of Connecticut, U.S.

Medical Student Debt and the US Infectious Diseases Workforce.

Student debt in the United States is at historically high levels and poses an excessive burden on medical graduates. Studies suggest that financial limitations dissuade some medical trainees from pursuing careers in infectious diseases (ID) and other cognitive specialties, despite their interest in the subject matter. Addressing student debt may have a transformative impact on ID recruitment, diversification of the ID workforce, and contributions of ID physicians to underserved public health needs.

Mobile Health Services for COVID-19: Counseling, Testing, and Vaccination for Medically Underserved Populations.

Mobile health units can improve access to preventive health services, especially for medically underserved populations. However, there is little published experience of mobile health units being used to expand access to COVID-19 vaccination. In concert with local public health departments and community members, we implemented a mobile COVID-19 health unit and deployed it to 12 predominantly low-income and racial/ethnic minority communities in Massachusetts.