Health trends, inequalities and opportunities in South Africa's provinces, 1990-2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study.

Background: Over the last 30 years, South Africa has experienced four 'colliding epidemics' of HIV and tuberculosis, chronic illness and mental health, injury and violence, and maternal, neonatal, and child mortality, which have had substantial effects on health and well-being. Using data from the 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD 2019), we evaluated national and provincial health trends and progress towards important Sustainable Development Goal targets from 1990 to 2019.

Methods: We analysed GBD 2019 estimates of mortality, non-fatal health loss, summary health measures and risk factor burden, comparing trends over 1990-2007 and 2007-2019.

The occurrence of long COVID: a rapid review.

The long-term effects of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are not well understood. This rapid review was aimed at synthesizing evidence on the long-term effects of the SARS-CoV-2 infection among survivors. We considered both randomised controlled trials and non-randomised studies eligible for inclusion in this review.

Cochrane corner: personal protective equipment for preventing highly infectious diseases such as COVID-19 in healthcare staff.

As coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases continue to increase in Africa, healthcare workers (HCWs) have a high risk of being infected and the risks may be higher among those who work closely with patients. The risks of HCW infections can be mitigated with adequate precautions within healthcare facilities, especially with the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). We highlight and contextualise the findings of a Cochrane review on the type of PPE that protects best, the best way to put PPE on (donning) or to remove PPE (doffing) and how to train HCWs to use PPE.

Cochrane corner: digital contact tracing technologies in epidemics.

Contact tracing is a public health measure implemented to control the spread and break the chains of transmission of an infectious disease. It is done by identifying, assessing, and managing people who have been exposed to an infectious disease to prevent onward transmission. We summarize findings from a rapid Cochrane review that included cohort and modelling studies to assess the benefits and harms of digital solutions for identifying contacts of confirmed positive cases of an infectious disease.

Treatment of COVID-19: implications for antimicrobial resistance in Africa.

There is currently no approved pharmaceutical product for the treatment of COVID-19. However, antibiotics are currently being used for the management of COVID-19 patients in many settings either treat to co-infections or for the treatment of COVID-19 itself. In this commentary, we highlight that the increased rates of antimicrobial prescribing for COVID-19 patients could further worsen the burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

'Any and every cure for COVID-19': an imminent epidemic of alternative remedies amidst the pandemic?

The magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented, causing lots of apprehension among scientists, industry actors, politicians, and the general populace. Adverse health, social and economic effects of the pandemic have triggered an urgency among policy makers to seek an effective panacea. In this commentary, we examine the covert outbreak of a demand for alternative remedies with limited scientific evidence on their effectiveness to manage COVID-19 in Africa.

A systematic review of vaccine availability at the national, district, and health facility level in the WHO African Region.

Introduction: To describe vaccine stock-outs at national, district, and health facility levels in the WHO African region.

Areas Covered: We conducted a systematic review to identify studies reporting on vaccine stock-outs at national, district, and health facility levels in 47 African countries. We searched both published and unpublished literature, including the WHO/UNICEF Joint Reporting Form (JRF), for eligible studies.

Vaccine stock management in primary health care facilities in OR Tambo District, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Background: Poor stock management has been identified as one of the causes of vaccine stock-outs in health facilities. This study assessed the occurrence of vaccine stock-outs and vaccine stock management practices in primary health care facilities in OR Tambo district of the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.

Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study design was used in this study to assess both the stock management practices and the availability of vaccines in the facilities.

Mobile reporting of vaccine stock-levels in primary health care facilities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa: perceptions and experiences of health care workers.

The use of mobile and wireless digital technologies - mobile health (mhealth)- is increasingly been adopted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to improve data visibility, improve decision-making, and consequently help ensure availability of health commodities in health facilities. In a bid to improve availability of medicines in primary health care facilities, the South African department of Health launched the Stock Visibility Solution (SVS), a mobile application developed for the purpose of capturing and monitoring stock levels of medicines including vaccines using mobile phones. The stock levels of medicines in facilities are usually uploaded to the central stock management system so that managers can act promptly to address stock-out situations.

Data on prevalence and distribution of antimicrobial resistance determinants of isolates from the formal and informal meat sector.

Foodborne pathogen such is a leading cause of human gastroenteritis worldwide. The potential to cause more severe and prolonged infection increases when the bacteria harbour resistant gene. In this dataset, PCR confirmed isolates recovered from the formal (n = 33) and informal (n = 15) meat sector were further tested against 15 antimicrobials and 20 resistance determinants using the disc-diffusion method on Muller-Hinton agar and the genotypic antimicrobial resistance determinants by PCR.

A scoping review of interventions for vaccine stock management in primary health-care facilities.

One of the challenges facing the success of immunization programs is shortages of vaccines at health facilities, which could result from inadequate vaccine stock management. Several approaches have been designed by countries to improve vaccine stock management. This review summarizes currently available information on interventions for vaccine stock management.

Protocol for a systematic review of the effects of interventions for vaccine stock management.

Background: Inadequate vaccine stock management in health facilities leads to vaccine stock-outs. The latter threatens the success of immunisation programmes. Countries have used various approaches to reduce stock-outs and improve vaccine availability, but we are not aware of a systematic review of these interventions.

Pandemic influenza preparedness in the WHO African region: are we ready yet?

Background: Prior to the 2009 pandemic H1N1, and the unprecedented outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) caused by the H5N1 virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) called upon its Member States to develop preparedness plans in response to a new pandemic in humans. The WHO Member States responded to this call by developing national pandemic plans in accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR) to strengthen the capabilities of Member States to respond to different pandemic scenarios. In this study, we aim to evaluate the quality of the preparedness plans in the WHO African region since their inception in 2005.

Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Isolates from Swine in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

The exposure of farm animals to antimicrobials for treatment, prophylaxis, or growth promotion can select for resistant bacteria that can be transmitted to humans, and Salmonella as an important zoonotic pathogen can act as a potential reservoir of antimicrobial resistance determinants. We assessed the antibiogram profiles of Salmonella species isolated from pig herds in two commercial farms in South Africa. Two hundred fifty-eight presumptive Salmonella isolates were recovered from the fecal samples of 500 adult pigs.

Occurrence of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in two commercial swine farms in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is one of the most significant causes of food-borne infections capable of causing serious health complications in humans. Even though ruminants are known to be the major reservoirs of STEC, other non-ruminant food producing animals may also harbour pathogenic E. coli strains.