Publications by authors named "Ella Hawes"

COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a highly pathogenic emerging infectious disease. Healthcare personnel (HCP) are presumably at higher risk of acquiring emerging infections because of occupational exposure. The prevalence of COVID-19 in HCP is unknown, particularly in low- to middle-income countries like El Salvador.

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In January 2020, we instituted acute febrile illness surveillance in 11 hospitals and clinics across Belize. Within 3 months, we diagnosed an acute case of Chagas disease by polymerase chain reaction in a 7-year-old child in the northern part of the country. Phylogenetic analyses of the parasite from the acute blood specimen revealed a multiclonal Trypanosoma cruzi infection, including parasites from the TcII (25.

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Article Synopsis
  • - WASH infrastructure and practices, particularly hand hygiene, are essential for preventing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, with guidance tailored to COVID-19 built upon existing WASH standards.
  • - Collaborating with local organizations, tools were created to assess WASH conditions and practices, leading to interventions aimed at mitigating COVID-19 in healthcare and community settings within low- and middle-income countries.
  • - Observations showed gaps in access to hand hygiene materials despite improved water supply, and adherence to hand hygiene was significantly better after patient contact, highlighting the need for better management of handwashing stations and enforcement of global WASH standards in communal spaces.
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Although case reports have suggested an association between severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 and appendicitis, we found that the overall incidence of appendicitis was stable throughout the pandemic at our tertiary pediatric hospital. Furthermore, we did not find evidence of CoV2 infection in 9 appendicitis tissues. Therefore, we conclude that severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 infection of the appendix is not a common etiologic cause of pediatric appendicitis.

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