Seroepidemiology of human leptospirosis in the Dominican Republic: A multistage cluster survey, 2021.

Little is known about the epidemiology of leptospirosis in the Dominican Republic, the second most populous country in the Caribbean. We report on findings from a multi-stage household survey across two regions in the country that reveals a previously under-estimated burden of human Leptospira infection. Our findings, based on the reference-standard microscopic agglutination test, indicate a complex picture of serogroup diversity, spatial heterogeneity in infection and risk, and a marked discrepancy between reported cases and serologically estimated infections.

Chikungunya Outbreak Risks after the 2014 Outbreak, Dominican Republic.

The 2014 chikungunya outbreak in the Dominican Republic resulted in intense local transmission, with high postoutbreak seroprevalence. The resulting population immunity will likely minimize risk for another large outbreak through 2035, but changes in population behavior or environmental conditions or emergence of different virus strains could lead to increased transmission.

Seroprevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibodies in Healthcare Personnel in El Salvador Prior to Vaccination Campaigns.

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.

Trust and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the Dominican Republic: a national cross-sectional household survey, June-October 2021.

Objective: This study investigates the role of trust in shaping COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in the Dominican Republic (DR) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: Cross-sectional household survey.

Setting: Randomly selected households across 134 clusters in the DR, from 30 June 2021 to 12 October 2021.

Novel species of Triatoma (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) identified in a case of vectorial transmission of Chagas disease in northern Belize.

Chagas disease is a leading cause of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy in endemic regions of Central and South America. In Belize, Triatoma dimidiata sensu lato has been identified as the predominate taxon but vectorial transmission of Chagas disease is considered to be rare in the country. We recently identified an acute case of vector-borne Chagas disease in the northern region of Belize.

Prevalence and Missed Cases of Respiratory Distress Syndrome Disease Amongst Neonatal Deaths Enrolled in the Kenya Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Network (CHAMPS) Program Between 2017 and 2021.

To describe RDS in neonatal deaths at the CHAMPS-Kenya site between 2017 and 2021. We included 165 neonatal deaths whose their Causes of death (COD) were determined by a panel of experts using data from post-mortem conducted through minimally invasive tissue specimen testing, clinical records, and verbal autopsy. Twenty-six percent (43/165) of neonatal deaths were attributable to RDS.

Engagement with Traditional Healers for Early Detection of Plague in Uganda.

In rural Uganda, many people who are ill consult traditional healers prior to visiting the formal healthcare system. Traditional healers provide supportive care for common illnesses, but their care may delay diagnosis and management of illnesses that can increase morbidity and mortality, hinder early detection of epidemic-prone diseases, and increase occupational risk to traditional healers. We conducted open-ended, semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of 11 traditional healers in the plague-endemic West Nile region of northwestern Uganda to assess their knowledge, practices, and attitudes regarding plague and the local healthcare system.

Acceptability of minimally invasive autopsy by community members and healthcare workers in Siaya and Kisumu counties, western Kenya, 2017-2018.

Worldwide, nearly six million children under the age of five (<5s) die annually, a substantial proportion of which are due to preventable and treatable diseases. Efforts to reduce child mortality indicators in the most affected regions are often undermined by a lack of accurate cause of death data. To generate timely and more accurate causes of death data for <5s, the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Network established mortality surveillance in multiple countries using Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS) in <5 deaths.

COVID-19 Attitudes and Vaccine Hesitancy among an Agricultural Community in Southwest Guatemala: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Despite offering free-of-charge COVID-19 vaccines starting July 2021, Guatemala has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Latin America. From 28 September 2021 to 11 April 2022, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of community members, adapting a CDC questionnaire to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine access and hesitancy. Of 233 participants ≥ 12 years, 127 (55%) received ≥1 dose of COVID-19 and 4 (2%) reported prior COVID-19 illness.

Sociodemographic Factors Associated with COVID-19 Vaccination among People in Guatemalan Municipalities.

The Republic of Guatemala's reported COVID-19 vaccination coverage is among the lowest in the Americas and there are limited studies describing the disparities in vaccine uptake within the country. We performed a cross-sectional ecological analysis using multi-level modeling to identify sociodemographic characteristics that were associated with low COVID-19 vaccination coverage among Guatemalan municipalities as of 30 November 2022. Municipalities with a higher proportion of people experiencing poverty (β = -0.

Clinical and Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Agricultural Workers, Guatemala.

We evaluated clinical and socioeconomic burdens of respiratory disease in banana farm workers in Guatemala. We offered all eligible workers enrollment during June 15-December 30, 2020, and annually, then tracked them for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) through self-reporting to study nurses, sentinel surveillance at health posts, and absenteeism. Workers who had ILI submitted nasopharyngeal swab specimens for testing for influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and SARS-CoV-2, then completed surveys at days 0, 7, and 28.

HIV Incidence, Recent HIV Infection, and Associated Factors, Kenya, 2007-2018.

Nationally representative surveys provide an opportunity to assess trends in recent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection based on assays for recent HIV infection. We assessed HIV incidence in Kenya in 2018 and trends in recent HIV infection among adolescents and adults in Kenya using nationally representative household surveys conducted in 2007, 2012, and 2018. To assess trends, we defined a recent HIV infection testing algorithm (RITA) that classified as recently infected (<12 months) those HIV-positive participants that were recent on the HIV-1 limiting antigen (LAg)-avidity assay without evidence of antiretroviral use.

Diagnosis of Acute Chagas Disease in a Belizean Child with Evidence of a Multiclonal Trypanosoma cruzi Infection.

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.

High SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence and Rapid Neutralizing Antibody Decline among Agricultural Workers in Rural Guatemala, June 2020-March 2021.

Essential agricultural workers work under occupational conditions that may increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and transmission. Data from an agricultural worker cohort in Guatemala, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG (anti-N IgG) testing were used to estimate past infections and analyze risk factors associated with seropositivity at enrollment and association with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The stability of neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses were assessed in a subset of participants.

Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Acute Dengue Virus Infections Detected through Acute Febrile Illness Surveillance, Belize 2020.

The Acute Febrile Illness (AFI) Surveillance Network in Belize is a country-wide active surveillance program aimed at diagnosing vector-borne, respiratory, and enteric pathogens among patients presenting to 11 participating hospitals and clinics with new onset fever. This study describes the epidemiology of dengue virus (DENV) infections in Belize diagnosed through AFI surveillance in 2020. Of the 894 patients enrolled and PCR-tested for DENV in this period, 44 DENV-positive cases (5%) were identified.

Clinical and Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Plantation Workers: Preliminary Results from the Guatemala Agricultural Workers and Respiratory Illness Impact (AGRI) Study.

We evaluated the clinical and socioeconomic burdens of respiratory disease in a cohort of Guatemalan banana plantation workers. All eligible workers were offered enrollment from June 15-December 30, 2020, and annually, then followed for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) through: 1) self-reporting to study nurses, 2) sentinel surveillance at health posts, and 3) absenteeism. Workers with ILI submitted nasopharyngeal swabs for influenza, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 testing, then completed surveys at days 0, 7, and 28.