Measles immunity among pregnant women aged 15-44 years in Namibia, 2008 and 2010.

Background: Namibia experienced a large measles outbreak starting in 2009, with 38% of reported cases in adults, including women of reproductive age. Population immunity was assessed among pregnant women to determine whether immunization activities were needed in adults to achieve measles elimination in Namibia.

Methods: A total of 1708 and 2040 specimens sampled from Namibian pregnant women aged 15-44 years who were included in the 2008 and 2010 National HIV Sentinel Survey, respectively, were tested for measles immunoglobulin G antibody.

Rubella immunity among pregnant women aged 15-44 years, Namibia, 2010.

Background: The level of rubella susceptibility among women of reproductive age in Namibia is unknown. Documenting the risk of rubella will help estimate the potential burden of disease in Namibian women and the risk of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in infants, and will guide strategies for the introduction of rubella vaccine.

Methods: A total of 2044 serum samples from pregnant Namibian women aged 15-44 years were tested for rubella immunoglobulin G antibody; the samples were obtained during the 2010 National HIV Sentinel Survey.

Poliovirus immunity among pregnant females aged 15-44 years, Namibia, 2010.

Background: Poliovirus (PV) antibody seroprevalence studies assess population immunity, verify an immunization program's performance and vaccine efficacy, and guide polio eradication strategy. Namibia experienced a polio outbreak among adults in 2006, yet population seroimmunity was unknown.

Methods: We tested 2061 specimens from Namibian pregnant females aged 15-44 years for neutralizing antibody to PV types 1-3 (PV1-3); all females were sampled during the 2010 National HIV Sentinel Survey.

Limited utility of dried-blood- and plasma spot-based screening for antiretroviral treatment failure with Cobas Ampliprep/TaqMan HIV-1 version 2.0.

The 2013 WHO antiretroviral therapy (ART) guidelines recommend dried blood spots (DBS) as an alternative specimen type for viral load (VL) monitoring. We assessed the programmatic utility of screening for antiretroviral (ARV) treatment failure (TF) at 5,000 and 1,000 copies/ml using DBS and dried plasma spots (DPS) with a commonly used VL assay, the Roche Cobas Ampliprep/Cobas TaqMan V.2.

Frequency of Pneumocystis jirovecii in sputum from HIV and TB patients in Namibia.

Introduction: The opportunistic fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii causes Pneumocystis pneumonia (PcP), which is a life-threatening infection in HIV/AIDS patients. The seemingly low prevalence of P. jirovecii pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa has been a matter of great debate because many HIV/AIDS patients reside in this region.

Hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa: cross-sectional surveys in four rural and urban communities.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of adult mortality in low-income countries but data on the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension are scarce, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study aims to assess the prevalence of hypertension and determinants of blood pressure in four SSA populations in rural Nigeria and Kenya, and urban Namibia and Tanzania.

Methods And Findings: We performed four cross-sectional household surveys in Kwara State, Nigeria; Nandi district, Kenya; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Greater Windhoek, Namibia, between 2009-2011.

University students and HIV in Namibia: an HIV prevalence survey and a knowledge and attitude survey.

Background: With an overall adult HIV prevalence of 15.3%, Namibia is facing one of the largest HIV epidemics in Africa. Young people aged 20 to 34 years constitute one of the groups at highest risk of HIV infection in Namibia.

Incidence of HIV in Windhoek, Namibia: demographic and socio-economic associations.

Objective: To estimate HIV incidence and prevalence in Windhoek, Namibia and to analyze socio-economic factors related to HIV infection.

Method: In 2006/7, baseline surveys were performed with 1,753 private households living in the greater Windhoek area; follow-up visits took place in 2008 and 2009. Face-to-face socio-economic questionnaires were administrated by trained interviewers; biomedical markers were collected by nurses; GPS codes of household residences were recorded.

Anonymous HIV workplace surveys as an advocacy tool for affordable private health insurance in Namibia.

Background: With an estimated adult HIV prevalence of 15%, Namibia is in need of innovative health financing strategies that can alleviate the burden on the public sector. Affordable and private health insurances were recently developed in Namibia, and they include coverage for HIV/AIDS. This article reports on the efficacy of HIV workplace surveys as a tool to increase uptake of these insurances by employees in the Namibian formal business sector.