Factors associated with self-reported suboptimal antiretroviral adherence and limited retention in care among people living with HIV who attend a large ART clinic in Panama City, Panama.

Background: The prevalence of HIV in Panama is estimated to be 1.0%; only 71% of individuals on antiretroviral treatment (ART) were virally suppressed in 2022. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of suboptimal adherence (≥1 missed doses in previous four weeks) and limited retention in HIV care (≥1 missed HIV care appointments in previous 12 months) among adults (aged ≥18 years) who attended the most populous urban ART Clinic in Panama City.

Leptospirosis: Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics at the National Reference Hospital in Panama.

Leptospirosis represents a public health problem in Panama, with an incidence rate of 1 in 100,000 inhabitants in 2014. Despite active surveillance and reports of outbreaks in the news, publications about human leptospirosis in Panama are scarce. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical features of leptospirosis in a cohort of patients admitted to the national reference hospital from January 2013 to December 2018.

Quantifying the effect of human population mobility on malaria risk in the Peruvian Amazon.

The impact of human population movement (HPM) on the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, has been described. However, there are limited data on the use of new technologies for the study of HPM in endemic areas with difficult access such as the Amazon. In this study conducted in rural Peruvian Amazon, we used self-reported travel surveys and GPS trackers coupled with a Bayesian spatial model to quantify the role of HPM on malaria risk.

Open-Source 3D Printable GPS Tracker to Characterize the Role of Human Population Movement on Malaria Epidemiology in River Networks: A Proof-of-Concept Study in the Peruvian Amazon.

Human movement affects malaria epidemiology at multiple geographical levels; however, few studies measure the role of human movement in the Amazon Region due to the challenging conditions and cost of movement tracking technologies. We developed an open-source low-cost 3D printable GPS-tracker and used this technology in a cohort study to characterize the role of human population movement in malaria epidemiology in a rural riverine village in the Peruvian Amazon. In this pilot study of 20 participants (mean age = 40 years old), 45,980 GPS coordinates were recorded over 1 month.

Obesity Affects the Association of Bioelectrical Impedance Phase Angle With Mortality in People Living With HIV.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis phase angle (BIA-PA) is a valid indicator of mortality risk in people living with HIV; however, it is not known whether BIA-PA is valid for people living with HIV who are overweight or obese. We assessed whether BIA-PA differentially predicted mortality by body mass index category in participants receiving clinical care at a single site between 2000 and 2012. Change in BIA-PA from the highest versus last available phase angle was assessed using multivariate logistic regression models.

Geographic Distribution and Incidence of Melioidosis, Panama.

Melioidosis is an infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. Most cases occur in Southeast Asia and northern Australia; <100 cases have been reported in the Americas. We conducted a retrospective study and identified 12 melioidosis cases in Panama during 2007-2017, suggesting possible endemicity and increased need for surveillance.

Phase 2b Controlled Trial of M72/AS01 Vaccine to Prevent Tuberculosis.

Background: A vaccine to interrupt the transmission of tuberculosis is needed.

Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial of the M72/AS01 tuberculosis vaccine in Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative adults 18 to 50 years of age with latent M.

The health system accountability impact of prison health committees in Zambia.

Background: From 2013, the Zambian Corrections Service (ZCS) worked with partners to strengthen prison health systems and services. One component of that work led to the establishment of facility-based Prison Health Committees (PrHCs) comprising of both inmates and officers. We present findings from a nested evaluation of the impact of eight PrHCs 18 months after programme initiation.

Coordinating the prevention, treatment, and care continuum for HIV-associated tuberculosis in prisons: a health systems strengthening approach.

Purpose Of Review: To advance a re-conceptualized prevention, treatment, and care continuum (PTCC) for HIV-associated tuberculosis (TB) in prisons, and to make recommendations for strengthening prison health systems and reducing HIV-associated TB morbidity and mortality throughout the cycle of pretrial detention, incarceration, and release.

Recent Findings: Despite evidence of increased HIV-associated TB burden in prisons compared to the general population, prisoners face entrenched barriers to accessing anti-TB therapy, antiretroviral therapy, and evidence-based HIV and TB prevention. New approaches, suitable for the complexities of healthcare delivery in prisons, have emerged that may address these barriers, and include: novel TB diagnostics, universal test and treat for HIV, medication-assisted treatment for opioid dependence, comprehensive transitional case management, and peer navigation, among others.

Evaluation of a health system strengthening initiative in the Zambian prison system.

Introduction: In 2013, the Zambian Correctional Service (ZCS) partnered with the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia on the Zambian Prisons Health System Strengthening project, seeking to tackle structural, organisational and cultural weaknesses within the prison health system. We present findings from a nested evaluation of the project impact on high, mid-level and facility-level health governance and health service arrangements in the Zambian Correctional Service.

Methods: Mixed methods were used, including document review, indepth interviews with ministry (11) and prison facility (6) officials, focus group discussions (12) with male and female inmates in six of the eleven intervention prisons, and participant observation during project workshops and meetings.

Health and healthcare access among Zambia's female prisoners: a health systems analysis.

Background: Research exploring the drivers of health outcomes of women who are in prison in low- and middle-income settings is largely absent. This study aimed to identify and examine the interaction between structural, organisational and relational factors influencing Zambian women prisoners' health and healthcare access.

Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews of 23 female prisoners across four prisons, as well as 21 prison officers and health care workers.

Mapping the Zambian prison health system: An analysis of key structural determinants.

Health and health service access in Zambian prisons are in a state of 'chronic emergency'. This study aimed to identify major structural barriers to strengthening the prison health systems. A case-based analysis drew on key informant interviews (n = 7), memos generated during workshops (n = 4) document review and investigator experience.

Exploring the drivers of health and healthcare access in Zambian prisons: a health systems approach.

Background: Prison populations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experience a high burden of disease and poor access to health care. Although it is generally understood that environmental conditions are dire and contribute to disease spread, evidence of how environmental conditions interact with facility-level social and institutional factors is lacking. This study aimed to unpack the nature of interactions and their influence on health and healthcare access in the Zambian prison setting.

Empirical tuberculosis therapy versus isoniazid in adult outpatients with advanced HIV initiating antiretroviral therapy (REMEMBER): a multicountry open-label randomised controlled trial.

Background: Mortality within the first 6 months after initiating antiretroviral therapy is common in resource-limited settings and is often due to tuberculosis in patients with advanced HIV disease. Isoniazid preventive therapy is recommended in HIV-positive adults, but subclinical tuberculosis can be difficult to diagnose. We aimed to assess whether empirical tuberculosis treatment would reduce early mortality compared with isoniazid preventive therapy in high-burden settings.

Chest radiograph reading and recording system: evaluation in frontline clinicians in Zambia.

Background: In Zambia the vast majority of chest radiographs (CXR) are read by clinical officers who have limited training and varied interpretation experience, meaning lower inter-rater reliability and limiting the usefulness of CXR as a diagnostic tool. In 2010-11, the Zambian Prison Service and Ministry of Health established TB and HIV screening programs in six prisons; screening included digital radiography for all participants. Using front-line clinicians we evaluated sensitivity, specificity and inter-rater agreement for digital CXR interpretation using the Chest Radiograph Reading and Recording System (CRRS).

Spatial patterns of incident malaria cases and their household contacts in a single clinic catchment area of Chongwe District, Zambia.

Background: Reactive case detection (RACD) for malaria is a strategy that may be used to complement passive surveillance, as passive surveillance fails to identify infections that are asymptomatic or do not seek care. The spatial and seasonal patterns of incident (index) cases reported at a single clinic in Chongwe District were explored.

Methods: A RACD strategy was implemented from June 2012 to June 2013 in a single catchment area in Chongwe District.

Screening for tuberculosis and testing for human immunodeficiency virus in Zambian prisons.

Objective: To improve the Zambia Prisons Service's implementation of tuberculosis screening and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing.

Methods: For both tuberculosis and HIV, we implemented mass screening of inmates and community-based screening of those residing in encampments adjacent to prisons. We also established routine systems – with inmates as peer educators – for the screening of newly entered or symptomatic inmates.

Managing multiple funding streams and agendas to achieve local and global health and research objectives: lessons from the field.

Multiple funding sources provide research and program implementation organizations a broader base of funding and facilitate synergy, but also entail challenges that include varying stakeholder expectations, unaligned grant cycles, and highly variable reporting requirements. Strong governance and strategic planning are essential to ensure alignment of goals and agendas. Systems to track budgets and outputs, as well as procurement and human resources are required.

The high burden of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a large Zambian prison: a public health alert.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) represent two of the greatest health threats in African prisons. In 2010, collaboration between the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, the Zambia Prisons Service, and the National TB Program established a TB and HIV screening program in six Zambian prisons. We report data on the prevalence of TB and HIV in one of the largest facilities: Lusaka Central Prison.

Tuberculosis and the risk of opportunistic infections and cancers in HIV-infected patients starting ART in Southern Africa.

Objectives: To investigate the incidence of selected opportunistic infections (OIs) and cancers and the role of a history of tuberculosis (TB) as a risk factor for developing these conditions in HIV-infected patients starting antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Southern Africa.

Methods: Five ART programmes from Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa participated. Outcomes were extrapulmonary cryptococcal disease (CM), pneumonia due to Pneumocystis jirovecii (PCP), Kaposi's sarcoma and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Tuberculosis and HIV control in sub-Saharan African prisons: "thinking outside the prison cell".

Tuberculosis is one of the fastest-growing epidemics in prison populations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), constituting a threat to both inmates and the wider community. Various factors have contributed to the breakdown of tuberculosis control in prison facilities in SSA, including slow and insensitive diagnostics, failing prison infrastructure, inadequate funding, and weak prevention and treatment interventions for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In this article, we describe the challenges inherent in current approaches to tuberculosis control in prisons and consider the alternatives.

An evaluation of the performance and acceptability of three LED fluorescent microscopes in Zambia: lessons learnt for scale-up.

The World Health Organization recommends the roll-out of light-emitting diode (LED) fluorescent microscopes (FM) as an alternative to light microscopes in resource-limited settings. We evaluated the acceptability and performance of three LED FMs after a short orientation among laboratory technicians from government health centers in Zambia. Sixteen technicians with varied light microscopy experience were oriented to FMs and divided into groups; each group read a different set of 40 slides on each LED FM (Primo Star iLED™, Lumin™, FluoLED™) and on a reference mercury-vapor FM (Olympus BX41TF).

A model of tuberculosis screening for pregnant women in resource-limited settings using Xpert MTB/RIF.

Timely diagnosis and treatment of maternal tuberculosis (TB) is important to reduce morbidity and mortality for both the mother and child, particularly in women who are coinfected with HIV. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the integration of TB/HIV screening into antenatal services but available diagnostic tools are slow and insensitive, resulting in delays in treatment initiation. Recently the WHO endorsed Xpert MTB/RIF, a highly sensitive, real-time PCR assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis that simultaneously detects rifampicin resistance directly from sputum and provides results within 100 minutes.

Clinical prediction rule for stratifying risk of pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Background: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), resistance to at least isoniazid and rifampin, is a worldwide problem.

Objective: To develop a clinical prediction rule to stratify risk for MDR-TB among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Methods: Derivation and internal validation of the rule among adult patients prospectively recruited from 37 health centers (Perú), either a) presenting with a positive acid-fast bacillus smear, or b) had failed therapy or had a relapse within the first 12 months.