Evaluation of mpox contact tracing activities and data collection in EU/EEA countries during the 2022 multicountry outbreak in nonendemic countries.

To control human-to-human mpox transmission during the 2022 outbreak, European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA) countries conducted case investigation and contact tracing (CT). We aimed to provide an overview of CT activities, describe CT data collection practices, and identify related facilitators, barriers, and potential opportunities for improvement. Between April 03, 2023 and May 12, 2023, a survey was distributed to CT stakeholders in 30 EU/EEA countries, asking about mpox CT activities and data collection and requesting to rank enablers, barriers, and improvements for CT on a five-point Likert scale.

Statutory health insurance-covered pre-exposure prophylaxis in Germany: changing trends in nationwide tenofovir disoproxil/emtricitabine prescriptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019, Germany introduced a law to reimburse high-incidence populations for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), prescribed as tenofovir-disoproxil/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC), via statutory health insurance (SHI). We studied changes in TDF/FTC-prescriptions after the implementation of this law and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We performed an interrupted time series analysis with monthly prescriptions per defined time period as the outcome.

The BAF complex inhibitor pyrimethamine reverses HIV-1 latency in people with HIV-1 on antiretroviral therapy.

Reactivation of the latent HIV-1 reservoir is a first step toward triggering reservoir decay. Here, we investigated the impact of the BAF complex inhibitor pyrimethamine on the reservoir of people living with HIV-1 (PLWH). Twenty-eight PLWH on suppressive antiretroviral therapy were randomized (1:1:1:1 ratio) to receive pyrimethamine, valproic acid, both, or no intervention for 14 days.

Outbreak of imported diphtheria with among migrants arriving in Germany, 2022.

From July 2022, cases of imported diphtheria with toxigenic remarkably increased among migrants arriving in Germany. Up to 30 September 2022, 44 cases have been reported to the national public health institute, all laboratory-confirmed, male, and mainly coming from Syria (n = 21) and Afghanistan (n = 17). Phylogeny and available journey information indicate that most cases (n = 19) were infected along the Balkan route.

HIV transmission among acutely infected participants of a Dutch cohort study 2015-2021 is not associated with large, clustered outbreaks.

Objective: Timely identification of acute or early HIV infection (AEHI) is important to help prevent onward transmission, and understanding the number of secondary infections resulting from individuals with AEHI is key to planning HIV prevention services and case finding.

Design: We performed a phylogenetic investigation of a dense sample of individuals with AEHI who took part in the Netherlands Cohort Study on Acute HIV infection (NOVA) in the Netherlands during 2015-2021.

Methods: Transmission clusters were identified using phylogenetic analyses based on HIV pol sequences.

Online networks facilitating multidisciplinary healthcare: a novel strategy to curb COVID-19.

Objectives: Global spread of COVID-19 at an unprecedented speed has heavily strained healthcare systems worldwide, and reliable alternatives to analogue healthcare are urgently needed.

Methods: During the first COVID-19 wave in the Netherlands, we launched six regional online networks and analysed the activity and content in a qualitative mixed-methods manner.

Results: We observed continued activity and collaboration on the platform between healthcare professionals at the different levels of care.

Cohort profile: the Netherlands Cohort Study on Acute HIV infection (NOVA), a prospective cohort study of people with acute or early HIV infection who immediately initiate HIV treatment.

Purpose: Initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) during acute or early HIV-infection (AEHI) limits the size of the viral reservoir and preserves immune function. This renders individuals who started cART during AEHI promising participants in HIV-cure trials. Therefore, we established a multicentre prospective cohort study in the Netherlands that enrols people with AEHI.

Hypothetical questionnaires may overestimate willingness to participate in HIV cure research: Comparison of a cross-sectional survey to actual willingness to participate in an HIV cure study in the Netherlands.

Objective: Little is known about willingness among people living with HIV (PLHIV) to participate in HIV cure research in the Netherlands. We compared results of a cross-sectional questionnaire assessing hypothetical willingness to actual willingness among PLHIV to take part in a clinical HIV cure trial.

Methods: Between March and June 2018, PLHIV visiting the outpatient clinic of a university hospital in the Netherlands were asked to complete a questionnaire about HIV cure research.

Inter-Laboratory Reproducibility of Inducible HIV-1 Reservoir Quantification by TILDA.

Substantial efforts to eliminate or reduce latent HIV-1 reservoirs are underway in clinical trials and have created a critical demand for sensitive, accurate, and reproducible tools to evaluate the efficacy of these strategies. Alternative reservoir quantification assays have been developed to circumvent limitations of the quantitative viral outgrowth assay. One such assay is induced limiting dilution assay (TILDA), which measures the frequency of CD4+ T cells harboring inducible latent HIV-1 provirus.

Effect of Text Message, Phone Call, and In-Person Appointment Reminders on Uptake of Repeat HIV Testing among Outpatients Screened for Acute HIV Infection in Kenya: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Following HIV-1 acquisition, many individuals develop an acute retroviral syndrome and a majority seek care. Available antibody testing cannot detect an acute HIV infection, but repeat testing after 2-4 weeks may detect seroconversion. We assessed the effect of appointment reminders on attendance for repeat HIV testing.

Engaging young adult clients of community pharmacies for HIV screening in Coastal Kenya: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Adults in developing countries frequently use community pharmacies as the first and often only source of care. The objective of this study was to assess the success of pharmacy referrals and uptake of HIV testing by young adult clients of community pharmacies in the context of a screening programme for acute HIV-1 infection (AHI).

Methods: We requested five pharmacies to refer clients meeting predefined criteria (ie, 18-29 years of age and requesting treatment for fever, diarrhoea, sexually transmitted infection (STI) symptoms or body pains) for HIV-1 testing and AHI screening at selected clinics.

Acute HIV-1 infection is as common as malaria in young febrile adults seeking care in coastal Kenya.

Background: Febrile adults are usually not tested for acute HIV-1 infection (AHI) in Africa. We assessed a strategy to diagnose AHI among young adult patients seeking care.

Methods: Young adults (<30 years) who met predefined AHI criteria at care seeking, including fever, sexually transmitted disease symptoms, diarrhoea, body pains or multiple partners were referred from five pharmacies and screened at five health facilities.