Development of a latex microsphere-based lateral flow immunoassay for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis japonica.

Background: Zoonotic schistosomiasis, caused by Schistosoma japonicum, is prevalent in China, the Philippines and Indonesia. Rapid point-of-care (POC) diagnostics are attractive and promising tools for evaluating the efficacy of intervention strategies for schistosomiasis control.

Methodology: The diagnostic potential of five recombinant antigens was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using sera from individuals with positive Kato-Katz (KK) results for S.

First malaria in pregnancy followed in Philippine real-world setting: proof-of-concept of probabilistic record linkage between disease surveillance and hospital administrative data.

Background: Although the Philippines targets malaria elimination by 2030, it remains to be a disease that causes considerable morbidity in provinces that report malaria. Pregnant women residing in endemic areas are a vulnerable population, because in addition to the risk of developing severe malaria, their pregnancy is not followed through, and the outcome of their pregnancy is unknown. This study determined the utility of real-world data integrated with disease surveillance data set as real-world evidence of pregnancy and delivery outcomes in areas endemic for malaria in the Philippines.

First bovine vaccine to prevent human schistosomiasis - a cluster randomised Phase 3 clinical trial.

Objective: Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical parasitic disease caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. Schistosoma japonicum is zoonotic in China, the Philippines, and Indonesia, with bovines acting as major reservoirs of human infection. The primary objective of the trial was to examine the impact of a combination of human mass chemotherapy, snail control through mollusciciding, and SjCTPI bovine vaccination on the rate of human infection.

Household survey on owned dog population and rabies knowledge in selected municipalities in Bulacan, Philippines: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Despite the effort to eradicate rabies in the Philippines, human rabies cases have not decreased in the past decade. Rabid dogs pose the most significant hazard in the countries with the highest burden of rabies, and 70% rabies vaccine coverage is recommended for dogs in high-risk areas. Ascertaining the owned dog population and community knowledge on rabies can help improve vaccine coverage and information campaigns.

Risk of Transmission and Viral Shedding From the Time of Infection for Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Households.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection worldwide, but reports of temporal changes in the risk of transmission among close contacts has been scarce. This study aimed to examine an association between the viral load trajectory and transmission risk to develop a better control strategy for the disease spread. We conducted a household-based prospective cohort study in Biliran Province, the Philippines, and enrolled 451 participants to observe the development of acute respiratory infection.

How can human-centered design build a story-based video intervention that addresses vaccine hesitancy and bolsters vaccine confidence in the Philippines? A mixedmethod protocol for project SALUBONG.

Introduction: Since the onset of a dengue vaccine controversy in late 2017, vaccine confidence has plummeted in the Philippines, leading to measles and polio outbreaks in early 2019. This protocol outlines a human-centered design (HCD) approach to co-create and test an intervention that addresses vaccine hesitancy (VH) via narrative and empathy with and among families and healthcare workers. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: 'Salubong' is a Filipino term that means to welcome someone back into one's life, reinforcing notions of family ties and friendships.

Efficacy of the In2Care® auto-dissemination device for reducing dengue transmission: study protocol for a parallel, two-armed cluster randomised trial in the Philippines.

Background: Mosquito-borne viruses are imposing an ever increasing health burden worldwide. In addition to the recent Zika and chikungunya virus epidemics, dengue viruses have become the fastest growing problem with a 40-fold increase in the number of reported cases over the past five decades. Current mosquito control techniques involving larval source reduction, larviciding, and space spray of adulticides are costly, laborious, and of debatable efficacy.

Transmission of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Among Children Under 5 Years in Households of Rural Communities, the Philippines.

Background: To develop a more effective vaccination strategy for reducing the impact of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, especially in young infants (<6 months old), it is necessary to understand the transmission dynamics of RSV.

Methods: We conducted a community-based prospective cohort study from 2014 to 2016 in Biliran Province, the Philippines, on children <5 years old. We collected nasopharyngeal swabs from symptomatic children with acute respiratory infection (ARI) during household visits and at health facilities.

Poverty, Dietary Intake, Intestinal Parasites, and Nutritional Status among School-Age Children in the Rural Philippines.

Intestinal helminths are endemic throughout the Philippines; however, there is limited evidence with respect to their prevalence, intensity, and impact on children's nutritional status. A cross-sectional survey was carried out on 693 children from five rural villages in Northern Samar, the Philippines. Data on dietary intake, nutritional status, and intestinal parasites were collected.

Association Between Preceding Viral Respiratory Infection and Subsequent Respiratory Illnesses Among Children: A Prospective Cohort Study in the Philippines.

Background: Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is of great concern in public health. It remains unclear whether viral infections can affect the host's susceptibility to subsequent ARIs.

Methods: A prospective cohort study on ARIs of children below 5 years old was conducted in the Philippines from 2014 to 2016.

Mass drug administration and the sustainable control of schistosomiasis: an evaluation of treatment compliance in the rural Philippines.

Background: Preventive chemotherapy is the current global control strategy for schistosomiasis. The WHO target coverage rate is at least 75% for school-aged children. In the Philippines, the reported national coverage rate (43.

Mass drug administration and the sustainable control of schistosomiasis: Community health workers are vital for global elimination efforts.

Objectives: Schistosomiasis control is centred on preventive chemotherapy through mass drug administration (MDA). However, endemic countries continue to struggle to attain target coverage rates and patient compliance. In the Philippines, barangay health workers (BHWs) play a vital role in the coordination of MDA, acting as advocates, implementers, and educators.

National Influenza Surveillance in the Philippines from 2006 to 2012: seasonality and circulating strains.

Background: The results of routine influenza surveillance in 13 regions in the Philippines from 2006 to 2012 are presented, describing the annual seasonal epidemics of confirmed influenza virus infection, seasonal and alert thresholds, epidemic curve, and circulating influenza strains.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of Philippine influenza surveillance data from 2006 to 2012 was conducted to determine seasonality with the use of weekly influenza positivity rates and calculating epidemic curves and seasonal and alert thresholds using the World Health Organization (WHO) global epidemiological surveillance standards for influenza.

Results: Increased weekly influenza positive rates were observed from June to November, coinciding with the rainy season and school opening.

A new global strategy for the elimination of schistosomiasis.

Mass drug administration utilising a single oral dose of 40mg/kg of praziquantel (PZQ) has been endorsed and advocated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the global control and elimination of schistosomiasis. However, this strategy is failing primarily because the drugs are not getting to the people who need them the most. The current global coverage is 20%, the drug compliance rate is less than 50%, and the drug efficacy is approximately 50%.

Diagnosing schistosomiasis-induced liver morbidity: implications for global control.

Background: Subclinical morbidity due to schistosomiasis was evaluated in 565 patients, and the enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) test was assessed for the first time as a potential screening tool for disease.

Methods: The prevalence and intensity of infection were determined by Kato-Katz thick smear stool examination at baseline and 2 years after curative treatment. The degree of hepatic fibrosis was assessed by ultrasound.

Biennial versus annual treatment for schistosomiasis and its impact on liver morbidity.

Objective: This study assessed the impact of annual versus biennial praziquantel treatment regimens on the prevalence, intensity of infection, and liver fibrosis dynamics of Asiatic schistosomiasis (caused by Schistosoma japonicum) among individuals residing in 18 endemic barangays in Northern Samar, Philippines.

Methods: Five hundred and sixty-five subjects who reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness and/or were believed to have clinical morbidity based on physical examination were selected for cohort follow-up.

Results: The mean prevalence of schistosomiasis was 34% and the mean intensity of infection was 123.

Local persistence and global dissemination play a significant role in the circulation of influenza B viruses in Leyte Island, Philippines.

The local and global transmission dynamics of influenza B virus is not completely understood mainly because of limited epidemiological and sequence data for influenza B virus. Here we report epidemiological and molecular characteristics of influenza B viruses from 2010 to 2013 in Leyte Island, Philippines. Phylogenetic analyses showed global dissemination of the virus among both neighboring and distant areas.

National survey data for zoonotic schistosomiasis in the Philippines grossly underestimates the true burden of disease within endemic zones: implications for future control.

Zoonotic schistosomiasis has a long endemic history in the Philippines. Human mass drug administration has been the cornerstone of schistosomiasis control in the country for the past three decades. Recent publications utilizing retrospective national survey data have indicated that the national human prevalence of the disease is <1%, hence the disease is now close to elimination.

Laboratory-confirmed Dengue in Children in Three Regional Hospitals in the Philippines in 2009-2010.

Background: The burden of dengue is high in the Philippines but the prevalence of confirmed cases is unknown, and the disease is subject to underreporting because surveillance of suspected cases is passive. We conducted a prospective epidemiological study to estimate the proportion of laboratory-confirmed dengue among clinically suspected hospitalized cases in the pediatric wards of 3 regional hospitals in the Philippines and to describe the clinical and laboratory features, age distributions, case fatality rates and serotype distributions of these hospitalized cases.

Methods: Patients ≤18 years and hospitalized for suspected dengue were included if they had an axillary temperature ≥38°C for 2-7 days and 2 or more dengue-associated symptoms.

Incidence and Risk Factors of Childhood Pneumonia-Like Episodes in Biliran Island, Philippines--A Community-Based Study.

Pneumonia is a leading cause of deaths in infants and young children in developing countries, including the Philippines. However, data at the community level remains limited. Our study aimed to estimate incidence and mortality rates and to evaluate risk factors and health-seeking behavior for childhood pneumonia.

Schistosomiasis mass drug administration in the Philippines: lessons learnt and the global implications.

Schistosomiasis was first reported in the Philippines in 1906. A variety of treatments have been deployed to cure infection and to control the disease in the long-term. We discuss the journey to combat the disease in the Philippines and the lessons learnt which have implications for schistosomiasis control globally.

Prevention and control of schistosomiasis: a current perspective.

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that ranks second only to malaria in terms of human suffering in the tropics and subtropics. Five species are known to infect man and there are currently over 240 million people infected worldwide. The cornerstone of control to date has been mass drug administration with 40 mg/kg of praziquantel but there are problems with this approach.

Pneumonia among young infants in rural Southeast Asia (Bohol Island, Philippines).

Objective: To develop a clinical algorithm that can be used to identify pneumonia deaths in young infants in developing countries and estimate the disease burden in this population.

Patients And Methods: Infants younger than 60 days hospitalized with signs of severe pneumonia who underwent clinical, microbiologic and radiological evaluation were the subjects. Stepwise logistic regression and subtractive iterative process were used to derive the algorithm.

The burden of hospitalizations and clinic visits for rotavirus disease in children aged <5 years in the Philippines.

Background: Recent data on the burden of hospitalization and clinic visits for rotavirus gastroenteritis are needed to support the decision to introduce rotavirus vaccine in the Philippines.

Methods: From 2005 through 2006, children aged <5 years with acute diarrhea who attended 1 of 7 clinics and/or hospitals in Muntinlupa City, the Philippines, were enrolled. Clinical and demographic data were collected, and a stool specimen was obtained for rotavirus testing and typing for G and P antigens.