Healthcare workers' knowledge, attitude and practices on infection prevention and control in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic at the Faranah regional hospital and associated healthcare centers, Guinea.

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO launched a strategic preparedness and response plan, outlining public health measures to support countries worldwide. Healthcare workers have an increased risk of becoming infected and their behaviour regarding infection prevention and control (IPC) influences infection dynamics. IPC strategies are important across the globe, but even more in low-resource settings where capacities for testing and treatment are limited.

PASQUALE - A long-term partnership to improve hand hygiene and capacity building in infection prevention and control in the Faranah region of Guinea.

Across the globe, hand hygiene (HH) is promoted to fight the spread of healthcare associated infections. Despite multiple ongoing HH campaigns and projects, the healthcare associated infection rates remain high especially in low- and middle-income countries. In the narrative overview presented here, we aim to share objectives, framework, successes and challenges of our long-term partnership in Guinea to offer guidance for other projects aiming to sustainably improve HH.

Qualitative assessment of hand hygiene knowledge, attitudes and practices among healthcare workers prior to the implementation of the WHO Hand Hygiene Improvement Strategy at Faranah Regional Hospital, Guinea.

Healthcare-associated infections are a serious burden globally. Few qualitative studies have explored healthcare workers' knowledge, attitudes and practices of hand hygiene. Prior to the implementation of the World Health Organization's Hand Hygiene Improvement Strategy at Faranah Regional Hospital in the Upper Region of Guinea in December 2018, we conducted a qualitative baseline assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices of hand hygiene among healthcare workers to guide future hand hygiene interventions.

Effectiveness and sustainability of the WHO multimodal hand hygiene improvement strategy in the University Hospital Bouaké, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The most frequent adverse events in healthcare are healthcare-associated infections, whose burden is highest in resource-limited settings. In addition, low resource settings often lack Hand Hygiene (HH) knowledge and reliable supply to disinfectant, a necessity emphasized by the past West African Ebola Epidemic and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. PASQUALE aims to increase patient safety by introducing the WHO multimodal HH strategy in the University Hospital Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire.

Constraints on the Coupling between Axionlike Dark Matter and Photons Using an Antiproton Superconducting Tuned Detection Circuit in a Cryogenic Penning Trap.

We constrain the coupling between axionlike particles (ALPs) and photons, measured with the superconducting resonant detection circuit of a cryogenic Penning trap. By searching the noise spectrum of our fixed-frequency resonant circuit for peaks caused by dark matter ALPs converting into photons in the strong magnetic field of the Penning-trap magnet, we are able to constrain the coupling of ALPs with masses around 2.7906-2.

New filovirus disease classification and nomenclature.

The recent large outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Western Africa resulted in greatly increased accumulation of human genotypic, phenotypic and clinical data, and improved our understanding of the spectrum of clinical manifestations. As a result, the WHO disease classification of EVD underwent major revision.

Improving Ebola infection prevention and control in primary healthcare facilities in Sierra Leone: a single-group pretest post-test, mixed-methods study.

Background: Accomplishing infection prevention and control (IPC) in health facilities in Sub-Saharan Africa is challenging. Owing to poor IPC, healthcare workers (HCWs) were frequently infected during Sierra Leone's Ebola epidemic. In late 2014, IPC was rapidly and nationally scaled up.

At Home with and : Human-Rodent Interactions and Potential for Primary Transmission of Lassa Virus in Domestic Spaces.

AbstractThe multimammate mouse () is the reservoir for Lassa virus (LASV). Zoonotic transmission occurs when humans are directly or indirectly exposed to fluids of the multimammate mouse, such as urine, saliva, and blood. Housing characteristics and domestic organization affect rodent density in and around households and villages, and are likely to be a risk factor for Lassa fever in humans where the reservoir exists.

High prevalence of IgG antibodies to Ebola virus in the Efé pygmy population in the Watsa region, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background: Factors related to the natural transmission of Ebola virus (EBOV) to humans are still not well defined. Results of previous sero-prevalence studies suggest that circulation of EBOV in human population is common in sub-Saharan Africa. The Efé pygmies living in Democratic Republic of the Congo are known to be exposed to potential risk factors of EBOV infection such as bush meat hunting, entry into caves, and contact with bats.

Rat-atouille: A Mixed Method Study to Characterize Rodent Hunting and Consumption in the Context of Lassa Fever.

Lassa fever is a zoonotic hemorrhagic illness predominant in areas across Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and southern Mali. The reservoir of Lassa virus is the multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis), a highly commensal species in West Africa. Primary transmission to humans occurs through direct or indirect contact with rodent body fluids such as urine, feces, saliva, or blood.

Losing women along the path to safe motherhood: why is there such a gap between women's use of antenatal care and skilled birth attendance? A mixed methods study in northern Uganda.

Background: Thousands of women and newborns still die preventable deaths from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications in poor settings. Delivery with a skilled birth attendant is a vital intervention for saving lives. Yet many women, particularly where maternal mortality ratios are highest, do not have a skilled birth attendant at delivery.

Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Isiro, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2012: Signs and Symptoms, Management and Outcomes.

Data collected during the 2012 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were analysed for clinical signs, symptoms and case fatality of EVD caused by Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), establishment of differential diagnoses, description of medical treatment and evaluation of the quality of clinical documentation. In a quantitative observational prospective study, global epidemiological data from 52 patients (34 patients within the community, 18 patients treated in the Ebola Treatment Centre) were entered anonymously into a database, subsequently matched and analysed. Relevant findings include an over-representation of females among community EVD cases (85.

Determinants of delays in travelling to an emergency obstetric care facility in Herat, Afghanistan: an analysis of cross-sectional survey data and spatial modelling.

Background: Women's delays in reaching emergency obstetric care (EmOC) facilities contribute to high maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity in low-income countries, yet few studies have quantified travel times to EmOC and examined delays systematically. We defined a delay as the difference between a woman's travel time to EmOC and the optimal travel time under the best case scenario. The objectives were to model travel times to EmOC and identify factors explaining delays.

Investigating the zoonotic origin of the West African Ebola epidemic.

The severe Ebola virus disease epidemic occurring in West Africa stems from a single zoonotic transmission event to a 2-year-old boy in Meliandou, Guinea. We investigated the zoonotic origins of the epidemic using wildlife surveys, interviews, and molecular analyses of bat and environmental samples. We found no evidence for a concurrent outbreak in larger wildlife.

Readiness of district and regional hospitals in Burkina Faso to provide caesarean section and blood transfusion services: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Health centres and hospitals play a crucial role in reducing maternal mortality and morbidity by offering respectively Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC). The readiness of hospitals to provide CEmONC depends on the availability of qualified human resources, infrastructure like surgical theatres, and supplies like drugs and blood for transfusion. We assessed the readiness of district and regional hospitals in Burkina Faso to provide two key CEmONC functions, namely caesarean section and blood transfusion.

Clinical documentation and data transfer from Ebola and Marburg virus disease wards in outbreak settings: health care workers' experiences and preferences.

Understanding human filovirus hemorrhagic fever (FHF) clinical manifestations and evaluating treatment strategies require the collection of clinical data in outbreak settings, where clinical documentation has been limited. Currently, no consensus among filovirus outbreak-response organisations guides best practice for clinical documentation and data transfer. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health care workers (HCWs) involved in FHF outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa, and with HCWs experienced in documenting and transferring data from high-risk areas (isolation wards or biosafety level 4 laboratories).

HIV knowledge, risk perception and avoidant behaviour change among Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea.

A common assumption underpinning health communications design in humanitarian settings is that increasing knowledge and risk perception will lead to appropriate behaviour change. This study compares associations of HIV knowledge and perceived risk with reported HIV-avoidant behaviour changes and sexual health choices from a community survey of 698 sexually experienced male and female Sierra Leonean refugees in Guinea. HIV knowledge was not significantly associated with reported HIV-avoidant changes (OR 1.

High prevalence of cysticercosis in people with epilepsy in southern Rwanda.

Background: Neurocysticercosis (NCC), the central nervous system infection by Taenia solium larvae, is a preventable and treatable cause of epilepsy. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the role of NCC in epilepsy differs geographically and, overall, is poorly defined. We aimed at contributing specific, first data for Rwanda, assessing factors associated with NCC, and evaluating a real-time PCR assay to diagnose NCC in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Clinical manifestations and case management of Ebola haemorrhagic fever caused by a newly identified virus strain, Bundibugyo, Uganda, 2007-2008.

A confirmed Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF) outbreak in Bundibugyo, Uganda, November 2007-February 2008, was caused by a putative new species (Bundibugyo ebolavirus). It included 93 putative cases, 56 laboratory-confirmed cases, and 37 deaths (CFR = 25%). Study objectives are to describe clinical manifestations and case management for 26 hospitalised laboratory-confirmed EHF patients.

Can hospital audit teams identify case management problems, analyse their causes, identify and implement improvements? A cross-sectional process evaluation of obstetric near-miss case reviews in Benin.

Background: Obstetric near-miss case reviews are being promoted as a quality assurance intervention suitable for hospitals in low income countries. We introduced such reviews in five district, regional and national hospitals in Benin, West Africa. In a cross-sectional study we analysed the extent to which the hospital audit teams were able to identify case management problems (CMPs), analyse their causes, agree on solutions and put these solutions into practice.

The role of care-seeking delays in intrauterine fetal deaths among 'near-miss' women in Herat, Afghanistan.

Background: Many pregnant women in resource-poor countries seek care only after developing severe complications during childbirth at home and often reach health facilities in moribund conditions. The objectives were to (i) investigate the association between care-seeking duration and fetal survival at admission; and (ii) assess the significance of care-seeking duration in relation to other determinants.

Methods: Data were analysed for 266 women who were pregnant with a singleton and admitted in life-threatening conditions to the maternity ward of Herat Regional Hospital in Afghanistan from February 2007 to January 2008.