Hepcidin-guided screen-and-treat interventions for young children with iron-deficiency anaemia in The Gambia: an individually randomised, three-arm, double-blind, controlled, proof-of-concept, non-inferiority trial.

Background: Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional disorder worldwide. Iron supplementation has modest efficacy, causes gastrointestinal side-effects that limit compliance, and has been associated with serious adverse outcomes in children across low-income settings. We aimed to compare two hepcidin-guided screen-and-treat regimens designed to reduce overall iron dosage by targeting its administration to periods when children were safe and ready to receive iron supplementation, with WHO's recommendation of universal iron supplementation.

Anopheles gambiae s.l. swarms trapping as a complementary tool against residual malaria transmission in eastern Gambia.

Malaria remains a major health problem and vector control is an essential approach to decrease its burden, although it is threatened by insecticide resistance. New approaches for vector control are needed. The females of Anopheles gambiae s.

Intradermal administration of fractional doses of the inactivated poliovirus vaccine in a campaign: a pragmatic, open-label, non-inferiority trial in The Gambia.

Background: A rapid increase in circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 outbreaks, and the need to reserve inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) for routine immunisation, has increased the value of fractional dose IPV (fIPV) as a measure to prevent acute flaccid paralysis. However, the intradermal route of administration has been viewed as prohibitive to outbreak response campaigns. We aimed to establish the immunogenicity and safety of administering intradermal fIPV with a disposable syringe jet injector (DSJI) or an intradermal adaptor (IDA) compared with standard administration with a BCG needle and syringe (N&S).

Viral Etiology, Clinical Features and Antibiotic Use in Children <5 Years of Age in the Gambia Presenting With Influenza-like Illness.

Background: Knowledge regarding the prevalence, clinical features and etiology of pediatric influenza-like illness (ILI) remains limited in African settings. Furthermore, it is likely that many children presenting with ILI receive antibiotics unnecessarily. More data are required to develop antimicrobial stewardship practice and guide effective vaccine strategies.

Prevalence of Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) and Antimicrobial Resistance in Community-Acquired Clinical in an Urban Gambian Hospital: A 11-Year Period Retrospective Pilot Study.

is a major human pathogen. Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a virulence factor produced by some strains that causes leukocyte lysis and tissue necrosis. PVL-associated (PVL-SA) predominantly causes skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs) but can also cause invasive infections such as necrotizing pneumonia.

Respiratory infections drive hepcidin-mediated blockade of iron absorption leading to iron deficiency anemia in African children.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most prevalent nutritional condition worldwide. We studied the contribution of hepcidin-mediated iron blockade to IDA in African children. We measured hepcidin and hemoglobin weekly, and hematological, inflammatory, and iron biomarkers at baseline, 7 weeks, and 12 weeks in 407 anemic (hemoglobin < 11 g/dl), otherwise healthy Gambian children (6 to 27 months).

Mass Drug Administration With Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and Malaria Transmission Dynamics in The Gambia: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Mass drug administration (MDA) may further reduce malaria transmission in low-transmission areas. The impact of MDA on the dynamics of malaria transmission was determined in a prospective cohort study.

Methods: Annual rounds of MDA with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) were implemented were implemented in 2014 and 2015 in six village pairs before the malaria transmission season.

Quantification and determinants of the amount of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shed using real time PCR data from a longitudinal household study.

A better understanding of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) epidemiology requires realistic estimates of RSV shedding patterns, quantities shed, and identification of the related underlying factors. RSV infection data arise from a cohort study of 47 households with 493 occupants, in coastal Kenya, during the 2009/2010 RSV season. Nasopharyngeal swabs were taken every 3 to 4 days and screened for RSV using a real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay.