Sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV and migration in southern Africa: A rapid review.

Migration, a prevalent global phenomenon, significantly impacts health, particularly in low- to middle-income countries. This article presents a rapid review aimed at mapping projects, lessons and policies concerning sexual and reproductive health (SRH), HIV and migration in southern Africa. Utilising a population-concept-context framework, the review focuses on understanding the scope, nature and extent of interventions, identifying lessons learnt, and assessing existing policies and strategies.

Closing the equity gap: A call for policy and programmatic reforms to ensure inclusive and effective HIV prevention, treatment and care for persons with disabilities in Eastern and Southern Africa.

In this paper, we explore the critical barriers that persons with disabilities face in accessing HIV services in the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region, despite significant advancements in overall accessibility. We highlight the intersectional challenges experienced by individuals with disabilities, particularly women, and outline a comprehensive approach to bridge the existing gaps in policy and programmatic efforts. Specifically, we aim to address the exclusion of persons with disabilities from essential HIV prevention, treatment, and care services, a situation that has profound implications for their health, social inclusion, and economic productivity.

Water, sanitation, and hygiene-specific risk factors of recent diarrheal episodes in children aged under 5 years: analysis of secondary data from the multiple indicator cluster survey (MICS 2019).

Objectives: Access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, collectively called WASH, is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of public health. However, inadequate WASH practices and environments significantly contribute to the global burden of diarrheal diseases, particularly, in children aged under 5 years. Inadequate WASH conditions are the primary drivers of various infectious diseases, including cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio.

Advancing Public Health Surveillance: Integrating Modeling and GIS in the Wastewater-Based Epidemiology of Viruses, a Narrative Review.

This review article will present a comprehensive examination of the use of modeling, spatial analysis, and geographic information systems (GIS) in the surveillance of viruses in wastewater. With the advent of global health challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater surveillance has emerged as a crucial tool for the early detection and management of viral outbreaks. This review will explore the application of various modeling techniques that enable the prediction and understanding of virus concentrations and spread patterns in wastewater systems.

A critical review of mpox outbreaks, risk factors, and prevention efforts in Africa: lessons learned and evolving practices.

Objectives: In recent years, mpox, a zoonotic disease caused by the mpox virus, has transcended its primary association with Central and West Africa, emerging as a global public health concern. The virus poses a substantial threat, particularly, to vulnerable demographics such as young children and individuals with compromised immune systems. This critical literature review aimed to comprehensively evaluate the burden, risk factors, and current management strategies associated with mpox in Africa.

HIV status and contraceptive use in Zimbabwe among sexually active adolescent girls and women: Secondary analysis of Zimbabwe Demographic Health survey data.

Background: Understanding the pattern of contraceptive use among women living with HIV is critical for formulating relevant public health interventions to improve the uptake and use of reliable methods in this population. This helps to reduce the incidence of unintended pregnancies.

Objective: In this secondary data analysis, we aimed to describe contraceptive use by HIV-positive and HIV-negative sexually active adolescent girls and women, using data from the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (2015-16).

Using machine learning models to plan HIV services: Emerging opportunities in design, implementation and evaluation.

HIV/AIDS remains one of the world's most significant public health and economic challenges, with approximately 36 million people currently living with the disease. Considerable progress has been made to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in the past years through successful multiple HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment interventions. However, barriers such as lack of engagement, limited availability of early HIV-infection detection tools, high rates of HIV/sexually transmitted infections (STIs), barriers to access antiretroviral therapy, lack of innovative resource optimisation and distribution strategies, and poor prevention services for vulnerable populations still exist and substantially affect the attainment of the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets.

Rural-urban disparities and socioeconomic determinants of caesarean delivery rates in Zimbabwe: Evidence from the 2019 National Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey.

Caesarean sections (CSs) have increased globally, with concerns being raised involving overutilisation and inequalities in access. In Zimbabwe, where healthcare access varies greatly, we aimed to analyse factors associated with ever having a CS using the 2019 National Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. The weighted national CS rate was 10.

Predicting sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men in Zimbabwe using deep learning and ensemble machine learning models.

There is a substantial increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among men who have sex with men (MSM) globally. Unprotected sexual practices, multiple sex partners, criminalization, stigmatisation, fear of discrimination, substance use, poor access to care, and lack of early STI screening tools are among the contributing factors. Therefore, this study applied multilayer perceptron (MLP), extremely randomized trees (ExtraTrees) and XGBoost machine learning models to predict STIs among MSM using bio-behavioural survey (BBS) data in Zimbabwe.

Moving beyond hotspots of HIV prevalence to geospatial hotspots of UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets in sub-Saharan Africa.

The HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa displays a varied geographical distribution, with particular regions termed as HIV hotspots due to a higher prevalence of infection. Addressing these hotspots is essential for controlling the epidemic. However, these regions, influenced by historical factors, challenge standard interventions.

Social and structural drivers of HIV vulnerability among a respondent-driven sample of feminine and non-feminine presenting transgender women who have sex with men in Zimbabwe.

Introduction: We sought to characterize social and structural drivers of HIV vulnerability for transgender women (TGW) in Zimbabwe, where TGW are not legally recognized, and explore differences in vulnerability by feminine presentation.

Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted with a sub-sample of participants recruited from a 2019 respondent-driven sampling survey that comprised men who have sex with men, TGW and genderqueer individuals assigned male sex at birth, from two cities in Zimbabwe. Survey questionnaires captured information related to socio-demographics, sexual and substance use behaviours, and social and structural barriers to HIV services.

Presence of tuberculosis symptoms among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in Zimbabwe.

We conducted secondary data analysis using a biobehavioral survey dataset of 1538 MSM from Zimbabwe. Survey participants were screened for the four symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis infection using the WHO TB screening algorithm. Results: All participants experienced at least one symptom suggestive of tuberculosis.

Missed opportunities for TB diagnostic testing among people living with HIV in Zimbabwe: Cross-sectional analysis of the Zimbabwe Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (ZIMPHIA) survey 2015-16.

Background: Using data from the Zimbabwe Population-based HIV Impact Assessment survey 2015-2016, we examined the TB care cascade and factors associated with not receiving TB diagnostic testing among adult PLHIV with TB symptoms.

Methods: Statistical Analysis was limited to PLHIV aged 15 years and older in HIV care. Weighted logistic regression with not receiving TB testing as outcome was adjusted for covariates with crude odd ratios (ORs) with p < 0.

COVID-19 and mental health services in Sub-Saharan Africa: A critical literature review.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought a profound impact on mental health in Sub- Saharan Africa, exacerbating existing disparities and rendering individuals undergoing treatment particularly susceptible. This comprehensive critical review delves into the scope, nature, and extent of COVID-19 impact on mental health services in Sub- Saharan Africa, while concurrently elucidating pivotal lessons and exemplary practices learnt from periods of lockdown.

Methods: The methodology was guided by Jesson & Laccy's guide on how to conduct critical literature reviews.

Hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) and HIV-HBV coinfection among men who have sex with men, transgender women, and genderqueer individuals in Harare and Bulawayo Zimbabwe, 2019.

Objectives: To measure HIV and Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence and associated risk behaviors among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women/genderqueer individuals (TGW/GQ) in Zimbabwe.

Methods: We conducted a biobehavioral survey using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) among adult MSM and TGW/GQ in Harare and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in 2019. Participants completed a questionnaire and underwent testing for HIV and HBV.