Publications by authors named "Oscar Chirro"

Development of a vaccine against gonorrhoea is a global priority, driven by the rise in antibiotic resistance. Although Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) infection does not induce substantial protective immunity, highly exposed individuals may develop immunity against re-infection with the same strain. Retrospective epidemiological studies have shown that vaccines containing Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) provide a degree of cross-protection against Ng infection.

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  • Chronic hepatitis B infection is rampant in the WHO African Region, with only a small fraction diagnosed or treated; the report outlines efforts to initiate a hepatitis B virus (HBV) program in Kenya.
  • The 'STRIKE-HBV' Study, launched in March 2023 in Kilifi, focused on identifying people living with HBV through free testing at a hospital and targeted outreach, successfully establishing a framework for HBV screening and care.
  • Data collected from March 2023 to March 2024 showed effective screening, with 30 seropositive cases identified among 1,862 participants, despite facing challenges like procurement delays for testing kits and vaccinations.
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Background: Evidence indicates that fractional doses of yellow fever vaccine are safe and sufficiently immunogenic for use during yellow fever outbreaks. However, there are no data on the generalisability of this observation to populations living with HIV. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity of fractional and standard doses of yellow fever vaccine in HIV-positive adults.

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Kenyan gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) face stigma and discrimination, which may adversely impact mental health and limit antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among GBMSM living with HIV. We evaluated whether the Shikamana peer-and-provider intervention, which improved ART adherence among participants in a small randomized trial, was associated with changes in mental health or substance use. The intervention was associated with a significant decrease in PHQ-9 score between baseline and month 6 (estimated change - 2.

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Transgender women (TW) and men who have sex with men (MSM) in Kenya are disproportionately affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and would benefit substantially from pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). We conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) with healthcare providers (HCPs) and TW/MSM leadership and in-depth interviews (IDIs) with PrEP-experienced MSM and TW to learn about perceived and actual barriers to PrEP programming. Eleven HCP and 10 TW/MSM leaders participated in FGDs before PrEP roll-out (January 2018) and 12 months later.

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  • The study focused on transgender women (TGW) and men who have sex with men (MSM) in sub-Saharan Africa, assessing their adherence to daily PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for HIV prevention by measuring tenofovir-diphosphate (TFV-DP) levels.
  • Out of 53 participants, TGW showed better adherence rates compared to MSM, with 62.5% having any detectable TFV-DP and 37.5% maintaining protective levels, while only 14.7% of MSM had any TFV-DP detected.
  • Key motivations for using PrEP included a heightened understanding of its benefits among TGW and a response to risky sexual behaviors; however,
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Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) living with HIV in rights-constrained settings need support for antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence due to barriers including stigma. The Shikamana intervention combined modified Next Step Counseling by providers with support from trained peers to improve adherence among GBMSM living with HIV in Kenya. A randomized controlled trial with 6-month follow-up was used to determine feasibility, acceptability, safety, and initial intervention effects.

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: We evaluated outcomes of an HIV-1-testing intervention using rapid HIV tests followed by point-of-care Xpert Qual testing for HIV-1 RNA. Of 706 young urgent-care seeking participants evaluated, 24 (3.4%) had chronic HIV (antibody-positive), 3 (0.

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Background: Acute HIV infection (AHI) is the phase of HIV infection immediately after acquisition, during which many patients develop symptoms and often seek healthcare. However, clinicians in sub-Saharan Africa are not currently taught about AHI.

Methods: This study pilot-tested a self-directed AHI training module among clinical officers (COs) in coastal Kenya and assessed knowledge gained and challenges to instituting screening.

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Men who have sex with men (MSM), who have heterogeneous HIV-acquisition risks are not specifically targeted in Kenyan pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) guidelines. We used data from an open cohort, which followed 753 initially HIV-negative MSM participants for more than 1378.5 person-years, to develop an empiric risk score for targeting PrEP delivery.

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