Providing healthcare under the threat of gang-violence: a survey of Haitian healthcare providers.

In addition to having some of the worst health outcomes in the region, Haiti faces a political and economic crisis. The most recent humanitarian crisis includes an increase in homicides and kidnappings in the capital Port-au-Prince. This study is a cross-sectional, mixed methods online survey of health workers and medical students in Port-au-Prince from May 20 - September 15, 2023.

Improving Equity in Urban Immunization in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Qualitative Document Review.

Introduction: As the world continues to urbanize, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, understanding the barriers and effective interventions to improve urban immunization equity is critical to achieving both Immunization Agenda 2030 targets and the Sustainable Development Goals. Approximately 25 million children missed one or more doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) vaccine in 2021 and it is estimated that close to 30% of the world's children missing the first dose of DTP, known as zero-dose, live in urban and peri-urban settings.

Methods: The aim of this research is to improve understanding of urban immunization equity through a qualitative review of mixed method studies, urban immunization strategies and funding proposals across more than 70 urban areas developed between 2016 and 2020, supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Achieving the IA2030 Coverage and Equity Goals through a Renewed Focus on Urban Immunization.

The 2021 WHO and UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) reported approximately 25 million under-vaccinated children in 2021, out of which 18 million were zero-dose children who did not receive even the first dose of a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-(DPT) containing vaccine. The number of zero-dose children increased by six million between 2019, the pre-pandemic year, and 2021. A total of 20 countries with the highest number of zero-dose children and home to over 75% of these children in 2021 were prioritized for this review.

Researching the hard-to-reach: a scoping review protocol of digital health research in hidden, marginal and excluded populations.

Introduction: There is a significant growth in the use of digital technology and methods in health-related research, further driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has offered a potential to apply digital health research in hidden, marginalised and excluded populations who are traditionally not easily reached due to economic, societal and legal barriers. To better inform future digital health studies of these vulnerable populations, we proposed a scoping review to comprehensively map published evidence and guidelines on the applications and challenges of digital health research methods to hard-to-reach communities.

Promoting equity in immunization coverage through supply chain design in Pakistan.

To improve equity in immunization coverage, potent immunization products must be available in the communities in which low coverage rates persist. Most supply side investments are focused on replacing or establishing new health facilities to improve access to immunization. However, supply chain design must be improved to ensure that potent vaccines are available at all facilities to promote immunization equity.

Overcoming Obstacles To Enable Access To Medicines For Noncommunicable Diseases In Poor Countries.

The modern access-to-medicines movement grew largely out of the civil-society reaction to the HIV/AIDS pandemic three decades ago. While the movement was successful with regard to HIV/AIDS medications, the increasingly urgent challenge to address access to medicines for noncommunicable diseases has lagged behind-and, in some cases, has been forgotten. In this article we first ask what causes the access gap with respect to lifesaving essential noncommunicable disease medicines and then what can be done to close the gap.