Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use trajectories and incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among PrEP users in Belgium: a cohort analysis of insurance claims data from 2017 to 2019.

Background: Since June 2017, oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been reimbursed in Belgium for people at substantial risk of HIV. To inform the national PrEP programme, we described sociodemographic characteristics of PrEP users, PrEP dispensing practices, testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs; gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis), and incidence of HIV and STIs.

Methods: Analysis of routinely collected social health insurance claims data from all individuals who were dispensed at least one PrEP prescription between June 2017 and December 2019.

Identifying priority groups for pre-exposure prophylaxis among sex workers in Flanders, Belgium: insights into routine HIV and sexually transmitted infection data in community-based clinics.

Objectives: The burden of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remains high in sex workers globally, calling for strengthening targeted prevention strategies, including HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The study's objective was to assess HIV and STI burden among female, male and transgender sex workers in Flanders, Belgium, to guide targeting of PrEP strategies for sex workers.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of routine data collected between January 2016 and December 2019 by community-based organisations providing sexual healthcare services for sex workers in Flanders.

The ongoing risk of Leishmania donovani transmission in eastern Nepal: an entomological investigation during the elimination era.

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a life-threatening neglected tropical disease, is targeted for elimination from Nepal by the year 2026. The national VL elimination program is still confronted with many challenges including the increasingly widespread distribution of the disease over the country, local resurgence and the questionable efficacy of the key vector control activities. In this study, we assessed the status and risk of Leishmania donovani transmission based on entomological indicators including seasonality, natural Leishmania infection rate and feeding behavior of vector sand flies, Phlebotomus argentipes, in three districts that had received disease control interventions in the past several years in the context of the disease elimination effort.

Length of stay and determinants of early discharge after facility-based childbirth in Cameroon: analysis of the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey.

Background: A minimum length of stay following facility birth is a prerequisite for women and newborns to receive the recommended monitoring and package of postnatal care. The first postnatal care guidelines in Cameroon were issued in 1998 but adherence to minimum length of stay has not been assessed thus far. The objective of this study was to estimate the average length of stay and identify determinants of early discharge after facility birth.

Trajectories of PrEP use among men who have sex with men: a pooled analysis of two prospective, observational cohort studies.

Introduction: Daily and event-driven oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) reduce the risk of HIV acquisition. PrEP use can vary over time, yet little is known about the trajectories of PrEP use irrespective of the chosen PrEP regimens among men who have sex with men (MSM).

Methods: Using data from a mobile, web-based diary application collected daily from 17 August 2015 until 6 May 2018, we analysed PrEP use and sexual behaviour in two large cohorts, AMPrEP (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and Be-PrEP-ared (Antwerp, Belgium).

Patterns of PrEP and condom use among PrEP users in Belgium: a web-based longitudinal study.

Background: Tailoring pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) service delivery is key to scaling-up PrEP uptake. Optimal implementation of tailored services requires, among other things, insights into patterns of PrEP use, sexual behaviours and condom use over time.

Methods: Between September 2020 and January 2022, we conducted a web-based, longitudinal study among PrEP users in Belgium.

Correction: No increase in use of hospitals for childbirth in Tanzania over 25 years: Accumulation of inequity among poor, rural, high parity women.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.

No increase in use of hospitals for childbirth in Tanzania over 25 years: Accumulation of inequity among poor, rural, high parity women.

Improving childbirth care in rural settings in sub-Saharan Africa is essential to attain the commitment expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals to leave no one behind. In Tanzania, the period between 1991 and 2016 was characterized by health system expansion prioritizing primary health care and a rise in rural facility births from 45% to 54%. Facilities however are not all the same, with advanced management of childbirth complications generally only available in hospitals and routine childbirth care in primary facilities.

Effectiveness of a provider and patient-focused intervention to improve hypertension management and control in the primary health care setting in Cuba: a controlled before-after study.

Background: Implementation research to improve hypertension control is scarce in Latin America. We assessed the effectiveness of an intervention aimed at primary care practitioners and hypertensive patients in a setting that provides integrated care through an accessible network of family practices.

Methods: We conducted in Cardenas and Santiago, Cuba, a controlled before-after study in 122 family practices, which are staffed with a doctor and a nurse.

HIV testing uptake and determinants among adolescents and young people in Burundi: a cross-sectional analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey 2016-2017.

Objectives: To assess HIV testing uptake and its determinants among adolescents and young adults.

Design: Cross-sectional design involving analysis of 2016 Demographic and Health Survey data.

Setting: Nationally representative survey of Burundi.

Susceptibility status of the wild-caught Phlebotomus argentipes (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae), the sand fly vector of visceral leishmaniasis, to different insecticides in Nepal.

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is targeted for elimination as a public health problem in Nepal by 2023. For nearly three decades, the core vector control intervention in Nepal has been indoor residual spraying (IRS) with pyrethroids. Considering the long-term use of pyrethroids and the possible development of resistance in the vector Phlebotomus argentipes sand flies, we monitored the susceptibility status of their field populations to the insecticides of different classes, in villages with and without IRS activities in recent years.

Loss to follow-up of patients in HIV care in Burundi: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The objective was to assess the loss to follow-up (LTFU) rates and associated factors amongst patients in HIV care in Burundi.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in HIV-positive patients aged ≥15 years who started antiretroviral therapy (ART) between January 2015 and July 2020, with 31 December 2020 as the end point. The outcome of LTFU was defined as failure of a patient to report for drug refill within 90 days from the last appointment.

Factors influencing SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in Belgian nursing home residents during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic.

In April 2020, Belgium experienced high numbers of fatal COVID-19 cases among nursing home (NH) residents. In response, a mass testing campaign was organised testing all NH residents and staff. We analysed the data of Flemish NHs to identify institutional factors associated with increased SARS-CoV-2 infection rates among NH residents.

Prevalence of and factors associated with lactational mastitis in eastern and southern Africa: an exploratory analysis of community-based household surveys.

Background: Lactational mastitis is an extremely painful and distressing inflammation of the breast, which can seriously disrupt breastfeeding. Most of the evidence on the frequency of this condition and its risk factors is from high-income countries. Thus, there is a crucial need for more information on lactational mastitis and its associated factors in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Understanding Malaria Persistence: A Mixed-Methods Study on the Effectiveness of Malaria Elimination Strategies in South-Central Vietnam.

Despite the scale-up of vector control, diagnosis and treatment, and health information campaigns, malaria persists in the forested areas of South-Central Vietnam, home to ethnic minority populations. A mixed-methods study using an exploratory sequential design was conducted in 10 Ra-glai villages in Bac Ai district of Ninh Thuan province to examine which social factors limited the effectiveness of the national malaria elimination strategy in the local setting. Territorial arrangements and mobility were found to directly limit the effectiveness of indoor residual spraying and long-lasting insectidical treated nets (LLINs).

Costs and barriers faced by households seeking malaria treatment in the Upper River Region, The Gambia.

Background: Malaria transmission in The Gambia decreased substantially over the last 20 years thanks to the scale-up of control interventions. However, malaria prevalence is still relatively high in eastern Gambia and represents both a health and a financial burden for households. This study aims to quantify the out-of-pocket costs and productivity losses of seeking malaria treatment at household level.

Choosing event-driven and daily HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis - data from two European PrEP demonstration projects among men who have sex with men.

Introduction: Daily and event-driven PrEP are both efficacious in reducing the risk for HIV infection. However, the practice of event-driven PrEP (edPrEP) is less well studied, in particular when provided as an alternative to daily PrEP. We studied regimen preferences and switches, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence.

Inequity in uptake of hospital-based childbirth care in rural Tanzania: analysis of the 2015-16 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey.

Proportions of facility births are increasing throughout sub-Saharan Africa, but obstetric services vary within the health system. In Tanzania, advanced management of childbirth complications (comprehensive emergency obstetric care) is offered in hospitals, while in frontline, primary health care (PHC) facilities (health centres and dispensaries) mostly only routine childbirth care is available. With over half (54%) of rural births in facilities, we hypothesized the presence of socio-economic inequity in hospital-based childbirth uptake in rural Tanzania and explored whether this relationship was modified by parity.

[Quality of health worker-patient communication: What are the benefits of integrating mental health into front-line services in Guinea?].

Background: Patient-centred care presupposes communication based on empathy, active listening and dialogue. Our study examines the effects of integrating mental health in multi-purpose health centres on health workers' communication with patients who consult for problems unrelated to mental health. The objective is to compare the quality of communication in health centres where staff have received specific training in the management of mental disorders (SM+) compared to those without such training (SM-).

Can We Predict Incorrect PrEP Use in High HIV Risk Situations Among Men Who Have Sex With Men? An Analysis of Be-PrEP-ared, the Belgian PrEP Demonstration Study.

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) efficacy for HIV prevention is highly correlated with the degree of adherence. The objective of this analysis was to identify PrEP users who did not correctly take their dose in high HIV exposure situations and to explore potential predictors of this behavior.

Methods: Study participants completed a personal Web-based diary during their entire follow-up, providing daily information on pill intake and sexual activity.

From informed consent to adherence: factors influencing involvement in mass drug administration with ivermectin for malaria elimination in The Gambia.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consideration of mass drug administration (MDA) for malaria control in low-endemic settings approaching elimination. However, MDA remains a controversial strategy, as multiple individual, social, and operational factors have shown to affect its acceptability at local levels. This is further complicated by inconsistent definitions of key indicators derived from individual and community involvement-coverage, adherence, and compliance-that cast doubts about the actual and potential epidemiological impact of MDA on disease control and elimination.

In pursuit of a cure: The plural therapeutic landscape of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy in Cameroon - A mixed methods study.

Background: A high prevalence of epilepsy has been observed in several onchocerciasis-endemic villages in the Sanaga River basin, Cameroon. Recent studies suggest that ivermectin, a drug that is distributed annually with the aim of eliminating onchocerciasis, may have a protective effect against acquiring onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE). This study, therefore, provides an in-depth understanding of both the complex therapeutic landscape for epilepsy as well as the experiences related to the 'community-directed treatment with ivermectin' (CDTI) campaign in order to identify a more trenchant path forward in the fight against epilepsy.

Patient perspectives on interpersonal aspects of healthcare and patient-centeredness at primary health facilities: A mixed methods study in rural Eastern Uganda.

Introduction: Patient-centered care (PCC) is an approach to involve patients in health care delivery, to contribute to quality of care, and to strengthen health systems responsiveness. This article aims to highlight patient perspectives by showcasing their perceptions of their experience of PCC at primary health facilities in two districts in Uganda.

Methods: A mixed methods cross-sectional study was conducted in three public and two private primary health care facilities in rural eastern Uganda.