Impact of Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Coinfection on Clinical Severity and Outcomes Among Children Hospitalized With Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in Soweto, South Africa.

Background: No data are available regarding the interplay and clinical manifestations of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) coinfection in African children. We compared clinical characteristics and outcomes between RSV-only, SARS-CoV-2-only and RSV/SARS-CoV-2 coinfection lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in hospitalized African children.

Methods: Prospective surveillance of children (0-59 months) hospitalized with severe LRTI was undertaken between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2023, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Role of Community-Clinical Partnerships to Promote Cancer Screening: Lessons Learned From the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.

Community-clinical partnerships are an effective approach to connecting primary care with public health to increase disease prevention and screenings and reduce health inequities. We explore how the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) award recipients and clinic teams are using community-clinical linkages to deliver services to populations who are without access to health care and identify barriers, facilitators, and lessons that can be used to improve program implementation. We used purposive sampling to select nine state recipients of the NBCCEDP and a clinic partner for each recipient.

Intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) migration into the bladder with bladder stone formation: Case report.

Intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) is commonly used to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Migration of IUCD into the bladder is a rare complication. We present a case of a 38-year-old woman with a history of IUCD insertion 05 years ago, immediately following her last delivery.

Risk Factors and Prevalence of Urinary Tract Infection among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care at Wachemo University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital.

Background: Urinary tract infection is the single most common bacterial infection of mankind.

Objective: To assess the risk factors and prevalence of Urinary tract infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Wachemo University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Central Ethiopia, 2023.

Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from 2 October to 29 December 2023.

Burden of respiratory syncytial virus diseases among under 5 children in Sub-Saharan Africa: .

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs) in young children. To design preventive efforts in sub-Saharan Africa, a better knowledge of the true role of RSV in pediatric ALRIs is required. Therefore we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies to estimate the etiological role of RSV to ALRIs in under 5 years children in sub-Saharan Africa.

The burden of poisoning in children hospitalised at a tertiary-level hospital in South Africa.

Introduction: Globally, childhood poisoning, accounts for a significant proportion of emergency department admissions. There is a paucity of data from low- and middle-income countries on poisoning in children.

Objective: To describe the incidence, case fatality rate, and types of poisoning in children admitted to a tertiary-level hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.

All-cause and pathogen-specific lower respiratory tract infection hospital admissions in children younger than 5 years during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-22) compared with the pre-pandemic period (2015-19) in South Africa: an observational study.

Background: Non-pharmaceutical interventions affected the circulation of and illness due to endemic respiratory pathogens during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the incidence of admissions to hospital for overall and specific pathogen-associated lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with incidence in the pre-pandemic period.

Methods: In this observational study, we analysed surveillance data for children younger than 5 years from two public hospitals in Soweto, South Africa, for all-cause LRTI, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, human metapneumovirus, and Bordetella pertussis from Jan 1, 2015 to Dec 31, 2022.

Occurrence and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Blue Land Crab (Cardisoma guanhumi) from a Tropical Mangrove Swamp.

Coastal ecosystems in the Caribbean are vulnerable to pollution from land-based activities with possible impacts to human health. Ten heavy metals in the blue land crab, Cardisoma guanhumi, harvested from the Caroni Swamp, Trinidad, were investigated in the wet and dry seasons. Metal concentrations (µg g dry weight) in crab tissue were: As (0.

Magnitude of Viral Load Suppression and Associated Factors among Clients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Public Hospitals of Hawassa City Administration, Ethiopia.

Background: A majority of clients on first-line antiretroviral therapy with an initial high viral load will resuppress following an adherence intervention. Some sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were found to affect resuppression. Few reports on the outcome of the intervention and its associated factors in our country, with inconsistent results and some missed clinical factors of potential association, have compelled this study.

The effect of ketamine versus tramadol on prophylactic post-spinal shivering in those patients undergoing orthopedic surgery: a prospective cohort study design, 2020.

Background: Post-spinal shivering is a common complication after spinal anesthesia with a high incidence among orthopedic patients. Untreated shivering may predispose to exacerbation of wound pain, increased metabolic demand, oxygen consumption, and hemostatic dysfunction. Various studies have been done on the effectiveness of preventing post-spinal shivering using ketamine and other drugs.

Hospital-Based Air-Borne and Surface-Borne Bacterial Pathogens and Their Antimicrobial Profiles in Wolaita Sodo, Southern Ethiopia.

Background: It is well documented that hospital environments are the niche/reservoir of many clinically important microorganisms, including multidrug-resistant air-borne and surface-borne pathogens. This problem is the most pressing public health concern, particularly in developing countries like Ethiopia, due to its poor infection management system. This study was planned to detect air-borne and surface-borne bacterial pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance patterns in Wolaita Sodo University Comprehensive Hospital, Southern Ethiopia.

Youth voices from an informal settlement of Nairobi, Kenya: Engaging adolescent perspectives on violence to inform prevention.

We examined the experiences of violence and self-reported behavioural and community changes as a result of participation in a sexual assault prevention intervention in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. We conducted longitudinal qualitative in-depth interviews with 20 adolescent girls and 11 adolescent boys at baseline, 12, and 24 months. Analysis was thematic with two investigators coding and reaching consensus about the themes.

The association between early-onset sepsis and neonatal encephalopathy.

Objective: We evaluated the association between early-onset sepsis and neonatal encephalopathy in a low-middle-income setting.

Methods: We undertook a retrospective study in newborns with gestational age ≥35 weeks and/or birth weight ≥2500 grams, diagnosed with neonatal encephalopathy. Early-onset sepsis was defined as culture-confirmed sepsis or probable sepsis.

Sepsis in previously healthy neonates discharged home after delivery in Soweto, South Africa.

Background: There is a paucity of data on the aetiology of neonatal sepsis in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objectives: To investigate the incidence, aetiology and outcomes of physician-diagnosed sepsis in hospitalised neonates who had previously been discharged home after delivery in Soweto, South Africa.

Methods: A retrospective review using data abstracted from clinical and laboratory databases identified physician-diagnosed sepsis cases in neonates admitted to the general paediatric wards at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital from January 2015 to September 2016.

Predictors of Anemia Among HIV-Infected Children on Antiretroviral Therapy in Wolaita Zone, South Ethiopia: A Facility-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: Anemia is a global public health problem, and the majority of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive people become anemic at some point in the course of the disease. We lack adequate evidence on the magnitude of anemia among children on highly active antiretroviral therapy in Ethiopia and particularly in South Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed at determining the proportion and associated factors of anemia among children on highly active antiretroviral therapy in Wolaita zone, South Ethiopia.

Predictors of stunting among children 6-59 months of age in Sodo Zuria District, South Ethiopia: a community based cross-sectional study.

Background: Despite the decline in the rate of stunting in Ethiopia, the prevalence is still high and needs immense efforts to achieve the target set to reduce the prevalence. It varies between localities due to individual level factors and dominant livelihood practice in the community.Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of stunting and identify factors associated with it in Sodo Zuria district in South Ethiopia.

Unraveling Specific Causes of Neonatal Mortality Using Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling: An Observational Study.

Background: Postmortem minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) is a potential alternative to the gold standard complete diagnostic autopsy for identifying specific causes of childhood deaths. We investigated the utility of MITS, interpreted with available clinical data, for attributing underlying and immediate causes of neonatal deaths.

Methods: This prospective, observational pilot study enrolled neonatal deaths at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, South Africa.

Potential of Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling for Attributing Specific Causes of Childhood Deaths in South Africa: A Pilot, Epidemiological Study.

Background: Current estimates for causes of childhood deaths are mainly premised on modeling of vital registration and limited verbal autopsy data and generally only characterize the underlying cause of death (CoD). We investigated the potential of minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) for ascertaining the underlying and immediate CoD in children 1 month to 14 years of age.

Methods: MITS included postmortem tissue biopsies of brain, liver, and lung for histopathology examination; microbial culture of blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), liver, and lung samples; and molecular microbial testing on blood, CSF, lung, and rectal swabs.

An Observational Pilot Study Evaluating the Utility of Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling to Determine the Cause of Stillbirths in South African Women.

Background: Despite approximately 2.6 million stillbirths occurring annually, there is a paucity of systematic biological investigation and consequently knowledge on the causes of these deaths in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We investigated the utility of minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS), placental examination, and clinical history, in attributing the causes of stillbirth in a South African LMIC setting.

Nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern among school children in South Ethiopia: post-vaccination era.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate nasopharyngeal carriage rate and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae among school children.

Results: Three hundred eleven (43.8%) became culture positive for S.

The Burden of Acute Diarrheal Disease in Young Hospitalized Urban South African Children Five Years After Rotavirus Vaccine Introduction: A Retrospective Descriptive Study.

Background: Diarrheal disease is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. Multiple interventions, including rotavirus vaccination to infants since 2009, have reduced the incidence of diarrheal disease in South African children. Our study aimed to determine the burden of diarrheal disease 5 years after rotavirus vaccine introduction at a tertiary-level hospital.

An evaluation of the quality of discharge summaries from the general paediatric wards at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Background: Hospital discharge summaries are deemed to be an essential part of the medical record in South Africa, but formal assessment of their quality is rarely undertaken. At Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) in Johannesburg, medical admission notes (bedletters) are difficult to retrieve from the hospital archives and the discharge summary is often the only readily available medical record that documents details of the hospital admission.

Objectives: To determine the proportion of discharge summaries that were appropriately completed for children admitted to the general paediatric wards at CHBAH.

Magnitude of wasting and underweight among children 6-59 months of age in Sodo Zuria District, South Ethiopia: a community based cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The study aimed to determine the prevalence of wasting and underweight, and identify associated factors in Sodo Zuria district in South Ethiopia.

Results: The prevalence of wasting and underweight were 11.1% and 14.

Effects of a community-based data for decision-making intervention on maternal and newborn health care practices in Ethiopia: a dose-response study.

Background: Community participation and community health volunteer programs are an essential part of the health system so that health services are responsive and accountable to community needs. Information systems are necessary for community health volunteer programs to be effective, yet effectiveness evaluations of such information systems implemented at scale are rare. In October 2010, a network of female volunteers with little or no literacy, the Women's Development Army (WDA), was added to extend Ethiopia's Health Extension Program services to every household in the community.