Publications by authors named "Umme-Aiman Halai"

Objective: Pet ownership among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) is common, but access to shelter, veterinary care, and flea-preventative products for PEH who own pets in the US is not well described. We sought to evaluate current knowledge of fleas and flea-borne diseases and characterize practices around pets and service animals among staff at homeless shelters and outreach organizations.

Methods: In-person surveys were administered to staff at homeless shelters and on outreach teams in 7 states from August 2022 to April 2023 to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices and to assess homeless shelter/organizational characteristics.

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Objective: To assess the frequency of hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing among a population-based cohort of perinatally exposed children and identify factors associated with testing.

Methods: Using a population-based surveillance cohort of perinatally exposed children born from 2018 to 2020 from 4 US jurisdictions (Georgia; Massachusetts; Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; and Los Angeles County, California), we describe the frequency, timing, and type of HCV testing among children and identify characteristics associated with having an HCV test result by the age of 2 to 3 years. Data were obtained from electronic laboratory reporting, vital records, and medical records.

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  • Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a serious illness caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, often leading to meningitis or septicemia.
  • There are six main serogroups (A, B, C, W, X, Y) responsible for the majority of cases, which can spread through respiratory droplets and secretions from infected individuals or carriers.
  • Vaccination is available to prevent IMD, and giving antibiotics to close contacts of infected people is vital to stop further infections.
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  • Louse-borne Bartonella quintana and flea-borne murine typhus are serious diseases affecting people experiencing homelessness in the US, but service staff's awareness and prevention knowledge is limited.
  • A survey of 333 staff from 89 shelters across seven states revealed that while most recognize the problem of body lice and fleas, only about half understand their disease transmission potential, and less than 25% can describe proper management protocols.
  • There are significant gaps in understanding among staff regarding these diseases, highlighting the need for training to improve prevention efforts and ensure equitable service access for affected individuals.
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Flea-borne typhus (FBT), also referred to as murine typhus, is an acute febrile disease in humans caused by the bacteria Rickettsia typhi. Currently, cases of FBT are reported for public health surveillance purposes (i.e.

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We describe hepatitis C testing of 47 (2%) of 2,266 children diagnosed with perinatal hepatitis C who were exposed during 2018-2020 in 7 jurisdictions in the United States. Expected frequency of perinatal transmission is 5.8%, indicating only one third of the cases in this cohort were reported to public health authorities.

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Background: To characterize neurodevelopmental abnormalities in children up to 36 months of age with congenital Zika virus exposure.

Methods: From the U.S.

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Fleaborne typhus (also known as murine typhus), a widely distributed vectorborne zoonosis caused by Rickettsia typhi, is a moderately severe, but infrequently fatal illness; among patients who receive doxycycline, the case-fatality rate is <1%. Fleaborne typhus is a mandated reportable condition in California. Reported fleaborne typhus cases in Los Angeles County have been increasing since 2010, with the highest number (171) reported during 2022.

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Background: It is well established that pregnant persons with SARS-CoV-2 are at an increased risk for preterm birth, however, less is known about perinatal outcomes for neonates with intrauterine exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: Characteristics of 50 SARS-CoV-2 positive neonates born to SARS-CoV-2 pregnant persons positive between May 22, 2020, and February 22, 2021, in Los Angeles County, CA, were assessed. Pattern of neonate SARS-CoV-2 test results and time to positive test was analyzed.

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Monkeypox (mpox) cases in the 2022 outbreak have primarily occurred among adult gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM); however, other populations have also been affected (1). To date, data on mpox in cisgender women and pregnant persons have been limited. Understanding transmission in these populations is critical for mpox prevention.

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Background: Multiple reports have described neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infection, including likely in utero transmission and early postnatal infection, but published estimates of neonatal infection range by geography and design type.

Objectives: To describe maternal, pregnancy and neonatal characteristics among neonates born to people with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy by neonatal SARS-CoV-2 testing results.

Methods: Using aggregated data from the Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network (SET-NET) describing infections from 20 January 2020 to 31 December 2020, we identified neonates who were (1) born to people who were SARS-CoV-2 positive by RT-PCR at any time during their pregnancy, and (2) tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR during the birth hospitalisation.

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Maternal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy may impact fetal development via vertical transmission, complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), or placental injury. However, potential associations between prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection and fetal loss are not well understood. This case series of thirteen second and third trimester fetal losses reported by local public health departments to California's state public health surveillance included maternal clinical and demographic characteristics as well as placental pathology, fetal autopsy reports, and coroner report.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Data was collected from a large group of 7950 pregnant women with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections between March 2020 and March 2021, analyzing demographic and health characteristics to determine illness severity.
  • * Key findings highlighted that being 25 or older, having certain occupations, and existing health conditions like obesity or diabetes significantly increased the risk of severe COVID-19 in pregnant women, helping to shape public health messaging on this issue.
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Worksites with on-site operations have experienced coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks. We analyzed data for 698 nonresidential, nonhealthcare worksite COVID-19 outbreaks investigated in Los Angeles County, California, USA, during March 19, 2020‒September 30, 2020, by using North American Industry Classification System sectors and subsectors. Nearly 60% of these outbreaks occurred in 3 sectors: manufacturing (n = 184, 26.

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Introduction: Public health responses often lack the infrastructure to capture the impact of public health emergencies on pregnant women and infants, with limited mechanisms for linking pregnant women with their infants nationally to monitor long-term effects. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in close collaboration with state, local, and territorial health departments, began a 5-year initiative to establish population-based mother-baby linked longitudinal surveillance, the Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies Network (SET-NET).

Objectives: The objective of this report is to describe an expanded surveillance approach that leverages and modernizes existing surveillance systems to address the impact of emerging health threats during pregnancy on pregnant women and their infants.

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Pregnant women with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at increased risk for severe illness and might be at risk for preterm birth (1-3). The full impact of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in pregnancy is unknown. Public health jurisdictions report information, including pregnancy status, on confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases to CDC through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

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Background: Zika-exposed infants with microcephaly (proportional or disproportional) and those who are small for gestational age without microcephaly should be closely followed, particularly their growth trajectories. They are at high risk of adverse outcomes in the first year of life.Antenatal Zika virus (ZIKV) exposure may lead to adverse infant outcomes including microcephaly and being small for gestational age (SGA).

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Primary Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is often not suspected as a cause of fever of unknown origin (FUO) in immune-competent adults. We present a case-series of symptomatic primary CMV infection in immunocompetent adults presenting as fever of unknown origin (FUO). All patients with CMV serology tested between November 2008 and June 2016 underwent chart review.

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The burden of arboviruses in the Americas is high and may result in long-term sequelae with infants disabled by Zika virus infection (ZIKV) and arthritis caused by infection with Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). We aimed to identify environmental drivers of arbovirus epidemics to predict where the next epidemics will occur and prioritize municipalities for vector control and eventual vaccination. We screened sera and urine samples (n = 10,459) from residents of 48 municipalities in the state of Rio de Janeiro for CHIKV, dengue virus (DENV), and ZIKV by molecular PCR diagnostics.

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Importance: Current guidelines recommend screening eye examinations for infants with microcephaly or laboratory-confirmed Zika virus infection but not for all infants potentially exposed to Zika virus in utero.

Objective: To evaluate eye findings in a cohort of infants whose mothers had polymerase chain reaction-confirmed Zika virus infection during pregnancy.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this descriptive case series performed from January 2 through October 30, 2016, infants were examined from birth to 1 year of age by a multidisciplinary medical team, including a pediatric ophthalmologist, from Fernandes Figueira Institute, a Ministry of Health referral center for high-risk pregnancies and infectious diseases in children in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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Article Synopsis
  • Congenital Zika virus (ZIKV) syndrome affects infants whose mothers were infected during pregnancy; this study looked at factors like maternal virus load and prior dengue immunity to understand its impact.
  • Researchers used a clinical severity tool to analyze symptoms in 131 pregnant women with ZIKV, finding a range of disease severity from mild to severe, with nearly half experiencing adverse outcomes.
  • The study concluded that there were no significant links between the severity of maternal illness, ZIKV viral load, or previous dengue antibodies with poor pregnancy or infant outcomes.
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Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) has been linked to central nervous system malformations in fetuses. To characterize the spectrum of ZIKV disease in pregnant women and infants, we followed patients in Rio de Janeiro to describe clinical manifestations in mothers and repercussions of acute ZIKV infection in infants.

Methods: We enrolled pregnant women in whom a rash had developed within the previous 5 days and tested blood and urine specimens for ZIKV by reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction assays.

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Background: Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and colonic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) demonstrate increased risk of colorectal cancer. Prior studies have yielded conflicting information on the relationship between ursodiol (UDCA) and the risk of colorectal cancer or dysplasia in this group.

Aims: To examine the impact of UDCA on risk of colorectal cancer or dysplasia in adult PSC and IBD patients.

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