Tuberculosis infection among youths in overcrowded university hostels in Kenya: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a top global health problem and its transmission rate among contacts is higher when they are cohabiting with a person who is sputum smear-positive. Our study aimed to describe the prevalence of TB among student contacts in the university and determine factors associated with TB transmission.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study with an active contact case finding approach among students receiving treatment at Kilifi County Hospital from January 2016 to December 2017.

The effect of empirical and laboratory-confirmed tuberculosis on treatment outcomes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for diagnosing and treating Tuberculosis (TB) includes clinical signs, therefore not requiring bacteriological laboratory confirmation. In resource-limited settings, including Kenya, this empirical TB treatment is routine practice however limited data exist on patient clinical outcomes when comparing the method of diagnosis. We evaluated TB treatment outcomes comparing clinically diagnosed and bacteriologically confirmed TB, 6 months after starting treatment of TB in a rural county in Kenya.

Mortality during treatment for tuberculosis; a review of surveillance data in a rural county in Kenya.

Background: Globally in 2016, 1.7 million people died of Tuberculosis (TB). This study aimed to estimate all-cause mortality rate, identify features associated with mortality and describe trend in mortality rate from treatment initiation.

Prescriber and patient-oriented behavioural interventions to improve use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests in Tanzania: facility-based cluster randomised trial.

Background: The increasing investment in malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) to differentiate malarial and non-malarial fevers, and an awareness of the need to improve case management of non-malarial fever, indicates an urgent need for high quality evidence on how best to improve prescribers' practices.

Methods: A three-arm stratified cluster-randomised trial was conducted in 36 primary healthcare facilities from September 2010 to March 2012 within two rural districts in northeast Tanzania where malaria transmission has been declining. Interventions were guided by formative mixed-methods research and were introduced in phases.

The health workforce: managing the crisis ethical international recruitment of health professionals: will codes of practice protect developing country health systems?

Many countries are using the strategy of international recruitment to make up for shortages of health professionals to the detriment of health systems in the poorest parts of the world. This study reviewed the potential impact of eight national level and international codes of practice or similar instruments that are being introduced to encourage ethical recruitment in order to protect these countries. Whilst effective dissemination of the instruments is generally in place, support systems, incentives and sanctions and monitoring systems necessary for effective implementation and sustainability are currently weak or have not been planned.