Treatment success for patients with tuberculosis receiving care in areas severely affected by Hurricane Matthew - Haiti, 2016.

Background: On October 4, 2016, Hurricane Matthew struck southwest Haiti as a category 4 storm. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of the hurricane on tuberculosis (TB) services and patient outcomes in the three severely affected departments-Sud, Grand'Anse, and Nippes-of southwest Haiti.

Methods: We developed a standard questionnaire to assess a convenience sample of health facilities in the affected areas, a patient tracking form, and a line list for tracking all patients with drug-susceptible TB registered in care six months before the hurricane.

Trends in Tuberculosis Case Notification and Treatment Success, Haiti, 2010-2015.

Since the 2010 earthquake, tuberculosis (TB) control has been a major priority for health sector response and recovery efforts in Haiti. The goal of this study was to analyze trends in TB case notification in Haiti from the aggregate data reported by the National TB Control Program to understand the effects of such efforts. A total of 95,745 TB patients were registered for treatment in Haiti between 2010 and 2015.

Accuracy of LAMP-TB Method for Diagnosing Tuberculosis in Haiti.

The procedure of ultra-rapid extraction (PURE) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification for tuberculosis (LAMP-TB) is a simple and rapid manual tuberculosis diagnostic with medium-throughput capability. Because of its simplicity, this method could be useful in resource-limited conditions such as microscopy centers in developing countries. This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical performance of this method in a point-of-care setting.

Tuberculosis in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Problem: In 2010, Haiti sustained a devastating earthquake that crippled the health-care infrastructure in the capital city, Port-au-Prince, and left 1.5 million people homeless. Subsequently, there was an increase in reported tuberculosis in the affected population.

Factors impacting the provision of antiretroviral therapy to people living with HIV: the view from Haiti.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has the highest number of people living with HIV in the Caribbean, the region most impacted by HIV outside of Africa. Despite continuous political, socioeconomic and natural catastrophes, Haiti has mounted a very successful response to the HIV epidemic. Prevention and treatment strategies implemented by the government in collaboration with non-governmental organizations have been instrumental in decreasing the national HIV prevalence from a high of 6.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) among patients with new smear-positive pulmonary TB in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Methods: Sputum samples were cultured from 1 006 patients newly diagnosed with TB in 2008. The core region of the rpoB gene that is associated with resistance to rifampin was sequenced.

Impact of DOTS expansion on tuberculosis related outcomes and costs in Haiti.

Background: Implementation of the World Health Organization's DOTS strategy (Directly Observed Treatment Short-course therapy) can result in significant reduction in tuberculosis incidence. We estimated potential costs and benefits of DOTS expansion in Haiti from the government, and societal perspectives.

Methods: Using decision analysis incorporating multiple Markov processes (Markov modelling), we compared expected tuberculosis morbidity, mortality and costs in Haiti with DOTS expansion to reach all of the country, and achieve WHO benchmarks, or if the current situation did not change.

Domestic returns from investment in the control of tuberculosis in other countries.

Background: We hypothesized that investments to improve the control of tuberculosis in selected high-incidence countries would prove to be cost saving for the United States by reducing the incidence of the disease among migrants.

Methods: Using decision analysis, we estimated tuberculosis-related morbidity, mortality, and costs among legal immigrants and refugees, undocumented migrants, and temporary visitors from Mexico after their entry into the United States. We assessed the current strategy of radiographic screening of legal immigrants plus current tuberculosis-control programs alone and with the addition of either U.