Determinants of knowledge of risks associated with cigarette smoking among adolescents in Scotland.

Cigarette smoking remains a significant public health concern, particularly among adolescents. This study aimed to assess adolescents' knowledge of the risks associated with smoking in Scotland and explore the factors influencing this knowledge. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the 2018 Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey.

Plasma Viral Load of 200 Copies/mL is a Suitable Threshold to Define Viral Suppression and HIV Drug Resistance Testing in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Evidence From a Facility-Based Study in Cameroon.

Introduction: In low-and-middle-income-countries (LMIC), viral suppression is defined as plasma viral load (PVL) below 1000 copies/mL (low-level viremia [LLV]) and threshold for HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) testing. However, there is evidence that drug resistance mutations (DRMs) may emerge at LLV, thus compromising antiretroviral treatment (ART) response We evaluated sequencing success rates (SSR) at LLV, described HIVDR profiles and adequacy with potential efficacy of tenofovir-lamivudine-dolutegravir (TLD).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals with LLV at the Chantal BIYA International Reference Centre, Yaoundé, Cameroon from January 2020 through August 2021.

Genomic and transmission dynamics of the 2024 Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda.

The ongoing outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Rwanda marks the third largest historically, although it has shown the lowest fatality rate. Genomic analysis of samples from 18 cases identified a lineage with limited internal diversity, closely related to a 2014 Ugandan case. Our findings suggest that the Rwandan lineage diverged decades ago from a common ancestor shared with diversity sampled from bats in Uganda.

Financing immunisation in Kenya: examining bottlenecks in health sector planning and budgeting at the decentralised level.

Background: Decentralisation has increasingly been adopted by countries as an important health sector reform aimed at increasing community participation in decision making while enhancing swift response at decentralised levels, to accelerate the attainment of health system goals. Kenya adopted a devolved system of government where health services delivery became a function of the 47 semi-autonomous county governments with planning and budgeting functions practised at both levels of government. This study sought to explore challenges facing health sector planning and budgeting and how they affect immunisation service delivery at the county level.

Frequency of Cardiac Valvulopathies in Patients With Marfan Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a progressive connective tissue disease with a broad range of clinical manifestations. We sought to establish the spectrum of structural valvular abnormalities as cardiovascular involvement has been identified as the most life-threatening aspect of the syndrome. This was a systematic review with a meta-analysis of studies indexed in Medline from the inception of the database to November 7, 2022.

Making development assistance work for Africa: from aid-dependent disease control to the new public health order.

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has revealed the fragility of pre-crisis African health systems, in which too little was invested over the past decades. Yet, development assistance for health (DAH) more than doubled between 2000 and 2020, raising questions about the role and effectiveness of DAH in triggering and sustaining health systems investments. This paper analyses the inter-regional variations and trends of DAH in Africa in relation to some key indicators of health system financing and service delivery performance, examining (1) the trends of DAH in the five regional economic communities of Africa since 2000; (2) the relationship between DAH spending and health system performance indicators and (3) the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of aid substitution for domestic financing, policy-making and accountability.

Insights into SARS-CoV-2 in Angola during the COVID-19 peak: Molecular epidemiology and genome surveillance.

Background: In Angola, COVID-19 cases have been reported in all provinces, resulting in >105,000 cases and >1900 deaths. However, no detailed genomic surveillance into the introduction and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been conducted in Angola. We aimed to investigate the emergence and epidemic progression during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Angola.

Rotavirus vaccine product switch in Ghana: An assessment of service delivery costs, switching costs, and cost-effectiveness.

Ghana introduced rotavirus vaccine (ROTARIX 1-dose presentation) into the routine national immunization program in 2012 and switched to a different product (ROTAVAC 5-dose presentation) in 2020. ROTAVAC has a lower price per dose (US$0.85 versus US$2.

Varietal differences influence arsenic and lead contamination of rice grown in mining impacted agricultural fields of Zamfara State, Nigeria.

In Zamfara state, Nigeria, rice is cultivated in fields contaminated with Pb (lead) from artisanal and illicit mining activities. Rice grown in such contaminated agricultural areas risks not only Pb contamination but also contamination from other toxic elements, like arsenic (As); co-contamination of Pb and As in rice cultivated in mining impacted areas has been previously reported and rice is a hyperaccumulator of As. A field study was conducted with ten different commonly-cultivated Nigerian rice varieties in the mining-impacted farmlands of Dareta village, Zamfara State.