Achievement of one health multi-sectoral collaboration in containment of Rift Valley Fever outbreak, Sudan, Red Sea State 2019.

Rift Valley Fever is endemic in Sudan, with a notable outbreak declared in 2019, affecting multiple states. In this study, we examine the Red Sea State, Sudan's experience in applying the One Health approach, to contain Red-Sea RVF outbreak. A retrospective analysis of national and sub-national data and a review of literature were conducted to assess the application of One Health response and to derive lessons learned.

Evaluating the burden and transmission dynamics of chikungunya virus infections in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) presents substantial public health challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), with its prevalence and interaction with other arboviruses (ABVs) remaining poorly understood. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the prevalence of CHIKV and its association with other ABVs, such as dengue virus (DENV), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), malaria, and yellow fever virus (YFV), in the EMR. We systematically searched databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and ScienceDirect to identify epidemiological studies that report CHIKV prevalence and provide odds ratios (ORs) for CHIKV compared to other ABVs.

Stakeholder Perspectives on the Role of Peer Mentors in the Implementation of Long-Acting Antiretroviral Therapy for Use by Adolescents and Young People in Western Kenya: Findings from a Formative Study, KuwaFree! LiveFree!

Long-acting antiretroviral treatment (LA ART) is a forthcoming option for adolescents and young people living with HIV (AYPLHIV), but perspectives on using peer mentors to implement LA ART for AYPLHIV are unknown. We conducted seven focus group discussions ( = 58 participants) from November 2021 to April 2022 in Kenya with four stakeholder groups, including AYPLHIV, healthcare providers, advocates, and policymakers. We used inductive coding and thematic analysis.

The Bacterial and pathogenic landscape of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) whole blood and serum from Kenya.

Background: African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a significant reservoir host for many zoonotic and parasitic infections in Africa. These include a range of viruses and pathogenic bacteria, such as tick-borne rickettsial organisms. Despite the considerations of mammalian blood as a sterile environment, blood microbiome sequencing could become crucial for agnostic biosurveillance.

Malaria prevalence, transmission potential and efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapy in the Kenyan Central highlands: a zone previously characterized as malaria-free.

Background: The current study sought to re-evaluate malaria prevalence, susceptibility to artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), transmission patterns and the presence of malaria vectors in the Kikuyu area of the Kenyan Central highlands, a non-traditional/low risk malaria transmission zone where there have been anecdotal reports of emerging malaria infections.

Methods: Sampling of adult mosquitoes was done indoors, while larvae were sampled outdoors in June 2019. The malaria clinical study was an open label non-randomized clinical trial where the efficacy of one ACT drug, was evaluated in two health facilities.

Review - Insect farming for food and feed in the Global South: Focus on black soldier fly production.

Clear differences exist between the Global South and the Global North with respect to economic development. The majority of small and medium-sized insect production farms are located in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, which face challenges to food production and organic waste management in general. These regions have a long history of insect use, as well as environmental advantages, making production of insects in general - and the black soldier fly in particular - a promising option for sustainable food production and organic waste management.

Missed opportunity for nasal continuous positive airway pressure in preterm neonates admitted at a tertiary-level hospital newborn unit in Kenya: a mixed method study.

Background: Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) is the most common complication of preterm neonates. It remains one of the major public health concerns that contribute to neonatal mortality and morbidity, especially in Africa, where 80% of neonatal mortality is estimated to be caused by preterm complications. Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (NCPAP) ventilation is the preferred mode of RDS treatment.

Health and economic impact of oral PrEP provision across subgroups in western Kenya: a modelling analysis.

Introduction: Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a priority intervention for scale-up in countries with high HIV prevalence. Policymakers must decide how to optimise PrEP allocation to maximise health benefits within limited budgets. We assessed the health and economic impact of PrEP scale-up among different subgroups and regions in western Kenya.

Effect of mass campaigns with full and fractional doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Pneumosil) on the reduction of nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage in Niger: a three-arm, open-label, cluster-randomised trial.

Background: In settings with low pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) coverage, multi-age cohort mass campaigns could increase population immunity, and fractional dosing could increase affordability. We aimed to evaluate the effect of mass campaigns on nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage of Pneumosil (PCV10) in children aged 1-9 years in Niger.

Methods: In this three-arm, open-label, cluster-randomised trial, 63 clusters of one to four villages in Niger were randomly assigned (3:3:1) using block randomisation to receive campaigns consisting of a single full dose of a 10-valent PCV (Pneumosil), a single one-fifth dose of Pneumosil, or no campaign.

Procalcitonin-guided duration of antibiotic treatment in children hospitalised with confirmed or suspected bacterial infection in the UK (BATCH): a pragmatic, multicentre, open-label, two-arm, individually randomised, controlled trial.

Background: Procalcitonin is a rapid response biomarker specific for bacterial infection, which is not routinely used in the UK National Health Service. We aimed to assess whether using a procalcitonin-guided algorithm would safely reduce the duration of antibiotic therapy compared with usual care, in which C-reactive protein is the commonly used biomarker.

Methods: The BATCH trial was a pragmatic, multicentre, open-label, parallel, two-arm, individually randomised, controlled trial conducted in 15 hospitals in England and Wales.

Food Environments and Diet Quality Among Vendors and Consumers in Five Traditional Urban Markets in Kenya.

Background/objectives: Traditional food markets are essential in urban food environments in Kenya and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). They provide affordable fresh food, particularly for low-income urban communities, and are vital places of livelihoods and local economic activities. Despite their importance, associations between market-related factors and diet quality for vendors and consumers are underexplored.

Diseases of Economic Importance in Feedlot Cattle in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review with a Focus on Existing and Potential Options for Control.

A large number of livestock are found in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including 20-25% of the world's ruminants [...

Complex tissue regeneration in reveals a phylogenetic signal for enhanced regenerative ability in deomyine rodents.

Identifying why complex tissue regeneration is present or absent in specific vertebrate lineages has remained elusive. One also wonders whether the isolated examples where regeneration is observed represent cases of convergent evolution or are instead the product of phylogenetic inertia from a common ancestral program. Testing alternative hypotheses to identify genetic regulation, cell states, and tissue physiology that explain how regenerative healing emerges in some species requires sampling multiple species among which there is variation in regenerative ability across a phylogenetic framework.

Perceptual link between inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) stressors and common mental symptoms in Ethiopian health workers: A qualitative study.

Background: Despite the rising prevalence of common mental symptoms, information is scarce on how health workers make sense of symptoms of mental disorders and perceive a link with inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) as work stressors to understand causation and produce useful knowledge for policy and professionals. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how health workers perceive the link between inadequate WASH and common mental symptoms (CMSs) at hospitals in central and southern Ethiopian regions.

Methods: We used an interpretive and descriptive phenomenological design guided by theoretical frameworks.

A qualitative exploration of the enablers of and barriers to conformance with antibiotic withdrawal periods on smallholding, peri-urban pig farms in Kiambu County, Kenya.

Non-conformance with antibiotic withdrawal period guidelines represents a food safety concern, with potential for antibiotic toxicities and allergic reactions as well as selecting for antibiotic resistance. In the Kenyan domestic pig market, conformance with antibiotic withdrawal periods is not a requirement of government legislation and evidence suggests that antibiotic residues may frequently be above recommended limits. In this study, we sought to explore enablers of and barriers to conformance with antibiotic withdrawal periods for pig farms supplying a local independent abattoir in peri-urban Nairobi.

Measuring women's empowerment in aquaculture in northwestern Bangladesh using a project level women's empowerment in fisheries index (pro-WEFI).

Gender equality and women's empowerment have been increasingly emphasised in food production systems, including fisheries and aquaculture. Accurate assessment and understanding of the state, progress and changes in women's empowerment in the sub-sectors is required. We applied the project level Women's Empowerment in Fisheries and Aquaculture Index (pro-WEFI), which is based on the project-level women's empowerment in agriculture index (pro-WEAI) to standardize the measurement of women's agency and empowerment in fisheries and aquaculture.

Costs of Influenza Illness and Acute Respiratory Infections by Household Income Level: Catastrophic Health Expenditures and Implications for Health Equity.

Background: Seasonal influenza illness and acute respiratory infections can impose a substantial economic burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We assessed the cost of influenza illness and acute respiratory infections across household income strata.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a prior systematic review of costs of influenza and other respiratory illnesses in LMICs and contacted authors to obtain data on cost of illness (COI) for laboratory-confirmed influenza-like illness and acute respiratory infection.

Proposed framework for the integration of refractive error services into the eye health ecosystem in Kenya via social enterprise.

The global burden of uncorrected refractive error demands for adoption of different approaches inclined towards scaling effective refractive error coverage. While innovative approaches such as utilization of telemedicine is being adopted by social enterprises in different parts of the world to scale refractive error service delivery, commercial entrepreneurship still dominates the optical industry in Kenya with minimal focus on accessibility and affordability. However, to achieve effective refractive error coverage across the economic pyramid, integration of enterprises inclined towards fulfilling a social mission through innovative approaches such as telemedicine is desirable.

Exploring the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of five indigenous Kenyan plants used in traditional medicine.

Defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as indigenous knowledge and practices used for maintaining health and treating illnesses, traditional medicine (TM) represents a rich reservoir of ancient healing practices rooted in cultural traditions and accumulated wisdom over centuries. Five indigenous Kenyan plant species traditionally used in African TM, named Afzelia quanzensis, Azadirachta indica, Gigasiphon macrosiphon, Grewia bicolor, and Lannea schweinfurthii, represent a valuable resource in healing practices, yet their chemical composition and bioactivity remain understudied. To depict a primary bio-chemical characterization of these plants, their antioxidant and antimicrobial features have been evaluated by the use of methods validated in this context.

Water, sanitation, handwashing, and nutritional interventions can reduce child antibiotic use: evidence from Bangladesh and Kenya.

Antibiotics can trigger antimicrobial resistance and microbiome alterations. Reducing pathogen exposure and undernutrition can reduce infections and antibiotic use. We assess effects of water, sanitation, handwashing (WSH) and nutrition interventions on caregiver-reported antibiotic use in Bangladesh and Kenya, longitudinally measured at three timepoints among birth cohorts (ages 3-28 months) in a cluster-randomized trial.

Event-driven PrEP beyond cisgender men who have sex with men.

Despite advancements in existing antiretroviral-based prevention strategies, including daily oral, locally acting, and injectable options, there is a pressing need for more inclusive and flexible event-driven pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) strategies for all. Event-driven or intermittent dosing of PrEP in populations beyond cisgender men who have sex with men would offer a promising alternative by fitting prevention into the diverse lifestyles of affected populations and thereby advancing health equity. Evidence from PrEP clinical trials, pharmacokinetic studies, modelling studies, and real-world observational research suggests that event-driven PrEP could be a flexible and inclusive option, yet optimal dosing has not been established across sex and gender spectrums.

Impact of water, sanitation, and hygiene indicators on enteric viral pathogens among under-5 children in low resource settings.

Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are the primary risks of exposure to enteric viral infection. Our study aimed to describe the role of WASH conditions and practices as risk factors for enteric viral infections in children under 5. Literature on the risk factors associated with all-cause diarrhea masks the taxa-specific drivers of diarrhea from specific pathogens, limiting the application of relevant control strategies.

Enhancing engagement in HIV care among adolescents and young adults: A focus on phone-based navigation and relationship building to address barriers in HIV care.

Structural, psychological, and clinical barriers to HIV care engagement among adolescents and young adults living with HIV (AYAH) persist globally despite gains in HIV epidemic control. Phone-based peer navigation may provide critical peer support, increase delivery flexibility, and require fewer resources. Prior studies show that phone-based navigation and automated text messaging interventions improve HIV care engagement, adherence, and retention among AYAH.

Assessment of the financial gaps in cardiothoracic surgery in Africa.

Objectives: This study identified the challenges to financing cardiothoracic surgical care in Africa, highlighting the present state of funding and proffering probable solutions to adequate and effective funding in the region.

Methods: In a literature review, the authors elaborated key points, such as areas of financial funding in cardiothoracic surgery; barriers to appropriate allocation of financial resources for cardiothoracic surgery in Africa; and the needs and available resources for cardiothoracic surgery in Africa. Multiple search engines and databases were used, including but not limited to PubMed, Medline, Cochrane, Scopus and Google Scholar.