The use of long-acting reversible contraceptives in Latin America and the Caribbean: current landscape and recommendations.

Study Question: Can the high rate and associated burden of unintended pregnancy (UP) and adolescent pregnancy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) be reduced through wider access to and use of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods?

Summary Answer: Studies show that impoved access to and use of LARC methods is an effective tool for reducing the high rates of UP, unsafe abortion and abortion-related complications, and maternal deaths (as well as reducing their social and financial burden), and we have provided recommendations to help achieve this in LAC.

What Is Known Already: LAC comprises 46 countries with 650 million inhabitants, and shows large disparities in socioeconomic development, access to health services and attention to sexual and reproductive health rights. The exercise of these rights and universal access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) programmes is a key strategy for improving maternal health by reducing the number of UPs, the rate of women's and child mortality and morbidity, and the number of unsafe abortions.

Stagnant contraceptive sales after the Zika epidemic in Brazil.

Objectives: Our aim was to assess national hormonal and non-hormonal contraceptive sales in Brazil after the Zika virus outbreak.

Methods: Pharmaceutical companies based in Brazil provided data on monthly sales from September 2016 to June 2017. Data from both the public and private sectors were obtained about sales of registered, available modern contraceptive methods: combined oral contraceptive pill; progestin-only pill; vaginal and transdermal contraceptives; injectable contraceptives; long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods, including the copper-releasing intrauterine device, the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system and the etonogestrel-releasing subdermal implant; and emergency contraceptive pills.

Relationship between user satisfaction with the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system and bleeding patterns.

Aim: Satisfaction with a contraceptive method constitutes an important factor in its acceptance and long-term use. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between user satisfaction with the 20-μg/day levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) and the bleeding patterns reported at two different time-points during follow-up.

Methods: A total of 251 LNG-IUS users aged 18-45 years were invited to answer a questionnaire on their return to the clinic for a routine follow-up visit and again 1 year later.

Contraceptive sales in the setting of the Zika virus epidemic.

Study Question: Has there been any influence of the Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak on the sales of contraceptive methods in Brazil?

Summary Answer: Contraceptive sales in the 24 months of evaluation showed little variation and no significant change has been observed since the ZIKV outbreak.

What Is Known Already: Transmission of ZIKV is primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes; however, sexual transmission has also been described. The association of several birth defects and the ZIKV infection during pregnancy has been established, and it was estimated in Bahia, Brazil that the infection rate could range from 10% to 80%.

Bartonella henselae transmission by blood transfusion in mice.

Background: Bartonella spp. are neglected fastidious Gram-negative bacilli. We isolated Bartonella henselae from 1.

Bartonella clarridgeiae bacteremia detected in an asymptomatic blood donor.

Human exposure to Bartonella clarridgeiae has been reported only on the basis of antibody detection. We report for the first time an asymptomatic human blood donor infected with B. clarridgeiae, as documented by enrichment blood culture, PCR, and DNA sequencing.