Articles

Predictors of CD4 count changes over time among children who initiated highly active antiretroviral therapy in Ethiopia

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection results in a gradual depletion of immune function, particularly CD4 cells. The CD4 assessment plays a significant role in assessing treatment responses and clinical...

Authors: Tilahun Yemanu Birhan, Lemma Derseh Gezie, Destaw Fetene Teshome and Malede Mequanent Sisay

The durability of long-lasting insecticidal nets distributed to the households between 2009 and 2013 in Nepal

Understanding and improving the durability of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) in the field are critical for planning future implementation strategies including behavioral change for care and maintenance...

Authors: Prakash Ghimire, Komal Raj Rijal, Nabaraj Adhikari, Garib Das Thakur, Baburam Marasini, Upendra Thapa Shrestha, Megha Raj Banjara, Shishir Kumar Pant, Bipin Adhikari, Shyam Prakash Dumre, Nihal Singh, Olivier Pigeon, Theeraphap Chareonviriyaphap, Irwin Chavez, Leonard Ortega and Jeffrey Hii

Evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii infection in western Iran: seroepidemiology and risk factors analysis

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infectious disease, and Toxoplasma gondii is the causative factor of this intracellular protozoan disease. Due to the lack of information about the rate of T. gondii in general papula...

Authors: Morteza Mousavi-Hasanzadeh, Hossein Sarmadian, Reza Ghasemikhah, Mojtaba Didehdar, Maryam Shahdoust, Mahshid Maleki and Mahdieh Taheri

Obstructive lung disease and quality of life after cure of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis in Uganda: a cross-sectional study

Pulmonary multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) alters lung architecture and involves lengthy treatment duration, high pill burden, drug adverse effects, travel restrictions, and stigma. Literature about ...

Authors: Edwin Nuwagira, Anna Stadelman, Joseph Baruch Baluku, Joshua Rhein, Pauline Byakika-Kibwika, Harriet Mayanja and Ken M. Kunisaki

Multiple arboviral infections during a DENV-2 outbreak in Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands, a country made up of tropical islands, has suffered cyclic dengue fever (DF) outbreaks in the past three decades. An outbreak of dengue-like illness (DLI) that occurred in April 2016 prompted ...

Authors: Andrew Waleluma Darcy, Seiji Kanda, Tenneth Dalipanda, Cynthia Joshua, Takaki Shimono, Pheophet Lamaningao, Nobuyuki Mishima and Toshimasa Nishiyama

What does the COVID-19 pandemic mean for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria control?

Despite its current relatively low global share of cases and deaths in Africa compared to other regions, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has the potential to trigger other larger crises in the region. This...

Authors: Floriano Amimo, Ben Lambert and Anthony Magit

HIV infection, and overweight and hypertension: a cross-sectional study of HIV-infected adults in Western Kenya

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing in Kenya, where HIV/AIDS remains a leading cause of death; however, few studies have investigated obesity and hypertension among adults with HIV infection. We co...

Authors: Akiko Saito, Mohamed Karama and Yasuhiko Kamiya

Correction to: First COVID-19 infections in the Philippines: a case report

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Edna M. Edrada, Edmundo B. Lopez, Jose Benito Villarama, Eumelia P. Salva Villarama, Bren F. Dagoc, Chris Smith, Ana Ria Sayo, Jeffrey A. Verona, Jamie Trifalgar-Arches, Jezreel Lazaro, Ellen Grace M. Balinas, Elizabeth Freda O. Telan, Lynsil Roy, Myvie Galon, Carl Hill N. Florida, Tatsuya Ukawa…

Skin disorders among children living in orphanage centres in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Skin conditions contribute significantly to the global burden of diseases and are among the leading causes of non-fatal disease burden. Children living in orphanage centres are vulnerable to several conditions...

Authors: Mwanaidi Amiri, Francis F. Furia and Muhammad Bakari

Praziquantel is an effective drug for the treatment of Schistosoma Mansoni infection among school-aged children in Northwest Ethiopia

The appropriate drug for the treatment of schistosomiasis is praziquantel. However, low cure rate and existence of drug resistance both in vivo and in vitro were reported in different endemic areas. Hence, the...

Authors: Addisu Tesfie, Gebeyaw Getnet, Aberham Abere, Gebeyehu Yihenew, Yerega Belete, Melkayehu Kassa and Addisu Gize

Geospatial clustering, seasonal trend and forecasting of Kyasanur Forest Disease in the state of Goa, India, 2015–2018

Five states in India are reporting sporadic outbreaks of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD). Goa experienced an outbreak of KFD in 2015. It remains as an important differential diagnosis for tropical fever in the e...

Authors: Annet Oliveira, Kalaiselvi Selvaraj, Jaya Prasad Tripathy, Utkarsh Betodkar, Jagadish Cacodcar, Nikhita Quadros and Abhijit Wadkar

Effect of tuberculosis infection on mortality of HIV-infected patients in Northern Tanzania

TB and HIV are public health problems, which have a synergistic effect to each other. Despite the decreasing burden of these two diseases they still make a significant contribution to mortality. Tanzania is am...

Authors: Edson W. Mollel, Jim Todd, Michael J. Mahande and Sia E. Msuya

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Tanzania: recommendations based on lesson learned from China

As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) takes its course outside China, the number of imported cases to other countries is on the rise. Currently, Tanzania has received the first imported case on 16 March 2020. ...

Authors: Clifford Silver Tarimo and Jian Wu

Increasing trends in admissions due to non-communicable diseases over 2012 to 2017: findings from three large cities in Myanmar

Globally, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, and diabetes are the four major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) contributing to more than 80% of mortality and morbidity due to NCDs. ...

Authors: Ei Ei Swe, Kyaw Ko Ko Htet, Pruthu Thekkur, Lwin Lwin Aung, Lwin Lwin Aye and Thazin Myint

Seroprevalence of Toxocara canis infection and associated risk factors among primary schoolchildren in rural Southern Thailand

Human toxocariasis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by a parasite in the genus Toxocara and is transmitted mainly by the accidental ingestion of embryonated Toxocara canis (dog roundworm) or T. cati (cat roundworm)...

Authors: Nonthapan Phasuk and Chuchard Punsawad

Determinants of community-led ivermectin treatment adherence for onchocerciasis control in Western Ethiopia: a case-control study

Onchocerciasis is an infection of a filarial worm which is endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia. Annual mass treatment with high coverage over for a long period of time should lead to a complete i...

Authors: Fikadu Ayalew, Desta Debalkie Atnafu, Melkamu Bedimo and Kebadnew Mulatu

First COVID-19 infections in the Philippines: a case report

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is responsible for more fatalities than the SARS coronavirus, despite being in the initial stage of a global pandemic. The first suspected case in the Philippines was investiga...

Authors: Edna M. Edrada, Edmundo B. Lopez, Jose Benito Villarama, Eumelia P. Salva Villarama, Bren F. Dagoc, Chris Smith, Ana Ria Sayo, Jeffrey A. Verona, Jamie Trifalgar-Arches, Jezreel Lazaro, Ellen Grace M. Balinas, Elizabeth Freda O. Telan, Lynsil Roy, Myvie Galon, Carl Hill N. Florida, Tatsuya Ukawa…

Entomological assessment of the risk of dengue outbreak in Abomey-Calavi Commune, Benin

In May 2019, a confirmed dengue fever case was detected at the local hospital of Abomey-Calavi Commune in southern Benin. In Benin, there remains a dearth of literature concerning the distribution and biology of

Authors: Germain Gil Padonou, Razaki Ossè, Albert Sourou Salako, Rock Aikpon, Arthur Sovi, Casimir Kpanou, Hermann Sagbohan, Yessoufou Akadiri, Baba-Moussa Lamine and Martin C. Akogbeto

Ethnopharmacological evaluation of schistosomicidal and cercaricidal activities of some selected medicinal plants from Ghana

The adulticidal and cercaricidal activities of five Ghanaian medicinal plants, namely, Phyllanthus amarus, Vernonia amygdalina, Azadirachta indica, Morinda lucida and Nauclea latifolia against S. mansoni were eva...

Authors: Desmond Omane Acheampong, Ninette Owusu-Adzorah, Francis Ackah Armah, Enoch Aninagyei, Ernest Amponsah Asiamah, Ama Kyeraa Thomford and William Kofi Anyan

Is Sub-Saharan Africa prepared for COVID-19?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is the latest virus to cause global health panic. Due to the rapidly escalating numbers ...

Authors: Edwin Nuwagira and Conrad Muzoora

The first report of the evaluation of the knowledge regarding toxoplasmosis among health professionals in public health centers in Rabat, Morocco

The assessment of the knowledge of Toxoplasma gondii infection among health professionals is essential to design an effective management strategy. The current study was conducted to assess the knowledge and perce...

Authors: Majda Laboudi, Sanaa Ait Hamou, Imane Mansour, Ilham Hilmi and Abderrahim Sadak

Prevalence of class 1 integron in Escherichia coli isolated from animal sources in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Among the genetic elements, integrons may contribute to the widespread incidence and spreading of antibiotic resistance among Escherichia coli isolates. Accordingly, this review aims to investigate the prevalence...

Authors: Maryam Karimi Dehkordi, Mehrdad Halaji and Samereh Nouri

Spatiotemporal analysis of drug-resistant TB patients registered in selected districts of Karnataka, South India: a cross-sectional study

Tuberculosis (TB) depicts heterogeneous spatial patterns with geographical aggregation of TB cases due to either ongoing person-to-person transmission or reactivation of latent infection in a community sharing...

Authors: Basavaraj Poojar, K. Ashok Shenoy, Poonam R. Naik, Ashwin Kamath, Jaya Prasad Tripathy, P. Prasanna Mithra, Mukta N. Chowta, M. N. Badarudeen, Narasimhaswamy Nagalakshmi, Vivek Sharma, Amrita N. Shamanewadi and Pruthu Thekkur

Coronavirus disease-2019: is fever an adequate screening for the returning travelers?

On Thursday, 30 January 2020, World Health Organization declared Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-2019) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Since its identification in late December 2019 in Wuha...

Authors: George M. Bwire and Linda S. Paulo

The burden of Japanese encephalitis, the catch-up vaccination campaign, and health service providers’ perceptions in Myanmar: 2012–2017

Myanmar is endemic for Japanese encephalitis (JE) and has experienced several outbreaks in recent years. The vector-borne disease control (VBDC) program has collected hospital-based surveillance data since 197...

Authors: Aung Ye Naung Win, Khin Thet Wai, Anthony D. Harries, Nang Thu Thu Kyaw, Tin Oo, Wint Phyo Than, Htar Htar Lin and Zaw Lin

Do we need to go further to train healthcare providers in the targeted regions for malaria elimination in Myanmar? A mixed-methods study

The National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) in Myanmar trained health staff at the township level starting in mid-2016 in order to achieve the Plasmodium falciparum malaria elimination target by 2020. This stud...

Authors: Zar Ni Min Hein, Thae Maung Maung, Poe Poe Aung, Nwe Oo Mon, Wai Wai Han, Tin Oo, Nay Yi Yi Linn, Aung Thi and Khin Thet Wai

Does time to loss to follow-up differ among adult tuberculosis patients initiated on tuberculosis treatment and care between general hospital and health centers? A retrospective cohort study

Patients’ loss to follow-up (LTFU) from tuberculosis treatment and care is a growing worry in Ethiopia. But, available information is inadequate in assessing the time to tuberculosis patient loss to follow-up ...

Authors: Tamrat Shaweno, Masrie Getnet and Chaltu Fikru

Development of high-resolution melting curve analysis in rapid detection of vanA gene, Enterococcus faecalis, and Enterococcus faecium from clinical isolates

High-resolution melting analysis (HRMA) is a novel molecular technique based on the real-time PCR that can be used to detect vancomycin resistance Enterococcus (VRE). The purpose of this study was to identify ...

Authors: Sanaz Dehbashi, Hamed Tahmasebi, Parinaz Sedighi, Faeze Davarian and Mohammad Reza Arabestani

Childhood tuberculosis treatment outcome and its association with HIV co-infection in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Tuberculosis is the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease worldwide, next to HIV. Hence, initiating and determining the national tuberculosis treatment program and outcome is crucial. Howeve...

Authors: Getaneh Mulualem Belay and Chalachew Adugna Wubneh

Antivenin plants used for treatment of snakebites in Uganda: ethnobotanical reports and pharmacological evidences

Snakebite envenomation is a serious public health concern in rural areas of Uganda. Snakebites are poorly documented in Uganda because most occur in rural settings where traditional therapists end up being the...

Authors: Timothy Omara, Sarah Kagoya, Abraham Openy, Tom Omute, Stephen Ssebulime, Kibet Mohamed Kiplagat and Ocident Bongomin

The alarming outbreaks of dengue in Nepal

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection. Since the first reported incidence in 2004, several sporadic outbreaks of dengue have been recorded from both tropical and subtropical regions of Nepal, including th...

Authors: Niran Adhikari and Dinesh Subedi

Reported measles cases, measles-related deaths and measles vaccination coverage in Myanmar from 2014 to 2018

There is a global resurgence of measles, consequent upon worldwide stagnating measles vaccination coverage. The study aim was to document trends and characteristics of reported cases of measles, measles-relate...

Authors: Aye Mya Chan Thar, Khin Thet Wai, Anthony D. Harries, Kyaw Lwin Show, Lei Lei Mon and Htar Htar Lin

Molecular epidemiology of malaria parasite amongst patients in a displaced people’s camp in Sudan

Despite the importance of epidemiological studies in the development of effective control strategies and provision of basic health services for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), data on the pre...

Authors: Hamza Adam Eshag, Elfadel Elnzer, Elkhatieb Nahied, Mustafa Talib, Ali Mussa, Abd Elhafiz M. A. Muhajir, Ibrahim Khider Ibrahim, Abdulwali Sabo, Salah-Eldin Gumma Elzaki, Zeehaida Mohamed and Khalid Hajissa

Entamoeba histolytica and amoebic liver abscess in northern Sri Lanka: a public health problem

Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) is a facultative protozoan parasite implicated in amoebic liver abscesses (ALA), the most common extraintestinal manifestation of this infection. E. histolytica is endemic t...

Authors: Tharmegan Tharmaratnam, Thirunavukarasu Kumanan, Mina Amin Iskandar, Katrina D’Urzo, Prasaanthan Gopee-Ramanan, Mayura Loganathan, Tyler Tabobondung, Taylor Anthony Tabobondung, Seyon Sivagurunathan, Mitul Patel and Iqdam Tobbia

Peer-support to increase uptake of screening for diabetic retinopathy: process evaluation of the DURE cluster randomized trial

There is limited evidence on how implementation of peer support interventions influences effectiveness, particularly for individuals with diabetes. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to compare...

Authors: Nyawira Mwangi, Covadonga Bascaran, Jacqueline Ramke, Mathew Kipturgo, Min Kim, Mark Ng’ang’a, Stephen Gichuhi, Dorothy Mutie, Consuela Moorman, Lawrence Muthami and Allen Foster

The utility of point of care serum lactate in predicting serious adverse outcomes among critically ill adult patients at urban emergency departments of tertiary hospitals in Tanzania

Elevated serum lactate levels have been shown in numerous studies to be associated with serious adverse events, including mortality. Point of care lactate level is increasingly available in resource-limited em...

Authors: Uwezo Edward, Hendry R. Sawe, Juma A. Mfinanga, Theresia A. Ottaru, Michael Kiremeji, Deus N. Kitapondya, Dereck A. Kaale, Asha Iyullu, Nicks Bret and Ellen J. Weber

Malaria hot spot along the foothills of Rakhine state, Myanmar: geospatial distribution of malaria cases in townships targeted for malaria elimination

Myanmar has targeted elimination of malaria by 2030. In three targeted townships of Rakhine state of Myanmar, a project is being piloted to eliminate malaria by 2025. The comprehensive case investigation (CCI)...

Authors: San Kyawt Khine, Nang Thu Thu Kyaw, Pruthu Thekkur, Zaw Lin and Aung Thi

Pathogenic microbes contaminating mobile phones in hospital environment in Northeast India: incidence and antibiotic resistance

The present study attempts to identify and determine the pattern of drug susceptibility of the microorganisms present in mobile phones of health care workers (HCWs) and non-HCWs in a hospital environment. Mobi...

Authors: Christine Vanlalbiakdiki Sailo, Puja Pandey, Subhajit Mukherjee, Zothan Zami, Ralte Lalremruata, Lalnun Nemi and Nachimuthu Senthil Kumar

Disease surveillance using online news: an extended study of dengue fever in India

The study demonstrates the potential in using newspaper information as a proxy for monitoring dengue fever outbreaks in India. Online newspapers are being considered as sources of information on disease survei...

Authors: Yiding Zhang, Motomu Ibaraki and Franklin W. Schwartz

The potential for an outbreak of glanders in Nepal

Confirmation of glanders has not been possible in suspected cases submitted by field veterinarians, mainly due to the lack of diagnostic tools in Nepal. In view, however, of the re-emergence of glanders in Ind...

Authors: Niran Adhikari, Krishna Prasad Acharya and Richard Trevor Wilson

Virulence factors and antibiotic resistance properties of the Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from hospital infections in Ahvaz, Iran

Resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis strains are considered to be one of the major causes of human clinical infections in hospitals. The present investigation was done to study the pattern of antibiotic resistanc...

Authors: Roya Chabi and Hassan Momtaz

Epidemiology of animal bite in Iran during a 20-year period (1993–2013): a meta-analysis

Rabies is a fatal disease that still kills 2–6 people a year in Iran. A meta-analysis was conducted in order to generate accurate data on animal bite exposure, and to estimate the incidence of animal bite acro...

Authors: Maliheh Abedi, Amin Doosti-Irani, Fatemeh Jahanbakhsh and Amirhossein Sahebkar

A One Health perspective to identify environmental factors that affect Rift Valley fever transmission in Gezira state, Central Sudan

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic viral vector-borne disease that affects both animals and humans and leads to severe economic consequences. RVF outbreaks are triggered by a favorable environment and flood...

Authors: Rania Salah Eldien Bashir and Osama Ahmed Hassan

Prevalence and factors associated with HIV and syphilis infection among children aged 0–36 months in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: a community-based cross-sectional study

Childhood mortality is high in sub-Saharan Africa. Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV and congenital syphilis are among significant causes. Dual elimination of these two infections is one of the intern...

Authors: Nikolas A. S. Chotta, Melina Mgongo, Sia E. Msuya, Balthazar M. Nyombi, Jacqueline G. Uriyo, Babill Stray-Pedersen and Arne Stray-Pedersen

Outcomes and factors affecting mortality and successful tracing among patients lost to follow-up from antiretroviral therapy in Pawi Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Loss to follow-up (LTFU) is a major public health problem to antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Failure to account for patients’ LTFU outcomes (self-transfers and restarts) can result...

Authors: Moges Agazhe Assemie, Cheru Tesema Leshargie and Pammla Petrucka

Burden of hydrocoele assessed from medical and surgical records in a lymphatic filariasis endemic country, Samoa

Samoa is a Pacific Island country that has long been known to have a high burden of lymphatic filariasis. Little has been documented about the burden of disability due to the chronic complications of the disea...

Authors: Tile A. Ah Leong-Lui, Patricia M. Graves and Take Naseri

Factors influencing the choice of facility-based delivery in the ethnic minority villages of Lao PDR: a qualitative case study

Facility-based delivery has been promoted to improve maternal and child health care in Lao PDR and a free delivery policy was introduced at designated health care facilities (HCF) in 2013. However, according t...

Authors: Chika Sato, Khampheng Phongluxa, Noriko Toyama, Ernesto R. Gregorio Jr, Chiaki Miyoshi, Futoshi Nishimoto, Tomomi Takayama, Tiengkham Pongvongsa, Kenzo Takahashi, Sengchanh Kounnavong and Jun Kobayashi

A validation study of microscopy versus quantitative PCR for measuring Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia

Microscopy and 18S qPCR are the most common and field-friendly methods for quantifying malaria parasite density, and it is important that these methods can be interpreted as giving equivalent results. We compa...

Authors: Emma Ballard, Claire Y. T. Wang, Tran Tinh Hien, Nguyen Thanh Tong, Louise Marquart, Zuleima Pava, Joel Tarning, Peter O’Rourke and James S. McCarthy

Evaluating the efficacy of point-of-use water filtration units in Fiji

To develop and evaluate a strategy for reducing the prevalence and impact of waterborne disease, a water quality intervention was developed for Fiji by Give Clean Water, Inc. in partnership with the Fiji Minis...

Authors: Nathan Tintle, Adam Heynen, Kristin Van De Griend, Rachel Ulrich, Matthew Ojo, Emma Boven, Sarah Brokus, Randall Wade and Aaron A. Best

Editorial overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on health in the tropics

Authors: Nguyen Tien Huy, Heba Elhadad and Nguyen Hai Nam