2564 research outputs found
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Modelling the Effect of Short-Course Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan
No full textMultidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a major threat to global TB control. MDR-TB treatment regimens typically have a high pill burden, last 20 months or more and often lead to unsatisfactory outcomes. A 9-11 month regimen with seven antibiotics has shown high success rates among selected MDR-TB patients in different settings and is conditionally recommended by the World Health Organization
Reimagining HIV Service Delivery: The Role Of Differentiated Care From Prevention to Suppression
No full textDevelopment of a Prediction Model for Ebola Virus Disease: A Retrospective Study in Nzérékoré Ebola Treatment Center, Guinea
No full textThe 2014 Ebola epidemic has shown the importance of accurate and rapid triage tools for patients with suspected Ebola virus disease (EVD). Our objective was to create a predictive score for EVD. We retrospectively reviewed all suspected cases admitted to the Ebola treatment center (ETC) in Nzérékoré, Guinea, between December 2, 2014, and February 23, 2015. We used a multivariate logistic regression model to identify clinical and epidemiological factors associated with EVD, which were used to create a predictive score. A bootstrap sampling method was applied to our sample to determine characteristics of the score to discriminate EVD. Among the 145 patients included in the study (48% male, median age 29 years), EVD was confirmed in 76 (52%) patients. One hundred and eleven (77%) patients had at least one epidemiological risk factor. Optimal cutoff value of fever to discriminate EVD was 38.5°C. After adjustment on presence of a risk factor, temperature higher than 38.5°C (odds ratio [OR] = 18.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.6-42.9), and anorexia (OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.1-6.1) were independently associated with EVD. The score had an area under curve of 0.85 (95% CI = 0.78-0.91) for the prediction of laboratory-confirmed EVD. Classification of patients in a high-risk group according to the score had a lower sensitivity (71% versus 86%) but higher specificity (85% versus 41%) than the existing World Health Organization algorithm. This score, which requires external validation, may be used in high-prevalence settings to identify different levels of risk in EVD suspected patients and thus allow a better orientation in different wards of ETC
Research Protocol - Inpatient signs and symptoms and factors associated with death in children aged 5 years and younger admitted to two Ebola management centres in Sierra Leone, 2014: a retrospective cohort study
No full textBackground\ud
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Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) opened Ebola management centres (EMCs) in Sierra Leone in Kailahun in June, 2014, and Bo in September, 2014. Case fatality in the west African Ebola virus disease epidemic has been highest in children younger than 5 years. Clinical data on outcomes can provide important evidence to guide future management. However, such data on children are scarce and disaggregated clinical data across all ages in this epidemic have focussed on symptoms reported on arrival at treatment facilities, rather than symptoms and signs observed during admission. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of children aged 5 years and younger admitted to the MSF EMCs in Bo and Kailahun, and any associations between these characteristics and mortality.\ud
Methods\ud
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In a retrospective cohort study, we included data from children aged 5 years and younger with laboratory-confirmed Ebola virus disease admitted to EMCs between June and December, 2014. We described epidemiological, demographic, and clinical characteristics and viral load (measured using Ebola virus cycle thresholds [Ct]), and assessed their association with death using Cox regression modelling.\ud
Findings\ud
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We included 91 children in analysis; 52 died (57·1%). Case fatality was higher in children aged less than 2 years (76·5% [26/34]) than those aged 2–5 years (45·6% [26/57]; adjusted HR 3·5 [95% CI 1·5–8·5]) and in those with high (Ct<25) versus low (Ct≥25) viral load (81·8% [18/22] vs 45·9% [28/61], respectively; adjusted HR 9·2 [95% CI 3·8–22·5]). Symptoms observed during admission included: weakness 74·7% (68); fever 70·8% (63/89); distress 63·7% (58); loss of appetite 60·4% (55); diarrhoea 59·3% (54); and cough 52·7% (48). At admission, 25% (19/76) of children were afebrile. Signs significantly associated with death were fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Hiccups, bleeding, and confusion were observed only in children who died.\ud
Interpretation\ud
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This description of the clinical features of Ebola virus disease over the duration of illness in children aged 5 years and younger shows symptoms associated with death and a high prevalence of distress, with implications for clinical management. Collection and analysis of age-specific data on Ebola is very important to ensure that the specific vulnerabilities of children are addressed
Community Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices in Relation to Tuberculosis in Cameroon
No full textWith 15 080 new cases in 2013, Cameroon is a country with high tuberculosis (TB) incidence and prevalence. Understanding the community's knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) about TB is key to TB control in such endemic settings
Translational Research for Tuberculosis Elimination: Priorities, Challenges, and Actions
No full textChristian Lienhardt and colleagues describe the research efforts needed to end the global tuberculosis epidemic by 2035
Experimental Treatment with Favipiravir for Ebola Virus Disease (the JIKI Trial): A Historically Controlled, Single-Arm Proof-of-Concept Trial in Guinea
No full textEbola virus disease (EVD) is a highly lethal condition for which no specific treatment has proven efficacy. In September 2014, while the Ebola outbreak was at its peak, the World Health Organization released a short list of drugs suitable for EVD research. Favipiravir, an antiviral developed for the treatment of severe influenza, was one of these. In late 2014, the conditions for starting a randomized Ebola trial were not fulfilled for two reasons. One was the perception that, given the high number of patients presenting simultaneously and the very high mortality rate of the disease, it was ethically unacceptable to allocate patients from within the same family or village to receive or not receive an experimental drug, using a randomization process impossible to understand by very sick patients. The other was that, in the context of rumors and distrust of Ebola treatment centers, using a randomized design at the outset might lead even more patients to refuse to seek care. Therefore, we chose to conduct a multicenter non-randomized trial, in which all patients would receive favipiravir along with standardized care. The objectives of the trial were to test the feasibility and acceptability of an emergency trial in the context of a large Ebola outbreak, and to collect data on the safety and effectiveness of favipiravir in reducing mortality and viral load in patients with EVD. The trial was not aimed at directly informing future guidelines on Ebola treatment but at quickly gathering standardized preliminary data to optimize the design of future studies
Feasibility of Xpert Ebola Assay in Médecins Sans Frontières Ebola Program, Guinea
No full textRapid diagnostic methods are essential in control of Ebola outbreaks and lead to timely isolation of cases and improved epidemiologic surveillance. Diagnosis during Ebola outbreaks in West Africa has relied on PCR performed in laboratories outside this region. Because time between sampling and PCR results can be considerable, we assessed the feasibility and added value of using the Xpert Ebola Assay in an Ebola control program in Guinea. A total of 218 samples were collected during diagnosis, treatment, and convalescence of patients. Median time for obtaining results was reduced from 334 min to 165 min. Twenty-six samples were positive for Ebola virus. Xpert cycle thresholds were consistently lower, and 8 (31%) samples were negative by routine PCR. Several logistic and safety issues were identified. We suggest that implementation of the Xpert Ebola Assay under programmatic conditions is feasible and represents a major advance in diagnosis of Ebola virus disease without apparent loss of assay sensitivity