Barriers to leprosy elimination in Bolivia: Exploring perspectives and experiences of medical professionals and leprosy patients-A phenomenological study.

Background: Leprosy elimination has recently re-entered the global health sphere, with the World Health Organisation's (WHO) "Towards zero leprosy" strategy (2021-2030). Previously, its elimination had been defined as a prevalence of less than 1 case per 10,000, which was achieved on a global scale in 2000, leading to a large withdrawal of resources from leprosy control and to neglect on both global and national scales. Despite this, leprosy continued to spread and affect hundreds of thousands of people annually.

Predictors of response to emergent therapies in paediatric immune thrombocytopenia.

Emergent therapies (ET), which include intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), corticosteroids and intravenous anti-Rho(D) immunoglobulin, are used to treat acute episodes of bleeding in children with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). There are currently no known biomarkers or clinical features predictive of treatment response to any specific ET. Thus, the treatment of ITP remains largely trial and error, exposing patients to potentially ineffective medications, which are often expensive and associated with adverse effects.

Pakistan on the Road to Zero Leprosy, an analysis of routine data for the period 1980-2022: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Leprosy prevalence in Pakistan has declined since multidrug therapy was introduced in the 1980s. In 1996, prevalence dropped below one per 10 000, the target set for elimination of leprosy as a public health problem. We explored trends in incidence, prevalence, and patient characteristics at national and subnational levels using routine data.

Sociocultural and structural determinants of healthcare-seeking of people affected by leprosy in Sierra Leone's Western area: a qualitative study.

Background: Leprosy, a neglected tropical disease, remains a major global health concern. If left untreated, it can lead to permanent disabilities and severe social stigma, profoundly impacting the well-being of those affected and their families. Leprosy is a public health concern in Sierra Leone, affecting hundreds of people each year.

Correlations between wastewater levels of naloxone and substance use disorder treatment medications with treatment encounters and overdoses - Marin County, California, USA, March 2023-June 2024.

Objectives: We tested wastewater samples for buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone, naloxone, and their metabolites to assess correlations with treatment encounters and overdoses.

Study Design: Correlation analysis at the weekly time step. Exposures were wastewater mass loads of buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone, naloxone, and their metabolites.

Stigmatization and discrimination of female tuberculosis patients in Kyrgyzstan - a phenomenological study.

Introduction: The Republic of Kyrgyzstan is among the 30 countries with the highest burden of multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis worldwide. One of the reasons is widespread stigmatization and discrimination. As previous research has shown, particularly women experience stigma while its impact on their life and (mental) health is even greater than for men.

Techniques for the surgical correction of lagophthalmos secondary to leprosy: A systematic review.

Background: Leprosy is an infectious neglected tropical disease that can result in chronic immune mediated nerve damage. When this involves the facial nerve, this can lead to lagophthalmos, with the later stages requiring surgical correction. If untreated lagophthalmos can cause keratopathies leading to visual impairment and eventual blindness.

Barriers and facilitators to pediatric tuberculosis management in India: a systematic review.

Background: Pediatric tuberculosis (TB) is a significant public health concern in India, contributing to 28% of the global pediatric TB burden. Despite its impact on child health, strategies to control TB have inadequately addressed pediatric cases, resulting in suboptimal management. Understanding the barriers and facilitators influencing the management of pediatric TB in India is crucial for improving healthcare practices and outcomes for affected children.

Factors influencing vaccine hesitancy toward non-covid vaccines in South Asia: a systematic review.

Declared as one of the ten most pressing threats to global health in 2019, the complexity around vaccine acceptance and hesitancy has once again gained great momentum following the COVID-19 pandemic. Lack of vaccine acceptance may endanger the mission of improving vaccine uptake globally to tackle pandemics, reduce morbidity and mortality of preventable diseases and to prevent antibiotic resistance worldwide. Countries of the global south, including South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries are especially affected by the dangers of low vaccination uptake and continue to show decreases in coverage in recent years.

Understanding reasons for delay in diagnosis of leprosy in Pakistan: A qualitative study.

Background: Recent epidemiological data shows significant rates of grade 2 disability at point-of-diagnosis among new leprosy cases in Pakistan. This indicates a feature of extensive diagnostic delay; the disability burden appears unmoving and disproportionate to the falling leprosy incidence rates. Therefore, this study was required to understand reasons for delay in diagnosis and treatment of leprosy.

Integrating Community Engagement in Zero Leprosy Efforts: A Pathway to Sustainable Early Detection, Control and Elimination.

Community engagement has emerged as a critical component in the effective control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), particularly in regions with persistent stigma and limited healthcare access. Drawing on case studies from Brazil, India, and Nigeria, this opinion piece explores how community-driven initiatives have successfully improved leprosy awareness, reduced stigma, and fostered early case detection and treatment adherence. The importance of culturally sensitive, inclusive approaches in health education and stigma reduction campaigns is highlighted, emphasizing the potential for community engagement to enhance national leprosy programs and contribute to the World Health Organization's Zero Leprosy Strategy.

Interventions to reduce leprosy related stigma: A systematic review.

Stigmatisation is a major issue faced by those affected by leprosy globally. Reducing stigmatisation encourages care seeking behaviour to occur earlier and can help reduce harm and spread of leprosy. This systematic literature review aimed to summarise what effective stigma reducing interventions exist for leprosy, and as a secondary question explore what evidence exists regarding their cost.

Assessing the safety of physical rehabilitation in critically ill patients: a Delphi study.

Background: Physical rehabilitation of critically ill patients is implemented to improve physical outcomes from an intensive care stay. However, before rehabilitation is implemented, a risk assessment is essential, based on robust safety data. To develop this information, a uniform definition of relevant adverse events is required.

Assessment of salivary cadmium levels and breast density in the Marin Women's Study.

Background: We aimed to determine if salivary cadmium (Cd) levels had any association with breast density, hoping to establish a less invasive cost-effective method of stratifying Cd burden as an environmental breast cancer risk factor.

Methods: Salivary Cd levels were quantified from the Marin Women's Study, a Marin County, California population composite. Volumetric compositional breast density (BD ) data were measured by single x-ray absorptiometry techniques.

Life Expectancy and Causes of Premature Death by Subgroup for Community-Based Action in Marin County, California, 2017-2021.

Marin is a medium-sized county in California's San Francisco Bay Area. Despite its historically higher-than-average life expectancy and socioeconomic level, known economic and health disparities by race, ethnicity, and geography became more visible during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Methods: We calculated life expectancy, measured years of potential life lost (YPLLs), and described premature mortality for the five years of 2017-2021 by race, ethnicity, census tract, and resource level (as measured by Healthy Places Index [HPI]) to provide data on inequities to guide community-centered action to reduce premature mortality.

Social Acceptability of Health Behavior Posts on Social Media: An Experiment.

Introduction: Social media sites like Twitter (now X) are increasingly used to create health behavior metrics for public health surveillance. Yet little is known about social norms that may bias the content of posts about health behaviors. Social norms for posts about four health behaviors (smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, physical activity, eating food) on Twitter/X were evaluated.

COVID-19 Vaccine Perceptions Survey for Real-Time Vaccine Outreach in Marin County, California.

Background: Understanding and addressing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy is crucial to informing vaccination outreach strategies and achieving high vaccination coverage. Marin County, California, United States, has a history of vaccine hesitancy regarding childhood vaccinations required for school entry.

Objectives: We aimed to describe and address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Marin County to inform outreach and messaging.

Phased Return of Students to 77 Transitional Kindergarten-8th Grade Schools With Cohesive Mitigation Strategies Serving as Protective Factors Against the Increase of COVID-19 Cases in Marin County: September 2020-January 2021.

Background and objective Earlier uncertain implications of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the pediatric population prompted the authorities to close schools worldwide under the premise that school settings would serve as drivers of an increase in the cases of COVID-19. Safe and equitable full-in-person school instruction is a critical factor in the continued educational gains of children and for their general well-being. The objective of this study was to report epidemiological trends related to the increasing percentage of students returning to in-person instruction, the suspected in-school transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, and countywide COVID-19 case rates during the first 21 weeks of school reopening in Marin County, CA, in the fall of 2020.

Outbreak Associated with SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant in an Elementary School - Marin County, California, May-June 2021.

On May 25, 2021, the Marin County Department of Public Health (MCPH) was notified by an elementary school that on May 23, an unvaccinated teacher had reported receiving a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The teacher reported becoming symptomatic on May 19, but continued to work for 2 days before receiving a test on May 21. On occasion during this time, the teacher read aloud unmasked to the class despite school requirements to mask while indoors.

Use of SMS-linked electronic surveys for COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing - Marin County, CA, USA.

Objectives: We sought to quantify the proportion of contacts reported by persons with COVID-19 through a short message service (SMS)-linked survey in comparison to the proportion of contacts reported during a follow-up phone-interview. We also sought to assess improvement in contact tracing timeliness associated with sending SMS-linked surveys.

Study Design: During December 4-15, 2020, persons identified as COVID-19 cases whose data was entered into Marin County's contact tracing database on even days received a SMS-linked survey and persons whose data was entered on odd days did not; all were called for case investigation and contact tracing.