Assessing long-lasting insecticidal net coverage, access, and use: Insights from malaria-endemic regions and Rohingya camps in Bangladesh.

Objectives: Malaria remains a major public health challenge, particularly, in endemic regions such as Bangladesh. To combat this, the National Malaria Elimination Programme has been working to ensure that long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) reach vulnerable populations. This study assessed LLIN coverage, access, and use among the Bangladeshi population and forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals (FDMNs).

Diagnostic accuracy of the OnSite Dengue Ag rapid test in symptomatic patients from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Background: Dengue fever poses an extreme public health risk in the tropical and subtropical zones around the world. Prompt and correct diagnosis is critical for dengue case management and control. Dengue NS1 antigen detection is the basic diagnostic method for dengue.

The Return of Chikungunya in Bangladesh in 2024: Implications for Future Outbreaks.

After a major outbreak in Bangladesh in 2017, chikungunya nearly vanished from its territory until its resurgence in late 2024. However, its symptomatic overlap with dengue virus (DENV), another major arbovirus, has hindered accurate diagnosis and reporting, resulting in limited molecular diagnostic efforts for chikungunya in this region. This diagnostic evaluation study aimed to detect and characterize arboviral infections at the molecular level, focusing on the re-emergence of chikungunya and implications for future outbreaks.

Performance of quantitative point-of-care tests to measure G6PD activity: An individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the main risk factor for severe haemolysis following treatment with 8-aminoquinolines (8AQ). The World Health Organization recommends G6PD testing prior to 8AQ-based hypnozoitocidal treatment.

Methods: We undertook an individual level meta-analysis of the performance of commercially available quantitative point-of-care diagnostics (PoCs) compared with reference spectrophotometry.

Concurrent transmission of Zika virus during the 2023 dengue outbreak in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Background: During the 2023-dengue outbreak in Bangladesh, a diagnostic evaluation study was conducted to investigate concurrent Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue virus (DENV) transmission in Dhaka in 2023.

Aims: The study explored to simultaneously detect the presence of ZIKV, DENV, and/or CHIKV while considering relevant clinical and epidemiological risk factors, using a real-time multiplex RT-PCR system. Following this, it was planned to sequence the selected samples to identify genetic variations of the ZIKV infections within the population.

Supervised and Unsupervised Screen Time and Its Association With Physical, Mental, and Social Health of School-Going Children in Dhaka, Bangladesh: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Children's screen time has substantially increased worldwide, including in Bangladesh, especially since the pandemic, which is raising concern about its potential adverse effects on their physical, mental, and social health. Parental supervision may play a crucial role in mitigating these negative impacts. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence assessing the relationship between parental screen time supervision and health outcomes among school children in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Assessing the role of the for-profit private healthcare sector in malaria elimination efforts in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study of challenges and opportunities.

Background: Among 13 endemic districts, the Chittagong Hill Tracts bear more than 90% of Bangladesh's malaria burden. Despite the private sector's prominence in rural healthcare, its role in malaria management remains underutilized. This study aimed to strategize leveraging the for-profit private sector, such as diagnostic and treatment centers, to bolster national malaria surveillance and control, advancing Bangladesh toward malaria elimination by 2030.

Bangladesh should engage the private sector for malaria elimination by 2030.

Bangladesh reduced malaria incidence by 93% from 2008 to 2020 through the action of governmental and non-governmental organizations. The Bangladesh context is unique to South Asia because its successful public sector malaria control programs have historically not engaged corporate partners (as undertaken in Sri Lanka and proposed in India). However, ∼18 million people continue to live at risk of infection in Bangladesh and for-profit private healthcare providers, catalytic for malaria elimination in many countries, are expected to benefit the national program.

Spatio-temporal patterns of dengue in Bangladesh during 2019 to 2023: Implications for targeted control strategies.

Background: Dengue, a viral infection transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes, presents a substantial global public health concern, particularly in tropical regions. In Bangladesh, where dengue prevalence is noteworthy, accurately mapping the distribution of high-risk and low-risk areas and comprehending the clustering of dengue cases throughout the year is essential for the development of effective risk-based prevention and control strategies. Our objective was to identify dengue hotspots and temporal patterns over the years across Bangladesh in the years 2019-2023 excluding year 2020.

Adherence to Anti-Malarial Treatment in Malaria Endemic Areas of Bangladesh.

Ensuring adherence to antimalarial treatment is crucial for achieving a radical cure and elimination of malaria, especially in hard-to-reach areas. We conducted this study to assess the current scenario of drug adherence in four endemic sub-districts of Bangladesh. Among 110 enrolled participants, 70% were mono-infected with and the remaining 30% with .

Primaquine radical cure in patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria in areas co-endemic for P falciparum and Plasmodium vivax (PRIMA): a multicentre, open-label, superiority randomised controlled trial.

Background: In areas co-endemic for Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum there is an increased risk of P vivax parasitaemia following P falciparum malaria. Radical cure is currently only recommended for patients presenting with P vivax malaria. Expanding the indication for radical cure to patients presenting with P falciparum malaria could reduce their risk of subsequent P vivax parasitaemia.

Direct Nasal Swab for Rapid Test and Saliva as an Alternative Biological Sample for RT-PCR in COVID-19 Diagnosis.

Accurate and early diagnoses are prerequisites for prompt treatment. For coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it is even more crucial. Currently, choice of methods include rapid diagnostic tests and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using samples mostly of respiratory origin and sometimes saliva.

Health hazards related to using masks and/or personal protective equipment among physicians working in public hospitals in Dhaka: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Wearing masks or personal protective equipment (PPE) has become an integral part of the occupational life of physicians due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Most physicians have been developing various health hazards related to the use of different protective gears. This study aimed to determine the burden and spectrum of various health hazards associated with using masks or PPE and their associated risk factors.

Heterogeneity in prevalence of subclinical Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections but no parasite genomic clustering in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh.

Background: Malaria remains endemic in Bangladesh, with the majority of cases occurring in forested, mountainous region in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). This area is home to Bengali and diverse groups of indigenous people (Pahari) residing largely in mono-ethnic villages.

Methods: 1002 individuals of the 9 most prominent Pahari and the Bengali population were randomly selected and screened by RDT and qPCR.

Reducing the risk of Plasmodium vivax after falciparum infections in co-endemic areas-a randomized controlled trial (PRIMA).

Background: Plasmodium vivax forms dormant liver stages that can reactivate weeks or months following an acute infection. Recurrent infections are often associated with a febrile illness and can cause a cumulative risk of severe anaemia, direct and indirect mortality, and onward transmission of the parasite. There is an increased risk of P.

Variation in Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase activity following acute malaria.

Primaquine and tafenoquine are the only licensed drugs with activity against Plasmodium vivax hypnozoites but cause haemolysis in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Malaria also causes haemolysis, leading to the replacement of older erythrocytes with low G6PD activity by reticulocytes and young erythrocytes with higher activity. Aim of this study was to assess the impact of acute malaria on G6PD activity.

Solar geoengineering could redistribute malaria risk in developing countries.

Solar geoengineering is often framed as a stopgap measure to decrease the magnitude, impacts, and injustice of climate change. However, the benefits or costs of geoengineering for human health are largely unknown. We project how geoengineering could impact malaria risk by comparing current transmission suitability and populations-at-risk under moderate and high greenhouse gas emissions scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathways 4.

Clinical Evaluation of a New Antigen-Based COVID-19 Rapid Diagnostic Test from Symptomatic Patients.

Accurate diagnosis at the right moment is the prerequisite for treatment of any disease. Failure to correctly diagnose a disease can result in highly detrimental effects, unmistakably a crucial factor during the COVID-19 pandemic. RT-PCR is the gold standard for COVID-19 detection while there are other test procedures available, such as LAMP, X-Ray, and ELISA.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in individuals with and without malaria: Analysis of clinical trial, cross-sectional and case-control data from Bangladesh.

Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity is dependent upon G6PD genotype and age of the red blood cell (RBC) population, with younger RBCs having higher activity. Peripheral parasitemia with Plasmodium spp. induces hemolysis, replacing older RBCs with younger cells with higher G6PD activity.

A five-day course of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 may reduce the duration of illness.

Ivermectin, a US Food and Drug Administration-approved anti-parasitic agent, was found to inhibit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication in vitro. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to determine the rapidity of viral clearance and safety of ivermectin among adult SARS-CoV-2 patients. The trial included 72 hospitalized patients in Dhaka, Bangladesh, who were assigned to one of three groups: oral ivermectin alone (12 mg once daily for 5 days), oral ivermectin in combination with doxycycline (12 mg ivermectin single dose and 200 mg doxycycline on day 1, followed by 100 mg every 12 h for the next 4 days), and a placebo control group.

Persistence of Markers of Chloroquine Resistance in in Bangladesh.

The control of malaria, in terms of drug resistance, remains a significant global challenge, with Bangladesh, a malaria-endemic country, being no exception. The aim of this study was to explore antimalarial resistance in Bangladesh by molecular analysis of chloroquine resistance transporter () and multidrug resistance transporter 1 () genetic markers of . .

Wide range of G6PD activities found among ethnic groups of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh.

The proportion of Plasmodium vivax malaria among all malarias is increasing worldwide. Treatment with 8-aminoquinolines remain the only radical cure. However, 8-aminoquinolines can cause severe hemolysis in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient patients.

Field evaluation of quantitative point of care diagnostics to measure glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity.

Background: Glucose-6-Phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common enzymopathy worldwide, no reliable bedside diagnostic tests to quantify G6PD activity exist. This study evaluated two novel quantitative G6PD diagnostics.

Methods: Participants with known G6PD activity were enrolled in Bangladesh.