Efficacy and Safety of Tetanus-Toxoid Conjugate Typhoid Vaccine (Vi-TT) in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Typhoid fever is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. This review assessed the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of the tetanus toxoid conjugate typhoid vaccine (Vi-TT) in children and adolescents. Randomized controlled trials involving Vi-TT in individuals under 18 were included.

Strengthening antimicrobial resistance diagnostics in National Reference Laboratories across One Health in South and Southeast Asia: impact of external quality assessment and targeted follow-up.

Objectives: The intent of this study was to evaluate and improve microbiology laboratory diagnostic capacity in selected National AMR Reference laboratories from South and Southeast Asia for AMR testing utilizing EQA and targeted follow-up support.

Methods: A baseline assessment was conducted to evaluate quality management system (QMS) practices for laboratories participating in the Strengthening External Quality Assessment in Asia (EQASIA-EQA) programme for the first time. Following each EQA iteration, laboratory assessments were conducted, and underperforming laboratories received online consultations to identify root causes of deviations and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).

Barriers and perceptions of WHONET/BacLink adoption in Nepal: A qualitative study of clinical microbiology laboratories.

Background: The International Vaccine Institute-led CAPTURA (Capturing Data on Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia) project delivered capacity building activities to strengthen antimicrobial resistance surveillance activities in Nepal.

Methods: The CAPTURA project trained 97 laboratory personnel from 19 hospitals on the use of WHONET/BacLink software to manage microbiology data in Nepal during 2020-2021. Approximately two years later, the trainees were followed up by phone to assess implementation status and effectiveness of the training.

QAAPT: an interoperable web-based open-source tool for antimicrobial resistance data analysis and visualisation.

The analysis and visualisation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance data is a crucial challenge, especially in high-burden, low-middle-income countries. We describe the design, development, integration, and implementation of the Quick Analysis of Antimicrobial Patterns and Trends (QAAPT) tool for AMR data analysis and visualisation. The QAAPT tool was created by the Capturing Data on Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia project, led by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI).

External quality assurance (EQA) network in South and South-East Asia: experience and results from an international EQA programme in One Health sector reference laboratories.

Objectives: External quality assurance (EQA) is an objective tool to assess laboratories' diagnostic performance and their adherence to recognized international standards. External Quality Assessment in Asia (EQASIA) is an EQA network in South and South-East Asia established in 2020 with the aim of improving the quality of bacteriology diagnostics across all One Health sectors in the region. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the EQA results collected from the EQASIA network and to assess improvements among the participating laboratories.

Geospatial distribution of Hepatitis E seroprevalence in Nepal, 2021.

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes acute jaundice and poses an important public health problem in low- and middle-income countries. Limited surveillance capacity and suboptimal access to diagnostics leads to under-reporting of HEV infections in affected countries, including Nepal. Serum antibodies against HEV are indicative of past infection.

Incidence of typhoid fever in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, and Nigeria (the Severe Typhoid in Africa programme): a population-based study.

Background: Typhoid Fever remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low-income settings. The Severe Typhoid in Africa programme was designed to address regional gaps in typhoid burden data and identify populations eligible for interventions using novel typhoid conjugate vaccines.

Methods: A hybrid design, hospital-based prospective surveillance with population-based health-care utilisation surveys, was implemented in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Comparable detection of HPV using real-time PCR in paired cervical samples and concentrated first-stream urine collected with Colli-Pee device.

We compared high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) detection on first-stream urine from self-sampled collection device (Colli-Pee) and same-day clinician-collected cervical swab in 240 women. Testing with automated cobas 4800 system showed 96.7 % concordance (198 concordant-negative, 34 concordant-positive, Cohen's kappa=0.

Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Methods in Bangladesh: Present and Way Forward.

The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) conducts active, case-based national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in Bangladesh. The Capturing Data on Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia (CAPTURA) project accessed aggregated retrospective data from non-IEDCR study sites and 9 IEDCR sites to understand the pattern and extent of AMR and to use analyzed data to guide ongoing and future national AMR surveillance in both public and private laboratories. Record-keeping practices, data completeness, quality control, and antimicrobial susceptibility test practices were investigated in all laboratories participating in case-based IEDCR surveillance and laboratory-based CAPTURA sites.

Evaluating Quality Management and Diagnostics Microbiology Performance Within an International External Quality Assessment (EQA) Program Serving National One Health Sector Reference Laboratories Across Asia: Experience Amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic.

Background: Strengthening external quality assessment (EQA) services across the One Health sector supports implementation of effective antimicrobial resistance (AMR) control strategies. Here we describe and compare 2 different approaches for conducting virtual laboratory follow-up assessments within an EQA program to evaluate quality management system (QMS) and procedures for pathogen identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST).

Methods: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2021 and 2022, 2 laboratory assessment approaches were introduced: virtual-based and survey-based methodologies.

Key Recommendations for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance: Takeaways From the CAPTURA Project.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global public health challenge associated with 4.95 million deaths in 2019 and an estimated 10 million deaths per year by 2050 in the absence of coordinated action. A robust AMR surveillance system is therefore required to avert such a scenario.

Capturing Data on Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia (CAPTURA).

Background: In 2015, the UK government established the Fleming Fund with the aim to address critical gaps in surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in low- and middle-income countries in Asia and Africa. Among a large portfolio of grants, the Capturing Data on Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia (CAPTURA) project was awarded with the specific objective of expanding the volume of historical data on AMR, consumption (AMC), and use (AMU) in the human healthcare sector across 12 countries in South and Southeast Asia.

Methods: Starting in early 2019, the CAPTURA consortium began working with local governments and >100 relevant data-holding facilities across the region to identify, assess for quality, prioritize, and subsequently retrieve data on AMR, AMC, and AMU.

Recording and Reporting of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Priority Variables and Its Implication on Expanding Surveillance Sites in Nepal: A CAPTURA Experience.

Data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from sites not participating in the National AMR surveillance network, conducted by National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), remain largely unknown in Nepal. The "Capturing Data on Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia" (CAPTURA) assessed AMR data from previously untapped data sources in Nepal. A retrospective cross-sectional data review was carried out for the AMR data recorded between January 2017 and December 2019 to analyze AMR data from 26 hospital-based laboratories and 2 diagnostic laboratories in Nepal.

Vaccination to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance Burden-Data Gaps and Future Research.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an immediate danger to global health. If unaddressed, the current upsurge in AMR threatens to reverse the achievements in reducing the infectious disease-associated mortality and morbidity associated with antimicrobial treatment. Consequently, there is an urgent need for strategies to prevent or slow the progress of AMR.

Considerations for Expanding Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Networks.

Capturing Data on Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia (CAPTURA) gained insight into the range of national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) stakeholders' long-term visions for AMR surveillance networks. As national AMR networks mature, stakeholders often contemplate adding laboratories to the network to achieve greater representativeness, boost data quantity, or meet other goals. Therefore, stakeholders should carefully select laboratories for expansion based on their goals and several practical criteria.

Collecting Multi-country Retrospective Antimicrobial Consumption and Use Data: Challenges and Experience.

Excessive or inappropriate antimicrobial use contributes to antimicrobial resistance, emphasizing the need to monitor and document the types and quantities of antibiotics used. Thus, data on antimicrobial consumption (AMC) and antimicrobial usage (AMU) are key in informing and promoting judicious use. Our study, conducted during 2019-2023, as part of the CAPTURA project, aimed to understand the state of data availability and quality for AMC and AMU monitoring in Asia.

Utility and Evaluation of Applied Project Management Processes Within a Large Multicountry Health Systems Development Project Conducted During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic.

The increasing trends in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continue to pose a significant threat to human health, with grave consequences in low- and middle-income countries. In collaboration with local governments and microbiology laboratories in South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, the Capturing Data on Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia (CAPTURA) project worked to identify gaps and expand the volume of existing AMR data to inform decision-makers on how to best strengthen their national AMR surveillance capacity. This article describes overall project management processes and the strategies implemented to address the disruptive impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the project activities across diverse contexts in different countries.

The Reality of Antimicrobial Resistance and Antibiotic Usage Data in Asia: The CAPTURA Experience.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly in low- and middle-income countries, is threatening to undermine advances in health and development. Scarce technical and human resources in these countries limit the collection of quality AMR data for evidence-based decision-making. The CAPTURA consortium, funded by the Fleming Fund, was implemented across 7 countries in the South and Southeast Asian region.

Methodological Approach to Identify and Expand the Volume of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Data in the Human Health Sector in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in Asia: Implications for Local and Regional AMR Surveillance Systems Strengthening.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a multifaceted global health problem disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Capturing data on Antimicrobial resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia (CAPTURA) project was tasked to expand the volume of AMR and antimicrobial use data in Asia. The CAPTURA project used 2 data-collection streams: facility data and project metadata.

CAPTURA Regional Workshop Proceedings (28-30 June 2022, Virtual).

In response to the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the Capturing Data on Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia (CAPTURA) project worked with microbiology laboratories, pharmacies, and local governments in South Asia and Southeast Asia to expand the volume of historical and current data available on AMR and antimicrobial use and to identify gaps in data and areas for quality improvement. When the CAPTURA project completed its country-level engagement in the first half of 2022, the consortium brought together local, regional, and global AMR stakeholders for a virtual regional workshop to review data outputs from the project and share strategies to inform national and regional efforts to combat AMR. This paper summarizes the main topics presented in the workshop held from 28 to 30 June 2022.

Effective Stakeholder Engagement for Collation, Analysis and Expansion of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Data: A CAPTURA Experience.

Background: An effective implementation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance projects requires sustainable and multidisciplinary engagement with stakeholders from various backgrounds, interests and aims. The "Capturing Data on Antimicrobial resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia" (CAPTURA) project, funded by the Fleming Fund, initially targeted 12 countries in South Asia (SA) and Southeast Asia (SEA) to "expand the volume of historical and current data on AMR and antimicrobial usage" and support local agencies through capacity building activities.

Methods: In this article, we focus on early stakeholder engagement activities and present overall statistics on AMR data collated from 72 laboratories across seven countries.

A community intervention effectiveness study of single dose or two doses of bivalent HPV vaccine (CERVARIX®) in female school students in Thailand.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common infection principally spread through sexual activity. Most HPV infections are asymptomatic and resolve spontaneously. However, persistent infection may progress to cervical cancer.

The Severe Typhoid Fever in Africa Program: Study Design and Methodology to Assess Disease Severity, Host Immunity, and Carriage Associated With Invasive Salmonellosis.

Background: Invasive salmonellosis is a common community-acquired bacteremia in persons residing in sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is a paucity of data on severe typhoid fever and its associated acute and chronic host immune response and carriage. The Severe Typhoid Fever in Africa (SETA) program, a multicountry surveillance study, aimed to address these research gaps and contribute to the control and prevention of invasive salmonellosis.