Association Between Fixed-Dose Combination Use and Medication Adherence, Health Care Utilization, and Costs Among Medicaid Beneficiaries.

Background: Fixed-dose combination (FDC) antihypertensives combine two or more agents. Compared with non-FDC antihypertensives of multiple classes (multi-pill therapy), combination-pill therapy using FDC antihypertensives may improve hypertension control. However, combination-pill therapy remains low.

Longitudinal Medical Costs and Hospitalization Risk Associated With Sustained Obesity.

PurposeTo assess the association of sustained obesity with medical expenditures and risk of hospitalization over time.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingThis study used linked data from ambulatory electronic medical records and medical claims.

Multiplex bead assays enable integrated serological surveillance and reveal cross-pathogen vulnerabilities in Zambezia Province, Mozambique.

Multiplex serological assays simultaneously measure antibodies to multiple antigens, furnishing insights into exposure and susceptibility to several pathogens and cross-pathogen vulnerabilities. Our serosurvey tests dried blood spots from 1292 individuals for IgG antibodies to 35 antigens from 18 pathogens using a multiplex bead assay for vaccine preventable diseases, malaria, SARS-CoV-2, neglected tropical diseases, and enteric pathogens in Mozambique. We produce pathogen-specific seroprevalence estimates and age-seroprevalence curves and identify spatial differences in seroprevalence.

Prevalence of symptoms associated with Long COVID among adolescents in the United States, Summer 2022.

Purpose: Limited information is known about Long COVID among adolescents. This study will compare the risks associated with symptoms among adolescents who tested positive, were tested but never tested positive, and who were never tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: Porter Novelli survey data were collected from adolescents (12-17 years) from May 31 - July 6, 2022.

Measles transmission risk during commercial air travel.

Background: Measles transmission on aircraft has been well-documented, and many countries perform contact investigations after exposure events during air travel. This review summarized and updated available evidence for measles transmission risk during commercial air travel to inform best practices for public health response after such exposures.

Methods: We searched eight databases for articles and pre-prints about measles and air travel published during 2004-2023.

Clinical Course and Outcomes of Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Infections among Children at Two Hospitals in Alaska.

Objective: Our objective was to compare the clinical course of invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease by type among children at 2 hospitals in Alaska.

Study Design: We performed a retrospective review of invasive H. influenzae cases among Alaska children aged <10 years who received care at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage or the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital in Bethel, Alaska, during 2013-2019.

Onchocerciasis status in Guinea-Bissau: an overview of trends in epidemiological and entomological indicators.

Objectives: The World Health Organization recommends monitoring infection and entomological indicators to evaluate onchocerciasis elimination. We reviewed trends in Guinea-Bissau since the onset of interventions to assess current progress toward elimination.

Methods: We collated programmatic, entomological, and epidemiological data from Guinea-Bissau, including Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP) records, impact data, and community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTi) data.

Hepatitis C Surveillance in the United States: Past, Present, and Future.

Data from 3 US public health surveillance systems indicate that an estimated 67 400 people acquired hepatitis C virus infections in 2022, 2.2 million adults had hepatitis C during January 2017-March 2020, and 12 717 people died in 2022 from hepatitis C-related causes, despite the availability of curative treatment since 2013. The 3 surveillance systems that provided these data-the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and the National Vital Statistics System-were selected to monitor progress toward elimination of hepatitis C as a public health threat in the United States by 2030.

Putting the Polio Workforce to Work in a Public Health Crisis: Contributions of the National Stop Transmission of Polio (NSTOP) Program to the COVID-19 Response in Pakistan.

: Pakistan reported its first case of COVID-19 in February 2020 and joined other countries in activating a national emergency response following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Playing a vital role in the early phase of the country's response was the National Stop Transmission of Polio (NSTOP) program, a highly trained cadre of polio workers who ordinarily support polio eradication efforts in the country. : We developed a reporting tool using Microsoft Excel that tracked the activities of NSTOP officers to support the COVID-19 response.

Detection of Influenza and Other Respiratory Pathogens by RT-qPCR and Characterization by Genomic Sequencing Using ILI/SARI Hospital-Based Sentinel Surveillance System.

Limited surveillance and laboratory testing for non-influenza viruses remains a challenge in Uganda. The World Health Organization (WHO) designated National Influenza Center (NIC) tested samples from patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs) during August 2022-February 2023. We leveraged the influenza sentinel surveillance system to detect other respiratory viruses (ORVs).

Thirteenth International Foamy Virus Conference-Meeting Report.

The 13th International Foamy Virus (FV) Conference was held from 8 to 10 November 2023 at the BioParque/Zoological Garden in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the first conference on spumaretroviruses to be held in the Southern Hemisphere and in the unique environment of the rainforest. New developments and current perspectives in FV research were presented.

Thallium Exposure Secondary to Commercial Kale Chip Consumption: California Case Highlights Opportunities for Improved Surveillance and Toxicological Understanding.

Background: Thallium is a metal that is ubiquitous in our natural environment. Despite its potential for high toxicity, thallium is understudied and not regulated in food. The California Department of Public Health was alerted to a household cluster of elevated urine thallium levels noted among a mother (peak 5.

Comprehensive Communication for a Syndemic Approach to HIV Care: A Framework for Enhancing Health Communication Messages for People Living with HIV.

Despite the increasing adoption of a syndemic approach in HIV research, few health communication campaigns have used a syndemic approach in messaging to improve health outcomes for persons living with HIV (PWH). This paper introduces a framework for practitioners and researchers developing health communication messages in support of a syndemic approach to HIV care for PWH in the United States. Grounded in insights from a review of counseling and psychosocial interventions that demonstrated significant positive effects on HIV clinical outcomes, the C4H Framework emphasizes four components: compassion, comprehensive messaging, capacity-building, and coordination.

Examining the Association Between Exposure to the #ShesWell Campaign and Black Women's Conversations with Healthcare Providers About Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

Low uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention among Black women has been partly attributed to barriers related to patient-provider communication. The goal of this paper was to investigate the association between exposure to the #ShesWell campaign and Black women's communication about PrEP with a healthcare provider (HCP). We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 403 sexually active, Black women after the initial phase of #ShesWell and used multivariable regression models to analyze whether exposure to #ShesWell was associated with talking to an HCP about PrEP or intention to discuss PrEP with an HCP in the future.

Improving data on homelessness and health: partnering with community-based organizations.

Background: Community-based organizations (CBOs) provide critical services to people experiencing homelessness and played a unique role in data collection throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Although data from CBOs filled a critical need, many jurisdictions faced challenges with timely and integrated data collection. We gathered expert opinions from CBO leaders on homelessness and health to identify how to support CBO data collection to best inform public health practices.

Diagnosis and Clinical Description of Leptospirosis Cases Identified Through Hospital-Based Active Surveillance in Puerto Rico, 2019-2021.

Leptospirosis is endemic to Puerto Rico, affecting people through seasonal increases and outbreaks. This report describes the diagnostic approach and clinical characteristics of leptospirosis cases identified through active undifferentiated acute febrile illness (UAFI) surveillance in Puerto Rico. From 2019 to 2021, active surveillance was conducted in four emergency departments (EDs), with standardized recruitment of patients aged ≥ 5 years, presenting with fever or a history of fever of unknown origin within the past two weeks.

Hearing Loss, Retinal Abnormality, and Seizures in People With Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy.

Introduction/aims: Few studies describing comorbidities in individuals with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) are available. We used data from the Muscular Dystrophy Surveillance, Tracking and Research Network (MD STARnet) to identify and describe the prevalence of three comorbidities-hearing loss, retinal abnormalities, and seizures-in individuals with FSHD.

Methods: We analyzed retrospective population-based data from 548 individuals diagnosed with FSHD who had at least one health visit during 2008-2019.

An Analysis of Anti-Bullying Laws in the United States.

Bullying is a public health concern that results in diminished well-being for children and adolescents. One approach that lawmakers have taken to address bullying is enacting anti-bullying laws, which require school districts to establish bullying prevention policies. In this study, researchers used standard legal epidemiology methods to systematically retrieve and analyze anti-bullying laws in the United States (US).

Mpox Stigma During the 2022 Outbreak Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States.

Mpox emerged on the global scale in 2022 and predominately affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Stigma related to mpox is a potential harm for individuals experiencing multiple levels of marginalization who may already be discriminated against in family, healthcare, and other social domains. To understand perceived mpox stigma among cisgender GBMSM in the United States (US), we conducted a study within the American Men's Internet Survey (AMIS) with 824 cisgender GBMSM ≥15 years from August 5-15, 2022.

Exploring lingering COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in three diverse U.S. states: Alabama, Illinois, and Texas.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine uptake was slower than expected, with some people experiencing concern about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine even after being vaccinated. This manuscript explores a phenomenon called lingering hesitancy, or the concern that people experience even after receiving an initial dose of a vaccine. Leveraging survey findings from three individual Prevention Research Centers (PRCs) in Alabama, Illinois, and Texas, we compare the attitudes of individuals across three vaccine status groups: those who received their complete COVID-19 vaccine series, those who received an initial dose but no subsequent doses (lingering hesitancy), and those who remained unvaccinated.

Midodrine exposure trends and outcomes reported to United States poison centers: 2000-2023.

Introduction: Midodrine is an oral alpha-1 adrenergic agonist used to treat orthostatic hypotension. Its vasoconstrictive properties can lead to hypertension and reflex bradycardia. We characterized midodrine exposures reported to United States poison centers from 2000 to 2023.

Immune Response to MVA-BN and Prior Smallpox Vaccination in People With HIV or at Risk for HIV Acquisition.

Little is known about the serologic response elicited by the Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) vaccination (JYNNEOS) against mpox in elderly individuals with or without HIV. In this study, we measured levels of antibody against orthopoxvirus in selected participants (n = 114) with HIV or at risk for HIV acquisition from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study/Women's Interagency HIV Study Combined Cohort Study, who had no prior reported history of mpox. Participants reported MVA-BN vaccination history via questionnaires.

A Framework for Classifying Disease Trends Applied to Influenza-Associated Hospital Admissions in the United States.

Using Influenza Hospitalization Surveillance Network (FluSurv-NET) data, we established thresholds for weekly hospitalization rate differences to categorize changes. We applied thresholds to National Healthcare Safety Network influenza admissions from the 2022/2023-2023/2024 seasons. This metric identified more large increases and decreases in 2022/2023 and facilitated rapid trend assessment.