American journal of preventive medicine
-
The Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative considers cluster and outbreak response essential. This article describes the design, implementation, and early findings of a Philadelphia-based project to systematically assess sentinel cases among priority populations for improving public health infrastructure and preventing future outbreaks. ⋯ HIV sentinel case review is a model for health departments to rapidly respond to recent transmission, identify missed HIV prevention opportunities, strengthen community partnerships, and implement programmatic and policy changes. Such efforts may prevent outbreaks and inform longer-term strategies.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Long-Acting Reversible Contraception, Condom Use, and Sexually Transmitted Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Given mixed findings regarding the relationship between long-acting reversible contraception and condom use, this systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizes studies comparing sexually transmitted infection‒related outcomes between users of long-acting reversible contraception (intrauterine devices, implants) and users of moderately effective contraceptive methods (oral contraceptives, injectables, patches, rings). ⋯ Promoting condom use specifically for sexually transmitted infection prevention may be particularly important among long-acting reversible contraception users at risk for sexually transmitted infections, including adolescents and young adults.
-
Supervised injection facilities are harm reduction interventions that allow people who inject drugs to use previously obtained substances under the supervision of health professionals. Although currently considered illegal under U.S. federal law, several U.S. cities are considering implementing supervised injection facilities anyway as a response to the escalating overdose crisis. The objective of this review is to determine the effectiveness of supervised injection facilities, compared with that of control conditions, for harm reduction and community outcomes. ⋯ For people who inject drugs, supervised injection facilities may reduce the risk of overdose morbidity and mortality and improve access to care while not increasing crime or public nuisance to the surrounding community.
-
The HIV epidemic in King County, Washington has traditionally been highly concentrated among men who have sex with men, and incidence has gradually declined over 2 decades. In 2018, King County experienced a geographically concentrated outbreak of HIV among heterosexual people who inject drugs. ⋯ This outbreak shows the vulnerability of people who inject drugs to HIV infection, even in areas with robust syringe service programs and declining HIV epidemics. Although molecular HIV surveillance did not identify this outbreak, it may have done so with a lower threshold for defining clusters and more rapid receipt and analyses of HIV genetic sequences.
-
Socioeconomic disadvantage in childhood is strongly associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in high-income countries. However, the association in low- and middle-income countries, where childhood poverty remains prevalent, has not been reviewed. ⋯ Current evidence from middle-income countries provides little support for an association between childhood socioeconomic position and risk of cardiovascular disease, and evidence from low-income countries is lacking. It would be premature to consider childhood poverty as a target for cardiovascular disease prevention in these settings.