Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH
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Trop. Med. Int. Health · Jun 2015
ReviewContemporary and emerging strategies for eliminating human African trypanosomiasis due to Trypanosoma brucei gambiense: review.
To review current and emerging tools for Gambiense HAT control and elimination, and propose strategies that integrate these tools with epidemiological evidence. ⋯ A number of new tools will fill critical gaps in the current armamentarium for diagnosing and treating Gambiense HAT. Deploying these tools in endemic areas will facilitate the comprehensive and sustainable control of the disease considerably and contribute to the ultimate goal of elimination.
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Trop. Med. Int. Health · Jun 2015
High prevalence of common respiratory viruses and no evidence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in Hajj pilgrims returning to Ghana, 2013.
The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) emerged in 2012 on the Arabian Peninsula and has caused severe respiratory disease with more than 800 laboratory-confirmed cases. The return of infected pilgrims to their home countries with a putative spread of MERS-CoV necessitates further surveillance. ⋯ The prevalence of viral respiratory infections among Hajj pilgrims in both symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects was high. Although it is reassuring that MERS-CoV was not detected in the tested population, there is a need for active surveillance of Hajj pilgrims.
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Trop. Med. Int. Health · Jun 2015
Challenges to delivery of isoniazid preventive therapy in a cohort of children exposed to tuberculosis in Timor-Leste.
To evaluate the number and geographic location of children aged <5 years exposed to sputum smear-positive tuberculosis (TB) in Timor-Leste, to determine the proportion evaluated for isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) and to review the programmatic challenges present in delivering IPT to this cohort. ⋯ Sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB cases frequently result in household exposure of children <5 years in Timor-Leste, and provision of IPT is suboptimal. Contacts are located in diverse and distant locations. Further studies to delineate access barriers to IPT and review programmatic models that will facilitate IPT scale up in Timor-Leste are needed.