PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 5 September 2015)

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Extended Preclinical Safety, Efficacy and Stability Testing of a Live-attenuated Chikungunya Vaccine Candidate
Kenneth S Plante, Shannan L. Rossi, Nicholas A. Bergren, Robert L. Seymour, Scott C. Weaver
Research Article | published 04 Sep 2015 | PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
10.1371/journal.pntd.0004007

PLoS Currents: Outbreaks
http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/
(Accessed 5 September 2015)

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The Tortoise and the Hare: Guinea Worm, Polio and the Race to Eradication
August 31, 2015 · Commentary
Introduction: The eradication of a human infectious disease is a major challenge and, if achieved, represents a enormous achievement. This article explores the long and difficult journey towards eradication for polio and guinea worm.
Methods: The authors reviewed the programmatic approaches taken in the eradication strategies for these two diseases and the unique socio-political contexts in which these strategies are couched. The epidemiology of the last 15 years is compared and contrasted. The specific challenges for both programs are outlined and some key elements for success are highlighted.
Discussion: The success of these eradication programs is contingent upon many factors. Nothing is assured, and progress remains fragile and vulnerable to setbacks. Security must be ensured in guinea worm transmission areas in Africa and polio transmission areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Technical solutions alone cannot guarantee eradication. National leadership and continued international focus and support are necessary, today more than ever. The legacy of success would be extraordinary. It would reverberate to future generations in the same way that the eradication of smallpox does for this generation.

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 5 September 2015]

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Assessing Community Based Improved Maternal Neonatal Child Survival (IMNCS) Program in Rural Bangladesh
Mahfuzar Rahman, Fatema Tuz Jhohura, Sabuj Kanti Mistry, Tridib Roy Chowdhury, Tanveen Ishaque, Rasheduzzaman Shah, Kaosar Afsana
Research Article | published 04 Sep 2015 | PLOS ONE
10.1371/journal.pone.0136898

Research Stakeholders’ Views on Benefits and Challenges for Public Health Research Data Sharing in Kenya: The Importance of Trust and Social Relations
Irene Jao, Francis Kombe, Salim Mwalukore, Susan Bull, Michael Parker, Dorcas Kamuya, Sassy Molyneux, Vicki Marsh
Research Article | published 02 Sep 2015 | PLOS ONE
10.1371/journal.pone.0135545

Impact of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Administration in Pediatric Older Age Groups in Low and Middle Income Countries: A Systematic Review
Kimberly Bonner, Emily Welch, Kate Elder, Jennifer Cohn
Research Article | published 02 Sep 2015 | PLOS ONE
10.1371/journal.pone.0135270

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination and Adolescent Girls’ Knowledge and Sexuality in Western Uganda: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study
Andrew Kampikaho Turiho, Wilson Winston Muhwezi, Elialilia Sarikiaeli Okello, Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye, Cecil Banura, Anne Ruhweza Katahoire
Research Article | published 01 Sep 2015 | PLOS ONE
10.1371/journal.pone.0137094

Reproductive Health
http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/supplements/12/S1
[Accessed 5 September 2015]

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Commentary
Research priorities on ending child marriage and supporting married girls
Joar Svanemyr, Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli, Anita Raj, Ellen Travers, Lakshmi Sundaram Reproductive Health 2015, 12:80 (3 September 2015)
Abstract
Over the past few years the issue of child marriage has received growing political and programmatic attention. In spite of some progress in a number of countries, global rates have not declined over the past decade. Knowledge gaps remain in understanding trends, drivers and approaches to ending child marriage, especially to understand what is needed to achieve results on a large scale. This commentary summarizes the outcomes of an Expert Group Meeting organized by World Health Organization to discuss research priorities on Ending Child Marriage and Supporting Married Girls. It presents research gaps and recommends priorities for research in five key areas; (i) prevalence and trends of child marriage; (ii) causes of child marriage (iii) consequences of child marriage; (iv) efforts to prevent child marriage; (v) efforts to support married girls.

Research
Domestic violence against women and associated factors in Ethiopia; systematic review
Agumasie Semahegn, Bezatu Mengistie
Reproductive Health 2015, 12:78 (29 August 2015)

Science
4 September 2015 vol 349, issue 6252, pages 1021-1136
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

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Food Security
Global agricultural research network is overhauled again
Dennis Normile
A key guardian of global food security is looking shaky. Funding for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the world’s premier group of agricultural research centers, is sagging in the global economic downturn. Its flagship backer—the World Bank—threatened to pull the plug on its contributions. And now CGIAR is about to undergo internal convulsions: It’s reorganizing for the second time in just 5 years. Backers say the move will give CGIAR a more coherent strategy and make the most of available funding. Critics argue that greater effort should go into securing stable funding and prioritizing research.

Policy Forum
Sustainability
Sustainable development agenda: 2030
William Colglazier
Author Affiliations
Visiting Scientist and Senior Scholar, Center for Science Diplomacy, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC 20005, USA.
On 25 to 27 September, United Nations member states will formally adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as key elements of the post-2015 development agenda (1), successors to the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that focused attention from 2000 to 2015. The final 2030 agenda text for adoption proposes 17 SDGs with 169 targets, to be supplemented in 2016 with numerous indicators. All of the text emphasizing science, technology, and innovation (STI) is most welcome but achieving desired outcomes by 2030 will require deep understanding of how to maximize the contributions of STI. Having had the privilege of addressing this topic to the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) that will oversee the SDG effort, I discuss areas that I believe are essential to success. I focus on three issues: (i) using the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) process to bridge SDGs and scientific communities, (ii) choosing targets, indicators, and roadmaps related to STI, and (iii) the imperative of building knowledge-based societies.

Review
Why infectious disease research needs community ecology
Pieter T. J. Johnson1,*, Jacobus C. de Roode2, Andy Fenton3
Author Affiliations
1Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
2Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
3Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK.
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Despite ongoing advances in biomedicine, infectious diseases remain a major threat to human health, economic sustainability, and wildlife conservation. This is in part a result of the challenges of controlling widespread or persistent infections that involve multiple hosts, vectors, and parasite species. Moreover, many contemporary disease threats involve interactions that manifest across nested scales of biological organization, from disease progression at the within-host level to emergence and spread at the regional level. For many such infections, complete eradication is unlikely to be successful, but a broader understanding of the community in which host-parasite interactions are embedded will facilitate more effective management. Recent advances in community ecology, including findings from traits-based approaches and metacommunity theory, offer the tools and concepts to address the complexities arising from multispecies, multiscale disease threats.
ADVANCES
Community ecology aims to identify the factors that govern the structure, assembly, and dynamics of ecological communities. We describe how analytical and conceptual approaches from this discipline can be used to address fundamental challenges in disease research, such as (i) managing the ecological complexity of multihost-multiparasite assemblages; (ii) identifying the drivers of heterogeneities among individuals, species, and regions; and (iii) quantifying how processes link across multiple scales of biological organization to drive disease dynamics. We show how a community ecology framework can help to determine whether infection is best controlled through “defensive” approaches that reduce host suitability or through “offensive” approaches that dampen parasite spread. Examples of defensive approaches are the strategic use of wildlife diversity to reduce host and vector transmission, and taking advantage of antagonism between symbionts to suppress within-host growth and pathology. Offensive approaches include the targeted control of superspreading hosts and the reduction of human-wildlife contact rates to mitigate spillover. By identifying the importance of parasite dispersal and establishment, a community ecology framework can offer additional insights about the scale at which disease should be controlled.
OUTLOOK
Ongoing technological advances are rapidly overcoming previous barriers in data quality and quantity for complex, multispecies systems. The emerging synthesis of “disease community ecology” offers the tools and concepts necessary to interpret these data and use that understanding to inform the development of more effective disease control strategies in humans and wildlife. Looking forward, we emphasize the increasing importance of tight integration among surveillance, community ecology analyses, and public health implementation. Building from the rich legacy of whole-system manipulations in community ecology, we further highlight the value of large-scale experiments for understanding host-pathogen interactions and designing effective control measures. Through this blending of data, theory, and analytical approaches, we can understand how interactions between parasites within hosts, hosts within populations, and host species within ecological communities combine to drive disease dynamics, thereby providing new ways to manage emerging infections.