American Journal of Disaster Medicine
Vol. 9, No. 3–Summer 2014
http://www.pnpco.com/pn03000.html
[No abstracts available]
.
Original Articles
Superficial and invasive infections following flooding
James H. Diaz, MD, MPH&TM, DrPH, FCCM
.
Public health aspects of nuclear and radiological incidents
Seth K. Katz, MD, Steven J. Parrillo, DO, FACOEP-D, FACEP, Doran Christensen, DO, Erik S. Glassman, MS, CCEMT-P, Kimberly B. Gill, PhD
.
Deployable, portable, and temporary hospitals; one state’s experiences through the years
Randy D. Kearns, DHA, MSA, Mary Beth Skarote, NREMT-P, LPN, Jeff Peterson, NREMT-P, BS, Lew Stringer, MD, FACA, Roy L. Alson, MD, PhD, FACEP, FAAEM, Bruce A. Cairns, MD, FACS, Michael W. Hubble, PhD, MBA, NREMT-P, Preston B. Rich, MD, MBA, FACS, Charles B. Cairns, MD, FACEP, FAHA, James H. Holmes IV, MD, FACS, Jeff Runge, MD, FACEP, Sean M. Siler, DO, MBA, FACEP, FAAEM, James Winslow, MD, MPH
.
Ethical and clinical dilemmas in patients with head and neck tumors visiting a field hospital in the Philippines
Tal Marom, MD; David Segal, MD; Tomer Erlich, MD; Erez Tsumi, MD; Ofer Merin, MD, MHA; Guy Lin, MD

American Journal of Public Health
Volume 105, Issue 3 (March 2015)
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/toc/ajph/current

.
The Case for the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health to Address Gender Identity
Frank Pega, PhD, MSc, and Jaimie F. Veale, PhD, MSc
Abstract
We analyzed the case of the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health, which did not address gender identity in their final report.
We argue that gender identity is increasingly being recognized as an important social determinant of health (SDH) that results in health inequities. We identify right to health mechanisms, such as established human rights instruments, as suitable policy tools for addressing gender identity as an SDH to improve health equity.
We urge the World Health Organization to add gender identity as an SDH in its conceptual framework for action on the SDHs and to develop and implement specific recommendations for addressing gender identity as an SDH.

BMC Health Services Research
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
(Accessed 21 February 2015)

.
Research article
Community health workers improve diabetes care in remote Australian Indigenous communities: results of a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial
Robyn A McDermott, Barbara Schmidt, Cilla Preece, Vickie Owens, Sean Taylor, Ming Li, Adrian Esterman
BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:68 (19 February 2015)
.
Research article
The impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) service scale-up on mechanisms of accountability in Zambian primary health centres: a case-based health systems analysis
Stephanie M Topp, Jim Black, Martha Morrow, Julien M Chipukuma, Wim Van Damme
BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:67 (18 February 2015)
.
Research article
An innovation for improving maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) service delivery in Jigawa State, northern Nigeria: a qualitative study of stakeholders’ perceptions about clinical mentoring
Ekechi Okereke, Jamilu Tukur, Amina Aminu, Jean Butera, Bello Mohammed, Mustapha Tanko, Ibrahim Yisa, Benson Obonyo, Mike Egboh
BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:64 (15 February 2015)
Abstract | Full text | PDF

BMC Public Health
(Accessed 21 February 2015)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content

.
Research article
A cross-sectional survey on the health status and the health-related quality of life of the elderly after flood disaster in Bazhong city, Sichuan, China
Jun Wu17†, Jian Xiao2†, Tong Li3†, Xiaoshan Li1, Huamin Sun3, Eric Chow3456, Yihua Lu3, Tian Tian3, Xiaoyan Li3, Qi Wang3, Xun Zhuang3* and Lei Zhang4*
Author Affiliations
BMC Public Health 2015, 15:163 doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1402-5
Published: 19 February 2015
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Flood is common in China and causes extensive loss of property and human lives. Elderly is a vulnerable population prone to the detrimental impacts of floods. This survey aims to investigate the health status and the HRQoL of the elderly in Bazhong city after a major flood in 2011.
Methods
A total of 1183 elderly (aged 60) were surveyed through random sampling from eight villages in Bazhong city. Two-week healthcare-seeking rate and chronic diseases prevalence were recorded anonymously. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (MOS SF-36). Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to determine the associated factors of poor HRQoL.
Results
The two-week healthcare-seeking rate among post-flood Bazhong elderly was significantly higher than the references rate among rural elderly in Sichuan province (59.3% versus 55.7%, χ2 = 5.134, p = 0.013), but Bazhong elderly demonstrated a significantly lower prevalence of chronic disease (33.2% versus 44.4%, χ2 = 48.847, p < 0.001). All dimension scores among Bazhong elderly were significantly lower than the references scores in rural Sichuan elderly. The determinants of poor physical health included older age, singlehood, poor sleep patterns, and chronic diseases and so on.
Conclusions
A marked decline in health status among elderly in Bazhong after the 2011 flood. Post-flood management targeting elderly need to be sensitive to their age, gender, married status and status of chronic diseases.

BMC Research Notes
(Accessed 21 February 2015)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/content

.
Research article
Evaluation of non-response bias in a cohort study of World Trade Center terrorist attack survivors
Shengchao Yu, Robert M Brackbill, Steven D Stellman, Sharon Ghuman, Mark R Farfel BMC Research Notes 2015, 8:42 (15 February 2015)
.
Research article
Illness perceptions and explanatory models of viral hepatitis B & C among immigrants and refugees: a narrative systematic review
John A Owiti, Trisha Greenhalgh, Lorna Sweeney, Graham R Foster, Kamaldeep S Bhui BMC Public Health 2015, 15:151 (15 February 2015)
Abstract | Provisional PDF

Brown Journal of World Affairs
Volume XXI Issue 1 Fall–Winter 2014
http://brown.edu/initiatives/journal-world-affairs/

.
Rise of Africa
Africa’s New Economic Landscape
Punam Chuhan-Pole
Preview:
The August 2014 U.S.–Africa Leaders Summit served as a recognition of the dynamism of African economies and their growing interconnectedness with the global economy.1 For those who have been studying Africa’s economic development, the rise of the region has been evident for several years. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Africa has seen a remarkable turnaround in economic performance. Nearly two decades of robust growth and a better policy environment have made the region an increasingly attractive place to do business. Looking ahead, the more relevant issue is whether the region’s growth momentum will last. There are several deeper trends, especially natural resource wealth and demographic changes that hold the promise of sustaining Africa’s growth take-off and enhancing the region’s importance in the global economy. Unleashing this potential, however, will require countries to adopt appropriate reforms of policies and institutions.

.
Rise of Africa
Is Africa Rising?
Ian Taylor
Preview:
Africa is said to be rising, turning a definitive page in its history. African per capita growth figures are relatively high and have now been sustained for a decade or so, constructed on the back of high commodity prices. Analyses thus far have had strong evangelical undertones, suggesting that Africa has turned a corner and that its emergence is imminent. Barely a week passes without a new article, official report, or conference eulogizing the continent and its growth figures. Africa has been called a “rising star” and a global power that “will rule the 21st century.”1 Previous, less positive studies on Africa’s political economy are dismissed as “Afro-pessimism,” to be swept away by “the Ultimate Frontier Market.”2 It is clear that a flip-flop in attitudes regarding the continent has occurred. With minimal critical consideration, the narrative has swung from a portrayal of Africa as a basket case to Africa now being the future. Growth in GDP and opportunities for investors are the new intonations in a crude construction of Africa that has shifted almost overnight.

.
Rise of Africa
Religion and the Rise of Africa
Amy S. Patterson
Preview:
The September 2013 terrorist attack by al-Shabaab on the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya, heightened the world’s awareness of the role of religion in sub-Saharan Africa. When members of the Islamic terrorist organization, which controlled large swaths of Somalia from the late 1990s until recently, stormed shops and killed patrons and shopkeepers, they attacked symbols of consumerism, globalization, and Western influence. Indeed, most shoppers were either expatriates or middle- and upper-class Kenyans. Yet, while al-Shabaab’s actions generated media attention, they also contributed to a simplistic understanding of religion in Africa that paints religion as violent, primitive, and anti-Western. These assumptions depict religion as a new force in African security, politics, and development. As this article illustrates, these portrayals misrepresent reality. As actors with perceived legitimacy in society, religious leaders and institutions play complicated and diverse roles in Africa, from mobilizing parishioners for conservative social policies to negotiating peace agreements.

.
Capital Punishment
[No abstracts]
Capital Punishment
Carsten Anckar, Ty Alper, Salil Shetty
.
The Value of International Standards in the Campaign for Abolition of the Death Penalty
Salil Shetty
.
Why Countries Choose the Death Penalty
Carsten Anckar

Emergency Medicine Journal
March 2015, Volume 32, Issue 3
http://emj.bmj.com/content/current
.
Original article
Emergency and trauma care in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study of healthcare levels
Junaid A Razzak1,2, Syed M Baqir1, Uzma Rahim Khan1, David Heller3, Junaid Bhatti1,4,5,
Adnan A Hyder2
Author Affiliations
1Department of Emergency Medicine, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
2Aman Healthcare Services, Karachi, Pakistan
3International Injury Research Unit, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
4Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Canada
5Public Health Solutions Pakistan (Pvt) Limited, Lahore, Pakistan
Abstract
Background
The importance of emergency medical care for the successful functioning of health systems has been increasingly recognised. This study aimed to evaluate emergency and trauma care facilities in four districts of the province of Sindh, Pakistan.
Method
We conducted a cross-sectional health facility survey in four districts of the province of Sindh in Pakistan using a modified version of WHO’s Guidelines for essential trauma care. 93 public health facilities (81 primary care facilities, nine secondary care hospitals, three tertiary hospitals) and 12 large private hospitals were surveyed. Interviews of healthcare providers and visual inspections of essential equipment and supplies as per guidelines were performed. A total of 141 physicians providing various levels of care were tested for their knowledge of basic emergency care using a validated instrument.
Results
Only 4 (44%) public secondary, 3 (25%) private secondary hospitals and all three tertiary care hospitals had designated emergency rooms. The majority of primary care health facilities had less than 60% of all essential equipments overall. Most of the secondary level public hospitals (78%) had less than 60% of essential equipments, and none had 80% or more. A fourth of private secondary care facilities and all tertiary care hospitals (n=3; 100%) had 80% or more essential equipments. The average percentage score on the physician knowledge test was 30%. None of the physicians scored above 60% correct responses.
Conclusions
The study findings demonstrated a gap in both essential equipment and provider knowledge necessary for effective emergency and trauma care.

Food Security
Volume 7, Issue 1, February 2015
http://link.springer.com/journal/12571/7/1/page/1

.
Original Paper
Where is the limit? lessons learned from long-term conservation agriculture research in Zimuto Communal Area, Zimbabwe
Christian Thierfelder, Munyaradzi Mutenje, Angeline Mujeyi

.
Original Paper
The role of wild foods in food security: the example of Timor-Leste
William Erskine, Anita Ximenes, Diana Glazebrook, Marcelino da Costa…

.
Original Paper
The effect of women’s home gardens on vegetable production and consumption in Bangladesh
Pepijn Schreinemachers, Marie Antoinette Patalagsa, Md. Rafiqul Islam…

.
Original Paper
Food insecurity worldwide derived from food supply patterns
Eduardo Botti Abbade, Homero Dewes
Abstract
Worldwide, humanity is facing severe nutritional imbalances, which are dependent on access to food and the dietary habits of particular populations that can make them susceptible to malnutrition. This study aims to identify and analyze the main food supply patterns (FSPs) of populations worldwide, and then to relate them to their respective malnutrition conditions. The hypothesis is that there are specific, geographically identifiable FSPs that are associated with the nutritional misalignment of certain populations to a greater degree than others. This investigation is based on data regarding the supply of the main food groups worldwide, as well as the metrics associated with malnutrition. Data analyses were performed using descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, ANOVA, and correlation analysis. The results suggest the existence of nine clusters of countries with specific FSPs that differ significantly regarding their supplies of macronutrients and their malnutrition traits. Furthermore, using Pearson’s coefficient of variation (CV) to assess the balance level (or symmetry) of each FSP, reflecting the average supply of food groups, the results suggest the existence of a positive and significant correlation (r = 0.6364; p  = 0.000) between the imbalance level of particular FSPs and the prevalence of underweight children in their respective populations. Also, FSPs 1, 3, and 4 are strongly associated with obesogenic traits, with FSP 3 being the most strongly associated with the prevalence of overweight. According to our analyses, the FSPs of Southern Africa (with a strong prevalence of child overweight) and Southern Asia (with a strong prevalence of child underweight) lead to the worst conditions observed, while the populations with the best nutritional status are based on the FSP of Eastern Asia.

Forum for Development Studies
Volume 42, Issue 1, 2015
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/sfds20/current

From Deviant to Bakla, Strong to Stronger: Mainstreaming Sexual and Gender Minorities into Disaster Risk Reduction in the Philippines
Alice McSherrya*, Eric Julian Manalastasb, J. C. Gaillarda & Soledad Natalia M. Dalisayc
DOI:10.1080/08039410.2014.952330
pages 27-40
Published online: 07 Nov 2014
Abstract
Disaster risk reduction (DRR), and indeed development at large, has traditionally been reluctant to acknowledge and accept the issue of gendered and sexual diversity in its mainstream policy design and practice. Recent forays into mainstreaming gender and sexual minorities into DRR have, however, highlighted the crucial role that these minorities play in bigger development aspirations of participation and empowerment. This debate article explores the notion of ‘queering development’ in DRR, and by drawing upon a recent DRR project in a rural area of the Philippines that is at high risk of natural hazards, we suggest a new framework for conceptualizing and ‘doing’ DRR.

.
Potential Impact of Alternative Agricultural Technologies to Ensure Food Security and Raise Income of Farm Households in Rwanda
Jean-Claude Bidogezaab*, Paul B.M. Berentsenb, Jan de Graaffc & Alfons Oude Lansinkb
DOI:10.1080/08039410.2014.972444
pages 133-157
Published online: 05 Nov 2014
Abstract
Rapid population growth and stagnation of agricultural yields in Rwanda have caused a steady decline in food production per capita, a continuous expansion towards the use of marginal land and a strong degradation of land. The challenge of simultaneously achieving food security, rural welfare, land protection and soil fertility regeneration in the face of its high population is overwhelming to Rwanda. The objectives of this article are to assess the potential impacts of the alternative agricultural technologies on income, food production and soil loss for four arable farm household types and to assess policies that could induce adoption of these technologies. These include combined use of Tithonia diversifolia (green manure) and Diammonium phosphate. The bio-economic farm household model used has a form of a mathematical form of quadratic programming model. Model results show that these alternative agricultural technologies will clearly enhance food production and income for all farm household types except the full-time farm household for which cash at the beginning of the season is too restricted to switch to the new technologies. The outcomes of the model also reveal that with alternative technologies soil loss and soil organic carbon do not entail negative economic consequences. Off-farm employment policy will have a high impact on adoption among households with small farms and less off-farm opportunities because it provides cash that is needed to adopt the new technologies.

Globalization and Health
[Accessed 21 February 2015]
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/

Debate
The ecosystem approach to health is a promising strategy in international development: lessons from Japan and Laos
Takashi Asakura1*, Hein Mallee2, Sachi Tomokawa3, Kazuhiko Moji4 and Jun Kobayashi5
Author Affiliations
Globalization and Health 2015, $article.volume.volumeNumber:3 doi:10.1186/s12992-015-0093-0
Published: 16 February 2015
Abstract (provisional)
Background
An ecological perspective was prominently present in the health promotion movement in the 1980s, but this seems to have faded. The burden of disease the developing world is facing cannot be addressed solely by reductionist approaches. Holistic approaches are called for that recognize the fundamentally interdependent nature of health and other societal, developmental, and ecosystem related factors in human communities. An ecosystem approach to human health (ecohealth) provides a good starting point to explore these interdependencies.
Discussion
Development assistance is often based on the assumption that developed countries can serve as models for developing ones. Japan has provided lavish assistance to Laos for example, much of it going to the development of transport networks. However, there is little sign that there is an awareness of the potentially negative environmental and health impacts of this assistance. We argue that the health consequences of environmental degradation are not always understood, and that developing countries need to consider these issues. The ecohealth approach is useful when exploring this issue. We highlight three implications of the ecohealth approach: (1) The WHO definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being emphasized that health is more than the absence of disease. However, because this approach may involve an unattainable goal, we suggest that health should be defined in the ecosystem context, and the goal should be to attain acceptable and sustainable levels of health through enabling people to realize decent livelihoods, and to pursue their life purpose; (2) The increasing interconnectedness of ecosystems in a globalizing world requires an ethical approach that considers human responsibility for the global biosphere. Here, ecohealth could be a countervailing force to our excessive concentration on economy and technology; and (3) If ecohealth is to become a positive agent of change in the global health promotion movement, it will have to find a secure place in the educational curriculum.
Summary
This article presents a brief case study of Japan’s development assistance to Laos, and its environmental and health implications, as an illustration of the ecohealth approach. We highlight three implications of the ecohealth perspective.

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment
Volume 6 Issue 1
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/toc/ijdrbe/6/1

Improving the social performance of flash flood early warnings using mobile services
Lydia Cumiskey , Micha Werner , Karen Meijer , S.H.M. Fakhruddin , Ahmadul Hassan
(pp. 57 – 72)
.
Research paper
A disaster resilient built environment in urban cities: The need to empower local governments
Chamindi Malalgoda , Dilanthi Amaratunga
(pp. 102 – 116)
Research paper
.
Guest editorial
Making Cities Resilient and the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction
Jerry Velasquez

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 17, Issue 1, February 2015
http://link.springer.com/journal/10903/17/1/page/1

Original Paper
Awareness and Knowledge of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Among Ethnically Diverse Women Varying in Generation Status
L. M. Garcini, K. E. Murray…
Pages 29-36

.
Original Paper
Development and Initial Testing of Messages to Encourage Tuberculosis Testing and Treatment Among Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Vaccinated Persons
Joan M. Mangan, Sebastian Galindo-Gonzalez…
Pages 79-88 .

.
Original Paper
Understanding HPV Vaccination Among Latino Adolescent Girls in Three U.S. Regions
Beth A. Glenn, Jennifer Tsui…
Pages 96-103

.
Original Paper
Low Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Knowledge Among Latino Parents in Utah
Deanna Kepka, Echo L. Warner, Anita Y. Kinney…
Pages 125-131

.
Original Paper
Parental Awareness and Dental Attendance of Children Among African Immigrants
Maryam S. Amin, Arnaldo Perez, Pawan Nyachhyon
Pages 132-138

Journal of Medical Ethics
March 2015, Volume 41, Issue 3
http://jme.bmj.com/content/current

Refugees, humanitarian aid and the right to decline vaccinations
A L Caplan, David R Curry
J Med Ethics 2015;41:276-277 Published Online First: 18 August 2014 doi:10.1136/medethics-2014-102383
[Abstract]

Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (JPIDS)
Volume 4 Issue 1 March 2015
http://jpids.oxfordjournals.org/content/current

Chikungunya Virus in the Caribbean: A Threat for All of the Americas
Enrique Gutierrez-Saravia1 and Camilo E. Gutierrez2
Author Affiliations
1SLIPE Board of Directors; Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Nueva Granada Military University, Bogotá, Colombia
2Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, MA
Received December 29, 2014.
Accepted January 5, 2015.
Extract
The first known autochthonous transmission of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) fever in the Western Hemisphere occurred in October 2013 in the French sector of the island of Saint Martin, approximately 150 miles east from Puerto Rico [1]. Chikungunya virus is a mosquito-borne arbovirus widely distributed in Africa, Southeast Asia, and India, but until the last decade it was responsible mainly for sporadic, limited outbreaks of illness [2–5]. Its recent epidemic spread through the Caribbean now poses a threat to the continental countries of South, Central, and North America [6–10].

.
Systematic Review of Antibiotic Resistance Rates Among Gram-Negative Bacteria in Children With Sepsis in Resource-Limited Countries
Kirsty Le Doare1,2, Julia Bielicki2, Paul T. Heath2 and Mike Sharland2
Author Affiliations
1Wellcome Centre for Global Health Research, Imperial College, London
2Paediatric Infectious Diseases Research Group, St George’s University of London, UK
Received October 9, 2013.
Accepted January 16, 2014.
Abstract
Background
Gram-negative antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is of global concern, yet there are few reports from low- and low-middle-income countries, where antimicrobial choices are often limited.
Methods
This study offers a systematic review of PubMed, Embase, and World Health Organization (WHO) regional databases of Gram-negative bacteremia in children in low- and low-middle-income countries reporting AMR since 2001.
Results
Data included 30 studies comprising 71 326 children, of whom 7056 had positive blood cultures, and Gram-negative organisms were isolated in 4710 (66.8%). In neonates, Klebsiella pneumoniae median resistance to ampicillin was 94% and cephalosporins 84% in Asia; 100% and 50% in Africa. Large regional variations in resistance rates to commonly prescribed antibiotics for Salmonella spp. were identified. Multidrug resistance (resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and cotrimoxazole) was present in 30% (interquartile range [IQR], 0–59.6) in Asia and 75% (IQR, 30–85.4) in Africa.
Conclusions
There is a need for an international pediatric antimicrobial resistance surveillance system that collects local epidemiological data to improve the evidence base for the WHO guidance for childhood Gram-negative bacteremia.

.
Susceptibility to Measles Among Perinatally HIV-Infected Adolescents and Young Adults
Lee E. Morris, Roberto Posada, Carole J. Hickman, Donald R. Latner, Tricia A. Singh, Alyssa Rautenberg, Jennifer Jao, William J. Bellini, and Rhoda Sperling
J Ped Infect Dis (2015) 4 (1): 63-66 doi:10.1093/jpids/pit054
Abstract

The Lancet Global Health
Volume 3, No. 3, e162–e168, March 2015
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

Editorial
Ebola vaccines: an uncertain future?
Zoë Mullan
Published Online: 11 February 2015
Open Access
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(15)70083-5
On Jan 28, the preliminary phase 1 safety data for GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK’s) candidate Ebola vaccine were published. The chimpanzee adenovirus vector (ChAd3) vaccine, which encodes a wild-type surface glycoprotein from Zaire Ebolavirus, raised no safety concerns in the 60 healthy volunteers from the UK tested and showed reasonable immunogenicity. Five days later, the first dose was given to a Liberian man as part of an expedited phase 3 trial in west Africa. Phase 1 trials of at least two other candidates are in progress: Merck’s Zaire-strain-encoding vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) vector, and Johnson & Johnson’s heterologous prime-boost vaccine based on human Ad26 and modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vectors expressing Zaire strain glycoprotein.

The rapid roll-out of these trials has been tremendously impressive. Yet none of the vaccines were originally developed with African public health in mind: they were created out of fear that the virus could be used as a bioweapon. Concerns over limited market size and recipient governments’ ability to pay meant that the business case for a population-level Ebola vaccine was flimsy. Now, as the epidemic wanes and phase 3 trials and licensing become more complex, there is a risk that manufacturers will revert back to this previous state of thinking. Declining case numbers have already led drug manufacturer Chimerix to pull out of a trial of brincidofovir in Liberia. This is disheartening to say the least.

The reduction in incidence of Ebola virus disease has been brought about by means of a combination of scaled-up treatment capacity, safe burial practices, and rigorous case and contact finding. Vital communication and consultation work with communities has improved trust and understanding. But, as Brian McCloskey from the Office of the UN Special Envoy on Ebola was at pains to point out at a seminar in London last week, the outbreak cannot yet be considered under control. In fact a slight uptick in cases since the beginning of February illustrates his point. He further emphasised that the outlook is now not one of a single epidemic across three countries, but of perhaps 60 or more localised outbreaks with the very real potential to spread across borders into countries such as Mali and Côte d’Ivoire.

The UN’s response strategy is now moving away from a concentration on treating the vast volume of cases and towards elimination of transmission. Here vaccines play a vital role. It was ring vaccination—ie, the vaccination of a “ring” of individuals potentially exposed to a case—that saw the eradication of smallpox in 1980. Furthermore, as Peter Piot noted at the same seminar, Ebola’s ability to disrupt the whole health system by means of decimating the workforce is as potent a threat as its case–fatality rate. Vaccination of health workers could neutralise this threat. With the UN’s focus now on case and contact finding and with a still-uncertain epidemic trajectory, the drive to bring vaccines (and the more the better) to licensing and production should not falter.

So what of the realities of this for vaccine manufacturers? There is hope. First, a willingness to collaborate between governments, funding bodies, and companies has been key to the success of the vaccine trials so far. The phase 1 GSK vaccine trial in the UK, for example, was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the UK Department for International Development, the UK Medical Research Council, and the UK National Institute for Health Research. Financial support for its further development is being provided by the European Union, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Swiss Government. GSK has committed to scaling up vaccine production even as later-phase trials are ongoing. Second, governments are offering levers such as tax incentives and extended exclusivity rights to drive manufacturers on. And third, regulators are showing signs of flexibility in terms of accelerated licensure in the event that the waning epidemic delays the ability to demonstrate efficacy.

Vaccines are not a magic bullet. Nothing can replace the basic tenets of public health epidemiology and community mobilisation. But in the early days of a new outbreak in an unprepared population, as in all likelihood will happen again, vaccines can be a vital early weapon. Once we are reasonably assured of safety and efficacy, everything must be done to ensure that stockpiles are ready and the necessary clearances for their use are in place.

.

Comment
Trafficking, migration, and health: complexities and future directions
Shira M Goldenberg
Open Access
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(15)70082-3
Summary
Documenting the health-related harms associated with human trafficking is crucial for the development of strategies to protect and promote the health of individuals who experience this serious human rights violation. In The Lancet Global Health, Ligia Kiss and colleagues1 report the results of a study of 1102 men, women, and children receiving post-trafficking services in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam—the largest quantitative study of its kind. They document the health-related harms experienced by men, women, and children trafficked for sex work (32%), fishing (27%), and factory work (13%).

.
Comment
Effectiveness of oral cholera vaccine in Haiti
Francisco J Luquero, David A Sack
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(15)70015-X
Summary
Although killed, whole-cell oral cholera vaccines (OCVs) have been known to be efficacious since 1986,1 and the bivalent whole-cell vaccine Shanchol has been licensed in India since 2009,2 OCV was not regarded as useful for controlling cholera outbreaks until recently.2 Many public health officials questioned the use of OCV,3 including concerns about its cost, the feasibility of undertaking large campaigns, the acceptability of OCV among vaccinated communities, and the possibility of diverting resources from other interventions.

.
Articles
Dietary quality among men and women in 187 countries in 1990 and 2010: a systematic assessment
Fumiaki Imamura, Renata Micha, Shahab Khatibzadeh, Saman Fahimi, Peilin Shi, John Powles, Dariush Mozaffarian, on behalf of the Global Burden of Diseases Nutrition and Chronic Diseases Expert Group (NutriCoDE)
e132
.
Cost-effectiveness of two versus three or more doses of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria during pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: a modelling study of meta-analysis and cost data
Silke Fernandes, Elisa Sicuri, Kassoum Kayentao, Anne Maria van Eijk, Jenny Hill, Jayne Webster, Vincent Were, James Akazili, Mwayi Madanitsa, Feiko O ter Kuile, Kara Hanson
e143
.
Health of men, women, and children in post-trafficking services in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam: an observational cross-sectional study
Ligia Kiss, Nicola S Pocock, Varaporn Naisanguansri, Soksreymom Suos, Brett Dickson, Doan Thuy, Jobst Koehler, Kittiphan Sirisup, Nisakorn Pongrungsee, Van Anh Nguyen, Rosilyne Borland, Poonam Dhavan, Cathy Zimmerman
e154
Summary
Background
Trafficking is a crime of global proportions involving extreme forms of exploitation and abuse. Yet little research has been done of the health risks and morbidity patterns for men, women, and children trafficked for various forms of forced labour.
Methods
We carried out face-to-face interviews with a consecutive sample of individuals entering 15 post-trafficking services in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. We asked participants about living and working conditions, experience of violence, and health outcomes. We measured symptoms of anxiety and depression with the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist and post-traumatic stress disorder with the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, and used adjusted logistic regression models to estimate the effect of trafficking on these mental health outcomes, controlling for age, sector of exploitation, and time in trafficking.
Findings
We interviewed 1102 people, of whom 1015 reached work destinations. Participants worked in various sectors including sex work (329 [32%]), fishing (275 [27%]), and factories (136 [13%]). 481 (48%) of 1015 experienced physical violence, sexual violence, or both, with 198 (35%) of 566 women and girls reporting sexual violence. 478 (47%) of 1015 participants were threatened and 198 (20%) were locked in a room. 685 (70%) of 985 who had data available worked 7 days per week and 296 (30%) of 989 worked at least 11 hours per day. 222 (22%) of 983 had a serious injury at work. 61•2% (95% CI 58•2–64•2) of participants reported symptom of depression, 42•8% (39•8–45•9) reported symptoms of anxiety, and 38•9% (36•0–42•0) reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. 5•2% (4•0–6•8) had attempted suicide in the past month. Participants who experienced extremely excessive overtime at work, restricted freedom, bad living conditions, threats, or severe violence were more likely to report symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Interpretation
This is the first health study of a large and diverse sample of men, women, and child survivors of trafficking for various forms of exploitation. Violence and unsafe working conditions were common and psychological morbidity was associated with severity of abuse. Survivors of trafficking need access to health care, especially mental health care.

.
Articles
Effectiveness of reactive oral cholera vaccination in rural Haiti: a case-control study and bias-indicator analysis
Dr Louise C Ivers, MBBCh, Isabelle J Hilaire, MD, Jessica E Teng, MPH, Charles P Almazor, MD, J Gregory Jerome, MD, Ralph Ternier, MD, Jacques Boncy, MD, Josiane Buteau, MD, Prof Megan B Murray, MD, Jason B Harris, MD, Molly F Franke, ScD
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(14)70368-7
Open access funded by the Author(s)
Summary
Background
Between April and June, 2012, a reactive cholera vaccination campaign was done in Haiti with an oral inactivated bivalent whole-cell vaccine. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of the vaccine in a case-control study and to assess the likelihood of bias in that study in a bias-indicator study.
Methods
Residents of Bocozel or Grand Saline who were eligible for the vaccination campaign (ie, age ≥12 months, not pregnant, and living in the region at the time of the vaccine campaign) were included. In the primary case-control study, cases had acute watery diarrhoea, sought treatment at one of three participating cholera treatment units, and had a stool sample positive for cholera by culture. For each case, four control individuals who did not seek treatment for acute watery diarrhoea were matched by location of residence, enrolment time (within 2 weeks of the case), and age (1–4 years, 5–15 years, and >15 years). Cases in the bias-indicator study were individuals with acute watery diarrhoea with a negative stool sample for cholera. Controls were selected in the same manner as in the primary case-control study. Trained staff used standard laboratory procedures to do rapid tests and stool cultures from study cases. Participants were interviewed to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors for cholera, and self-reported vaccination. Data were analysed by conditional logistic regression, adjusting for matching factors.
Findings
From Oct 24, 2012, to March 9, 2014, 114 eligible individuals presented with acute watery diarrhoea and were enrolled, 25 of whom were subsequently excluded. 47 participants were analysed as cases in the vaccine effectiveness case-control study and 42 as cases in the bias-indicator study. 33 (70%) of 47 cholera cases self-reported vaccination versus 167 (89%) of 188 controls (vaccine effectiveness 63%, 95% CI 8–85). 27 (57%) of 47 cases had certified vaccination versus 147 (78%) of 188 controls (vaccine effectiveness 58%, 13–80). Neither self-reported nor verified vaccination was significantly associated with non-cholera diarrhoea (vaccine effectiveness 18%, 95% CI −208 to 78 by self-report and −21%, −238 to 57 by verified vaccination).
Interpretation
Bivalent whole-cell oral cholera vaccine effectively protected against cholera in Haiti from 4 months to 24 months after vaccination. Vaccination is an important component of efforts to control cholera epidemics.
Funding
National Institutes of Health, Delivering Oral Vaccines Effectively project, and Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

New England Journal of Medicine
February 19, 2015 Vol. 372 No. 8
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Editorial
HPV “Coverage”
Anne Schuchat, M.D.
N Engl J Med 2015; 372:775-776 February 19, 2015 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe1415742
This article has no abstract; the first 100 words appear below.
This issue of the Journal presents a milestone in expanding the coverage of cancers associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Joura and colleagues1 report the results of a randomized, controlled trial of a new 9-valent HPV vaccine versus a quadrivalent HPV vaccine in more than 14,000 young women. The authors found that the new vaccine had an efficacy of nearly 97% against high-grade cervical, vulvar, and vaginal disease related to HPV types 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the 9-valent vaccine was not found to be more beneficial than the quadrivalent vaccine, presumably because so many . . .

.
Original Article
A 9-Valent HPV Vaccine against Infection and Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Women
Elmar A. Joura, M.D., Anna R. Giuliano, Ph.D., Ole-Erik Iversen, M.D., Celine Bouchard, M.D., Constance Mao, M.D., Jesper Mehlsen, M.D., Edson D. Moreira, Jr., M.D., Yuen Ngan, M.D., Lone Kjeld Petersen, M.D., Eduardo Lazcano-Ponce, M.D., Punnee Pitisuttithum, M.D., Jaime Alberto Restrepo, M.D., Gavin Stuart, M.D., Linn Woelber, M.D., Yuh Cheng Yang, M.D., Jack Cuzick, Ph.D., Suzanne M. Garland, M.D., Warner Huh, M.D., Susanne K. Kjaer, M.D., Oliver M. Bautista, Ph.D., Ivan S.F. Chan, Ph.D., Joshua Chen, Ph.D., Richard Gesser, M.D., Erin Moeller, M.P.H., Michael Ritter, B.A., Scott Vuocolo, Ph.D., and Alain Luxembourg, M.D., Ph.D. for the Broad Spectrum HPV Vaccine Study
N Engl J Med 2015; 372:711-723 February 19, 2015 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1405044
Abstract
Background
The investigational 9-valent viruslike particle vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) includes the HPV types in the quadrivalent HPV (qHPV) vaccine (6, 11, 16, and 18) and five additional oncogenic types (31, 33, 45, 52, and 58). Here we present the results of a study of the efficacy and immunogenicity of the 9vHPV vaccine in women 16 to 26 years of age.
Methods
We performed a randomized, international, double-blind, phase 2b–3 study of the 9vHPV vaccine in 14,215 women. Participants received the 9vHPV vaccine or the qHPV vaccine in a series of three intramuscular injections on day 1 and at months 2 and 6. Serum was collected for analysis of antibody responses. Swabs of labial, vulvar, perineal, perianal, endocervical, and ectocervical tissue were obtained and used for HPV DNA testing, and liquid-based cytologic testing (Papanicolaou testing) was performed regularly. Tissue obtained by means of biopsy or as part of definitive therapy (including a loop electrosurgical excision procedure and conization) was tested for HPV.
Results
The rate of high-grade cervical, vulvar, or vaginal disease irrespective of HPV type (i.e., disease caused by HPV types included in the 9vHPV vaccine and those not included) in the modified intention-to-treat population (which included participants with and those without prevalent infection or disease) was 14.0 per 1000 person-years in both vaccine groups. The rate of high-grade cervical, vulvar, or vaginal disease related to HPV-31, 33, 45, 52, and 58 in a prespecified per-protocol efficacy population (susceptible population) was 0.1 per 1000 person-years in the 9vHPV group and 1.6 per 1000 person-years in the qHPV group (efficacy of the 9vHPV vaccine, 96.7%; 95% confidence interval, 80.9 to 99.8). Antibody responses to HPV-6, 11, 16, and 18 were noninferior to those generated by the qHPV vaccine. Adverse events related to injection site were more common in the 9vHPV group than in the qHPV group.
Conclusions
The 9vHPV vaccine prevented infection and disease related to HPV-31, 33, 45, 52, and 58 in a susceptible population and generated an antibody response to HPV-6, 11, 16, and 18 that was noninferior to that generated by the qHPV vaccine. The 9vHPV vaccine did not prevent infection and disease related to HPV types beyond the nine types covered by the vaccine. (Funded by Merck; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00543543).

PLoS Currents: Outbreaks
http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/
(Accessed 21 February 2015)

Assessing the Direct Effects of the Ebola Outbreak on Life Expectancy in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea
February 19, 2015 • Research
Abstract
Background:
An EVD outbreak may reduce life expectancy directly (due to high mortality among EVD cases) and indirectly (e.g., due to lower utilization of healthcare and subsequent increases in non-EVD mortality). In this paper, we investigated the direct effects of EVD on life expectancy in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea (LSLG thereafter).
Methods:
We used data on EVD cases and deaths published in situation reports by the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as data on the age of EVD cases reported from patient datasets. We used data on non-EVD mortality from the most recent life tables published prior to the EVD outbreak. We then formulated three scenarios based on hypotheses about a) the extent of under-reporting of EVD cases and b) the EVD case fatality ratio. For each scenario, we re-estimated the number of EVD deaths in LSLG and we applied standard life table techniques to calculate life expectancy.
Results:
In Liberia, possible reductions in life expectancy resulting from EVD deaths ranged from 1.63 year (low EVD scenario) to 5.56 years (high EVD scenario), whereas in Sierra Leone, possible life expectancy declines ranged from 1.38 to 5.10 years. In Guinea, the direct effects of EVD on life expectancy were more limited (<1.20 year).
Conclusions:
Our high EVD scenario suggests that, due to EVD deaths, life expectancy may have declined in Liberia and Sierra Leone to levels these two countries had not experienced since 2001-2003, i.e., approximately the end of their civil wars. The total effects of EVD on life expectancy may however be larger due to possible concomitant increases in non-EVD mortality during the outbreak.

Resilience: International Policies, Practices and Discourses
Volume 3, Issue 1, 2015
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/resi20/current#.VOkz6y5nBhW

Fundamental determinants of urban resilience: A search for indicators applied to public health crisis
Marie-Christine Therriena, Georges A. Tanguayb* & Iseut Beauregard-Guérinc
DOI:10.1080/21693293.2014.988915
pages 18-39
Published online: 22 Jan 2015
Abstract
We analysed 26 studies of the use of public health resilience indicators (PHRIs) in an urban setting in western countries, provinces and states. We selected 279 PHRIs in these studies, of which 270 (97%) are used only once or twice. The analysis of the studies thus reveals a lack of consensus not only on the conceptual framework and the approach favoured, but also on the selection and optimal number of indicators. First, by performing different classifications and categorisations of PHRI we identify problems inherent in territorial practices that use PHRI. Second, we argue that the lack of consensus in several steps of the creation of PHRI stems notably from the ambiguity in the definitions of urban public health resilience, objectives for the use of such indicators, the selection method and the accessibility of data. Third, we propose a selection strategy for PHRI through which we demonstrate the need to adopt a parsimonious list of PHRI covering the urban resilience components and their constituent categories as broadly as possible while minimising the number of indicators retained. The result is a concise and less redundant list of indicators that are less sectoral and more integrative, which has the advantage of encompassing the integrated dimensions of urban resilience.

.
Researching resilience: An agenda for change
Peter Rogersa*
DOI:10.1080/21693293.2014.988914
pages 55-71
Published online: 30 Jan 2015
Abstract
Drawing on a wide range of research – including disaster management, security studies, international relations and social sciences – this article offers a critical perspective on the current state of play in international research on disaster resilience. Some suggestions are made on how academic approaches can better interface with policy solutions to the wicked problem of disasters. The goal of this paper is to offer one potential roadmap of how research on resilience can help, not hinder, the broader policy agenda for increased societal security and disaster resilience.

.
Review Essay
Humanitarian business/Humanitarian intervention: ideas in action
Reinventing humanitarian intervention and resilience in the age of new conflicts and natural disasters
Andreea Madalina Ciurea
pages 87-92
[No abstract]

Risk Analysis
January 2015 Volume 35, Issue 1 Pages 1–177
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/risa.2015.35.issue-1/issuetoc

Original Research Article
Examining Public Trust in Risk-Managing Organizations After a Major Disaster
Kazuya Nakayachi*
Article first published online: 20 JUN 2014
DOI: 10.1111/risa.12243
Abstract
This research investigates the public’s trust in risk-managing organizations after suffering serious damage from a major disaster. It is natural for public trust to decrease in organizations responsible for mitigating the damage. However, what about trust in organizations that address hazards not directly related to the disaster? Based on the results of surveys conducted by a national institute, the Japanese government concluded, in a White Paper on Science and Technology, that the public’s trust in scientists declined overall after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. Because scientists play a key role in risk assessment and risk management in most areas, one could predict that trust in risk-managing organizations overall would decrease after a major disaster. The methodology of that survey, however, had limitations that prevented such conclusions. For this research, two surveys were conducted to measure the public’s trust in risk-managing organizations regarding various hazards, before and after the Tohoku Earthquake (n = 1,192 in 2008 and n = 1,138 in 2012). The results showed that trust decreased in risk-managing organizations that deal with earthquakes and nuclear accidents, whereas trust levels related to many other hazards, especially in areas not touched by the Tohoku Earthquake, remained steady or even increased. These results reject the assertion that distrust rippled through all risk-managing organizations. The implications of this research are discussed, with the observation that this result is not necessarily gratifying for risk managers because high trust sometimes reduces public preparedness for disasters.

.
Original Research Article
False Alarms and Missed Events: The Impact and Origins of Perceived Inaccuracy in Tornado Warning Systems
Joseph T. Ripberger1,*, Carol L. Silva2, Hank C. Jenkins-Smith3, Deven E. Carlson4, Mark James5 andKerry G. Herron6
Article first published online: 31 JUL 2014
DOI: 10.1111/risa.12262
Abstract
Theory and conventional wisdom suggest that errors undermine the credibility of tornado warning systems and thus decrease the probability that individuals will comply (i.e., engage in protective action) when future warnings are issued. Unfortunately, empirical research on the influence of warning system accuracy on public responses to tornado warnings is incomplete and inconclusive. This study adds to existing research by analyzing two sets of relationships. First, we assess the relationship between perceptions of accuracy, credibility, and warning response. Using data collected via a large regional survey, we find that trust in the National Weather Service (NWS; the agency responsible for issuing tornado warnings) increases the likelihood that an individual will opt for protective action when responding to a hypothetical warning. More importantly, we find that subjective perceptions of warning system accuracy are, as theory suggests, systematically related to trust in the NWS and (by extension) stated responses to future warnings. The second half of the study matches survey data against NWS warning and event archives to investigate a critical follow-up question—Why do some people perceive that their warning system is accurate, whereas others perceive that their system is error prone? We find that subjective perceptions are—in part—a function of objective experience, knowledge, and demographic characteristics. When considered in tandem, these findings support the proposition that errors influence perceptions about the accuracy of warning systems, which in turn impact the credibility that people assign to information provided by systems and, ultimately, public decisions about how to respond when warnings are issued.

Sustainability
Volume 7, Issue 2 (February 2015), Pages 1099-2273
http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/7/2

Article: Gender and Public Pensions in China: Do Pensions Reduce the Gender Gap in Compensation?
by Tianhong Chen and John A. Turner
Sustainability 2015, 7(2), 1355-1369; doi:10.3390/su7021355
Received: 30 October 2014 / Revised: 9 December 2014 / Accepted: 14 January 2015 / Published: 27 January 2015
.
Article: Responding to Crop Failure: Understanding Farmers’ Coping Strategies in Southern Malawi
by Jeanne Y. Coulibaly, Glwadys A. Gbetibouo, Godfrey Kundhlande, Gudeta W. Sileshi and Tracy L. Beedy
Sustainability 2015, 7(2), 1620-1636; doi:10.3390/su7021620
Received: 5 November 2014 / Revised: 18 December 2014 / Accepted: 15 January 2015 / Published: 3 February 2015
.
Article: A Stepwise, Participatory Approach to Design and Implement Community Based Adaptation to Drought in the Peruvian Andes
by Ralph Lasage, Sanne Muis, Carolina S. E. Sardella, Michiel A. van Drunen, Peter H. Verburg and Jeroen C. J. H. Aerts
Sustainability 2015, 7(2), 1742-1773; doi:10.3390/su7021742
Received: 14 August 2014 / Accepted: 30 January 2015 / Published: 10 February 2015