PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 12 November 2016)

.
Perspective
Three Steps to Improve Management of Noncommunicable Diseases in Humanitarian Crises
Kiran Jobanputra, Philippa Boulle, Bayard Roberts, Pablo Perel
| published 08 Nov 2016 PLOS Medicine
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002180
Initial text
Treatment of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is particularly challenging in settings affected by humanitarian crises, where insecurity and damaged health systems reduce access to treatment. While a United Nations (UN) Political Declaration and a World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan recognise the significant contribution of NCDs to global morbidity and mortality [1, 2], the problem of NCDs during emergencies and in humanitarian response has been underrecognised [3]. The evidence base is negligible: a systematic review on the effectiveness of interventions for NCDs in humanitarian settings found just eight studies published over the last 35 years, four of which came from the same refugee camp in Jordan [4]. Humanitarian guidelines (e.g., Sphere) provide scant information on NCDs [5], while leading international NCD guidelines are based on evidence from resource-rich settings and adapted to fit stable, resource-constrained settings [6].

.

Research Article
Measures of Malaria Burden after Long-Lasting Insecticidal Net Distribution and Indoor Residual Spraying at Three Sites in Uganda: A Prospective Observational Study
Agaba Katureebe, Kate Zinszer, Emmanuel Arinaitwe, John Rek, Elijah Kakande, Katia Charland, Ruth Kigozi, Maxwell Kilama, Joaniter Nankabirwa, Adoke Yeka, Henry Mawejje, Arthur Mpimbaza, Henry Katamba, Martin J. Donnelly, Philip J. Rosenthal, Chris Drakeley, Steve W. Lindsay, Sarah G. Staedke, David L. Smith, Bryan Greenhouse, Moses R. Kamya, Grant Dorsey
| published 08 Nov 2016 PLOS Medicine
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002167

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 12 November 2016)

.
Research Article
Use of the Health Belief Model for the Assessment of Public Knowledge and Household Preventive Practices in Karachi, Pakistan, a Dengue-Endemic City
Taranum Ruba Siddiqui, Saima Ghazal, Safia Bibi, Waquaruddin Ahmed, Shaimuna Fareeha Sajjad
Research Article | published 10 Nov 2016 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005129

.

Viewpoints
Zika Virus May Affect the Universal Two-Child Policy: A New Challenge for China
Pengcheng Zhou, Juan Wang, Yixiang Zheng, Rongrong Zhou, Xue-Gong Fan
| published 10 Nov 2016 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0004984

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 12 November 2016]

.
Research Article
Differences in Influenza Vaccination Coverage between Adult Immigrants and Italian Citizens at Risk for Influenza-Related Complications: A Cross-Sectional Study
Massimo Fabiani, Flavia Riccardo, Anteo Di Napoli, Lidia Gargiulo, Silvia Declich, Alessio Petrelli
Research Article | published 10 Nov 2016 PLOS ONE
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166517

Nationwide Trends in Bacterial Meningitis before the Introduction of 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine—Burkina Faso, 2011–2013
Dinanibè Kambiré, Heidi M. Soeters, Rasmata Ouédraogo-Traoré, Isaïe Medah, Lassana Sangare, Issaka Yaméogo, Guetawendé Sawadogo, Abdoul-Salam Ouédraogo, Soumeya Hema-Ouangraoua, Lesley McGee, Velusamy Srinivasan, Flavien Aké, Malika Congo-Ouédraogo, Soufian Sanou, Absatou Ky Ba, Ryan T. Novak, Chris Van Beneden, MenAfriNet Consortium
Research Article | published 10 Nov 2016 PLOS ONE
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166384

Pneumococcal Carriage in Children under Five Years in Uganda-Will Present Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines Be Appropriate?
Ann Lindstrand, Joan Kalyango, Tobias Alfvén, Jessica Darenberg, Daniel Kadobera, Freddie Bwanga, Stefan Peterson, Birgitta Henriques-Normark, Karin Källander
Research Article | published 09 Nov 2016 PLOS ONE
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166018

Research Article
The Effects of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme on Maternal and Infant Health Care Utilization
Igna Bonfrer, Lyn Breebaart, Ellen Van de Poel
| published 11 Nov 2016 PLOS ONE
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0165623

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/

.
Sackler Colloquium on Coupled Human and Environmental Systems – Social Sciences – Economic Sciences – Social Sciences – Sustainability Science:
Coordination vs. voluntarism and enforcement in sustaining international environmental cooperation
Scott Barrett
PNAS 2016 ; published ahead of print November 7, 2016, doi:10.1073/pnas.1604989113
Abstract
The fates of “transboundary” environmental systems depend on how nation states interact with one another. In the absence of a hegemon willing and able to coerce other states into avoiding a “tragedy of the commons,” shared environments will be safeguarded if international cooperation succeeds and degraded or even destroyed if it fails. Treaties and related institutions of international law give form to these efforts to cooperate. Often, they implore states to act in their collective (as opposed to their national) interests. Sometimes, they impel cooperating states to punish free riders. A few agreements coordinate states’ behavior. Here, I present simple game-theoretic models showing whether and how treaties and related institutions can change incentives, aligning states’ self-interests with their collective interests. I show that, as a general matter, states struggle to cooperate voluntarily and enforce agreements to cooperate but that they find it relatively easy to coordinate actions. In some cases, the need for coordination is manifest. In other cases, it requires strategic thinking. Coordination may fall short of supporting an ideal outcome, but it nearly always works better than the alternatives.

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/

.
Social Sciences – Social Sciences:
For blacks in America, the gap in neighborhood poverty has declined faster than segregation
Glenn Firebaugh and Francesco Acciai
PNAS 2016 ; published ahead of print November 7, 2016, doi:10.1073/pnas.1607220113
Significance
Racial inequality in America persists in part because of racial differences in exposure to adverse neighborhood environments. Blacks in particular are significantly more likely than other Americans to live in high-poverty neighborhoods—neighborhoods characterized by poor schools and limited access to healthcare, jobs, and beneficial social networks—resulting in inequality of opportunity, as life chances are diminished for residents of such neighborhoods. In addition, the greater exposure to crime, noise, and congestion implies a lower quality of life, on average, for black Americans. Because black neighborhood disadvantage results in inequality of life chances based on race, it is important to determine the direction, pace, and sources of change in black–nonblack differences in neighborhood poverty in America.
Abstract
Black residential segregation has been declining in the United States. That accomplishment rings hollow, however, if blacks continue to live in much poorer neighborhoods than other Americans. This study uses census data for all US metropolitan areas in 1980 and 2010 to compare decline in the neighborhood poverty gap between blacks and other Americans with decline in the residential segregation of blacks. We find that both declines resulted primarily from narrowing differences between blacks and whites as opposed to narrowing differences between blacks and Hispanics or blacks and Asians. Because black–white differences in neighborhood poverty declined much faster than black–white segregation, the neighborhood poverty disadvantage of blacks declined faster than black segregation—a noteworthy finding because the narrowing of the racial gap in neighborhood poverty for blacks has gone largely unnoticed. Further analysis reveals that the narrowing of the gap was produced by change in both the medians and shapes of the distribution of poverty across the neighborhoods where blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Asians reside.

Science
11 November 2016 Vol 354, Issue 6313
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

.
Editorial
Who should direct WHO?
By David L. Heymann
Science11 Nov 2016 : 685
Summary
Last week, member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) advanced another step in the nearly 1-year rigorous process of selecting its next director-general. Candidates for the position presented their vision of international health work and the role of this global health body. Having worked at WHO in a number of capacities in the area of infectious diseases, I know well that international health covers a wide breadth of issues. Add to that noncommunicable diseases and matters such as intellectual property and universal health coverage, and it becomes clear that the next director-general must be a jack of all trades, but also a master of one—leadership in public health. Leadership in this role is about conceiving and articulating a vision, staying faithful to that vision in the face of undue influence, and effectively engaging with not only governments, but with all stakeholders to gain their support and enable the vision to be realized.

.

Policy Forum
Precaution and governance of emerging technologies
By Gregory E. Kaebnick, Elizabeth Heitman, James P. Collins, Jason A. Delborne, Wayne G. Landis, Keegan Sawyer, Lisa A. Taneyhill, David E. Winickoff
Science11 Nov 2016 : 710-711 Restricted Access
Precaution can be consistent with support of science
Summary
Precautionary approaches to governance of emerging technology call for constraints on the use of technology whose outcomes include potential harms and are characterized by high levels of complexity and uncertainty. Although articulated in a variety of ways, proponents of precaution often argue that its essential feature is to require more evaluation of a technology before it is put to use, which increases the burden of proof that its overall effect is likely to be beneficial. Critics argue that precaution reflects irrational fears of unproven risks—“risk panics” (1)—and would paralyze development and use of beneficial new technologies (1, 2). Advocates give credence to this view when they suggest that precaution leads necessarily to moratoria (3). Progress in the debate over precaution is possible if we can reject the common assumption that precaution can be explained by a simple high-level principle and accept instead that what it requires must be worked out in particular contexts. The 2016 report from the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) on gene drive research (4) illustrates this position. The report shows both that precaution cannot be rejected out of hand as scaremongering and that meaningful precaution can be consistent with support for science.

:: Journal Watch
The Sentinel will track key peer-reviewed journals which address a broad range of interests in human rights, humanitarian response, health and development. It is not intended to be exhaustive. We will add to those monitored below as we encounter relevant content and upon recommendation from readers. We selectively provide full text of abstracts and other content but note that successful access to some of the articles and other content may require subscription or other access arrangement unique to the publisher. Please suggest additional journals you feel warrant coverage.

American Journal of Infection Control
November 2016 Volume 44, Issue 11, p1197-1430, e183-e282
http://www.ajicjournal.org/current

.
Major Articles
Social media as a tool for antimicrobial stewardship
Jennifer Pisano, Natasha Pettit, Allison Bartlett, Palak Bhagat, Zhe Han, Chuanhong Liao, Emily Landon
p1231–1236
Published in issue: November 01 2016

National surveillance of health care–associated infections in Egypt: Developing a sustainable program in a resource-limited country
Maha Talaat, Mona El-Shokry, Jehan El-Kholy, Ghada Ismail, Sara Kotb, Soad Hafez, Ehab Attia, Fernanda C. Lessa
p1296–1301
Published online: June 20, 2016
Open Access

Brief Reports
How will the MMR universal mass vaccination change the epidemiologic pattern of mumps? A 2012 Italian serosurvey
Silvio Tafuri, Maria Serena Gallone, Angela Maria Vittoria Larocca, Cinzia Germinario
p1420–1421
Published online: May 2, 2016

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
November 2016; 95 (5)
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/current

.
Perspective Pieces
Partnerships that Facilitate a Refugee’s Journey to Wellbeing
Nina Marano, Abbey E. Wojno, William M. Stauffer, Michelle Weinberg, Alexander Klosovsky, J. Daniel Ballew, Sharmila Shetty, Susan Cookson, Patricia Walker, and Martin S. Cetron
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2016 95:985-987; Published online October 10, 2016, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.16-0657
Abstract
The current global refugee crisis involves 65.3 million persons who have been displaced from their homes or countries of origin. While escaping immediate harm may be their first priority, displaced people go on to face numerous health risks, including trauma and injuries, malnutrition, infectious diseases, exacerbation of existing chronic diseases, and mental health conditions. This crisis highlights the importance of building capacity among health-care providers, scientists, and laboratorians to understand and respond to the health needs of refugees. The November 2016 American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) conference in Atlanta will feature an interactive exhibit entitled “The Refugee Journey to Wellbeing” and three symposia about refugee health. The symposia will focus on tropical disease challenges in refugee populations, careers in refugee health, and recent experiences of governmental agencies and nongovernmental organizations in responding to the global refugee crisis. We invite ASTMH attendees to attend the exhibit and symposia and consider contributions they could make to improve refugee health through tropical disease research or clinical endeavors

.

An Outbreak of Fearsome Photos and Headlines: Ebola and Local Newspapers in West Africa
Eric S. Halsey Am J Trop Med Hyg 2016 95:988-992; Published online July 25, 2016, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.16-0245
OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE

.

Dengue Dynamics and Vaccine Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in the Philippines
Eunha Shim
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2016 95:1137-1147; Published online September 6, 2016, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.16-0194
Abstract
Dengue is one of the most problematic vector-borne diseases in the Philippines, with an estimated 842,867 cases resulting in medical costs of $345 million U.S. dollars annually. In December 2015, the first dengue vaccine, known as chimeric yellow fever virus–dengue virus tetravalent dengue vaccine, was approved for use in the Philippines and is given to children 9 years of age. To estimate the cost-effectiveness of dengue vaccination in the Philippines, we developed an age-structured model of dengue transmission and vaccination. Using our model, we compared two vaccination scenarios entailing routine vaccination programs both with and without catch-up vaccination. Our results indicate that the higher the cost of vaccination, the less cost-effective the dengue vaccination program. With the current dengue vaccination program that vaccinates children 9 years of age, dengue vaccination is cost-effective for vaccination costs up to $70 from a health-care perspective and up to $75 from a societal perspective. Under a favorable scenario consisting of 1 year of catch-up vaccinations that target children 9–15 years of age, followed by regular vaccination of 9-year-old children, vaccination is cost-effective at costs up to $72 from a health-care perspective and up to $78 from a societal perspective. In general, dengue vaccination is expected to reduce the incidence of both dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever /dengue shock syndrome. Our results demonstrate that even at relatively low vaccine efficacies, age-targeted vaccination may still be cost-effective provided the vaccination cost is sufficiently low.

.

Herd Protection from Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Interventions
James A. Fuller and
Joseph N. S. Eisenberg
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2016 95:1201-1210; Published online September 6, 2016, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.15-0677
Abstract
Herd immunity arises when a communicable disease is less able to propagate because a substantial portion of the population is immune. Nonimmunizing interventions, such as insecticide-treated bednets and deworming drugs, have shown similar herd-protective effects. Less is known about the herd protection from drinking water, sanitation, and hand hygiene (WASH) interventions. We first constructed a transmission model to illustrate mechanisms through which different WASH interventions may provide herd protection. We then conducted an extensive review of the literature to assess the validity of the model results and identify current gaps in research. The model suggests that herd protection accounts for a substantial portion of the total protection provided by WASH interventions. However, both the literature and the model suggest that sanitation interventions in particular are the most likely to provide herd protection, since they reduce environmental contamination. Many studies fail to account for these indirect effects and thus underestimate the total impact an intervention may have. Although cluster-randomized trials of WASH interventions have reported the total or overall efficacy of WASH interventions, they have not quantified the role of herd protection. Just as it does in immunization policy, understanding the role of herd protection from WASH interventions can help inform coverage targets and strategies that indirectly protect those that are unable to be reached by WASH campaigns. Toward this end, studies are needed to confirm the differential role that herd protection plays across the WASH interventions suggested by our transmission model.

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 5 November 2016)

.
Research article
Prevalence and epidemiology of meningococcal carriage in Southern Ethiopia prior to implementation of MenAfriVac, a conjugate vaccine
Neisseria meningitidis colonizes humans and transmits mainly by asymptomatic carriage. We sought to determine the prevalence and epidemiology of meningococcal carriage in Ethiopia prio…
Guro K. Bårnes, Paul A. Kristiansen, Demissew Beyene, Bereket Workalemahu, Paulos Fissiha, Behailu Merdekios, Jon Bohlin, Marie-Pierre Préziosi, Abraham Aseffa and Dominique A. Caugant
BMC Infectious Diseases 2016 16:639
Published on: 4 November 2016

.
Review
Alternative pre-approved and novel therapies for the treatment of anthrax
Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is a spore forming and toxin producing rod-shaped bacterium that is classified as a category A bioterror agent. This pathogenic micr...
Breanne M. Head, Ethan Rubinstein and Adrienne F. A. Meyers
BMC Infectious Diseases 2016 16:621
Published on: 3 November 2016

.
Research article
Using the 4 pillars™ practice transformation program to increase adult influenza vaccination and reduce missed opportunities in a randomized cluster trial
An evidence-based, step-by-step guide, the 4 Pillars™ Practice Transformation Program, was the foundation of an intervention to increase adult immunizations in primary care and was tested in a randomized contr…
Chyongchiou J. Lin, Mary Patricia Nowalk, Valory N. Pavlik, Anthony E. Brown, Song Zhang, Jonathan M. Raviotta, Krissy K. Moehling, Mary Hawk, Edmund M. Ricci, Donald B. Middleton, Suchita Patel, Jeannette E. South-Paul and Richard K. Zimmerman
BMC Infectious Diseases 2016 16:623
Published on: 3 November 2016

BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
(Accessed 5 November 2016)

.
Debate
Autonomy of the child in the South African context: is a 12 year old of sufficient maturity to consent to medical treatment?
Wandile Ganya, Sharon Kling and Keymanthri Moodley
Published on: 2 November 2016
Abstract
Background
A child is a developing person with evolving capacities that include autonomy, mental (decisional) capacity and capacity to assume responsibility. Hence, children are entitled to participatory (autonomy) rights in South Africa as observed in the Children’s Act 38 of 2005. According to section 129 of the Act a child may consent to his or her own medical treatment provided that he or she is over the age of 12 years and is of sufficient maturity and decisional capacity to understand the various implications of the treatment including the risks and benefits thereof. However, the Act does not provide a definition for what qualifies as ‘sufficient maturity’ nor does it stipulate how health professionals ought to assess the decisional capacity of a child. In addition, South Africa is a culturally diverse country. The Western liberal notion of autonomy may not necessarily find equal prominence in the mores of people with a different worldview. Hence we demonstrate a few salient comparisons between legal liberal moral theory and African communitarianism as pertinent to the autonomy of the child.
Discussion
Children are rights-holders by virtue of their humanity. Their dignity as individual human persons affords them the entitlement to human rights as contemplated under the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. However, contrary to the traditional Western notion of individual autonomous persons African societies hold a communalistic notion of person hence there is less regard for individual autonomy and rights with more emphasis on the communal good and maintaining the continuity of relationships and interdependencies shared within a community. A child considered in this view is not regarded as a full person. This implies that decisions concerning the child, including consent to medical treatment are discussed and determined by the community to which the child belongs. Lastly, in this article, we draw on the notion of capacity for responsibility to produce a pragmatic definition of sufficient maturity.
Conclusion
It seems reasonable to suggest a move away from a general legal age of consent for medical treatment toward more individualised, context-specific approaches in determining the maturity of a child patient to consent to medical treatment. Perhaps, decision-making with respect to consent to the medical treatment of a child belonging to a traditional African community where the notion of a person is embedded in communitarianism ought to involve the child’s parents/guardians/caregivers where possible provided that the best interests of the child are awarded priority.

BMC Medicine

(Accessed 5 November 2016)

.
Research article
The emerging threat of pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in West Africa: preparing for large-scale tuberculosis research and drug resistance surveillance
Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem. Adequate management requires baseline drug-resistance prevalence data. In West Africa, due to a poor laboratory infrastructure and inadequate…
Florian Gehre, Jacob Otu, Lindsay Kendall, Audrey Forson, Awewura Kwara, Samuel Kudzawu, Aderemi O. Kehinde, Oludele Adebiyi, Kayode Salako, Ignatius Baldeh, Aisha Jallow, Mamadou Jallow, Anoumou Dagnra, Kodjo Dissé, Essosimna A. Kadanga, Emmanuel Oni Idigbe…
BMC Medicine 2016 14:160
Published on: 3 November 2016

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 5 November 2016)

.
Research article
What explains gender inequalities in HIV/AIDS prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from the demographic and health surveys
Women are disproportionally affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The determinants of gender inequality in HIV/AIDS may vary acro...
Drissa Sia, Yentéma Onadja, Mohammad Hajizadeh, S. Jody Heymann, Timothy F. Brewer and Arijit Nandi
BMC Public Health 2016 16:1136
Published on: 3 November 2016

.
Research article
Health literacy: the missing link in improving the health of Somali immigrant women in Oslo
Existing studies report a positive association between inadequate health literacy and immigrant’s adverse health outcomes. Despite substantial research on this topic among immigrants, little is known about the…
Abdi A. Gele, Kjell Sverre Pettersen, Liv Elin Torheim and Bernadette Kumar
BMC Public Health 2016 16:1134
Published on: 3 November 2016

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 94, Number 11, November 2016, 785-860
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/94/11/en/

.
EDITORIALS
Research on community-based health workers is needed to achieve the sustainable development goals
Dermot Maher & Giorgio Cometto
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.16.185918

.
Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis in Cuba and Thailand
Naoko Ishikawa, Lori Newman, Melanie Taylor, Shaffiq Essajee, Razia Pendse & Massimo Ghidinelli
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.16.185033

.
RESEARCH
Inequalities in full immunization coverage: trends in low- and middle-income countries
María Clara Restrepo-Méndez, Aluísio JD Barros, Kerry LM Wong, Hope L Johnson, George Pariyo, Giovanny VA França, Fernando C Wehrmeister & Cesar G Victora
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.15.162172
Abstract
Objective
To investigate disparities in full immunization coverage across and within 86 low- and middle-income countries.
Methods
In May 2015, using data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, we investigated inequalities in full immunization coverage – i.e. one dose of bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine, one dose of measles vaccine, three doses of vaccine against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus and three doses of polio vaccine – in 86 low- or middle-income countries. We then investigated temporal trends in the level and inequality of such coverage in eight of the countries.
Findings
In each of the World Health Organization’s regions, it appeared that about 56–69% of eligible children in the low- and middle-income countries had received full immunization. However, within each region, the mean recorded level of such coverage varied greatly. In the African Region, for example, it varied from 11.4% in Chad to 90.3% in Rwanda. We detected pro-rich inequality in such coverage in 45 of the 83 countries for which the relevant data were available and pro-urban inequality in 35 of the 86 study countries. Among the countries in which we investigated coverage trends, Madagascar and Mozambique appeared to have made the greatest progress in improving levels of full immunization coverage over the last two decades, particularly among the poorest quintiles of their populations.
Conclusion
Most low- and middle-income countries are affected by pro-rich and pro-urban inequalities in full immunization coverage that are not apparent when only national mean values of such coverage are reported.

.
Research
Hepatitis B immunization for indigenous adults, Australia
Andre Louis Wattiaux, J Kevin Yin, Frank Beard, Steve Wesselingh, Benjamin Cowie, James Ward & Kristine Macartney
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.16.169524
Abstract
Objective
To quantify the disparity in incidence of hepatitis B between indigenous and non-indigenous people in Australia, and to estimate the potential impact of a hepatitis B immunization programme targeting non-immune indigenous adults.
Methods
Using national data on persons with newly acquired hepatitis B disease notified between 2005 and 2012, we estimated incident infection rates and rate ratios comparing indigenous and non-indigenous people, with adjustments for underreporting. The potential impact of a hepatitis B immunization programme targeting non-immune indigenous adults was projected using a Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation model.
Findings
Of the 54 522 persons with hepatitis B disease notified between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2012, 1953 infections were newly acquired. Acute hepatitis B infection notification rates were significantly higher for indigenous than non-indigenous Australians. The rates per 100 000 population for all ages were 3.6 (156/4 368 511) and 1.1 (1797/168 449 302) for indigenous and non-indigenous people respectively. The rate ratio of age-standardized notifications was 4.0 (95% confidence interval: 3.7–4.3). If 50% of non-immune indigenous adults (20% of all indigenous adults) were vaccinated over a 10-year programme a projected 527–549 new cases of acute hepatitis B would be prevented.
Conclusion
There continues to be significant health inequity between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians in relation to vaccine-preventable hepatitis B disease. An immunization programme targeting indigenous Australian adults could have considerable impact in terms of cases of acute hepatitis B prevented, with a relatively low number needed to vaccinate to prevent each case.

.
POLICY & PRACTICE
Dengue vaccine: local decisions, global consequences
Hugo López-Gatell, Celia M Alpuche-Aranda, José I Santos-Preciado & Mauricio Hernández-Ávila
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.15.168765
Abstract
As new vaccines against diseases that are prevalent in low- and middle-income countries gradually become available, national health authorities are presented with new regulatory and policy challenges. The use of CYD-TDV – a chimeric tetravalent, live-attenuated dengue vaccine – was recently approved in five countries. Although promising for public health, this vaccine has only partial and heterogeneous efficacy and may have substantial adverse effects. In trials, children who were aged 2–5 years when first given CYD-TDV were seven times more likely to be hospitalized for dengue, in the third year post-vaccination, than their counterparts in the control group. As it has not been clarified whether this adverse effect is only a function of age or is determined by dengue serostatus, doubts have been cast over the long-term safety of this vaccine in seronegative individuals of any age. Any deployment of the vaccine, which should be very cautious and only considered after a rigorous evaluation of the vaccine’s risk–benefit ratio in explicit national and subnational scenarios, needs to be followed by a long-term assessment of the vaccine’s effects. Furthermore, any implementation of dengue vaccines must not weaken the political and financial support of preventive measures that can simultaneously limit the impacts of dengue and several other mosquito-borne pathogens.

Conflict and Health
http://www.conflictandhealth.com/
[Accessed 5 November 2016]

.
Research
Community based system dynamic as an approach for understanding and acting on messy problems: a case study for global mental health intervention in Afghanistan
Jean-Francois Trani, Ellis Ballard, Parul Bakhshi and Peter Hovmand
Published on: 2 November 2016

Ethics & International Affairs
Fall 2016 (Issue 30.3)
https://www.ethicsandinternationalaffairs.org/2016/fall-2016-issue-30-3/

.
ESSAYS
Climate Contributions and the Paris Agreement: Fairness and Equity in a Bottom-Up Architecture
Nicholas Chan
[Initial text]
Ethical questions of fairness, responsibility, and burden-sharing have always been central to the international politics of climate change and efforts to construct an effective intergovernmental response to this problem. The conclusion of the Paris Agreement last December, lauded by the media, governments, and civil society around the world, is the most recent such effort, following the collapse of negotiations six years prior at the 2009 Copenhagen conference. The shape and form of the Paris Agreement, however, represents a radically different governance structure to its predecessor, the Kyoto Protocol, reorienting the international regime toward a “bottom-up” structure, emphasizing national flexibility in order to ensure broader participation. In doing so, the Paris Agreement also provides a different answer to the question of what constitutes a fair and equitable response to climate change…

.

Features
Self-Interest and the Distant Vulnerable
Luke Glanville | September 15, 2016
[Initial text]
What interests do states have in assisting and protecting vulnerable populations beyond their borders? Today, confronted as we are with civil wars, mass atrocities, and humanitarian catastrophes that have cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians and generated the displacement of sixty million more, this question is as urgent as it has ever been. It is also one that is answered in a variety of ways.
Narrow interpretations of nationalism and realism tend to insist that states have no interests in assisting the distant vulnerable. A narrow nationalism claims that a state should never risk blood and treasure for the sake of vulnerable outsiders…

Globalization and Health
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
[Accessed 5 November 2016]

.
Research
Assessment of the scope and practice of evaluation among medical donation programs
Alisa M. Jenny, Meng Li, Elizabeth Ashbourne, Myron Aldrink, Christine Funk and Andy Stergachis
Globalization and Health 2016 12:69
Published on: 4 November 2016
Abstract
Background
Medical donation programs for drugs, other medical products, training and other supportive services can improve access to essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and provide emergency and disaster relief. The scope and extent to which medical donation programs evaluate their impact on recipients and health systems is not well documented.
Methods
We conducted a survey of the member organizations of the Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD), a global alliance of non-profit and corporate organizations, to identify evaluations conducted in conjunction with donation programs.
Results
Twenty-five out of the 36 PQMD organizations that were members at the time of the survey participated in the study, for a response rate of 69 %. PQMD members provided information on 34 of their major medical donation programs. Half of the donation programs reported conducting trainings as a part of their donation program. Twenty-six (76 %) programs reported that they conduct routine monitoring of their donation programs. Less than 30 % of donation programs were evaluated for their impact on health. Lack of technical staff and lack of funding were reported as key barriers to conducting impact evaluations.
Conclusions
Member organizations of PQMD provide a broad range of medical donations, targeting a wide range of public health issues and events. While some level of monitoring and evaluation was conducted in nearly 80 % of the donation programs, a program’s impact was infrequently evaluated. Opportunities exist to develop consistent metrics for medical donation programs, develop a common framework for impact evaluations, and advocate for data collection and analysis plans that collect meaningful metrics.

.

Research
The challenge of bridging the gap between researchers and policy makers: experiences of a Health Policy Research Group in engaging policy makers to support evidence informed policy making in Nigeria
Benjamin Uzochukwu, Obinna Onwujekwe, Chinyere Mbachu, Chinenye Okwuosa, Enyi Etiaba, Monica E. Nyström and Lucy Gilson
Globalization and Health 2016 12:67
Published on: 4 November 2016
Abstract
Background
Getting research into policy and practice (GRIPP) is a process of going from research evidence to decisions and action. To integrate research findings into the policy making process and to communicate research findings to policymakers is a key challenge world-wide. This paper reports the experiences of a research group in a Nigerian university when seeking to ‘do’ GRIPP, and the important features and challenges of this process within the African context.
Methods
In-depth interviews were conducted with nine purposively selected policy makers in various organizations and six researchers from the universities and research institute in a Nigerian who had been involved in 15 selected joint studies/projects with Health Policy Research Group (HPRG). The interviews explored their understanding and experience of the methods and processes used by the HPRG to generate research questions and research results; their involvement in the process and whether the methods were perceived as effective in relation to influencing policy and practice and factors that influenced the uptake of research results.
Results
The results are represented in a model with the four GRIPP strategies found: i) stakeholders’ request for evidence to support the use of certain strategies or to scale up health interventions; ii) policymakers and stakeholders seeking evidence from researchers; iii) involving stakeholders in designing research objectives and throughout the research process; and iv) facilitating policy maker-researcher engagement in finding best ways of using research findings to influence policy and practice and to actively disseminate research findings to relevant stakeholders and policymakers.
The challenges to research utilization in health policy found were to address the capacity of policy makers to demand and to uptake research, the communication gap between researchers, donors and policymakers, the management of the political process of GRIPP, the lack of willingness of some policy makers to use research, the limited research funding and the resistance to change.
Conclusions
Country based Health Policy and Systems Research groups can influence domestic policy makers if appropriate strategies are employed. The model presented gives some direction to potential strategies for getting research into policy and practice in the health care sector in Nigeria and elsewhere.

Infectious Diseases of Poverty
http://www.idpjournal.com/content
[Accessed 5 November 2016]
.
Scoping Review
Alternatives to currently used antimalarial drugs: in search of a magic bullet
Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in many African countries and parts of Asia and South America. Novel approaches to combating the disease have emerged in recent years and several drug candid…
Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula, Asim Ahmed Elnour and Abdulla Shehab
Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2016 5:103
Published on: 4 November 2016

.
Research Article
Assessment of the response to cholera outbreaks in two districts in Ghana
Despite recurring outbreaks of cholera in Ghana, very little has been reported on assessments of outbreak response activities undertaken in affected areas. This study assessed the response activities undertake...
Sally-Ann Ohene, Wisdom Klenyuie and Mark Sarpeh
Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2016 5:99
Published on: 2 November 2016

.
Research Article
Tuberculosis care strategies and their economic consequences for patients: the missing link to end tuberculosis
While investment in the development of Tuberculosis (TB) treatment strategies is essential, it cannot be assumed that the strategies are affordable for TB patients living in countries with high economic constr…
Belete Getahun, Moges Wubie, Getiye Dejenu and Tsegahun Manyazewal
Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2016 5:93
Published on: 1 November 2016

Intervention – Journal of Mental Health and Psychological Support in Conflict Affected Areas
November 2016 – Volume 14 – Issue 3
http://journals.lww.com/interventionjnl/pages/currenttoc.aspx

.
Special Section
Mainstreaming psychosocial approaches and principles in ‘other’ sectors
Introduction to Special section: mainstreaming psychosocial approaches and principles into ‘other’ sectors
Horn, Rebecca; Besselink, Djoen; Tankink, Marian

Articles
The integration of livelihood support and mental health and psychosocial wellbeing for populations who have been subject to severe stressors
Schininá, Guglielmo; Babcock, Elisabeth; Nadelman, Rachel; Walsh, James Sonam; Willhoite, Ann; Willman, Alys
Abstract
This article aims to promote the integration of mental health and psychosocial support into livelihood programmes, presenting existing research within behavioural economics, humanitarian and economic fields that support the need and effectiveness of such integration. It presents examples of mental health and psychosocial support integration into livelihood programmes put in place by a grass roots organisation in the USA and the largest development institution in the world, the World Bank Group, respectively. While these initiatives took place within organisational, socio-economic and political environments that significantly differ from those where most humanitarian programmes take place, a series of best practices, processes and approaches that could be considered within humanitarian settings are highlighted in the conclusions.

.

Mainstreaming mental health and psychosocial support in camp coordination and camp management. The experience of the International Organization for Migration in the north east of Nigeria and South Sudan
Schininá, Guglielmo; Nunes, Nuno; Birot, Pauline; Giardinelli, Luana; Kios, Gladys
Abstract
This article examines the efforts of the International Organization for Migration to mainstream mental health and psychosocial considerations into camp coordination and camp management, through capacity building and provision of direct psychosocial support. It focusses on the activities carried out by the International Organization for Migration in South Sudan, in the Protection of Civilians Areas, and in the north east of Nigeria, with the aim to identify relevant challenges and best practices.

JAMA
November 1, 2016, Vol 316, No. 17, Pages 1731-1838
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/issue.aspx

.
Research Letter
Tdap Vaccination During Pregnancy and Microcephaly and Other Structural Birth Defects in Offspring
Malini DeSilva, MD, MPH; Gabriela Vazquez-Benitez, PhD; James D. Nordin, MD, MPH; et al.
JAMA. 2016;316(17):1823-1825. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.14432
This cohort study uses Vaccine Safety Datalink data to examine associations between maternal Tdap vaccination and structural birth defects in offspring.
.
Editorial
November 1, 2016
Mental Illness, Release From Prison, and Social Context
Jeffrey Swanson, PhD1
JAMA. 2016;316(17):1771-1772. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.12434
Zheng Chang, PhD; Paul Lichtenstein, PhD; Niklas Långström, MD; Henrik Larsson, PhD; Seena Fazel, MD
[Initial text]
Revolving in and out of prisons and jails is no way to recover from a devastating disease like schizophrenia—but that is the challenge facing too many people with serious mental illnesses. In addition to complex health needs that often include substance misuse and medical comorbidities, mentally ill individuals who reenter the community from prison are at risk for unemployment, homelessness, and criminal recidivism.1 What role does treatment with psychotropic medications have in improving outcomes for this population?…

.

Original Investigation
November 1, 2016
Association Between Prescription of Major Psychotropic Medications and Violent Reoffending After Prison Release
JAMA. 2016;316(17):1798-1807. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.15380
Zheng Chang, PhD1,2; Paul Lichtenstein, PhD1; Niklas Långström, MD1,3; et al Henrik Larsson, PhD1,4; Seena Fazel, MD2
Author Affiliations
Key Points
Question
Is the use of psychotropic medications associated with a lower risk of reoffending for violent crime among released prisoners?
Findings
In this cohort study of 22 275 released prisoners, 3 classes of psychotropic medications (antipsychotics, psychostimulants, and medications used for addictive disorders) were associated with statistically significant hazard ratios (0.58, 0.62, and 0.48, respectively) of violent reoffending.
Meaning
Evidence-based provision of psychotropic medications to released prisoners was associated with lower risk of reoffending.

Abstract
Importance
Individuals released from prison have high rates of violent reoffending, and there is uncertainty about whether pharmacological treatments reduce reoffending risk.
Objective
To investigate the associations between major classes of psychotropic medications and violent reoffending.
Design, Setting, and Participants
This cohort study included all released prisoners in Sweden from July 1, 2005, to December 31, 2010, through linkage of population-based registers. Rates of violent reoffending during medicated periods were compared with rates during nonmedicated periods using within-individual analyses. Follow-up ended December 31, 2013.
Exposures Periods with or without dispensed prescription of psychotropic medications (antipsychotics, antidepressants, psychostimulants, drugs used in addictive disorders, and antiepileptic drugs) after prison release. Prison-based psychological treatments were investigated as a secondary exposure.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Violent crime after release from prison.
Results
The cohort included 22,275 released prisoners (mean [SD] age, 38 [13] years; 91.9% male). During follow-up (median, 4.6 years; interquartile range, 3.0-6.4 years), 4031 individuals (18.1%) had 5653 violent reoffenses. The within-individual hazard ratio (HR) associated with dispensed antipsychotics was 0.58 (95% CI, 0.39-0.88), based on 100 events in 1596 person-years during medicated periods and 1044 events in 11 026 person-years during nonmedicated periods, equating to a risk difference of 39.7 (95% CI, 11.3-57.7) fewer violent reoffenses per 1000 person-years. The within-individual HR associated with dispensed psychostimulants was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.40-0.98), based on 94 events in 1648 person-years during medicated periods and 513 events in 4553 person-years during nonmedicated periods, equating to a risk difference of 42.8 (95% CI, 2.2-67.6) fewer violent reoffenses per 1000 person-years. The within-individual HR associated with dispensed drugs for addictive disorders was 0.48 (95% CI, 0.23-0.97), based on 46 events in 1168 person-years during medicated periods and 1103 events in 15,725 person-years during nonmedicated periods, equating to a risk difference of 36.4 (95% CI, 2.1-54.0) fewer violent reoffenses per 1000 person-years. In contrast, antidepressants and antiepileptics were not significantly associated with violent reoffending rates (HR = 1.09 [95% CI, 0.83-1.43] and 1.14 [95% CI, 0.79-1.65], respectively). The most common prison-based program was psychological treatments for substance abuse, associated with an HR of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.63-0.89), which equated to a risk difference of 23.2 (95% CI, 10.3-34.1) fewer violent reoffenses per 1000 person-years.
Conclusions and Relevance
Among released prisoners in Sweden, rates of violent reoffending were lower during periods when individiduals were dispensed antipsychotics, psychostimulants, and drugs for addictive disorders, compared with periods in which they were not dispensed these medications. Further research is needed to understand the causal nature of this association.