Availability, accessibility and use of antivenom for snakebite envenomation in Africa with proposed strategies to overcome the limitations.

Africa remains one of the regions with the highest incident and burden of snakebite. The goal of the World Health Organization to halve the global burden of snakebite by 2030 can only be achieved if sub-optimal access to antivenoms in the most affected regions is addressed. We identified upstream, midstream, and downstream factors along the antivenom value chain that prevent access to antivenoms in the African region. We identified windows of opportunities that could be utilized to ensure availability, accessibility, and affordability for snakebite endemic populations in Africa. These include implementation of multicomponent strategies such as intensified advocacy, community engagement, healthcare worker trainings, and leveraging the institutional and governance structure provided by African governments to address the challenges identified.

Digital health in the era of COVID-19: Reshaping the next generation of healthcare.

COVID-19 is one of the most deadly diseases to have stricken us in recent decades. In the fight against this disease, governments and stakeholders require all the assistance they can get from various systems, including digital health interventions. Digital health technologies are supporting the tracking of the COVID-19 outbreak, diagnosing patients, expediting the process of finding potential medicines and vaccines, and disinfecting the environment, The establishment of electronic medical and health records, computerized clinical decision support systems, telemedicine, and mobile health have shown the potential to strengthen the healthcare system. Recently, these technologies have aided the health sector in a variety of ways, including prevention, early diagnosis, treatment adherence, medication safety, care coordination, documentation, data management, outbreak tracking, and pandemic surveillance. On the other hand, implementation of such technologies has questions of cost, compatibility with existing systems, disruption in patient-provider interactions, and sustainability, calling for more evidence on clinical utility and economic evaluations to help shape the next generation of healthcare. This paper argues how digital health interventions assist in the fight against COVID-19 and their opportunities, implications, and limitations.

Post tuberculosis chronic lung disease in tuberculosis HIV coinfected and non-HIV individuals in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Post tuberculosis (TB) sequelae are faced by many individuals who survive TB. The most common of all is post-TB chronic lung disease (CLD) and pulmonary impairment. We reviewed studies that estimated the prevalence of post-TB CLD in patients with TB only and those with TB-HIV coinfection. Methods: Searched Google scholar, PubMed, African journals online, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials from the year 2000 to 01 March 2022 for all designs of studies that examined the impact of post on lung impairment or damage. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO, ID: chronic respiratory disease 42022304628. Results: Three hundred and thirty-six studies were identified and five studies were identified through other sources, four were finally in the meta-analysis with a total of 4382 enrolled participants. All the studies had a low risk of bias; The prevalence of CLD between the TB HIV coinfection and those with TB only was of no statistical significance between the three of the four studies - new statement: the prevalence of CLD in the TB-HIV coinfected group when compared to the group of participants with TB only was not statistically significant in the study. This was seen in three of the four studies. One study was in favor of the high prevalence of CLD in HIV coinfection participants (relative risk [RR] = 0.75 [0.61-0.89] with 95% confidence interval [0.61-0.89]). Conclusions: Post-TB lung disease is still a burden that needs advocation and an increase of awareness is necessary from the health-care level to the communities and societies, especially in regions of high prevalence. Development of guidelines for health-care workers to aid the management of individuals, multi-disciplinary advocacy is necessary for those whom prevention is not too late.

HIV Protease Inhibitors and Insulin Sensitivity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Protease inhibitors (PIs) are believed to affect insulin sensitivity. We aimed to analyze the effect of PIs on insulin sensitivity and the onset of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with HIV. Methodology: We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, ClinicalTrals.gov, and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform till November 2020 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that studied the effects of PIs on insulin sensitivity and DM in patients with HIV. We followed the PRISMA and PICOS frameworks to develop the search strategy. We used the random-effects meta-analysis model to estimate the mean difference (MD), standardized mean difference (SMD), and risk ratios for our outcomes, using Stata 14 software. Results: We included nine RCTs that enrolled 1,000 participants, with their ages ranging from 18 to 69 years. The parameters and investigations used in the studies to determine insulin sensitivity were glucose disposal rates, hyperglycemia, and mean glucose uptake. The majority of results showed an association between PIs and insulin sensitivity. The pooled analysis showed no statistically significant difference in insulin sensitivity with atazanavir, whether the study was performed on healthy individuals for a short term or long term in combination with other drugs like tenofovir or emtricitabine [SMD = 0.375, 95% CI (0.035, 0.714)]. The analysis showed reduced glucose disposal rates and hence reduced insulin sensitivity with lopinavir (heterogeneity chi-squared = 0.68, I-squared [variation in SMD attributable to heterogeneity] = 0.0%, p = 0.031). The heterogeneity with chi-squared was substantial (61-80%), while with I-squared was not significant (0-40%), p = 0.031). Less adverse events were observed with atazanavir than with lopinavir [RR = 0.987, 95% CI (0.849, 1.124)]. Darunavir and indinavir did not demonstrate any significant changes in insulin sensitivity. Most of the studies were found to have a low risk of bias. Conclusions: There are significant variations in the effects of PIs on insulin sensitivity and onsets of DM. Atazanavir, fosamprenavir, and darunavir did not demonstrate any significant changes in insulin sensitivity, compared to the rest of the group. There is a need to assess the benefits of PIs against the long-term risk of impaired insulin sensitivity. All patients newly diagnosed with HIV should have DM investigations before the start of ARVs and routinely. RCTs should focus on sub-Saharan Africa as the region is worst affected by HIV, but limited studies have been documented.

COVID-19 and Health Sector Development Plans in Africa: The Impact on Maternal and Child Health Outcomes in Uganda.

INTRODUCTION: Health Sector Development Plans (HSDPs) aim to accelerate movement towards achieving sustainable development goals for health, reducing inequalities, and ending poverty. Reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) services are vulnerable to economic imbalances, including health insecurity, unmet need for healthcare, and low health expenditure. The same vulnerability influences the potential of a country to combat global outbreaks such as the COVID-19. We aimed to provide some important insights into the impacts of COVID-19 on RMNCH indicators and outcomes of the HSDP in Uganda. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive study of secondary data obtained from the Ugandan government-led portals, supplemented by analyses of relevant articles published up to 06 May 2021 and deposited in PubMed. RESULTS: Through synthesizing actionable and relevant evidence, we realized that RMNCH in Uganda is highly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown measures. The impact was across immunization, antenatal, sexual and reproductive health, emergency and obstetric, and postnatal care services. There was a decline sharply by 9.6% for under-five vitamin A coverage, 9% for DPT3HibHeb3 coverage, 6.8% for measles vaccination coverage, 6% for isoniazid preventive therapy coverage, and 3% for facility-based deliveries. Maternal and under-five deaths increased by 7.6% and 4%, respectively. Outreaches were rarely conducted in the lockdown period. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has created a multitude of questions regarding the optimal policies to mitigate the disease while minimizing the unintended detrimental consequences of RMNCH. The lockdown restrictions threatened to reverse the progress made on the national HSDP for RMNCH. In Uganda, where young women are vulnerable to early marriage, unintended pregnancies, and unsafe abortion, access to RMNCH services should continue regardless of the COVID-19 status in the country. We urge that Uganda and other African countries should build resilient and sustainable health systems that can withstand emerging diseases like the COVID-19.

Programmatic challenges in managing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Malawi.

Background: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is one of the most urgent challenges that Malawi tends to take a firm public health action. A recent increase in multidrug MDR-TB cases, a decrease in treatment success rate, and a double increase of lost-to-follow-up call into question the country's programmatic management of MDR-TB (PMDT). As such, the study aimed at exploring programmatic challenges in managing MDR-TB in Malawi. Methods: A comprehensive and nonsystematic search was made in PubMed and Google Scholar using mainly the keywords "MDR-TB" "extensively drug-resistant TB," Malawi. The study reviewed existing guidelines and gray literature and reviewed data obtained from the national TB program (NTP) as well. Results: The study found the following challenges affecting PMDT: decrease in funding, partial access to GeneXpert, delay in diagnosis, long treatment duration, lack of adequate personal protective equipment, the long turnaround time of culture results, failure to initiate all diagnosed patients on treatment, absence of alternative second-line medicines, and lack of transport from health facilities to patient homes. Conclusion: If the Malawi NTP is to achieve a vision of a "TB-free Malawi," rigorous efforts at all levels must be made, including mobilizing domestic resources for improved MDR-TB program performance. Developing partners should continue providing the much-needed funding to the Malawi government to stand in the wake of the MDR-TB crisis.

Pyrosequencing for diagnosis of multidrug and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis: A systemic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Multidrug and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (M/XDR-TB) pose major threats to global health. Diagnosis accuracy and delay have been the major drivers for the upsurge of M/XDR-TB. Pyrosequencing (PSQ) is a novel, real-time DNA sequencing for rapid detection of mutations associated with M/XDR-TB. We aimed to systematically synthesize the evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of PSQ for M/XDR-TB. METHODS: We conducted an electronic search of PubMed, Embase, Biosis, Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to March 2020. We used the QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies) tool to assess the quality of studies, the BRMA (bivariate random-effects meta-analysis) model to synthesize diagnostic accuracies, and the Rev-Man 5.4 software to perform the meta-analyses. We analyzed dichotomous data using the risk ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval. PROSPERO Registration ID: CRD42020200817. RESULTS: The analysis included seven studies, with a total sample of 3,165. At 95% confidence interval, the pooled sensitivity and specificity of PSQ were 89.7 (CI: 83.5-93.8) and 97.8 (CI: 94.9-99.1) for Isoniazid, 94.6 (CI: 90.9-96.8) and 98.5 (CI: 96.5-99.3) for Rifampicin, 87.9 (CI: 81.2-92.4) and 98.8 (CI: 97.2-99.5) for Fluoroquinolone, 83.5 (CI: 72.8-90.5) and 99.4 (CI: 98.3-99.8) for Amikacin, 79 (CI: 67-8-87) and 97.9 (CI: 95.5-99) for Capreomycin, and 69.6 (CI: 57-79.8) and 98.2 (CI: 95.9-99.2) for Kanamycin. The overall pooled sensitivity and specificity were 85.8 (CI: 76.7-91.7) and 98.5 (CI: 96.5-99.3), respectively. CONCLUSION: According to the pooled data, PSQ is highly sensitive and specific for detecting M/XDR-TB, both from clinical specimens and culture isolates, and within a shorter turnaround time. We suggest a continued synthesis of the evidence on the cost-effectiveness and technical feasibilities of PSQ in low-income countries context, including sub-Saharan Africa.

Human papillomavirus self-sampling versus standard clinician-sampling for cervical cancer screening in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection remains a major health threat in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). HPV self-sampling could help find and treat cervical cancer at an early stage. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of HPV self-sampling over the standard health facility-based clinician-sampling for cervical cancer screening through a systematic review and meta-analysis of available randomized controlled trials. METHOD: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrial.gov, and the WHO Global Health Library for articles in SSA published as of 31 May 2020. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 guidelines for the design and reporting of the results. We included randomized control trials that compared HPV self-sampling with the standard of care. The primary endpoint was uptake of cervical cancer screening service. The secondary endpoints were linkage to care, acceptability, screening frequency, and adverse events. We used RevMan V.5.3 software for statistical analysis. We computed random-effect model to provide pooled estimates of available data and I-squared (I2) test to assess heterogeneity. RESULT: Of 77 citations, we included four trials from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, encompassing 8200 participants with age ranging from 25 to 65 years. The pooled analysis showed significantly higher uptake of cervical cancer screening in women who used HPV self-sampling (risk ratio [RR] 1.72, 95% CI 1.58-1.87; p = 0.01), while this had a considerable heterogeneity as explained by subgroup analysis. Uptake was higher in women who were offered sampling kit at home or work (RR 2.05, 95% CI 1.80-2.33) and those who's kit was mailed to or invited to a nearby health center (RR 1.65, 95% CI 1.58-1.72, I2 = 0%) than those screened with the standard of care. There was no difference between the two groups in the rate of linkage to care of positive cases (RR 1.30, 95% CI 0.90-2.74, I2 = 91%). HPV self-sampling was acceptable and easy to use. None of the trials compared the frequency of screening or adverse events. CONCLUSION: HPV self-sampling is an effective and feasible alternative to the standard health facility-based clinician-sampling for cervical cancer screening in SSA. It could improve the uptake of cervical cancer screening and harness the global strategy towards elimination of cervical cancer by 2030.

Efficacy and safety of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine versus artemether-lumefantrine for treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Ugandan children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of artemisinin resistance in Southeast Asia and Plasmodium falciparum kelch13 propeller gene mutations in sub-Saharan African pose the greatest threat to global efforts to control malaria. This is a critical concern in Uganda, where artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is the first-line treatment for uncomplicated falciparum. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PQ) and artemether-lumefantrine (AL) for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Ugandan children. METHODS: A search of PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for retrieving randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy and safety of DHA-PQ and AL for treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Ugandan children was done. The search was performed up to 31 August 2020. The data extracted from eligible studies and pooled as risk ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI), using Rev Man Software (5.4). The protocol was registered in PROSPERO, ID: CRD42020182354. RESULTS: Eleven trials were included in this review and two of them only included under safety outcome. Total 3798 participants were enrolled. The PCR unadjusted treatment failure was significantly lower with DHA-PQ at day 28 (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.19-0.49; participants = 7863; studies = 5; I2 = 93%, low quality evidence) and at day 42 (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.38-0.76; participants = 1618; studies = 4; I2 = 79%, moderate quality of evidence). The PCR adjusted treatment failure at day 42 was significantly lower with DHA-PQ treatment group (RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.72; participants = 1370; studies = 5, high quality of evidence), and it was below 5% in both arms at day 28 (moderate quality of evidence). AL showed a longer prophylactic effect on new infections which may last for up to 63 days (PCR-adjusted treatment failure: RR 2.04, 95% CI 1.13-3.70; participants = 1311; studies = 2, moderate quality of evidence). Compared to AL, DHA-PQ was associated with a slightly higher frequency of cough (RR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.13; 2575 participants; six studies; high quality of evidence). In both treatment groups, the risk of recurrent parasitaemia due to possible recrudescence was less than 5% at day 28. The appearance of gametocyte between 29 and 42 days was also significantly lower in DHA-PQ than AL (RR 0.26, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.56; participants = 623; studies = 2; I2 = 0%). CONCLUSION: Compared to AL, DHA-PQ appeared to reduce treatment failure and gametocyte carriage in Ugandan children. This may trigger DHA-PQ to become the first-line treatment option. Both treatments were safe and well-tolerated.

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised control trials.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection caused by mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) continues to pose challenges to global health. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) for preventing HBV MTCT. PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched through August 2020. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were selected that evaluated the efficacy and safety of TDF for preventing MTCT of HBV compared with the standard of care, placebo or other HBV therapies. The primary outcomes were HBV MTCT rate and maternal HBV DNA level. Secondary outcomes were infant and maternal safety outcomes. The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Guidelines, and prospectively registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020186275). Of 240 citations, three RCTs that involved 651 participants were included. The pooled result showed that TDF can reduce the risk of HBV MTCT after 6 months postpartum by 80% (risk ratio [RR] 0.2, 95% confidence interval [CI 0.06-0.7], n = 584) with low heterogeneity (I2  = 0%). TDF demonstrated HBV DNA suppression at delivery, though there was heterogeneity among individual studies (RR 0.13, 95% CI [0.08-0.20] and (RR 0.36, 95% CI [0.27-0.49]). Maternal and infant safety outcomes were comparable among treated and untreated mothers and infants born to them. The quality of evidence varied from high to very low. There is evidence that TDF effectively interrupted MTCT of HBV and suppressed HBV DNA level. Available studies on safety are very limited and heterogeneous, emphasising the need for additional RCTs with complete safety indicators.