Assessing infant sleep practices and other risk factors of SIDS in Zambia: a cross-sectional survey of mothers in Lusaka, Zambia.

BACKGROUND: Having infants sleep with their parents and sleeping face down or on their sides are the two most proximate and modifiable risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Little is known about the burden of SIDS or the prevalence of these risk factors in Africa. Our primary objective was to determine the prevalence of modifiable risk factors of SIDS in Lusaka, Zambia. METHODS: We conducted cross-sectional surveys with recent mothers of infants aged < 1 year across two busy urban clinic sites in Lusaka, Zambia. We used log-binomial regression analysis to identify factors predictive of bedsharing and prone sleeping. RESULTS: Surveys were conducted with 478 mothers between April-May 2021. The sleep-related risk factors, bedsharing and side sleeping, were widely prevalent. 89.5% of respondents indicated that they share a bed with the infant during sleep, 73.0% preferred putting their baby on its side, and 19.9% preferred the prone position. Only 6.7% of respondents described using the safer, supine position. Age of infant was the only factor which was predictive of prone sleeping. Infants > 2 months old were twice as likely to be put to sleep in a prone position compared to infants aged less than 2 months old. Mothers reported that they rarely (24.1%) received advice from medical caregivers to use the supine position. Maternal use of alcohol (12.0%) and tobacco (0.8%) during pregnancy were uncommon. CONCLUSIONS: Bedsharing and placing the infant to sleep on the side were commonly reported among the mothers we interviewed. Whether this represents an opportunity to reduce SIDS in Zambia is unclear since accurate data on the burden of SIDS in Zambia is not available. There is a need for increased awareness of SIDS and more prospective data collection on its burden and related risk factors in these African populations.

Cohort profile: the South African National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) National HIV Cohort.

PURPOSE: South Africa's National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) National HIV Cohort was established in 2015 to facilitate monitoring, evaluation and research on South Africa's National HIV Treatment Programme. In South Africa, 84.8% of people living with HIV know their HIV status; 70.7% who know their status are on ART; and 87.4% on ART are virologically suppressed. PARTICIPANTS: The NHLS National HIV Cohort includes the laboratory data of nearly all patients receiving HIV care in the public sector since April 2004. Patients are included in the cohort if they have received a CD4 count or HIV RNA viral load (VL) test. Using an anonymised unique patient identifier that we have developed and validated to linked test results, we observe patients prospectively through their laboratory results as they receive HIV care and treatment. Patients in HIV care are seen for laboratory monitoring every 6-12 months. Data collected include age, sex, facility location and test results for CD4 counts, VLs and laboratory tests used to screen for potential treatment complications. FINDINGS TO DATE: From April 2004 to April 2018, 63 million CD4 count and VL tests were conducted at 5483 facilities. 12.6 million unique patients had at least one CD4 count or VL, indicating they had accessed HIV care, and 7.1 million patients had a VL test indicating they had started antiretroviral therapy. The creation of NHLS National HIV Cohort has enabled longitudinal research on all lab-monitored patients in South Africa's national HIV programme, including analyses of (1) patient health at presentation; (2) care outcomes such as 'CD4 recovery', 'retention in care' and 'viral resuppression'; (3) patterns of transfer and re-entry into care; (4) facility-level variation in care outcomes; and (5) impacts of policies and guideline changes. FUTURE PLANS: Continuous updating of the cohort, integration with available clinical data, and expansion to include tuberculosis and other lab-monitored comorbidities.

Adolescent HIV treatment in South Africa's national HIV programme: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The number of South African adolescents receiving HIV care and treatment in South Africa is growing. By use of routinely collected laboratory data from South Africa's National HIV Programme, we aimed to quantify the numbers of adolescents accessing HIV care and treatment over time, characterise the role of perinatal infection in these trends, and estimate proportions of adolescents seeking HIV care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa's public sector. METHODS: We did a retrospective, descriptive cohort study of children and adolescents aged 1-19 years accessing care in South Africa's public sector HIV treatment programme from 2005 to 2016 with a CD4 cell count or viral load recorded in South Africa's National Health Laboratory Service database. We estimated the total number of children and adolescents entering HIV care with a CD4 cell count or viral load test result by calendar period, as well as the proportion in care and receiving ART with at least one viral load test result. We stratified analyses by gender and by whether the patient entered care at younger than 15 years (probably perinatally infected) or at 15-19 years (probably infected in adolescence). FINDINGS: We identified 730 882 patients aged 1-19 years at entry to care between Jan 1, 2005, and Dec 31, 2016. 209 205 (54%) of 388 439 patients entering care younger than 15 years and 301 242 (88%) of 342 443 patients entering care aged 15-19 were female. During the study period, the number of virologically monitored patients aged 15-19 years receiving ART increased from 7949 in 2005-08 to 80 918 in 2013-16. 92 783 (66%) of 140 028 patients aged 15-19 years seeking care started ART by 2016, well below UNAID's target of ART for 90% of those diagnosed. We project that the number of adolescents on ART will continue to rise. INTERPRETATION: The many adolescents aged 15-19 years receiving ART reflect the ageing of children entering care at ages 1-14 years, and increases in care-seeking among horizontally infected adolescents aged 15-19 years. However, many adolescents seeking care do not start ART, suggesting an urgent need for interventions to increase uptake of ART and improve services for this population. FUNDING: US National Institutes of Health, and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the US Agency for International Development.

CD4 count recovery and associated factors among individuals enrolled in the South African antiretroviral therapy programme: An analysis of national laboratory based data.

BACKGROUND: We describe CD4 count recovery among HIV positive individuals who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) with and without severe immune suppression using complete laboratory data from South Africa's national HIV treatment programme between 2010 and 2014 and discuss implications for CD4 count monitoring. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of routinely collected laboratory data from South Africa's National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS). A probabilistic record linkage algorithm was used to create a cohort of HIV positive individuals who initiated ART between 2010 and 2014 based on timing of CD4 count and viral load measurements. A CD4 count < 50 copies/µl at ART initiation was considered severe immunosuppression. A multivariable piecewise mixed-effects linear regression model adjusting for age, gender, year of starting ART, viral suppression in follow up and province was used to predict CD4 counts during follow up. RESULTS: 1,070,900 individuals had evidence of starting ART during 2010-2014 and met the criteria for inclusion in the cohort -46.6% starting ART with CD4 < 200 cells/µl and 10.1% with CD4 < 50 cells/ µl. For individuals with CD4 counts < 200 cells/µl, predicted CD4 counts > 200 cells/µl, >350 cells/µl and >500 cells/µl corresponded with mean follow up durations of 1.5 years (standard deviation [s.d] 1.1), 1.9years (s.d 1.2) and 2.1 years (s.d 1.3 years). For those with CD4 counts < 50 cells/µl, predicted CD4 count above these threshold corresponded with mean follow up durations of 2.5 years (s.d 0.9 years), 4.4 years (s.d 0.4 years) and 5.0 years (s.d 0.1years) for recovery to the same thresholds. CD4 count recovery varied mostly with duration on ART, CD4 count at the start of ART and gender. CONCLUSION: For individuals starting with ART with severe immunosuppression, CD4 recovery to 200cells/µl did not occur or took longer than 12 month for significant proportions. CD4 monitoring and interventions recommended for advanced HIV disease should continue until full recovery.

Human immunodeficiency virus infection and older adults: A retrospective single-site cohort study from Johannesburg, South Africa.

INTRODUCTION: HIV-infected adults aged over 50 years in South Africa are increasing. This study explored differences between baseline characteristics and 12-month outcomes of younger and older HIV-infected adults initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Additionally, associations with outcomes within the older group were sought. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed treatment-naive HIV-infected adult patients at ART initiation. Patients aged 18.0-39.9 years were compared to patients aged over 50 years using log-binomial regression for baseline characteristics and 12-month outcomes. Within the older group, outcome associations were found using multivariate regression. RESULTS: The older cohort (n = 1635) compared to the younger cohort (n = 10726) comprised more males (47.2% vs. 35.4%, PR 1.52, p < 0.05), smokers (12.9% vs. 9.7%, PR 1.32, p < 0.05) and overweight patients (26.0% vs. 20.0%, PR 1.32, p < 0.05). Fewer older patients had tuberculosis (10.2% vs. 15.3%, PR 0.67, p < 0.05), other opportunistic infections (16.9% vs. 23.3%, PR 0.70, p < 0.05), World Health Organization stage 3/4 disease (39.9% vs. 43.2%, PR 0.89, p < 0.05), anaemia (22.8% vs. 28.4%, PR 0.77, p < 0.05), liver dysfunction (17.1% vs. 21.3%, PR 0.83, p < 0.05) or low CD4+ count < 100 cells/mm3 (56.3% vs. 59.9%, PR 0.71, p < 0.05).Mortality was higher in the older cohort (11.3% vs. 7.5%, PR 1.48, p < 0.05). Virological suppression was greater in the older cohort (89.5% vs. 86.5%, PR 1.28, p < 0.05) but CD4+ restitution was lower (62.8% vs. 75.0%, PR 0.61, p < 0.05). There was no difference in treatment complications between the groups.Within the older cohort, associations with death were as follows: age > 55 years (PR 1.47, p < 0.05), an AIDS-defining condition (PR 2.28, p < 0.05), raised ALT (PR 1.53, p < 0.05) and CD4+ < 100 cells/mm3 (PR 2.15, p < 0.05). Associations with favourable treatment response at 12 months were unemployment (PR 1.18, p < 0.05) and raised ALT (PR 1.19, p < 0.05). Associations with a treatment complication at 12 months were unemployment (PR 1.12, p < 0.05), smoking (PR 1.20, p < 0.05) and nevirapine use (PR 1.36, p < 0.05) but secondary education was protective (PR 0.87, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: HIV-infected South African adults aged over 50 years differ in characteristics and outcomes compared to their younger counterparts and justify specialised management within HIV treatment facilities.

Persistent High Burden of Advanced HIV Disease Among Patients Seeking Care in South Africa's National HIV Program: Data From a Nationwide Laboratory Cohort.

Background: The South African national HIV program has increased antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage over the last decade, supported by policy changes allowing for earlier ART initiation. However, many patients still enter care with advanced (<200 cells/µL) and very advanced (<100 cells/µL) HIV disease. We assessed disease progression at entry to care using nationwide laboratory data. Methods: We constructed a national HIV cohort using laboratory records containing HIV RNA loads and CD4 counts from 2004 to 2016 to determine entry into care. We estimated numbers and proportions of adults with the first CD4 count <100 cells/ µL or 100-199 cells/µL. We calculated relative risks of presenting with advanced disease associated with male sex. Results: 8.04 million first CD4 results were identified. From 2005 to 2011, the proportion of patients entering into care with CD4 count <200 cells/µL declined from 46.8% to 35.6%. From 2011 onward, the proportion of patients entering ART with advanced HIV disease has remained relatively unchanged. In 2016, we estimated that of 654 868 patients entering care, 32.9% had advanced HIV disease, and 16.8% had very advanced HIV disease. Men were almost twice as likely as women (23.1% vs 12.6% ) to enter care with very advanced HIV disease. Conclusions: The proportion of patients presenting with advanced HIV disease in South Africa remains consistently high despite ART scale-up, representing a large and avoidable burden of morbidity. Early HIV diagnosis, rapid linkage to ART and approaches to attract men into early ART initiation should be prioritized.

Multidisciplinary Point-of-Care Testing in South African Primary Health Care Clinics Accelerates HIV ART Initiation but Does Not Alter Retention in Care.

BACKGROUND: Lack of accessible laboratory infrastructure limits HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, monitoring, and retention in many resource-limited settings. Point-of-care testing (POCT) is advocated as a mechanism to overcome these limitations. We executed a pragmatic, prospective, randomized, controlled trial comparing the impact of POCT vs. standard of care (SOC) on treatment initiation and retention in care. METHODS: Selected POC technologies were embedded at 3 primary health clinics in South Africa. Confirmed HIV-positive participants were randomized to either SOC or POC: SOC participants were venesected and specimens referred to the laboratory with patient follow-up as per algorithm (∼3 visits); POC participants had phlebotomy and POCT immediately on-site using Pima CD4 to assess ART eligibility followed by hematology, chemistry, and tuberculosis screening with the goal of receiving same-day adherence counseling and treatment initiation. Participant outcomes measured at recruitment 6 and 12 months after initiation. RESULTS: Four hundred thirty-two of 717 treatment eligible participants enrolled between May 2012 and September 2013: 198 (56.7%) SOC; 234 (63.6%) POC. Mean age was 37.4 years; 60.5% were female. Significantly more participants were initiated using POC [adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) 0.83; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74 to 0.93; P < 0.0001], the median time to initiation was 1 day for POC and 26.5 days for SOC. The proportion of patients in care and on ART was similar for both arms at 6 months (47 vs. 50%) (aPR 0.96; 95% CI: 0.79 to 1.16) and 12 months (32 vs. 32%) (aPR 1.05; 95% CI: 0.80 to 1.38), with similar mortality rates. Loss to follow-up at 12 months was higher for POC (36% vs. 51%) (aPR 0.82; 95% CI: 0.65 to 1.04). CONCLUSIONS: Adoption of POCT accelerated ART initiation but once on treatment, there was unexpectedly higher loss to follow-up on POC and no improvement in outcomes at 12 months over SOC.

Imputing HIV treatment start dates from routine laboratory data in South Africa: a validation study.

BACKGROUND: Poor clinical record keeping hinders health systems monitoring and patient care in many low resource settings. We develop and validate a novel method to impute dates of antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation from routine laboratory data in South Africa's public sector HIV program. This method will enable monitoring of the national ART program using real-time laboratory data, avoiding the error potential of chart review. METHODS: We developed an algorithm to impute ART start dates based on the date of a patient's "ART workup", i.e. the laboratory tests used to determine treatment readiness in national guidelines, and the time from ART workup to initiation based on clinical protocols (21 days). To validate the algorithm, we analyzed data from two large clinical HIV cohorts: Hlabisa HIV Treatment and Care Programme in rural KwaZulu-Natal; and Right to Care Cohort in urban Gauteng. Both cohorts contain known ART initiation dates and laboratory results imported directly from the National Health Laboratory Service. We assessed median time from ART workup to ART initiation and calculated sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of our imputed start date vs. the true start date within a 6 month window. Heterogeneity was assessed across individual clinics and over time. RESULTS: We analyzed data from over 80,000 HIV-positive adults. Among patients who had a workup and initiated ART, median time to initiation was 16 days (IQR 7,31) in Hlabisa and 21 (IQR 8,43) in RTC cohort. Among patients with known ART start dates, SE of the imputed start date was 83% in Hlabisa and 88% in RTC, indicating this method accurately predicts ART start dates for about 85% of all ART initiators. In Hlabisa, PPV was 95%, indicating that for patients with a lab workup, true start dates were predicted with high accuracy. SP (100%) and NPV (92%) were also very high. CONCLUSIONS: Routine laboratory data can be used to infer ART initiation dates in South Africa's public sector. Where care is provided based on protocols, laboratory data can be used to monitor health systems performance and improve accuracy and completeness of clinical records.

Incidence of Severe and Nonsevere Pertussis Among HIV-Exposed and -Unexposed Zambian Infants Through 14 Weeks of Age: Results From the Southern Africa Mother Infant Pertussis Study (SAMIPS), a Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Maternal vaccination with tetanus, reduced-dose diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) could be an effective way of mitigating the high residual burden of infant morbidity and mortality caused by Bordetella pertussis To better inform such interventions, we conducted a burden-of-disease study to determine the incidence of severe and nonsevere pertussis among a population of Zambian infants. METHODS: Mother-infant pairs were enrolled at 1 week of life, and then seen at 2- to 3-week intervals through 14 weeks of age. At each visit, nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs were obtained from both, and symptoms were catalogued. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to identify cases, and a severity scoring system to triage these into severe/nonsevere, we calculated disease incidence using person-time at risk as the denominator. RESULTS: From a population of 1981 infants, we identified 10 with clinical pertussis, for an overall incidence of 2.4 cases (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-4.2) per 1000 infant-months and a cumulative incidence of 5.2 cases (95% CI, 2.6-9.0) per 1000 infants. Nine of 10 cases occurred within a 3-month window (May-July 2015), with highest incidence between birth and 6 weeks of age (3.5 cases per 1000 infant-months), concentrated among infants prior to vaccination or among those who had only received 1 dose of Diphtheria Tetanus whole cell Pertussis (DTwP). Maternal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) modestly increased the risk of infant pertussis (risk ratio, 1.8 [95% CI, .5-6.9]). Only 1 of 10 infant cases qualified as having severe pertussis. The rest presented with the mild and nonspecific symptoms of cough, coryza, and/or tachypnea. Notably, cough durations were long, exceeding 30 days in several cases, with PCRs repeatedly positive over time. CONCLUSIONS: Pertussis is circulating freely among this population of Zambian infants but rarely presents with the classical symptoms of paroxysmal cough, whooping, apnea, and cyanosis. Maternal HIV appears to increase the risk, while lack of effective exposure to DTwP increased the risk.

Early Diagnosis of HIV Infection in Infants - One Caribbean and Six Sub-Saharan African Countries, 2011-2015.

Pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains an important public health issue in resource-limited settings. In 2015, 1.4 million children aged <15 years were estimated to be living with HIV (including 170,000 infants born in 2015), with the vast majority living in sub-Saharan Africa (1). In 2014, 150,000 children died from HIV-related causes worldwide (2). Access to timely HIV diagnosis and treatment for HIV-infected infants reduces HIV-associated mortality, which is approximately 50% by age 2 years without treatment (3). Since 2011, the annual number of HIV-infected children has declined by 50%. Despite this gain, in 2014, only 42% of HIV-exposed infants received a diagnostic test for HIV (2), and in 2015, only 51% of children living with HIV received antiretroviral therapy (1). Access to services for early infant diagnosis of HIV (which includes access to testing for HIV-exposed infants and clinical diagnosis of HIV-infected infants) is critical for reducing HIV-associated mortality in children aged <15 years. Using data collected from seven countries supported by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), progress in the provision of HIV testing services for early infant diagnosis was assessed. During 2011-2015, the total number of HIV diagnostic tests performed among HIV-exposed infants within 6 weeks after birth (tests for early infant diagnosis of HIV), as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) increased in all seven countries (Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia); however, in 2015, the rate of testing for early infant diagnosis among HIV-exposed infants was <50% in five countries. HIV positivity among those tested declined in all seven countries, with three countries (Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda) reporting >50% decline. The most common challenges for access to testing for early infant diagnosis included difficulties in specimen transport, long turnaround time between specimen collection and receipt of results, and limitations in supply chain management. Further reductions in HIV mortality in children can be achieved through continued expansion and improvement of services for early infant diagnosis in PEPFAR-supported countries, including initiatives targeted to reach HIV-exposed infants, ensure access to programs for early infant diagnosis of HIV, and facilitate prompt linkage to treatment for children diagnosed with HIV infection.

Association between wood cooking fuel and maternal hypertension at delivery in central East India.

OBJECTIVE: Smoke from burning of biomass fuels has been linked with adverse pregnancy outcomes and hypertension among nonpregnant subjects; association with hypertension during pregnancy has not been well studied. We evaluated whether the use of wood cooking fuel increases the risk of maternal hypertension at delivery compared to gas which burns with less smoke. METHODS: Information on fuel use and blood pressure was available for analysis from a cross-sectional survey of 1369 pregnant women recruited at delivery in India. RESULTS: Compared to gas users, women using wood as fuel had on average lower mean arterial pressure (adjusted effect size - 2.0 mmHg; 95% CI: -3.77, -0.31) and diastolic blood pressure (adjusted effect size -1.96 mmHg; 95% CI: -3.60, -0.30) at delivery. Risk of hypertension (systolic >139 mmHg or diastolic >89 mmHg) was 14.6% for wood users compared to 19.6% for gas users although this did not reach significance after adjustment, using propensity score techniques, for factors that make wood and gas users distinct (adjusted prevalence ratio 0.76; 95% CI: 0.49, 1.17). CONCLUSIONS: Combustion products from the burning of biomass fuels are similar to those released with tobacco smoking, which has been linked with a reduced risk for preeclampsia. The direction of our findings suggests the possibility of a similar effect for biomass cook smoke. Whether clean cooking interventions being promoted by international advocacy organizations will impact hypertension in pregnancy warrants further analysis as hypertension remains a leading cause of maternal death worldwide and cooking with biomass fuels is widespread.

Low prevalence of liver disease but regional differences in HBV treatment characteristics mark HIV/HBV co-infection in a South African HIV clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is endemic in South Africa however, there is limited data on the degree of liver disease and geographic variation in HIV/HBV coinfected individuals. In this study, we analysed data from the CIPRA-SA 'Safeguard the household study' in order to assess baseline HBV characteristics in HIV/HBV co-infection participants prior to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. METHODS: 812 participants from two South African townships Soweto and Masiphumelele were enrolled in a randomized trial of ART (CIPRA-SA). Participants were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), and HBV DNA. FIB-4 scores were calculated at baseline. RESULTS: Forty-eight (5.9%) were HBsAg positive, of whom 28 (58.3%) were HBeAg positive. Of those with HBV, 29.8% had an HBV DNA<2000 IU/ml and ALT<40 IU/ml ; 83.0% had a FIB-4 score <1.45, consistent with absent or minimal liver disease. HBV prevalence was 8.5% in Masiphumelele compared to 3.8% in Soweto (relative risk 2.3; 95% CI: 1.3-4.0). More participants in Masiphumelele had HBeAg-negative disease (58% vs. 12%, p = 0.002) and HBV DNA levels ≤2000 IU/ml, (43% vs. 6% p<0.007). CONCLUSION: One third of HIV/HBV co-infected subjects had low HBV DNA levels and ALT while the majority had indicators of only mild liver disease. There were substantial regional differences in HBsAg and HbeAg prevalence in HIV/HBV co-infection between two regions in South Africa. This study highlights the absence of severe liver disease and the marked regional differences in HIV/HBV co-infection in South Africa and will inform treatment decisions in these populations.

Hepatitis B screening in US travelers seen at the Boston area travel medicine network.

BACKGROUND: Persons born in countries with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence ≥2% have increased risk for unrecognized hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Testing at pre-travel consultations is a strategy to identify previously undiagnosed HBV infections. Using records of travelers seen at the Boston Area Travel Medicine Network (BATMN) sites, we assessed how these travel clinics currently assess HBV status, describe test results, and describe characteristics of those tested and immunized for HBV. METHODS: Demographic data and trip information were collected for all travelers seen at the BATMN sites from June 2008 through July 2010. Proportions of those tested for HBV were determined, and differences between those tested and not tested were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 13,732 travelers enrolled during the study period, 2,134 (16%) were born in HBV-risk countries (HBsAg prevalence ≥2%); 532/2134 (25%) had previous HBV test results and 230 (11%) had tests performed at the travel clinic visit. Past results showed that 33/453 (7.3%) were HBV-infected (HBsAg+), 252/481 (52.4%) were immune (anti-HBs+, HBsAg-), 164/303 (54.1%) were susceptible (anti-HBs-, HBsAg-, anti-HBc-), and 38/314 (12.1%) had possible HBV exposure (anti-HBc+, HBsAg-, anti-HBs-). Among 230 travelers tested during the travel clinic visit, 7/213 (3.3%) were HBV-infected, 95/218 (43.6%) were immune, 106/179 (59.2%) were susceptible, and 10/182 (5.5%) had possible HBV exposure. CONCLUSION: The travel clinic offers an opportunity to capture, identify, and educate infected persons unaware of their infection, educate those with known results, and initiate preventive action (eg, vaccination) for those still susceptible.

The feasibility of using screening criteria to reduce clinic visits for stable patients on antiretroviral therapy in South Africa.

OBJECTIVES: South African HIV care providers are exploring ways to reduce the intensity of patient visits while maintaining high quality of care. We used routinely collected data to model whether a simple screening tool could identify stable patients who would not need to see a doctor during a scheduled medical visit. DESIGN: We identified stable and nonstable visits from January 2007 to September 2011 at a large HIV clinic in Johannesburg, SA. Stable medical visits were defined as having all of the following: stable CD4 count, undetectable viral load, stable weight, not pregnant, no comorbidity, no regimen change within three months, and normal laboratory results for hemoglobin, alanine aminotransferase, and creatinine clearance. METHODS: We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of nonstable visits at predicting indicators of disease progression or needing additional care: (1) ART regimen change and (2) follow-up visits in <2 and <4 weeks from previous visit. RESULTS: Stable visits had a sensitivity of 88.9% (95% confidence interval: 88.2 to 89.7) and a specificity of 44.8% (44.5 to 44.1) at predicting ART therapy changes, and a sensitivity of 72.6% (71.8 to 73.4) and specificity of 45.1% (44.8 to 45.4) for predicting a follow-up visit interval of <2 weeks and similar results for predicting a follow-up visit interval of <4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Our retrospective analysis suggests an approach to potentially reduce the number of medical visits while missing few visits in which changes in regimen or additional care would be needed. Evaluation of our criteria in a primary care setting is needed to determine whether they could safely reduce visits.

Second-hand smoke exposure and household smoking bans in Chinese families: a qualitative study.

As workplace smoking restrictions spread, smoking in the home is becoming the predominant source of exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) among children and other non-smokers in the household. This study explored issues around children's exposure to SHS. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted among 31 Chinese households in urban Shanghai, China. All FGDs/IDIs were audio recorded and analysed thematically. The findings suggest that there are gaps in knowledge of the health consequences of smoking and SHS among the participants. Although there was a lack of knowledge about the health risk of exposure to SHS, most were willing to protect their child from the SHS exposure. In 16/31 households, families had partial home-smoking restrictions; there were no complete restrictions in any of the smokers' homes. Many families do not openly discuss smoking or smoking restrictions at home. Barriers to adopting a smoke-free home included the social acceptability of smoking (22/31), hosting social gatherings at home, which would involve smoking (12/31), authoritative attitudes of the husband or father-in-law (10/31), and difficulties with visitors who smoke (7/31). Most (28/31) participants stated they would accept a counselling intervention to reduce SHS exposure to children and suggested various measures to implement it. The findings from this intervention have implications for designing intervention strategies to reduce SHS exposure at home among children in China.