Impact of pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in urban centers in Brazil: a modeling study.

BACKGROUND: Men who have sex with men (MSM) in Brazil remain disproportionately affected by HIV. We estimated the potential incidence reduction by five years with increased uptake of publicly-funded, daily, oral tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among MSM using the Cost Effectiveness of Preventing AIDS Complications microsimulation model. We used national data, local studies, and literature to inform model parameters for three cities: Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Manaus. RESULTS: In Rio de Janero, a PrEP intervention achieving 10% uptake within 60 months would decrease incidence by 2.3% whereas achieving 60% uptake within 24 months would decrease incidence by 29.7%; results were similar for Salvador and Manaus. In sensitivity analyses, decreasing mean age at PrEP initiation from 33 to 21 years increased incidence reduction by 34%; a discontinuation rate of 25% per year decreased it by 12%. CONCLUSION: Targeting PrEP to young MSM and minimizing discontinuation could substantially increase PrEP's impact.

Factors Associated With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Uptake Among Pregnant Women and Nonpregnant Women of Reproductive Age in Jamaica.

Background: Despite high rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related maternal mortality, Jamaica currently has little data on COVID-19 vaccine uptake among pregnant women. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey of 192 reproductive-aged women in Jamaica from February 1 to 8, 2022. Participants were recruited from a convenience sample of patients, providers, and staff at a teaching hospital. We assessed self-reported COVID-19 vaccination status and COVID-19-related medical mistrust (operationalized as vaccine confidence, government mistrust, and race-based mistrust). We used multivariable modified Poisson regression to test the association between vaccine uptake and pregnancy. Results: Of 192 respondents, 72 (38%) were pregnant. Most (93%) were Black. Vaccine uptake was 35% in pregnant women versus 75% in nonpregnant women. Pregnant women were more likely to cite healthcare providers versus the government as trustworthy sources of COVID-19 vaccine information (65% vs 28%). Pregnancy, low vaccine confidence, and government mistrust were associated with a lower likelihood of COVID-19 vaccination (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 0.68 [95% confidence interval {CI}, .49-.95], aPR = 0.61 [95% CI, .40-.95], and aPR = 0.68 [95% CI, .52-.89], respectively). Race-based mistrust was not associated with COVID-19 vaccination in the final model. Conclusions: Pregnancy, low vaccine confidence, and government mistrust were associated with a lower likelihood of COVID-19 vaccination among reproductive-aged women in Jamaica. Future studies should evaluate the efficacy of strategies proven to improve maternal vaccination coverage, including standing "opt-out" vaccination orders and collaborative provider and patient-led educational videos tailored for pregnant individuals. Strategies that decouple vaccine messaging from government agencies also warrant evaluation.

Association of co-occurring mental health problems with hepatitis C status among young people who inject drugs in rural New Mexico, 2016-2018.

BACKGROUND: Injection drug use (IDU) remains the strongest risk factor for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the United States. HCV rates are increasing in rural areas among young adult people who inject drugs (PWID). People with HCV and PWID have disproportionate rates of mental health problems; however, it is unclear whether risky injection behaviors mediate the association between mental health problems and HCV. We examined the association between mental health problems and HCV in a rural cohort of young adult PWID, with the goal of informing rural service delivery. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from a convenience sample of young adult PWID in 2 rural counties in New Mexico. Participants were recruited from 2 community venues between September 2016 and May 2018. Associations between mental health problems and HCV were examined using bivariate (Fisher's exact) and multivariable modified Poisson regression analyses (with robust standard errors). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we assessed duration of IDU and receptive syringe sharing (RSS) as mediators of this relationship. RESULTS: A total of 263 patients were enrolled, with a median age of 26.1 years. The majority were male (66.3%) and Hispanic/Latino (a) (87.6%). The median age first injected was 19 years, and over half reported having ever engaged in RSS (53.4%). At least one mental health problem was reported by 60.1% of participants, with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being the most prevalent condition (42.2%). A majority (60.9%) tested positive for HCV antibody, and just under half (45.7%) of all participants tested positive for HCV ribonucleic acid. In SEM, PTSD had a significant total effect on HCV (τ = 0.230, P = 0.05), and this relationship was partially mediated by duration of IDU (αß = 0.077, P = 0.03). The association between mental health problems and HCV was partially mediated by duration of IDU and the sequential mediation of duration of IDU and RSS (αß + αßß = 0.091, P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High HCV rates among young adult PWID in rural New Mexico may be partly explained by mental health problems, duration of IDU and RSS. Mental health services for young adult PWID in rural areas may help decrease HCV transmission in rural areas. Trial Registration N/A.

Hepatitis C virus-specific cell-mediated immune responses in children born to mothers infected with hepatitis C virus.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI) responses and viral clearance in children born to mothers infected with HCV. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study of children from a mother-infant cohort in Egypt were enrolled to detect CMI responses to recombinant core and nonstructural HCV antigens (nonstructural segments NS3, NS4a/b, and NS5 of the HCV genome) using an interferon-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot assay. Children born to mothers with chronic HCV were enrolled into 3 groups: transiently viremic (n = 5), aviremic (n = 36), and positive control (n = 6), which consisted of 1 child with chronic HCV from this cohort and another 5 children with chronic HCV from a companion study. Children without HCV born to mothers without HCV (n = 27) served as a negative control group. Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare the magnitude of CMI responses between groups. RESULTS: None of the 6 control children who were positive for HCV responded to any HCV antigen, and 4 (80%) of 5 children with transient viremia responded to at least one HCV antigen, compared with 5 (14%) of 36 and 3 (11%) of 27 children in the aviremic and negative control groups, respectively. Children with transient viremia elicited stronger responses than did negative controls (P = .005), positive controls (P = .011), or children without HCV viremia (P = .012), particularly to nonstructural antigens. CONCLUSIONS: HCV-specific CMI responses were significantly higher in magnitude and frequency among transiently infected children compared with those persistently infected. This suggests CMI responses may be associated with past viral clearance and can identify children at high risk of infection, who can be targeted for health education, screening, and follow-up.