Stakeholders' Perspectives on the Challenges of Emergency Obstetric Referrals and the Feasibility and Acceptability of an mHealth Intervention in Northern Iraq.

The health system in northern Iraq has been weakened by conflict and the internal displacement of over three million people. Mobile phone-based interventions (mHealth) may improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes by enabling emergency referrals, facilitating communication between patients and providers, and improving patient data management; however, they have not been sufficiently studied in conflict-affected settings. We explored stakeholders' perspectives on challenges to obstetric referrals and the feasibility and acceptability of a mobile phone-based application to reduce delays in reaching emergency obstetric care in order to inform its development. We conducted a qualitative study in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq from May to July, 2018. Using purposive sampling, we carried out 15 semi-structured interviews with coordination actors including healthcare management staff, government health officials, non-government health program managers and ambulance staff. The interviews explored obstetric care delivery, referral processes, mobile phone usage and mHealth implementation strategies. Eleven focus group discussions, which incorporated participatory activities on similar topics, were conducted with ambulance drivers, hospital and primary health center staff. Audio-recorded, transcribed and translated data were coded iteratively to identify emerging concepts, and analyzed thematically. Sixty-eight stakeholders (36 women and 32 men) participated. Challenges regarding the referral system included resource limitations, security concerns, costs and women's reluctance to be transported in male-staffed ambulances. In terms of obstetric care and decision-making, participants noted gaps in communication and coordination of services with the current paper-based system between health care providers, ambulance drivers, and hospital staff. Ambulance drivers reported incurring delays through lack of patient information, poor road conditions, and security issues. A prototype mobile phone application was found to be acceptable based on perceived usefulness to address some of the challenges to safe obstetric care and focused on phone usage, access to information, Global Positioning System (GPS), connectivity, cost, and user-friendliness. However, the feasibility of the innovation was considered in relation to implementation challenges that were identified, including poor connectivity, and digital literacy. Implementation of the app would need to account for the humanitarian context, cultural and gender norms regarding obstetric care, and would require substantial commitment and engagement from policymakers and practitioners.

Sustained maternal antibody and cellular immune responses in pregnant women infected with Zika virus and mother to infant transfer of Zika-specific antibodies.

PROBLEM: Evaluation of Zika virus (ZIKV)-specific humoral and cellular immune response in pregnant women exposed to ZIKV. METHOD OF STUDY: In this observational, prospective cohort study, we recruited pregnant women presenting for prenatal ultrasound for ZIKV exposure at a single academic teaching hospital in Boston, MA from November 2016 to December 2018. We collected blood, urine, and cervicovaginal swabs antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum; and cord blood and placenta at delivery. We used experimental assays to calculate quantitative viral loads, ZIKV-specific immunoglobulin titers, and ZIKV-specific T-cell responses. RESULTS: We enrolled 22 participants, three of which had serologic-confirmed ZIKV infection. No participants demonstrated sustained ZIKV shedding. ZIKV-specific IgG/IgM antibody was sustained throughout pregnancy and postpartum. ZIKV envelope and capsid-specific T-cell responses were also observed, albeit inconsistent. No newborns in this cohort had congenital Zika syndrome. Infant cord blood of infected mothers exhibited ZIKV-specific IgG, but not IgM antibodies. CONCLUSION: We detected a robust, prolonged maternal humoral immune response to ZIKV during pregnancy and postpartum. We also demonstrated evidence for efficient transplacental antibody transfer from mother to infant at birth, supporting the importance of neonatal passive immunity to ZIKV. Maternal T-cell responses were less consistent among pregnant women infected with ZIKV.

Etonogestrel concentrations among contraceptive implant users in Botswana using and not using dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether etonogestrel concentrations are reduced to a level that could potentially reduce contraceptive efficacy when the etonogestrel contraceptive implant is used concomitantly with dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART). STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a non-randomized, open-label, cross-sectional pharmacokinetic study among women using single-rod etonogestrel contraceptive implants in Botswana. We compared plasma etonogestrel concentrations, sampled at a single time-point between 3 and 12 months from implant insertion, among implant users living with HIV and receiving dolutegravir-based ART with HIV-negative implant users. We also assessed concentrations among implant users living with HIV and receiving efavirenz-based ART. We compared geometric mean etonogestrel concentrations analyzing data from 142 participants: 97 HIV-negative, 30 using dolutegravir, and 15 using efavirenz. RESULTS: The groups were similar. Duration of implant use was between 3 and 12 months (median = 5). Geometric mean etonogestrel plasma concentrations and 90% confidence intervals of the mean were 227.5(212.4-243.8), 289.6(251.8-333.0) and 76.4(63.9-91.4) pg/mL among the HIV-negative, dolutegravir- and efavirenz-based ART groups, respectively. All women in the HIV-negative and dolutegravir-based ART groups had etonogestrel concentrations above 90 pg/mL; 9/15 women (60%) using efavirenz-based ART had concentrations below 90 pg/mL. On average, etonogestrel levels were lower among individuals who had implants inserted for longer durations. CONCLUSIONS: Implant users receiving dolutegravir-based ART had a higher mean etonogestrel concentration compared to HIV-negative women, and none had etonogestrel concentrations below the posited threshold for ovulation suppression. In contrast, women in the efavirenz-group had much lower etonogestrel concentrations. Overall, these data provide evidence that the etonogestrel implant may be effectively combined with dolutegravir-based ART regimens. IMPLICATIONS: The etonogestrel implant remains a highly effective contraceptive option for women living with HIV who use dolutegravir-based ART.

Long-acting reversible contraception knowledge, attitudes and use among HIV-infected and -uninfected women and their providers.

OBJECTIVE(S): To describe differences in contraceptive knowledge, attitudes and use among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women served by an academic medical center in New York City and to describe gaps in knowledge and practice of gynecologic and HIV clinicians providing care at the same clinic sites where patients completed surveys. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a survey comparing contraceptive knowledge, attitudes, reproductive histories and long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) use in HIV-infected and -uninfected women. We also conducted a survey to elicit clinician demographic characteristics and education, contraceptive practice patterns and their knowledge of current contraceptive guidelines. We surveyed clinicians and patients at five ambulatory sites. RESULTS: We screened 90% of patients approached. All 257 women who were eligible completed a survey. These included 107 (42%) HIV-infected women and 150 (58%) HIV-uninfected women. HIV-infected women were older, were more likely to be black/African-American, were less likely to be Latina, were more likely to receive public assistance and had lower educational attainment. HIV-infected women reported lower lifetime LARC use (12% vs. 28%) and higher recent condom use (58% vs. 25%) than HIV-uninfected women. Both groups reported similar attitudes toward intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants. HIV clinicians were less likely to have had training in or discuss LARC methods with their patients. CONCLUSIONS: HIV-infected women were less likely to be current (last 30 days) or ever LARC users, despite having similar attitudes toward IUDs and implants, compared to HIV-uninfected women. HIV providers had lower levels of knowledge of HIV-specific contraceptive guidelines compared with gynecology practitioners. IMPLICATIONS: HIV-infected women and their providers share a knowledge gap regarding LARC. Increased interdisciplinary collaboration may help mitigate the resulting disparities in access to highly effective contraception in HIV-infected women. Knowledge of HIV-specific contraceptive guidelines and ability to place contraceptive implants were low among all surveyed providers, suggesting need for additional training.

Cholera in the time of war: implications of weak surveillance in Syria for the WHO's preparedness-a comparison of two monitoring systems.

BACKGROUND: Public health breakdown from the Syrian government's targeting of healthcare systems in politically unsympathetic areas has yielded a resurgence of infectious diseases. Suspected cholera recently reappeared but conflict-related constraints impede laboratory confirmation. Given the government's previous under-reporting of infectious outbreaks and the reliance of the WHO on government reporting, we sought to assess the reliability of current surveillance systems. METHODS: We compared weekly surveillance reports of waterborne diseases from the Syrian government's (WHO-associated) Early Warning and Response System (EWARS), based in Damascus, and the independent, non-governmental Early Warning and Response Network (EWARN) headquartered in Gaziantep, Turkey. We compared raw case rates by EWARS and EWARN and assessed the quality of reporting against the WHO benchmarks. RESULTS: We identified significant under-reporting and delays in the government's surveillance. On average, EWARS reports were published 24 days (range 12-61) after the reference week compared with 11 days (5-21) for EWARN. Average completeness for EWARS was 75% (55-84%), compared with 92% for EWARN (85-99%). Average timeliness for EWARS was 79% (51-100%), compared with 88% for EWARN (70-97%). EWARS made limited use of rapid diagnostic tests, and rates of collection of stool samples for laboratory cholera testing were well below reference levels. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of the current Syrian war, the government's surveillance is inadequate due to lack of access to non-government held territory, an incentive to under-report the consequence of government attacks on health infrastructure, and an impractical insistence on laboratory confirmation. These findings should guide the WHO reform for surveillance in conflict zones.