Bayesian spatial modelling of intimate partner violence and associated factors among adult women and men: evidence from 2019/2020 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a global public health concern for both men and women. Spatial mapping and clustering analysis can reveal subtle patterns in IPV occurrences but are yet to be explored in Rwanda, especially at a lower small-area scale. This study seeks to examine the spatial distribution, patterns, and associated factors of IPV among men and women in Rwanda. METHODS: This was a secondary data analysis of the 2019/2020 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS) individual-level data set for 1947 women aged 15-49 years and 1371 men aged 15-59 years. A spatially structured additive logistic regression model was used to assess risk factors for IPV while adjusting for spatial effects. The district-level spatial model was adjusted for fixed covariate effects and was implemented using a fully Bayesian inference within the generalized additive mixed effects framework. RESULTS: IPV prevalence amongst women was 45.9% (95% Confidence interval (CI): 43.4-48.5%) while that for men was 18.4% (95% CI: 16.2-20.9%). Using a bivariate choropleth, IPV perpetrated against women was higher in the North-Western districts of Rwanda whereas for men it was shown to be more prevalent in the Southern districts. A few districts presented high IPV for both men and women. The spatial structured additive logistic model revealed higher odds for IPV against women mainly in the North-western districts and the spatial effects were dominated by spatially structured effects contributing 64%. Higher odds of IPV were observed for men in the Southern districts of Rwanda and spatial effects were dominated by district heterogeneity accounting for 62%. There were no statistically significant district clusters for IPV in both men or women. Women with partners who consume alcohol, and with controlling partners were at significantly higher odds of IPV while those in rich households and making financial decisions together with partners were at lower odds of experiencing IPV. CONCLUSION: Campaigns against IPV should be strengthened, especially in the North-Western and Southern parts of Rwanda. In addition, the promotion of girl-child education and empowerment of women can potentially reduce IPV against women and girls. Furthermore, couples should be trained on making financial decisions together. In conclusion, the implementation of policies and interventions that discourage alcohol consumption and control behaviour, especially among men, should be rolled out.

Predicting the drop out from the maternal, newborn and child healthcare continuum in three East African Community countries: application of machine learning models.

BACKGROUND: For optimal health, the maternal, newborn, and child healthcare (MNCH) continuum necessitates that the mother/child receive the full package of antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care. In sub-Saharan Africa, dropping out from the MNCH continuum remains a challenge. Using machine learning, the study sought to forecast the MNCH continuum drop out and determine important predictors in three East African Community (EAC) countries. METHODS: The study utilised Demographic Health Surveys data from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (2013/14), Kenya (2014) and Tanzania (2015/16). STATA 17 was used to perform the multivariate logistic regression. Python 3.0 was used to build five machine learning classification models namely the Logistic Regression, Random Forest, Decision Tree, Support Vector Machine and Artificial Neural Network. Performance of the models was assessed using Accuracy, Precision, Recall, Specificity, F1 score and area under the Receiver Operating Characteristics (AUROC). RESULTS: The prevalence of the drop out from the MNCH continuum was 91.0% in the DRC, 72.4% in Kenya and 93.6% in Tanzania. Living in the rural areas significantly increased the odds of dropping out from the MNCH continuum in the DRC (AOR:1.76;95%CI:1.30-2.38), Kenya (AOR:1.23;95%CI:1.03-1.47) and Tanzania (AOR:1.41;95%CI:1.01-1.97). Lower maternal education also conferred a significant increase in the DRC (AOR:2.16;95%CI:1.67-2.79), Kenya (AOR:1.56;95%CI:1.30-1.84) and Tanzania (AOR:1.70;95%CI:1.24-2.34). Non exposure to mass media also conferred a significant positive influence in the DRC (AOR:1.49;95%CI:1.15-1.95), Kenya (AOR:1.46;95%CI:1.19-1.80) and Tanzania (AOR:1.65;95%CI:1.13-2.40). The Random Forest exhibited superior predictive accuracy (Accuracy = 75.7%, Precision = 79.1%, Recall = 92.1%, Specificity = 51.6%, F1 score = 85.1%, AUROC = 70%). The top four predictors with the greatest influence were household wealth, place of residence, maternal education and exposure to mass media. CONCLUSIONS: The MNCH continuum dropout rate is very high in the EAC countries. Maternal education, place of residence, and mass media exposure were common contributing factors to the drop out from MNCH continuum. The Random Forest had the highest predictive accuracy. Household wealth, place of residence, maternal education and exposure to mass media were ranked among the top four features with significant influence. The findings of this study can be used to support evidence-based decisions in MNCH interventions and to develop web-based services to improve continuity of care retention.

Patient satisfaction with chronic disease care and its associated factors in primary health care facilities in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Background: Patient satisfaction is a widely used indicator of assessing health care quality and has been used by policymakers to consider the needs of patients when developing suitable strategies for safe and high-quality care. However, in South Africa, the dual burden of HIV and NCDs has implications for the health system, whereby the factors influencing the quality of care and patient satisfaction may be unique to this context. Thus, this study examined the predictors affecting chronic disease patients' levels of satisfaction with care in Johannesburg, South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,429 chronic disease patients at 80 primary healthcare facilities in Johannesburg, South Africa. A questionnaire derived from existing literature and patient satisfaction frameworks was used to measure the level of satisfaction of patients when receiving care. Patients' overall satisfaction was categorized into not satisfied and satisfied. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess scale reliability. Factor analysis was used as a data dimension reduction approach and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and the Bartlett test of sphericity were used to test the sampling adequacy and to examine the inter-independence of the items. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with being satisfied. Significance was set at 5%. Results: The majority of chronic disease patients 65.5% (n = 1,592) were aged 18-30 years; 63.8% (n = 1,549) were females, 55.1% (n = 1,339) were married and 2,032 (83.7%) were satisfied with care. The factor analysis results were in five sub-scales namely improving values and attitudes, cleanliness of the clinic, safe and effective care, infection control, and on the availability of medicines. In adjusted models, patients aged >51years had an increased odds of 3.18 (95% CI:1.31-7.75) of being satisfied compared to those aged 18-30 years and patients who had visited the clinic at least 6 times had 51% increased odds of being satisfied (AOR = 1.51,95% CI:1.13-2.03). The odds of being satisfied increased by 28% (AOR = 1.28,95% CI:1.07-1.53), 45% (AOR = 1.45,95% CI:1.2-1.75), 34% (AOR = 1.34,95% CI:1.13-1.59) and 4.31 (95% CI:3.55-5.23) for every score increase in the factors like improving values and attitudes, cleanliness of clinic safe and effective care and availability of medicine, respectively. Conclusions: Key predictors of patient satisfaction were found to be sociodemographic factors including age, distance to the clinic, number of visits and waiting times as well as factors such as improving values and attitudes, cleanliness of the clinic, waiting time, safety and effective care and availability of medicines. Adjustment of existing frameworks for addressing context-specific improvement of patient experiences such as security and safety is recommended to ensure healthcare quality and service utilization for better chronic disease outcomes in South Africa.

Small area analysis of HIV viral load suppression patterns in a high priority district (2012-2016), South Africa.

Globally, high viral load (VL) suppression rates are indicators of successful HIV treatment programs. Evaluation of these programmes at lower levels is likely to highlight variations that are masked at the provincial or national levels. This ecological study used routinely collected clinical and surveillance data on the HIV programme from 88 sampled Ekurhuleni wards. Between January 2012 and December 2016, 26 222 HIV VL tests for 2817 patients were conducted. We conducted a secondary analysis to determine the predictors of high VL suppression accounting for space and time random effects and estimate the impact of the national universal test-and-treat roll-out in 2016 and forecast VL suppression rates for five years post-2016.The proportion of VL suppression increased over the years: 2012 (47.8%: 95% confidence interval (CI): 36.7%-67.4%); 2013 (58.2%: 95%CI: 41.4%-79.6%); 2014 (62.7%: 95%CI: 45.2%-84.7%); 2015 (67.2%: 95%CI: 49.0%-89.9%) and 2016 (61.2%: 95%CI: 43.9%-83.0%). For every percentage increase in ART initiation, high VL suppression rates increased by 35% (RR: 1.345; 95% credible interval (Crl) 1.221-1.492) and for every percentage increase in women in the ward, high VL suppression increased by 44% (RR: 1.442; 95%CrI: 1.056-1.962). There was evidence of high and low clusters of viral load suppression observed at ward-level. The VL suppression rates in Ekurhuleni were lower than the 90% UNAIDS target. There was heterogeneity of high VL suppression across wards and study period. Targeted interventions strengthening ART initiation and retention in care are critical to achieving optimal VL suppression in Ekurhuleni and districts with similar profiles.

Factors affecting length of hospital stay in stroke survivors in South Africa: A call for a stroke unit.

Background: Stroke in Africa is a growing and neglected crisis with the incidence more than doubling in low- to middle-income countries in the last four decades. Despite this growing threat, implementation of stroke models of care in hospitals is lacking. Stroke units as a model of care have been shown to decrease mortality, reduce length of hospital stay (LOS) and improve outcomes in stroke survivors. Objectives: To determine the profile of stroke survivors and identify factors contributing to LOS at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) in South Africa to support stroke unit implementation. Method: This study involved a retrospective record review of stroke survivors admitted to CHBAH between September 2018 and May 2019. Factors associated with LOS were determined using linear regression models; univariate and multiple regression models were fitted. Results: A total of 567 participants' data were included. Overall, 51.85% of the participants required services from all rehabilitation disciplines. The median LOS was 9 days (interquartile ranges [IQR]: 5-11 days) with each discipline providing an average of six sessions. Participants who were referred to the rehabilitation team 3 days after admission to hospital stayed 6 days longer compared with those participants who were referred earlier (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Delayed referral to the rehabilitation team resulted in increased LOS. This study supports the need for dedicated stroke units to decrease hospital LOS and improve patients' outcomes by ensuring early, well-coordinated rehabilitation intervention and discharge planning. Contribution: The study highlights the urgency for re-evaluation of stroke care infrastructure within Gauteng to streamline and provide accessible stroke models of care.

Assessing spatial patterns of HIV prevalence and interventions in semi-urban settings in South Africa. Implications for spatially targeted interventions.

Equitable allocation of resources targeting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at the local level requires focusing interventions in areas of the greatest need. Understanding the geographical variation in the HIV epidemic and uptake of selected HIV prevention and treatment programmes are necessary to identify such areas. Individual-level HIV data were obtained from a 2012 national HIV survey in South Africa. Spatial regression models on each outcome measure (HIV infection, sub-optimal condom use or non-anti-retroviral treatment (ART) adjusted for spatial random effects at the ward level were fitted using WINBUGS software. In addition, ward-level data was utilized to estimate condom use coverage and ART initiation rates which were obtained from routinely collected data in 2012. Ordinary Kriging was used to produce smoothed maps of HIV infection, condom use coverage and ART initiation rates. HIV infection was associated with individuals undertaking tertiary education [posterior odds ratio (POR): 19.53; 95% credible intervals (CrI): 3.22- 84.93]. Sub-optimal condom use increased with age (POR: 1.09; 95%CrI: 1.06-1.11) and was associated with being married (POR: 4.14; 95%CrI: 1.23-4.28). Non-ART use was associated with being married (POR: 6.79; 95%CrI: 1.43-22.43). There were clusters with high HIV infection, sub-optimal condom use, and non- ART use in Ekurhuleni, an urban and semi-urban district in Gauteng province, South Africa. Findings show the need for expanding condom programmes and/or strengthening other HIV prevention programmes such as pre-exposure prophylaxis and encouraging sustained engagement in HIV care and treatment in the identified areas with the greatest need in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.

Loss to Follow-Up Risk among HIV Patients on ART in Zimbabwe, 2009-2016: Hierarchical Bayesian Spatio-Temporal Modeling.

Loss to follow-up (LTFU) is a risk factor for poor outcomes in HIV patients. The spatio-temporal risk of LTFU is useful to identify hotspots and guide policy. Secondary data on adult HIV patients attending a clinic in provinces of Zimbabwe between 2009 and 2016 were used to estimate the LTFU risk in each of the 10 provinces. A hierarchical Bayesian spatio-temporal Poisson regression model was fitted using the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) package with LTFU as counts adjusting for age, gender, WHO clinical stage, tuberculosis coinfection and duration on ART. The structured random effects were modelled using the conditional autoregression technique and the temporal random effects were modelled using first-order random walk Gaussian priors. The overall rate of LTFU was 22.7% (95%CI: 22.6/22.8) with Harare (50.28%) and Bulawayo (31.11%) having the highest rates. A one-year increase in the average number of years on ART reduced the risk of LTFU by 35% (relative risk (RR) = 0.651; 95%CI: 0.592-0.712). In general, the provinces with the highest exceedance LTFU risk were Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North. LTFU is one of the drawbacks of HIV prevention. Interventions targeting high-risk regions in the southern and northern regions of Zimbabwe are a priority. Community-based interventions and programmes which mitigate LTFU risk remain essential in the global HIV prevention campaign.

Prevalence and factors associated with self-reported HIV testing among adolescent girls and young women in Rwanda: evidence from 2019/20 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey.

BACKGROUND: HIV/AIDS remains a major public health problem globally. The majority of people living with HIV are from Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15-24 years. HIV testing is crucial as it is the gateway to HIV prevention, treatment, and care; therefore this study determined the prevalence and factors associated with self-reported HIV testing among AGYW in Rwanda. METHODS: We conducted secondary data analysis on the AGYW using data extracted from the nationally representative population-based 2019/2020 cross-sectional Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). We described the characteristics of study participants and determined the prevalence of HIV testing and associated factors using the multivariable logistic regression model. We adjusted all our analyses for unequal sampling probabilities using survey weights. RESULTS: There were a total of 5,732 AGYW, with the majority (57%) aged 15-19 years, 83% were not living with a man, 80% were from rural areas, 29% were from the East region, and 20% had a history of pregnancy. Self-reported HIV testing prevalence was 55.4% (95%CI: 53.7 to 57.0%). The odds of ever having an HIV test were significantly higher for those aged 20-24 years (aOR 2.87, 95%CI: 2.44 to 3.37); with higher education (aOR 2.41, 95%CI:1.48 to 3.93); who were rich (aOR 2.06, 95%CI:1.57 to 2.70); with access to at least one media (aOR 1.64, 95%CI: 1.14 to 2.37); who had ever been pregnant (aOR 16.12, 95%CI: 9.60 to 27.07); who ever had sex (aOR 2.40, 95%CI: 1.96 to 2.95); and those who had comprehensive HIV knowledge (aOR 1.34, 95%CI: 1.17 to 1.54). CONCLUSIONS: We report an unmet need for HIV testing among AGYW in Rwanda. We recommend a combination of strategies to optimize access to HIV testing services, especially among the 15-19 years adolescent girls, including facility-based testing, school and community outreach, awareness campaigns on HIV testing, and home-based testing through HIV self-testing.

Mapping Evidence on the Burden of Breast, Cervical, and Prostate Cancers in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review.

Background: Cancer remains a major public health problem, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where the provision of health care is poor. This scoping review mapped evidence in the literature regarding the burden of cervical, breast and prostate cancers in SSA. Methods: We conducted this scoping review using the Arksey and O'Malley framework, with five steps: identifying the research question; searching for relevant studies; selecting studies; charting the data; and collating, summarizing, and reporting the data. We performed all the steps independently and resolved disagreements through discussion. We used Endnote software to manage references and the Rayyan software to screen studies. Results: We found 138 studies that met our inclusion criteria from 2,751 studies identified through the electronic databases. The majority were retrospective studies of mostly registries and patient files (n = 77, 55.8%), followed by cross-sectional studies (n = 51, 36.9%). We included studies published from 1990 to 2021, with a sharp increase from 2010 to 2021. The quality of studies was overall satisfactory. Most studies were done in South Africa (n = 20) and Nigeria (n = 17). The majority were on cervical cancer (n = 93, 67.4%), followed by breast cancer (67, 48.6%) and the least were on prostate cancer (48, 34.8%). Concerning the burden of cancer, most reported prevalence and incidence. We also found a few studies investigating mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and years of life lost (YLL). Conclusions: We found many retrospective record review cross-sectional studies, mainly in South Africa and Nigeria, reporting the prevalence and incidence of cervical, breast and prostate cancer in SSA. There were a few systematic and scoping reviews. There is a scarcity of cervical, breast and prostate cancer burden studies in several SSA countries. The findings in this study can inform policy on improving the public health systems and therefore reduce cancer incidence and mortality in SSA.

The Use of 18F-FDG PET/CT Metabolic Parameters in Predicting Overall Survival in Patients Undergoing Restaging for Malignant Melanoma.

Malignant melanoma is one of the more aggressive cancers in the skin, with an increasing incidence every year. Melanoma has a better prognosis if diagnosed early and survival tends to decrease once the disease has metastasized. Positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) has been used extensively over the past two decades in staging and assessing responses to therapy in patients with melanoma. Metabolic PET parameters have been demonstrated to be independent prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in different malignancies, melanoma included. In our study, we evaluated the metabolic parameters of 18F-FDG PET/CT (flourodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography) in predicting the overall survival in patients with malignant melanoma who presented for restaging. Metabolic PET parameters (maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG)) of the primary tumor, as well as whole-body MTV and TLG of the metastatic disease, were measured. Survival curves for OS were constructed and mortality rates were determined using the different PET variables. Forty-nine patients who presented for a PET/CT restaging in melanoma were included in this study. We found that non-survivors had significantly higher median MTV (11.86 cm3 vs. 5.68 cm3; p-value = 0.022), TLG (3125 vs. 14; p-value = 0.0357), whole-body MTV (53.9 cm3 vs. 14.4 cm3; p-value = 0.0076) and whole-body TLG (963.4 vs. 114.6; p-value = 0.0056). This demonstrated that high MTV and TLG values of the primary tumor and whole-body TLG as quantified by 18F-FDG PET/CT were prognostic factors for overall survival. The findings may potentially guide clinicians in decision making and identifying patients with a poorer prognosis.

Trends and determinants of late antenatal care initiation in three East African countries, 2007-2016: A population based cross-sectional analysis.

Early antenatal care is critical for the mother and newborn's health. Antenatal care is often delayed in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study aims to examine the trends and determinants of late antenatal care initiation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Tanzania from 2007-2016. The study employed Demographic Health Surveys data of reproductive-age women seeking antenatal care in the Democratic Republic of Congo (2007-2013/14), Kenya (2008-2014), and Tanzania (2010-2015/16). Bivariate and multivariate analysis was conducted per survey, taking sampling weights into account. The determinants of late antenatal care initiation were measured using multivariate logistic regression models and the trends were assessed using prediction scores. Late antenatal care initiation declined in Tanzania (60.9%-49.8%) and Kenya (67.8%-60.5%) but increased in the Democratic Republic of Congo (56.8%-61.0%) between surveys. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, higher birth order was associated with antenatal care initiation delays from 2007-2014, whilst rural residency (AOR:1.28;95%CI:1.09-1.52), lower maternal education (AOR:1.29;95%CI:1.13-1.47) and lower-income households (AOR:1.30;95%CI:1.08-1.55) were linked to antenatal care initiation delays in 2014. In Kenya, lower maternal education and lower-income households were associated with antenatal care initiation delays from 2008-2014, whilst rural residency (AOR:1.24;95%CI:1.11-1.38) and increased birth order (AOR:1.12; 95%CI:1.01-1.28) were linked to antenatal care initiation delays in 2014. In Tanzania, higher birth order and larger households were linked to antenatal care initiation delays from 2010-2016, whilst antenatal care initiation delays were associated with lower maternal education (OR:1.51;95%CI:1.16-1.97) in 2010 and lower-income households (OR:1.45;95%CI:1.20-1.72) in 2016. Except for the Democratic Republic of Congo, the sub-region is making progress in reducing antenatal care delays. Women from various geographic, educational, parity, and economic groups exhibited varying levels of delayed antenatal care uptake. Increasing women's access to information platforms and strengthening initiatives that enhance female education, household incomes, and localise services may enhance early antenatal care utilisation.

Markov modelling of viral load adjusting for CD4 orthogonal variable and multivariate conditional autoregressive mapping of the HIV immunological outcomes among ART patients in Zimbabwe.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to jointly model HIV disease progression patterns based on viral load (VL) among adult ART patients adjusting for the time-varying "incremental transients states" variable, and the CD4 cell counts orthogonal variable in a single 5-stage time-homogenous multistate Markov model. We further jointly mapped the relative risks of HIV disease progression outcomes (detectable VL (VL ≥ 50copies/uL) and immune deterioration (CD4 < 350cells/uL) at the last observed visit) conditional not to have died or become loss to follow-up (LTFU). METHODS: Secondary data analysis of individual-level patients on ART was performed. Adjusted transition intensities, hazard ratios (HR) and regression coefficients were estimated from the joint multistate model of VL and CD4 cell counts. The mortality and LTFU transition rates defined the extent of patients' retention in care. Joint mapping of HIV disease progression outcomes after ART initiation was done using the Bayesian intrinsic Multivariate Conditional Autoregressive prior model. RESULTS: The viral rebound from the undetectable state was 1.78times more likely compared to viral suppression among patients with VL ranging from 50-1000copies/uL. Patients with CD4 cell counts lower than expected had a higher risk of viral increase above 1000copies/uL and death if their VL was above 1000copies/uL (state 2 to 3 (λ23): HR = 1.83 and (λ34): HR = 1.42 respectively). Regarding the time-varying effects of CD4 cell counts on the VL transition rates, as the VL increased, (λ12 and λ23) the transition rates increased with a decrease in the CD4 cell counts over time. Regardless of the individual's VL, the transition rates to become LTFU decreased with a decrease in CD4 cell counts. We observed a strong shared geographical pattern of 66% spatial correlation between the relative risks of detectable VL and immune deterioration after ART initiation, mainly in Matabeleland North. CONCLUSION: With high rates of viral rebound, interventions which encourage ART adherence and continual educational support on the barriers to ART uptake are crucial to achieve and sustain viral suppression to undetectable levels. Area-specific interventions which focus on early ART screening through self-testing, behavioural change campaigns and social support strategies should be strengthened in heavily burdened regions to sustain the undetectable VL. Sustaining undetectable VL lowers HIV transmission in the general population and this is a step towards achieving zero HIV incidences by 2030.

Microbiota identified from preserved Anopheles.

BACKGROUND: Mosquito species from the Anopheles gambiae complex and the Anopheles funestus group are dominant African malaria vectors. Mosquito microbiota play vital roles in physiology and vector competence. Recent research has focused on investigating the mosquito microbiota, especially in wild populations. Wild mosquitoes are preserved and transported to a laboratory for analyses. Thus far, microbial characterization post-preservation has been investigated in only Aedes vexans and Culex pipiens. Investigating the efficacy of cost-effective preservatives has also been limited to AllProtect reagent, ethanol and nucleic acid preservation buffer. This study characterized the microbiota of African Anopheles vectors: Anopheles arabiensis (member of the An. gambiae complex) and An. funestus (member of the An. funestus group), preserved on silica desiccant and RNAlater® solution. METHODS: Microbial composition and diversity were characterized using culture-dependent (midgut dissections, culturomics, MALDI-TOF MS) and culture-independent techniques (abdominal dissections, DNA extraction, next-generation sequencing) from laboratory (colonized) and field-collected mosquitoes. Colonized mosquitoes were either fresh (non-preserved) or preserved for 4 and 12 weeks on silica or in RNAlater®. Microbiota were also characterized from field-collected An. arabiensis preserved on silica for 8, 12 and 16 weeks. RESULTS: Elizabethkingia anophelis and Serratia oryzae were common between both vector species, while Enterobacter cloacae and Staphylococcus epidermidis were specific to females and males, respectively. Microbial diversity was not influenced by sex, condition (fresh or preserved), preservative, or preservation time-period; however, the type of bacterial identification technique affected all microbial diversity indices. CONCLUSIONS: This study broadly characterized the microbiota of An. arabiensis and An. funestus. Silica- and RNAlater®-preservation were appropriate when paired with culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques, respectively. These results broaden the selection of cost-effective methods available for handling vector samples for downstream microbial analyses.

A review of multistate modelling approaches in monitoring disease progression: Bayesian estimation using the Kolmogorov-Chapman forward equations.

There are numerous fields of science in which multistate models are used, including biomedical research and health economics. In biomedical studies, these stochastic continuous-time models are used to describe the time-to-event life history of an individual through a flexible framework for longitudinal data. The multistate framework can describe more than one possible time-to-event outcome for a single individual. The standard estimation quantities in multistate models are transition probabilities and transition rates which can be mapped through the Kolmogorov-Chapman forward equations from the Bayesian estimation perspective. Most multistate models assume the Markov property and time homogeneity; however, if these assumptions are violated, an extension to non-Markovian and time-varying transition rates is possible. This manuscript extends reviews in various types of multistate models, assumptions, methods of estimation and data features compatible with fitting multistate models. We highlight the contrast between the frequentist (maximum likelihood estimation) and the Bayesian estimation approaches in the multistate modeling framework and point out where the latter is advantageous. A partially observed and aggregated dataset from the Zimbabwe national ART program was used to illustrate the use of Kolmogorov-Chapman forward equations. The transition rates from a three-stage reversible multistate model based on viral load measurements in WinBUGS were reported.

Detecting Plasmodium falciparum in community surveys: a comparison of Paracheck Pf® Test and ICT Malaria Pf® Cassette Test to polymerase chain reaction in Mutasa District, Zimbabwe.

BACKGROUND: Microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are the main techniques used to diagnose malaria. While microscopy is considered the gold standard, RDTs have established popularity as they allow for rapid diagnosis with minimal technical skills. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of two Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2)-based RDTs (Paracheck Pf® Test (Paracheck) and Malaria Pf™ ICT (ICT)) to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in a community survey. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2012 and December 2014 in Mutasa District, Manicaland Province, eastern Zimbabwe. Households were randomly selected using satellite imagery, and 224 households were visited. Residents present in the household on the date of the visit were recruited for the study. Participants of all age groups from the selected households were screened with Paracheck and ICT RDTs in parallel. Dried blood spots (DBS) and thin and thick smears were collected. Parasite DNA extracted from the DBS was subjected to nested PCR targeting the Plasmodium cytochrome b mitochondrial gene. Data analysis was performed using the Cohen's Kappa test to determine the interrater agreement and the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic test were reported. RESULTS: Results from a total of 702 participants were analysed. Most were females, 397 (57%), and the median age of participants was 21 years with an interquartile range of 9-39 years. Of those who were screened, 8 (1.1%), 35 (5.0%), and 21 (2.9%) were malaria parasite positive by microscopy, RDT and PCR, respectively. Paracheck and ICT RDTs had a 100% agreement. Comparing RDT and PCR results, 34 participants (4.8%) had discordant results. Most of the discordant cases were RDT positive but PCR negative (n = 24). Half of those RDT positive, but PCR negative individuals reported anti-malarials to use in the past month, which is significantly higher than reported anti-malarial drug use in the population (p < 0.001). The participant was febrile on the day of the visit, but relying on PfHRP2-based RDT would miss this case. Among the diagnostic methods evaluated, with reference to PCR, the sensitivity was higher with the RDT (52.4%) while specificity was higher with the microscopy (99.9%). The positive predictive value (PPV) was higher with the microscopy (87.5%), while the negative predictive values were similar for both microscopy and RDTs (98%). Overall, a strong correlated agreement with PCR was observed for the microscopy (97.9%) and the RDTs (95.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Paracheck and ICT RDTs showed 100% agreement and can be used interchangeably. As malaria transmission declines and Zimbabwe aims to reach malaria elimination, management of infected individuals with low parasitaemia as well as non-P. falciparum infection can be critical.

Steep Rebound of Chloroquine-Sensitive Plasmodium falciparum in Zimbabwe.

Removal of chloroquine from national malaria formularies can lead to the reversion of resistant Plasmodium falciparum to wild-type. We report a steep decline in chloroquine-resistant P falciparum within 10 years of national discontinuation of chloroquine monotherapy in Zimbabwe. Drug resistance surveillance is a vital component of malaria control programs, and the experience with chloroquine in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa is illustrative of the potentially rapid and dramatic impact of drug policy on antimalarial resistance.

Competing risk of mortality on loss to follow-up outcome among patients with HIV on ART: a retrospective cohort study from the Zimbabwe national ART programme.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the loss to follow-up (LTFU) rates at different healthcare levels after antiretroviral therapy (ART) services decentralisation among ART patients who initiated ART between 2004 and 2017 using the competing risk model in addition to the Kaplan-Meier and Cox regressions analysis. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. SETTING: The study was done in Zimbabwe using a nationwide routinely collected HIV patient-level data from various health levels of care facilities compiled through the electronic patient management system (ePMS). PARTICIPANTS: We analysed 390 771 participants aged 15 years and above from 538 health facilities. OUTCOMES: The primary endpoint was LTFU defined as a failure of a patient to report for drug refill for at least 90 days from last appointment date or if the patient missed the next scheduled visit date and never showed up again. Mortality was considered a secondary outcome if a patient was reported to have died. RESULTS: The total exposure time contributed was 1 544 468 person-years. LTFU rate was 5.75 (95% CI 5.71 to 5.78) per 100 person-years. Adjustment for the competing event independently increased LTFU rate ratio in provincial and referral (adjusted sub-HRs (AsHR) 1.22; 95% CI 1.18 to 1.26) and district and mission (AsHR 1.47; 95% CI 1.45 to 1.50) hospitals (reference: primary healthcare); in urban sites (AsHR 1.61; 95% CI 1.59 to 1.63) (reference: rural); and among adolescence and young adults (15-24 years) group (AsHR 1.19; 95% CI 1.16 to 1.21) (reference: 35-44 years). We also detected overwhelming association between LTFU and tuberculosis-infected patients (AsHR 1.53; 95% CI 1.45 to 1.62) (reference: no tuberculosis). CONCLUSIONS: We have observed considerable findings that 'leakages' (LTFU) within the ART treatment cascade persist even after the decentralisation of health services. Risk factors for LTFU reflect those found in sub-Saharan African studies. Interventions that retain patients in care by minimising any 'leakages' along the treatment cascade are essential in attaining the 90-90-90 UNAIDS fast-track targets.

Developing excellence in biostatistics leadership, training and science in Africa: How the Sub-Saharan Africa Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics (SSACAB) training unites expertise to deliver excellence.

The increase in health research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has generated large amounts of data and led to a high demand for biostatisticians to analyse these data locally and quickly.  Donor-funded initiatives exist to address the dearth in statistical capacity, but few initiatives have been led by African institutions. The Sub-Saharan African Consortium for Advanced Biostatistics (SSACAB) aims to improve biostatistical capacity in Africa according to the needs identified by African institutions, through (collaborative) masters and doctoral training in biostatistics. We describe the SSACAB Consortium, which comprises 11 universities and four research institutions- supported by four European universities. SSACAB builds on existing resources to strengthen biostatistics for health research with a focus on supporting biostatisticians to become research leaders; building a critical mass of biostatisticians, and networking institutions and biostatisticians across SSA.  In 2015 only four institutions had established Masters programmes in biostatistics and SSACAB supported the remaining institutions to develop Masters programmes. In 2019 the University of the Witwatersrand became the first African institution to gain Royal Statistical Society accreditation for a Biostatistics MSc programme. A total of 150 fellows have been awarded scholarships to date of which 123 are Masters fellowships (41 female) of which with 58 have already graduated. Graduates have been employed in African academic (19) and research (15) institutions and 10 have enrolled for PhD studies. A total of 27 (10 female) PhD fellowships have been awarded; 4 of them are due to graduate by 2020. To date, SSACAB Masters and PhD students have published 17 and 31 peer-reviewed articles, respectively. SSACAB has also facilitated well-attended conferences, face-to-face and online short courses. Pooling the limited biostatistics resources in SSA, and combining with co-funding from external partners is an effective strategy for the development and teaching of advanced biostatistics methods, supervision and mentoring of PhD candidates.

HIV Disease Progression Among Antiretroviral Therapy Patients in Zimbabwe: A Multistate Markov Model.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) impact has prolonged survival of people living with HIV. We evaluated HIV disease progression among ART patients using routinely collected patient-level data between 2004 and 2017 in Zimbabwe. Methods: We partitioned HIV disease progression into four transient CD4 cell counts states: state 1 (CD4 ≥ 500 cells/µl), state 2 (350 cells/µl ≤ CD4 < 500 cells/µl), state 3 (200 cells/µl ≤ CD4 < 350 cells/µl), state 4 (CD4 < 200 cells/µl), and the absorbing state death (state 5). We proposed a semiparametric time-homogenous multistate Markov model to estimate bidirectional transition rates. Covariate effects (age, gender, ART initiation period, and health facility level) on the transition rates were assessed. Results: We analyzed 204,289 clinic visits by 63,422 patients. There were 24,325 (38.4%) patients in state 4 (CD4 < 200) at ART initiation, and 7,995 (12.6%) deaths occurred by December 2017. The overall mortality rate was 3.9 per 100 person-years. The highest mortality rate of 5.7 per 100 person-years (4,541 deaths) was from state 4 (CD4 < 200) compared to other states. Mortality rates decreased with increase in time since ART initiation. Health facility type was the strongest predictor for immune recovery. Provincial or central hospital patients showed a diminishing dose-response effect on immune recovery by state from a hazard ratio (HR) of 8.30 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 6.64-10.36] (state 4 to 3) to HR of 3.12 (95% CI, 2.54-4.36) (state 2 to 1) compared to primary healthcare facilities. Immune system for male patients was more likely to deteriorate, and they had a 32% increased mortality risk (HR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.23-1.42) compared to female patients. Elderly patients (45+ years) were more likely to immune deteriorate compared to 25-34 years age group: HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.18-1.54; HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.34-1.81 and HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.32-1.79 for states 1 to 2, state 2 to 3, and states 3 to 4, respectively. Conclusion: Immune recovery was pronounced among provincial or central hospitals. Male patients with lower CD4 cell counts were at a higher risk of immune deterioration and mortality, while elderly patients were more likely to immune deteriorate. Early therapeutic interventions when the immune system is relatively stable across gender and age may contain mortality and increase survival outcomes. Interventions which strengthen ART services in primary healthcare facilities are essential.

Knowledge, perceptions and practices regarding schistosomiasis among women living in a highly endemic rural district in Zimbabwe: implications on infections among preschool-aged children.

BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis primarily affects poor and neglected communities due to their lack of safe water and sanitation facilities. In an effort to improve intervention strategies, the present study investigated the association of socio-demographic characteristics of women with their existing knowledge, perceptions and practices (KPP) in five urogenital schistosomiasis endemic rural communities in Zimbabwe. METHODS: In February 2016, a cross sectional study was conducted in which 426 women in rural Madziwa area, Shamva District were interviewed using a pretested structured questionnaire seeking their KPP and socio-demographic characteristics. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify socio-demographic factors associated with the KPP variables. RESULTS: Among the 426 participants, 93.7% knew about schistosomiasis, while 97.7 and 87.5% understood the disease transmission and methods for prevention, respectively. A significantly higher percentage of women aged ≥ 30 years compared to those < 30 years indicated that infertility is a complication of untreated chronic schistosomiasis (OR: 1.7, 95% CI: 0.9-3.0). Compared to women who had no history of infection, those who had been infected before were more likely to think that they were currently infected (OR: 3.7, 95% CI: 2.4-6.0). Bathing in unsafe water sources was more common in non-apostolic compared to apostolic followers (OR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.2-3.7). Sole use of unsafe water for domestic purposes was significantly higher in uneducated women compared to the educated (OR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.0-3.1). Compared to women of the Chakondora community, those in Chihuri, Nduna and Kaziro were more likely to know that dysuria is a symptom of schistosomiasis while those in Chihuri were also likely to allow young children to perform water contact activities (OR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.5-5.5). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the high level of schistosomiasis awareness, some women had inadequate knowledge about the mode of transmission and preventive measures for schistosomiasis. Socio-demographic characteristics were associated with the KPP of women. Thus, disease control efforts should consider socio-demographic factors, which may influence the knowledge, perceptions and practices of occupants in a given setting.