Modeling the economic burden of postpartum hemorrhage due to substandard uterotonics in Ghana.

Uterotonics are essential in preventing postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), the leading direct cause of maternal death worldwide. However, uterotonics are often substandard in low- and middle-income countries, contributing to poor maternal health outcomes. This study examines the health and economic impact of substandard uterotonics in Ghana. A decision-tree model was built to simulate vaginal and cesarean section births across health facilities, uterotonic quality and utilization, PPH risk and diagnosis, and resulting health and economic outcomes. We utilized delivery data from Ghana's maternal health survey, risks of health outcomes from a Cochrane review, and E-MOTIVE trial data for health outcomes related to oxytocin quality. We compared scenarios with and without substandard uterotonics, as well as scenarios altering uterotonic use and care-seeking behaviors. We found that substandard uterotonic use contributes to $18.8 million in economic burden annually, including $6.3 million and $4.8 million in out-of-pocket expenditures in public and private sectors, respectively. Annually, the National Health Insurance Scheme bears $1.6 million in costs due to substandard uterotonic use. Substandard uterotonics contribute to $6 million in long-term productivity losses from maternal mortality annually. Improving the quality of uterotonics could reduce 20,000 (11%) PPH cases, 5,000 (11%) severe PPH cases, and 100 (11%) deaths due to PPH annually in Ghana. Ensuring the quality of uterotonics would result in millions of dollars in cost savings and improve maternal health outcomes for the government and families in Ghana. Cost savings from improving uterotonic quality would provide financial protection and help Ghana advance toward Universal Health Coverage.

Identification of the Microbiota in Coconut Water, Kefir, Coconut Water Kefir and Coconut Water Kefir-Fermented Sourdough Using Culture-Dependent Techniques and Illumina-MiSeq Sequencing.

The principal objective of this study was to isolate and identify the microorganisms present in commercial kefir grains, a novel kefir-fermented coconut water (CWK) and a novel coconut water kefir-fermented sourdough using phenotypic identification and Sanger sequencing and examine the microbial diversity of CWK and CWK-fermented sourdough throughout the fermentation process using the MiSeq Illumina sequencing method. The phenotypic characterisation based on morphology identified ten isolates of LAB, five AAB and seven yeasts from kefir (K), CWK and CWK-fermented sourdough (CWKS). The results confirm the presence of the LAB species Limosilactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus. plantarum, L. fusant, L. reuteri and L. kunkeei; the AAB species Acetobacter aceti, A. lovaniensis and A. pasteurianus; and the yeast species Candida kefyr, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, C. guilliermondii and C. colliculosa. To the best of our knowledge, the identification of Rhodotorula from kefir is being reported for the first time. This study provides important insights into the relative abundances of the microorganisms in CWKS. A decrease in pH and an increase in the titratable acidity for CWK- and CWK-fermented sourdough corresponded to the increase in D- and L-lactic acid production after 96 h of fermentation. Significant reductions in the pHs of CWK and CWKS were observed between 48 and 96 h of fermentation, indicating that the kefir microorganisms were able to sustain highly acidic environments. There was also increased production of L-lactic acid with fermentation, which was almost twice that of D-lactic acid in CWK.

Benefits, challenges, and strategies related to using presumptive recommendations for HPV vaccination: A qualitative study with rural and non-rural-serving primary care professionals.

HPV vaccination coverage remains far below the national target of 80% among US adolescents, particularly in rural areas, which have vaccine uptake rates that are 10% points lower than non-rural areas on average. Primary care professionals (PCPs) can increase coverage by using presumptive recommendations to introduce HPV vaccination in a way that assumes parents want to vaccinate. Through semi-structured interviews, we explored PCPs' experiences and perceptions of using presumptive recommendations in rural- and non-rural-serving primary care clinics in North Carolina. Thematic analysis revealed that most PCPs in rural and non-rural contexts used presumptive recommendations and felt the strategy was an effective and concise way to introduce the topic of HPV vaccination to parents. At the same time, some PCPs raised concerns about presumptive recommendations potentially straining relationships with certain parents, including those who had previously declined HPV vaccine or who distrust medical authority due to their past experiences with the healthcare system. PCPs dealt with these challenges by using a more open-ended approach when introducing HPV vaccination to parents. In conclusion, our findings suggest that PCPs in both rural and non-rural settings see value in using presumptive recommendations to introduce HPV vaccination, but to adequately address concerns and ensure increased HPV vaccine uptake, PCPs can use simple and culturally sensitive language to ensure fully informed consent and to maintain parental trust. And to further strengthen HPV vaccine discussions, PCPs can utilize other effective HPV communication techniques, like the Announcement Approach, in discussing HPV vaccinations with hesitant parents.

Inclusion of marginalized populations in HPV vaccine modeling: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Models simulating the potential impacts of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine have been used globally to guide vaccination policies and programs. We sought to understand how and why marginalized populations have been incorporated into HPV vaccine simulation models. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Embase to identify studies using simulation models of HPV vaccination incorporating one or more marginalized population through stratification or subgroup analysis. We extracted data on study characteristics and described these overall and by included marginalized groups. RESULTS: We identified 36 studies that met inclusion criteria, which modeled vaccination in 21 countries. Models included men who have sex with men (MSM; k = 16), stratification by HIV status (k = 9), race/ethnicity (k = 6), poverty (k = 5), rurality (k = 4), and female sex workers (k = 1). When evaluating for a marginalized group (k = 10), HPV vaccination was generally found to be cost-effective, including for MSM, individuals living with HIV, and rural populations. In studies evaluating equity in cancer prevention (k = 9), HPV vaccination generally advanced equity, but this was sensitive to differences in HPV vaccine uptake and use of absolute or relative measures of inequities. Only one study assessed the impact of an intervention promoting HPV vaccine uptake. DISCUSSION: Incorporating marginalized populations into decision models can provide valuable insights to guide decision making and improve equity in cancer prevention. More research is needed to understand the equity impact of HPV vaccination on cancer outcomes among marginalized groups. Research should emphasize implementation - including identifying and evaluating specific interventions to increase HPV vaccine uptake.

Comparing the return on investment of technologies to detect substandard and falsified amoxicillin: A Kenya case study.

The prevalence of substandard and falsified medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is a major global public health concern. Multiple screening technologies for post-market surveillance of medicine quality have been developed but there exists no clear guidance on which technology is optimal for LMICs. This study examined the return on investment (ROI) of implementing a select number of screening technologies for post-market surveillance of amoxicillin quality in a case study of Kenya. An agent-based model, Examining Screening Technologies using Economic Evaluations for Medicines (ESTEEM), was developed to estimate the costs, benefits, and ROI of implementing screening technologies for post-market surveillance of substandard and falsified amoxicillin for treatment of pediatric pneumonia in Kenya. The model simulated sampling, testing, and removal of substandard and falsified amoxicillin from the Kenyan market using five screening technologies: (1) Global Pharma Health Fund's GPHF-Minilab, (2) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), (3) near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR), (4) paper analytical devices / antibiotic paper analytical devices (PADs/aPADs), and (5) Raman spectroscopy. The study team analyzed the population impact of utilizing amoxicillin for the treatment of pneumonia in children under age five in Kenya. We found that the GPHF-Minilab, NIR, and PADs/aPADs were similar in their abilities to rapidly screen for and remove substandard and falsified amoxicillin from the Kenyan market resulting in a higher ROI compared to HPLC. NIR and PADs/aPADs yielded the highest ROI at $21 (90% Uncertainty Range (UR) $5-$51) each, followed by GPHF-Minilab ($16, 90%UR $4 - $38), Raman ($9, 90%UR $2 - $21), and HPLC ($3, 90%UR $0 - $7). This study highlights screening technologies that can be used to reduce costs, speed up the removal of poor-quality medicines, and consequently improve health and economic outcomes in LMICs. National medicine regulatory authorities should adopt these fast, reliable, and low-cost screening technologies to better detect substandard and falsified medicines, reserving HPLC for confirmatory tests.

Is the Glycoprotein Responsible for the Differences in Dispersal Rates between Lettuce Necrotic Yellows Virus Subgroups?

Lettuce necrotic yellows virus is a type of species in the Cytorhabdovirus genus and appears to be endemic to Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). The population of lettuce necrotic yellows virus (LNYV) is made up of two subgroups, SI and SII. Previous studies demonstrated that SII appears to be outcompeting SI and suggested that SII may have greater vector transmission efficiency and/or higher replication rate in its host plant or insect vector. Rhabdovirus glycoproteins are important for virus-insect interactions. Here, we present an analysis of LNYV glycoprotein sequences to identify key features and variations that may cause SII to interact with its aphid vector with greater efficiency than SI. Phylogenetic analysis of glycoprotein sequences from NZ isolates confirmed the existence of two subgroups within the NZ LNYV population, while predicted 3D structures revealed the LNYV glycoproteins have domain architectures similar to Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV). Importantly, changing amino acids at positions 244 and 247 of the post-fusion form of the LNYV glycoprotein altered the predicted structure of Domain III, glycosylation at N248 and the overall stability of the protein. These data support the glycoprotein as having a role in the population differences of LNYV observed between Australia and New Zealand.

Modeling the Health and Economic Impact of Substandard and Falsified Medicines: A Review of Existing Models and Approaches.

Substandard and falsified medicines are harmful to patients, causing prolonged illness, side effects, and preventable deaths. Moreover, they have an impact on the health system and society more broadly by leading to additional care, higher disease burden, productivity losses and loss of trust in health care. Models that estimate the health and economic impacts of substandard and falsified medicines can be useful for regulators to contextualize the problem and to make an economic case for solutions. Yet these models have not been systematically catalogued to date. We reviewed existing models that estimate the health and economic impact of substandard and falsified medicines to describe the varying modeling approaches and gaps in knowledge. We compared model characteristics, data sources, assumptions, and limitations. Seven models were identified. The models assessed the impact of antimalarial (n = 5) or antibiotic (n = 2) quality at a national (n = 4), regional (n = 2), or global (n = 1) level. Most models conducted uncertainty analysis and provided ranges around potential outcomes. We found that models are lacking for other medicines, few countries' data have been analyzed, and capturing population heterogeneity remains a challenge. Providing the best estimates of the impact of substandard and falsified medicines on a level that is actionable for decision-makers is important. To enable this, research on the impact of substandard and falsified medicines should be expanded to more medicine types and classes and tailored to more countries that are affected, with greater specificity.

Characterizing Medicine Quality by Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis across Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Substandard and falsified medicines are often reported jointly, making it difficult to recognize variations in medicine quality. This study characterized medicine quality based on active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) amounts reported among substandard and falsified essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted using PubMed, supplemented by results from a previous systematic review, and the Medicine Quality Scientific Literature Surveyor. Study quality was assessed using the Medicine Quality Assessment Reporting Guidelines (MEDQUARG). Random-effects models were used to estimate the prevalence of medicines with < 50% API. Among 95,520 medicine samples from 130 studies, 12.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.2-14.6%) of essential medicines tested in LMICs were considered substandard or falsified, having failed at least one type of quality analysis. We identified 99 studies that reported API content, where 1.8% (95% CI: 0.8-2.8%) of samples reported containing < 50% of stated API. Among all failed samples (N = 9,724), 25.9% (95% CI: 19.3-32.6%) reported having < 80% API. Nearly one in seven (13.8%, 95% CI: 9.0-18.6%) failed samples were likely to be falsified based on reported API amounts of < 50%, whereas the remaining six of seven samples were likely to be substandard. Furthermore, 12.5% (95% CI: 7.7-17.3%) of failed samples reported finding 0% API. Many studies did not present a breakdown of actual API amount of each tested sample. We offer suggested improved guidelines for reporting poor-quality medicines. Consistent data on substandard and falsified medicines and medicine-specific tailored interventions are needed to ensure medicine quality throughout the supply chain.

The Potential of Molecular Indicators of Plant Virus Infection: Are Plants Able to Tell Us They Are Infected?

To our knowledge, there are no reports that demonstrate the use of host molecular markers for the purpose of detecting generic plant virus infection. Two approaches involving molecular indicators of virus infection in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana were examined: the accumulation of small RNAs (sRNAs) using a microfluidics-based method (Bioanalyzer); and the transcript accumulation of virus-response related host plant genes, suppressor of gene silencing 3 (AtSGS3) and calcium-dependent protein kinase 3 (AtCPK3) by reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The microfluidics approach using sRNA chips has previously demonstrated good linearity and good reproducibility, both within and between chips. Good limits of detection have been demonstrated from two-fold 10-point serial dilution regression to 0.1 ng of RNA. The ratio of small RNA (sRNA) to ribosomal RNA (rRNA), as a proportion of averaged mock-inoculation, correlated with known virus infection to a high degree of certainty. AtSGS3 transcript decreased between 14- and 28-days post inoculation (dpi) for all viruses investigated, while AtCPK3 transcript increased between 14 and 28 dpi for all viruses. A combination of these two molecular approaches may be useful for assessment of virus-infection of samples without the need for diagnosis of specific virus infection.

Educational and economic returns to cognitive ability in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

There is growing interest to use early cognitive ability to predict schooling and employment outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Rather than using educational attainment and school enrollment as predictors of future economic growth or of improving an individual's earning potential, mounting evidence suggests that cognitive ability may be a better predictor. The relationship between cognitive ability, education, and employment are essential to predict future development in LMICs. We performed a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of the evidence regarding the relationship between cognitive ability and educational outcomes, and between cognitive ability and economic outcomes across LMICs. We searched peer-reviewed studies since 2000 that quantitatively measured these relationships. Based on an initial search of 3,766 records, we identified 14 studies, including 8 studies that examined the cognition-education link and 8 studies that assessed cognition-employment returns in LMICs. Identified studies showed that higher cognitive ability increased the probability of school enrollment, academic achievement, and educational attainment across LMICs. A meta-analysis of returns to wages from cognitive ability suggested that a standard deviation increase in cognitive test scores was associated with a 4.5% (95% CI 2.6%-9.6%) increase in wages. Investments into early cognitive development could play a critical role in improving educational and economic outcomes in LMICs. Further research should focus particularly in low-income countries with the least evidence, and examine the impact on education and economic outcomes by cognitive domains to provide more robust evidence for policy makers to take action.

Assessing the Impact of Substandard and Falsified Antimalarials in Benin.

Substandard and falsified antimalarials contribute to the global malaria burden by increasing the risk of treatment failures, adverse events, unnecessary health expenditures, and avertable deaths, yet no study has examined this impact in western francophone Africa to date. In Benin, where malaria remains endemic and is the leading cause of mortality among children younger than 5 years, there is a lack of robust data to combat the issue effectively and inform policy decisions. We adapted the Substandard and Falsified Antimalarial Research Impact model to assess the health and economic impact of poor-quality antimalarials in this population. The model simulates population characteristics, malaria infection, care-seeking behavior, disease progression, treatment outcomes, and associated costs of malaria. We estimated approximately 1.8 million cases of malaria in Benin among children younger than 5 years, which cost $193 million (95% CI, $192-$193 million) in treatment costs and productivity losses annually. Substandard and falsified antimalarials were responsible for 11% (n = 693) of deaths and nearly $20.8 million in annual costs. Moreover, we found that replacing all antimalarials with quality-ensured artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) could result in $29.6 million in cost savings and prevent 1,038 deaths per year. These results highlight the value of improving access to quality-ensured artemisinin combination therapies for malaria treatment and increasing care-seeking in Benin. Policymakers and key stakeholders should use these findings to advocate for increased access to quality-ensured antimalarials, inform policies and interventions to improve health-care access and quality, and reduce the burden of malaria.

Characterisation and Distribution of Karaka Okahu Purepure Virus-A Novel Emaravirus Likely to Be Endemic to New Zealand.

We report the first emaravirus on an endemic plant of Aotearoa New Zealand that is, to the best of our knowledge, the country's first endemic virus characterised associated with an indigenous plant. The new-to-science virus was identified in the endemic karaka tree (Corynocarpus laevigatus), and is associated with chlorotic leaf spots, and possible feeding sites of the monophagous endemic karaka gall mite. Of the five negative-sense RNA genomic segments that were fully sequenced, four (RNA 1-4) had similarity to other emaraviruses while RNA 5 had no similarity with other viral proteins. A detection assay developed to amplify any of the five RNAs in a single assay was used to determine the distribution of the virus. The virus is widespread in the Auckland area, particularly in mature trees at Okahu Bay, with only occasional reports elsewhere in the North Island. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that its closest relatives are pear chlorotic leaf spot-associated virus and chrysanthemum mosaic-associated virus, which form a unique clade within the genus Emaravirus. Based on the genome structure, we propose this virus to be part of the family Emaravirus, but with less than 50% amino acid similarity to the closest relatives in the most conserved RNA 1, it clearly is a novel species. In consultation with mana whenua (indigenous Maori authority over a territory and its associated treasures), we propose the name Karaka Okahu purepure virus in te reo Maori (the Maori language) to reflect the tree from which it was isolated (karaka), a place where the virus is prevalent (Okahu), and the spotted symptom (purepure, pronounced pooray pooray) that this endemic virus appears to cause.

Systematic review of the costs for vaccinators to reach vaccination sites: Incremental costs of reaching hard-to-reach populations.

INTRODUCTION: Economic evidence on how much it may cost for vaccinators to reach populations is important to plan vaccination programs. Moreover, knowing the incremental costs to reach populations that have traditionally been undervaccinated, especially those hard-to-reach who are facing supply-side barriers to vaccination, is essential to expanding immunization coverage to these populations. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review to identify estimates of costs associated with getting vaccinators to all vaccination sites. We searched PubMed and the Immunization Delivery Cost Catalogue (IDCC) in 2019 for the following costs to vaccinators: (1) training costs; (2) labor costs, per diems, and incentives; (3) identification of vaccine beneficiary location; and (4) travel costs. We assessed if any of these costs were specific to populations that are hard-to-reach for vaccination, based on a framework for examining supply-side barriers to vaccination. RESULTS: We found 19 studies describing average vaccinator training costs at $0.67/person vaccinated or targeted (SD $0.94) and $0.10/dose delivered (SD $0.07). The average cost for vaccinator labor and incentive costs across 29 studies was $2.15/dose (SD $2.08). We identified 13 studies describing intervention costs for a vaccinator to know the location of a beneficiary, with an average cost of $19.69/person (SD $26.65), and six studies describing vaccinator travel costs, with an average cost of $0.07/dose (SD $0.03). Only eight of these studies described hard-to-reach populations for vaccination; two studies examined incremental costs per dose to reach hard-to-reach populations, which were 1.3-2 times higher than the regular costs. The incremental cost to train vaccinators was $0.02/dose, and incremental labor costs for targeting hard-to-reach populations were $0.16-$1.17/dose. CONCLUSION: Additional comparative costing studies are needed to understand the potential differential costs for vaccinators reaching the vaccination sites that serve hard-to-reach populations. This will help immunization program planners and decision-makers better allocate resources to extend vaccination programs.

Promoting, seeking, and reaching vaccination services: A systematic review of costs to immunization programs, beneficiaries, and caregivers.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding the costs to increase vaccination demand among under-vaccinated populations, as well as costs incurred by beneficiaries and caregivers for reaching vaccination sites, is essential to improving vaccination coverage. However, there have not been systematic analyses documenting such costs for beneficiaries and caregivers seeking vaccination. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Scopus, and the Immunization Delivery Cost Catalogue (IDCC) in 2019 for the costs for beneficiaries and caregivers to 1) seek and know how to access vaccination (i.e., costs to immunization programs for social mobilization and interventions to increase vaccination demand), 2) take time off from work, chores, or school for vaccination (i.e., productivity costs), and 3) travel to vaccination sites. We assessed if these costs were specific to populations that faced other non-cost barriers, based on a framework for defining hard-to-reach and hard-to-vaccinate populations for vaccination. RESULTS: We found 57 studies describing information, education, and communication (IEC) costs, social mobilization costs, and the costs of interventions to increase vaccination demand, with mean costs per dose at $0.41 (standard deviation (SD) $0.83), $18.86 (SD $50.65) and $28.23 (SD $76.09) in low-, middle-, and high-income countries, respectively. Five studies described productivity losses incurred by beneficiaries and caregivers seeking vaccination ($38.33 per person; SD $14.72; n = 3). We identified six studies on travel costs incurred by beneficiaries and caregivers attending vaccination sites ($11.25 per person; SD $9.54; n = 4). Two studies reported social mobilization costs per dose specific to hard-to-reach populations, which were 2-3.5 times higher than costs for the general population. Eight studies described barriers to vaccination among hard-to-reach populations. CONCLUSION: Social mobilization/IEC costs are well-characterized, but evidence is limited on costs incurred by beneficiaries and caregivers getting to vaccination sites. Understanding the potential incremental costs for populations facing barriers to reach vaccination sites is essential to improving vaccine program financing and planning.

Cost savings of paper analytical devices (PADs) to detect substandard and falsified antibiotics: Kenya case study.

BACKGROUND: Over 10% of antibiotics in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are substandard or falsified. Detection of poor-quality antibiotics via the gold standard method, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), is slow and costly. Paper analytical devices (PADs) and antibiotic paper analytical devices (aPADs) have been developed as an inexpensive way to estimate antibiotic quality in LMICs. AIM: To model the impact of using a rapid screening tools, PADs/aPADs, to improve the quality of amoxicillin used for treatment of childhood pneumonia in Kenya. METHODS: We developed an agent-based model, ESTEEM (Examining Screening Technologies with Economic Evaluations for Medicines), to estimate the effectiveness and cost savings of incorporating PADs and aPADs in amoxicillin quality surveillance in Kenya. We compared the current testing scenario (batches of entire samples tested by HPLC) with an expedited HPLC scenario (testing smaller batches at a time), as well as a screening scenario using PADs/aPADs to identify poor-quality amoxicillin followed by confirmatory analysis with HPLC. RESULTS: Scenarios using PADs/aPADs or expedited HPLC yielded greater incremental benefits than the current testing scenario by annually averting 586 (90% uncertainty range (UR) 364-874) and 221 (90% UR 126-332) child pneumonia deaths, respectively. The PADs/aPADs screening scenario identified and removed poor-quality antibiotics faster than the expedited or regular HPLC scenarios, and reduced costs significantly. The PADs/aPADs scenario resulted in an incremental return of $14.9 million annually compared with the reference scenario of only using HPLC. CONCLUSION: This analysis shows the significant value of PADs/aPADs as a medicine quality screening and testing tool in LMICs with limited resources.

Impact of substandard and falsified antimalarials in Zambia: application of the SAFARI model.

BACKGROUND: Many countries are striving to become malaria-free, but global reduction in case estimates has stagnated in recent years. Substandard and falsified medicines may contribute to this lack of progress. Zambia aims to eliminate their annual burden of 1.2 million pediatric malaria cases and 2500 child deaths due to malaria. We examined the health and economic impact of poor-quality antimalarials in Zambia. METHODS: An agent-based model, Substandard and Falsified Antimalarial Research Impact (SAFARI), was modified and applied to Zambia. The model was developed to simulate population characteristics, malaria incidence, patient care-seeking, disease progression, treatment outcomes, and associated costs of malaria for children under age five. Zambia-specific demographic, epidemiological, and cost inputs were extracted from the literature. Simulations were run to estimate the health and economic impact of poor-quality antimalarials, the effect of potential artemisinin resistance, and six additional malaria focused policy interventions. RESULTS: We simulated annual malaria cases among Zambian children under five. At baseline, we found 2610 deaths resulting in $141.5 million in annual economic burden of malaria. We estimated that elimination of substandard and falsified antimalarials would result in an 8.1% (n = 213) reduction in under-five deaths, prevent 937 hospitalizations, and realize $8.5 million in economic savings, annually. Potential artemisinin resistance could further increase deaths by 6.3% (n = 166) and cost an additional $9.7 million every year. CONCLUSIONS: Eliminating substandard and falsified antimalarials is an important step towards a malaria-free Zambia. Beyond the dissemination of insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying, and other malaria control measures, attention must also be paid to assure the quality of antimalarial treatments.

Importance of medicine quality in achieving universal health coverage.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the importance of ensuring medicine quality in order to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). METHODS: We developed a systems map connecting medicines quality assurance systems with UHC goals to illustrate the ensuing impact of quality-assured medicines in the implementation of UHC. The association between UHC and medicine quality was further examined in the context of essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by analyzing data on reported prevalence of substandard and falsified essential medicines and established indicators for UHC. Finally, we examined the health and economic savings of improving antimalarial quality in four countries in sub-Saharan Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia. FINDINGS: A systems perspective demonstrates how quality assurance of medicines supports dimensions of UHC. Across 63 LMICs, the reported prevalence of substandard and falsified essential medicines was found to be negatively associated with both an indicator for coverage of essential services (p = 0.05) and with an indicator for government effectiveness (p = 0.04). We estimated that investing in improving the quality of antimalarials by 10% would result in annual savings of $8.3 million in Zambia, $14 million in Uganda, $79 million in two DRC regions, and $598 million in Nigeria, and was more impactful compared to other potential investments we examined. Costs of substandard and falsified antimalarials per malaria case ranged from $7 to $86, while costs per death due to poor-quality antimalarials ranged from $14,000 to $72,000. CONCLUSION: Medicines quality assurance systems play a critical role in reaching UHC goals. By ensuring the quality of essential medicines, they help deliver effective treatments that lead to less illness and result in health care savings that can be reinvested towards UHC.

Diversity and epidemiology of plant rhabdoviruses.

Plant rhabdoviruses are recognized by their large bacilliform particles and for being able to replicate in both their plant hosts and arthropod vectors. This review highlights selected, better studied examples of plant rhabdoviruses, their genetic diversity, epidemiology and interactions with plant hosts and arthropod vectors: Alfalfa dwarf virus is classified as a cytorhabdovirus, but its multifunctional phosphoprotein is localized to the plant cell nucleus. Lettuce necrotic yellows virus subtypes may differentially interact with their aphid vectors leading to changes in virus population diversity. Interactions of rhabdoviruses that infect rice, maize and other grains are tightly associated with their specific leafhopper and planthopper vectors. Future outbreaks of vector-borne nucleorhabdoviruses may be predicted based on a world distribution map of the insect vectors. The epidemiology of coffee ringspot virus and its Brevipalpus mite vector is illustrated highlighting the symptomatology and biology of a dichorhavirus and potential impacts of climate change on its epidemiology.

Poor-quality antimalarials further health inequities in Uganda.

Substandard and falsified medications are a major threat to public health, directly increasing the risk of treatment failure, antimicrobial resistance, morbidity, mortality and health expenditures. While antimalarial medicines are one of the most common to be of poor quality in low- and middle-income countries, their distributional impact has not been examined. This study assessed the health equity impact of substandard and falsified antimalarials among children under five in Uganda. Using a probabilistic agent-based model of paediatric malaria infection (Substandard and Falsified Antimalarial Research Impact, SAFARI model), we examine the present day distribution of the burden of poor-quality antimalarials by socio-economic status and urban/rural settings, and simulate supply chain, policy and patient education interventions. Patients incur US$26.1 million (7.8%) of the estimated total annual economic burden of substandard and falsified antimalarials, including $2.3 million (9.1%) in direct costs and $23.8 million (7.7%) in productivity losses due to early death. Poor-quality antimalarials annually cost $2.9 million to the government. The burden of the health and economic impact of malaria and poor-quality antimalarials predominantly rests on the poor (concentration index -0.28) and rural populations (98%). The number of deaths among the poorest wealth quintile due to substandard and falsified antimalarials was 12.7 times that of the wealthiest quintile, and the poor paid 12.1 times as much per person in out-of-pocket payments. Rural populations experienced 97.9% of the deaths due to poor-quality antimalarials, and paid 10.7 times as much annually in out-of-pocket expenses compared with urban populations. Our simulations demonstrated that interventions to improve medicine quality could have the greatest impact at reducing inequities, and improving adherence to antimalarials could have the largest economic impact. Substandard and falsified antimalarials have a significant health and economic impact, with greater burden of deaths, disability and costs on poor and rural populations, contributing to health inequities in Uganda.

Whole-Genome Sequences of One Arthrobacter Strain and Three Pseudarthrobacter Strains Isolated from the Namib Desert.

We report here the draft genome sequences of one Arthrobacter sp. strain (NamB2) and three Pseudarthrobacter sp. strains (NamE2, NamB4, and NamE5) isolated from topsoil in the Namib Desert, Namibia. The assemblies contain between 29 (NamB2) and 68 (NamE5) contigs >200 bp and range from 3.26 Mb (NamB2) to 4.03 Mb (NamE2). One plasmid was identified in Pseudarthrobacter sp. strain NamE5.