Ten Global Surgical Care Statements for Children: examining our commitment to the future.

BACKGROUND: The lack of access to essential surgery for many of our world's children is a global health crisis. A third of all deaths in the pediatric population are due to surgical conditions. In low- and middle-income countries, an average of nine in ten children lack access to basic surgical care. METHODS: This review examines ten commitment statements ratified by numerous global pediatric surgical organizations aimed at addressing existing gaps in global surgical care for children. They are substantiated by a review of literature and represent over-arching principles. RESULTS: They prompt the recognition of childhood surgical disease as a global health priority and advocate for availability to safe surgical and anesthetic care. Calls to action highlight the importance of capacity building in the areas of education, data gathering, workforce, research, and international collaborations. DISCUSSION: Eventually, there is the hope for widespread approval of the guiding principles they represent and that the statements themselves, as encapsulations of these beliefs, may act as a continued call for advocacy and action for the necessary work, resources, and funding to mitigate global pediatric surgical disparities.

Street-involved youth engaged in sex work at increased risk of syringe sharing.

Syringe sharing places street-involved young people at risk of acquiring HIV and hepatitis C. While markers of economic marginalization, such as homelessness, have been linked with syringe sharing and have led to targeted interventions, the relationship between syringe sharing and other markers of economic vulnerability, such as sex work, are not well documented among young people. This study examines whether those engaged in sex work are at increased risk of syringe borrowing and syringe lending among street-involved youth who use injection drugs in Vancouver, Canada. Between September 2005 and May 2014, data was collected from the At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS), a prospective cohort of street involved youth aged 14-26. Generalized estimating equations with a confounding model building approach was used to examine the relationship between sex work and syringe borrowing and lending. 498 youth reported injecting drugs at some point during the study period and were therefore included in the analysis. In multivariable analysis, youth who engaged in sex work were at an elevated risk of both syringe borrowing (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.17, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.40-3.36) and syringe lending (AOR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.07-2.59). Our study found that youth engaged in street-based sex work were at a significantly higher risk of both syringe borrowing and lending among youth who use injection drugs in Vancouver. Ready access to clean syringes, safer working conditions for sex workers to enable risk reduction measures, and increased access to addiction treatment are identified as promising opportunities for reducing syringe sharing in this setting.