Articles

Moving from rhetoric to action: how Africa can use scientific evidence to halt the COVID-19 pandemic

The ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 has spread rapidly to all countries of the world. Africa is particularly predisposed to an escalation of the pandemic and its negative impact given its weak...

Authors: Olushayo Oluseun Olu, Joy Luba Lomole Waya, Sylvester Maleghemi, John Rumunu, David Ameh and Joseph Francis Wamala

Differences and similarities of high-resolution computed tomography features between pneumocystis pneumonia and cytomegalovirus pneumonia in AIDS patients

Accurately differentiating pneumocystis from cytomegalovirus pneumonia is crucial for correct therapy selection in AIDS patients. Hence, the goal of this study was to compare the computerized tomography (CT) f...

Authors: Chun-Jing Du, Jing-Yuan Liu, Hui Chen, Shuo Yan, Lin Pu, Hao-Feng Xiong, Pan Xiang, Chuan-Sheng Li, Ming Zhang, Ru-Ming Xie, Bu-Dong Chen and Ang Li

Perceived psychosocial health and its sociodemographic correlates in times of the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based online study in China

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been affecting people's psychosocial health and well-being through various complex pathways. The present study aims to investigate the perceived psychosocial he...

Authors: Gan-Yi Wang and Shang-Feng Tang

Correlates of HIV self-testing among female sex workers in China: implications for expanding HIV screening

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) self-testing may help improve test uptake among female sex workers. China has implemented many HIV self-testing programs among men who have sex with men, creating an opportun...

Authors: Cheng Wang, Ya-Jie Wang, Joseph D. Tucker, Ming-Zhou Xiong, Hong-Yun Fu, M. Kumi Smith, Wei-Ming Tang, Jason J. Ong, He-Ping Zheng and Bin Yang

Spatial and spatio-temporal analysis of malaria cases in Zimbabwe

Although effective treatment for malaria is now available, approximately half of the global population remain at risk of the disease particularly in developing countries. To design effective malaria control st...

Authors: Isaiah Gwitira, Munashe Mukonoweshuro, Grace Mapako, Munyaradzi D. Shekede, Joconiah Chirenda and Joseph Mberikunashe

Quantification and correlates of tuberculosis stigma along the tuberculosis testing and treatment cascades in South Africa: a cross-sectional study

South Africa has one of the world’s worst tuberculosis (TB) (520 per 100 000 population) and TB-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemics (~ 56% TB/HIV co-infected). While individual- and system-level facto...

Authors: Dana Bresenham, Aaron M. Kipp and Andrew Medina-Marino

Costs incurred by patients with drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis in semi-urban and rural settings of Western India

India reports the highest number of tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide. Poverty has a dual impact as it increases the risk of TB and exposes the poor to economic hardship when they develop TB. Our objective was...

Authors: Mihir P. Rupani, Adithya Cattamanchi, Priya B. Shete, William M. Vollmer, Sanjib Basu and Jigna D. Dave

Compare the epidemiological and clinical features of imported and local COVID-19 cases in Hainan, China

Effective management of imported cases is an important part of epidemic prevention and control. Hainan Province, China reported 168 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including 112 imported cases on February...

Authors: Biao Wu, Zi-Ying Lei, Kun-Liang Wu, Jian-Rong He, Hui-Juan Cao, Juan Fu, Feng Chen, Yuan Chen, Bao Chen, Xiao-Li Zhou, Tao Huang, Tao Wu, Yong-Guo Du, Suo-Xian Chen, Fu-Rong Xiao, Zhi-Liang Gao…

Human distribution and spatial-temporal clustering analysis of human brucellosis in China from 2012 to 2016

Brucellosis is a major public health issue in China, while its temporal and spatial distribution have not been studied in depth. This study aims to better understand the epidemiology of brucellosis in the main...

Authors: Pei-Feng Liang, Yuan Zhao, Jian-Hua Zhao, Dong-Feng Pan and Zhong-Qin Guo

Effective mitigation strategy in early stage of COVID-19 pandemic in China

In the past five months, success in control the national epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been witnessed in China. The implementation of public health measures accounts for the success which...

Authors: Xiao-Yue Yu, Chen Xu, Hu-Wen Wang, Rui-Jie Chang, Yin-Qiao Dong, Lhakpa Tsamlag, Shu-Xian Zhang, Yue-Lin Yu, Ru-Si Long, Hui Wang and Yong Cai

Towards integrated surveillance-response systems for the prevention of future pandemics

Most human pathogens originate from non-human hosts and certain pathogens persist in animal reservoirs. The transmission of such pathogens to humans may lead to self-sustaining chains of transmission. These pa...

Authors: Jakob Zinsstag, Jürg Utzinger, Nicole Probst-Hensch, Lv Shan and Xiao-Nong Zhou

Burden, risk assessment, surveillance and management of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health workers: a scoping review

Health workers (HWs) are at increased risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and a possible source of nosocomial transmission clusters. Despite the increased risk, the ...

Authors: Federica Calò, Antonio Russo, Clarissa Camaioni, Stefania De Pascalis and Nicola Coppola

Crowdsourcing to identify social innovation initiatives in health in low- and middle-income countries

Crowdsourcing is a distributed problem-solving and production mechanism that leverages the collective intelligence of non-expert individuals and networked communities for specific goals. Social innovation (SI)...

Authors: Lindi van Niekerk, Arturo Ongkeko Jr., Rachel Alice Hounsell, Barwani Khaura Msiska, Don Pascal Mathanga, Josselyn Mothe, Noel Juban, Phyllis Awor and Dina Balabanova

Progress on the national echinococcosis control programme in China: analysis of humans and dogs population intervention during 2004–2014

A national control program for echinococcosis has been in effect since 2005 in China. This program has applied a comprehensive strategy, and good control results have been achieved. Human echinococcosis preval...

Authors: Qing Yu, Ning Xiao, Shuai Han, Tian Tian and Xiao-Nong Zhou

Surveillance on schistosomiasis in five provincial-level administrative divisions of the People’s Republic of China in the post-elimination era

The People’s Republic of China (P. R. China) has made significant progress on schistosomiasis control. Among the 12 provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) with schistosomiasis endemic in P. R. China...

Authors: Jing-Yi Guo, Jing Xu, Li-Juan Zhang, Shan Lv, Chun-Li Cao, Shi-Zhu Li and Xiao-Nong Zhou

Cost-effectiveness analysis of malaria rapid diagnostic test in the elimination setting

As more and more countries approaching the goal of malaria elimination, malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) was recomendated to be a diagnostic strategy to achieve and maintain the statute of malaria free, as...

Authors: Yan-Qiu Du, Xiao-Xiao Ling, Jia-Jie Jin, Hua-Yun Zhou, Si Zhu, Guo-Ding Zhu, Wei Wang, Jun Cao and Jia-Yan Huang

Prevalence of and risk factors for severe malaria caused by Plasmodium and dengue virus co-infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Co-infection with both Plasmodium and dengue virus (DENV) infectious species could have serious and fatal outcomes if left undiagnosed and without timely treatment. The present study aimed to determine the pooled...

Authors: Manas Kotepui, Kwuntida Uthaisar Kotepui, Giovanni De Jesus Milanez and Frederick Ramirez Masangkay

Strongyloides stercoralis prevalence and diagnostics in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Despite the high prevalence of strongyloidiasis in the Laotian population, Laotian hospitals still lack diagnostic capacity to appropriately diagnose Strongyloides stercoralis infections. This cross-sectional hos...

Authors: Somaphone Chankongsin, Rahel Wampfler, Marie-Therese Ruf, Peter Odermatt, Hanspeter Marti, Beatrice Nickel, Valy Keoluangkhot and Andreas Neumayr

Reverse vaccinology assisted designing of multiepitope-based subunit vaccine against SARS-CoV-2

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) linked with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cause severe illness and life-threatening pneumonia in humans. The current COVID-19 pandemic demands...

Authors: Muhammad Tahir ul Qamar, Farah Shahid, Sadia Aslam, Usman Ali Ashfaq, Sidra Aslam, Israr Fatima, Muhammad Mazhar Fareed, Ali Zohaib and Ling-Ling Chen

Containment of COVID-19 in Ethiopia and implications for tuberculosis care and research

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global health and economic security threat with staggering cumulative incidence worldwide. Given the severity of projections, hospitals across the globe...

Authors: Hussen Mohammed, Lemessa Oljira, Kedir Teji Roba, Getnet Yimer, Abebaw Fekadu and Tsegahun Manyazewal

The effect of control measures on COVID-19 transmission in Italy: Comparison with Guangdong province in China

COVID-19 has spread all around the world. Italy is one of the worst affected countries in Europe. Although there is a trend of relief, the epidemic situation hasn’t stabilized yet. This study aims to investiga...

Authors: Pei-Yu Liu, Sha He, Li-Bin Rong and San-Yi Tang

Further explanations for the eq. (3) in “Estimating the daily trend in the size of the COVID-19 infected population in Wuhan”

To avoid possible confusions to the readers, we provide further explanations for the eq. (3) in the research article “Estimating the daily trend in the size of the COVID-19 infected population in Wuhan” publis...

Authors: Qiu-Shi Lin, Tao-Jun Hu and Xiao-Hua Zhou

Performance of a real-time PCR approach for diagnosing Schistosoma haematobium infections of different intensity in urine samples from Zanzibar

Efforts to control and eliminate schistosomiasis have accelerated over the past decade. As parasite burden, associated morbidity and egg excretion decrease, diagnosis with standard parasitological methods beco...

Authors: Dominique Keller, Julian Rothen, Jean-Pierre Dangy, Corina Saner, Claudia Daubenberger, Fiona Allan, Shaali M. Ame, Said M. Ali, Fatma Kabole, Jan Hattendorf, David Rollinson, Ralf Seyfarth and Stefanie Knopp

Nitrite inhalants use, sexual behaviors and HIV/syphilis infection among men who have sex with men in Chongqing, China

Emerging evidence indicates nitrite inhalants have become increasingly prevalent among men who have sex with men (MSM). The present study aimed to describe the prevalence and correlates of nitrite inhalants us...

Authors: Jin Chen, Yu-Ling Huang, Huai-Liang Chen and Ji Xia

Fostering social innovation and building adaptive capacity for dengue control in Cambodia: a case study

The social-ecological systems theory, with its unique conception of resilience (social-ecological systems & resilience, SESR), provides an operational framework that currently best meets the need for integrati...

Authors: Pierre Echaubard, Chea Thy, Soun Sokha, Set Srun, Claudia Nieto-Sanchez, Koen Peters Grietens, Noel R. Juban, Jana Mier-Alpano, Sucelle Deacosta, Mojgan Sami, Leo Braack, Bernadette Ramirez and Jeffrey Hii

Leishmania infection and blood sources analysis in Phlebotomus chinensis (Diptera: Psychodidae) along extension region of the loess plateau, China

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was one of the most important parasitic diseases in China, caused by Leishmania protozoans and transmitted by sand flies. Recently VL cases have reappeared in China, including the exte...

Authors: Han-Ming Chen, Hui-Ying Chen, Feng Tao, Jing-Peng Gao, Kai-Li Li, Hua Shi, Heng Peng and Ya-Jun Ma

Human development, social vulnerability and COVID-19 in Brazil: a study of the social determinants of health

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was confirmed in Brazil in February 2020. Since then, the disease has spread throughout the country, reaching the poorest areas. This study analyzes the relationship between...

Authors: Carlos Dornels Freire de Souza, Michael Ferreira Machado and Rodrigo Feliciano do Carmo

Analysis and predication of tuberculosis registration rates in Henan Province, China: an exponential smoothing model study

The World Health Organization End TB Strategy meant that compared with 2015 baseline, the reduction in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) incidence should be 20 and 50% in 2020 and 2025, respectively. The case numbe...

Authors: Yan-Qiu Zhang, Xin-Xu Li, Wei-Bin Li, Jian-Guo Jiang, Guo-Long Zhang, Yan Zhuang, Ji-Ying Xu, Jie Shi and Ding-Yong Sun

Evaluation of inpatients Clostridium difficile prevalence and risk factors in Cameroon

Clostridium difficile, rarely found in hospitals, is a bacterium responsible for post-antibiotic diarrhea and Pseudomembranous Colitis (CPM). C. difficile selective pressure represents potential public health pro...

Authors: Ingrid Cécile Djuikoue, Ernest Tambo, Gildas Tazemda, Omer Njajou, Denise Makoudjou, Vanessa Sokeng, Morelle Wandji, Charlène Tomi, Aubain Nanfack, Audrey Dayomo, Suzie Lacmago, Falubert Tassadjo, Raissa Talla Sipowo, Caroline Kakam, Aicha Bibiane Djoko, Clement Nguedia Assob…

An outbreak of intestinal schistosomiasis, alongside increasing urogenital schistosomiasis prevalence, in primary school children on the shoreline of Lake Malawi, Mangochi District, Malawi

Intestinal schistosomiasis was not considered endemic in Lake Malawi until November 2017 when populations of Biomphalaria pfeifferi were first reported; in May 2018, emergence of intestinal schistosomiasis was co...

Authors: Sekeleghe A. Kayuni, Angus M. O’Ferrall, Hamish Baxter, Josie Hesketh, Bright Mainga, David Lally Jr, Mohammad H. Al-Harbi, E. James LaCourse, Lazarus Juziwelo, Janelisa Musaya, Peter Makaula and J. Russell Stothard

Funding social innovation for health with research funds for development

Why and when is it appropriate and relevant to use research funds for social innovation to support both conventional scholarly researchers and non-researchers working in collaboration?

Authors: Hannah Akuffo and Teresa Soop

Epidemiology of tuberculosis in Sabah, Malaysia, 2012–2018

Tuberculosis (TB) is of high public health importance in Malaysia. Sabah State, located on the island of Borneo, has previously reported a particularly high burden of disease and faces unique contextual challe...

Authors: Michelle May D. Goroh, Giri Shan Rajahram, Richard Avoi, Christel H. A. Van Den Boogaard, Timothy William, Anna P. Ralph and Christopher Lowbridge

Differential diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 from community-acquired-pneumonia by computed tomography scan and follow-up

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently the most serious infectious disease in the world. An accurate diagnosis of this disease in the clinic is very important. This study aims to improve the differen...

Authors: Kai-Cai Liu, Ping Xu, Wei-Fu Lv, Lei Chen, Xiao-Hui Qiu, Jin-Long Yao, Jin-Feng Gu, Bo Hu and Wei Wei

A five-compartment model of age-specific transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2

The novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, also called 2019-nCoV) causes different morbidity risks to individuals in different age groups. This study attempts to quanti...

Authors: Ze-Yu Zhao, Yuan-Zhao Zhu, Jing-Wen Xu, Shi-Xiong Hu, Qing-Qing Hu, Zhao Lei, Jia Rui, Xing-Chun Liu, Yao Wang, Meng Yang, Li Luo, Shan-Shan Yu, Jia Li, Ruo-Yun Liu, Fang Xie, Ying-Ying Su…

Risk estimation and prediction of the transmission of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in the mainland of China excluding Hubei province

In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease (later named as COVID-19) was identified in Wuhan, China and, later on, detected in other parts of China. Our aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the ev...

Authors: Hui Wan, Jing-An Cui and Guo-Jing Yang

China’s practice to prevent and control COVID-19 in the context of large population movement

The emerging infectious disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), poses a serious threat in China and worldwide. Challenged by this se...

Authors: Tie-Long Xu, Mei-Ying Ao, Xu Zhou, Wei-Feng Zhu, He-Yun Nie, Jian-He Fang, Xin Sun, Bin Zheng and Xiao-Fan Chen

Cross-reaction of POC-CCA urine test for detection of Schistosoma mekongi in Lao PDR: a cross-sectional study

The point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) test is increasingly used as a rapid diagnostic method for Schistosoma mansoni infection. The test has good sensitivity, although false positive results ha...

Authors: Anousin Homsana, Peter Odermatt, Phonesavanh Southisavath, Aya Yajima and Somphou Sayasone

Psychological impact of COVID-19 on medical care workers in China

Medical care workers experienced unprecedented levels of workload and pressure since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Little is known about its exact impact on medical care workers and rela...

Authors: Ming-Yu Si, Xiao-You Su, Yu Jiang, Wen-Jun Wang, Xiao-Fen Gu, Li Ma, Jing Li, Shao-Kai Zhang, Ze-Fang Ren, Ran Ren, Yuan-Li Liu and You-Lin Qiao

Coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic in impoverished area: Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture as an example

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had spread worldwide. Although the world has intensively focused on the epidemic center during this period of time, it is imperative to emphasize that more a...

Authors: Ru-Jun Liao, Chun-Nong Ji-Ke, Tao Zhang, Qiang Liao, Ling Li, Tian-Yu Zhu and Shao-Yong Bian

Temporal trends in areas at risk for concomitant tuberculosis in a hyperendemic municipality in the Amazon region of Brazil

Although preventable and curable, tuberculosis (TB) still occurs in poor or developing countries, mainly in metropolitan regions of larger cities. The disease is a serious public health problem, and is directl...

Authors: Alexandre Tadashi Inomata Bruce, Thais Zamboni Berra, Felipe Lima dos Santos, Yan Mathias Alves, Ludmilla Leidianne Limirio Souza, Antônio Carlos Vieira Ramos, Luiz Henrique Arroyo, Juliane de Almeida Crispim, Ione Carvalho Pinto, Pedro Fredemir Palha, Aline Aparecida Monroe, Mellina Yamamura, Regina Célia Fiorati, Ana Carolina Scarpel Moncaio, Dulce Maria de Oliveira Gomes and Ricardo Alexandre Arcêncio

Fatal case of newborn Lassa fever virus infection mimicking late onset neonatal sepsis: a case report from northern Nigeria

Lassa fever is a zoonotic viral infection endemic to the West Africa countries. It is highly fatal during pregnancy and as such reports of neonatal onset Lassa fever infections are rare in scientific literatur...

Authors: Taofik Oluwaseun Ogunkunle, Surajudeen Oyeleke Bello, Chinwe Immaculata Anderson, Rashida Musa, Rasaq Olaosebikan and Abdulazeez Imam

Massive migration promotes the early spread of COVID-19 in China: a study based on a scale-free network

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic met coincidentally with massive migration before Lunar New Year in China in early 2020. This study is to investigate the relationship between the massive migrat...

Authors: Wen-Yu Song, Pan Zang, Zhong-Xing Ding, Xin-Yu Fang, Li-Guo Zhu, Ya Zhu, Chang-Jun Bao, Feng Chen, Ming Wu and Zhi-Hang Peng

Abnormal immunity of non-survivors with COVID-19: predictors for mortality

The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases has rapidly increased all over the world. Specific information about immunity in non-survivors with COVID-19 is scarce. This study aimed to analyse the c...

Authors: Yang Zhao, Han-Xiang Nie, Ke Hu, Xiao-Jun Wu, Yun-Ting Zhang, Meng-Mei Wang, Tao Wang, Zhi-Shui Zheng, Xiao-Chen Li and Shao-Lin Zeng

Different approaches to characterize artificial breeding sites of Aedes aegypti using generalized linear mixed models

As no globally accepted dengue vaccines or specific antiviral therapies are currently available, controlling breeding sites of Aedes aegypti is a target to prevent dengue outbreaks. The present study aimed to cha...

Authors: Nicolás Flaibani, Adriana A. Pérez, Ignacio M. Barbero and Nora E. Burroni

Prevalence of severe Plasmodium knowlesi infection and risk factors related to severe complications compared with non-severe P. knowlesi and severe P. falciparum malaria: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Plasmodium knowlesi is a potential cause of severe and fatal malaria, but comprehensive studies of its pooled prevalence and risk factors are lacking. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and risk factors r...

Authors: Manas Kotepui, Kwuntida Uthaisar Kotepui, Giovanni D. Milanez and Frederick R. Masangkay

Imported Mansonella perstans infection in Spain

Mansonella perstans infection can be considered one of the most neglected tropical infectious diseases. Very few studies have reported on the clinical picture caused by infection with this nematode. Therefore, ou...

Authors: Sabino Puente, Mar Lago, Mercedes Subirats, Ismael Sanz-Esteban, Marta Arsuaga, Belén Vicente, Montserrat Alonso-Sardon, Moncef Belhassen-Garcia and Antonio Muro

The role of isolation rooms, facemasks and intensified hand hygiene in the prevention of nosocomial COVID-19 transmission in a pulmonary clinical setting

From December 25, 2019 to January 31, 2020, 33 cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were identified in the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan Univers...

Authors: Gu-Qin Zhang, Hua-Qin Pan, Xing-Xing Hu, Shao-Jun He, Yi-Fei Chen, Chao-Jie Wei, Lan Ni, Li-Ping Zhang, Zhen-Shun Cheng and Jiong Yang

Impact of continuous low water stage on the breeding environment of Oncomelania hupensis: a case study of Poyang Lake area in China

Oncomelania hupensis is the only intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum and plays a decisive role in its transmission. The variation of water level greatly affects the reproduction and growth of snails. There...

Authors: Fei Hu, Qi-Yue Li, Xiao-Feng Dai, Zhao-Jun Li, Shang-Biao Lv, Chun-Fang Lu, Yi-Feng Li, Min Yuan, Yue-Ming Liu, Ying Liu and Dan-Dan Lin

Climate change induced vulnerability and adaption for dengue incidence in Colombo and Kandy districts: the detailed investigation in Sri Lanka

Assessing the vulnerability of an infectious disease such as dengue among endemic population is an important requirement to design proactive programmes in order to improve resilience capacity of vulnerable com...

Authors: Lahiru Udayanga, Nayana Gunathilaka, M. C. M. Iqbal and W. Abeyewickreme

Human brucellosis: recent advances and future challenges

Authors: David O’Callaghan