An epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) beginning in 2013 has claimed an estimated 11 310 lives in West Africa. As the EVD epidemic subsides, it is important for all who participated in the emergency Ebola response to reflect on strengths and weaknesses of the response. Such reflections should take into account perspectives not usually included in peer-reviewed publications and after-action reports, including those from the public sector, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), survivors of Ebola, and Ebola-affected households and communities. In this article, we first describe how the international NGO Partners In Health (PIH) partnered with the Government of Sierra Leone and Wellbody Alliance (a local NGO) to respond to the EVD epidemic in 4 of the country's most Ebola-affected districts. We then describe how, in the aftermath of the epidemic, PIH is partnering with the public sector to strengthen the health system and resume delivery of regular health services. PIH's experience in Sierra Leone is one of multiple partnerships with different stakeholders. It is also one of rapid deployment of expatriate clinicians and logistics personnel in health facilities largely deprived of health professionals, medical supplies, and physical infrastructure required to deliver health services effectively and safely. Lessons learned by PIH and its partners in Sierra Leone can contribute to the ongoing discussion within the international community on how to ensure emergency preparedness and build resilient health systems in settings without either.
The biggest nationwide COVID-19 pandemic lockdown worldwide was enforced in India for an initial period of 21-days. Emerging evidence suggests that pandemic situations and associated lockdowns have an adverse impact on sleep and mental health. However, prediction of sleep health from sociodemographic characteristics and the public’s worry during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic has not been extensively explored so far. It’s also unclear whether sleep outcomes mediate the association between worry and mental health during pandemic situations. A web-survey (N = 391) on sociodemographic characteristics, COVID-19 related worry, sleep health (insomnia and daytime sleepiness), and depression was conducted during the initial 21-days of the COVID-19 stringent lockdown in India. Multiple regression analyses showed that variables, including sex, age, income level, and worry score, contributed to the significant regression equation for insomnia but not for daytime sleepiness. Specifically, the female, younger, lower income, and highly worried populations contributed significantly more than the male, elderly, higher income, and less worried populations, respectively, to the prediction of insomnia. Mediation analyses showed that insomnia, but not daytime sleepiness, fully mediated the relationship between worry score and severity of depressive symptoms. We provide evidence that the female, younger, lower income, and worried populations may be at higher risk for insomnia during pandemic situations. Current evidence gives hope that improving sleep may reduce depressive symptoms during a pandemic situation. This underscores the importance of the implementation of effective public health policies in conjunction with strategical responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The transgender community has faced a long-standing history of prejudice and discrimination that has negatively affected their health. A lack of health care provider education and comfort with transgender medicine further challenges the ability of this population to obtain competent, gender-affirming medical care. As with all patients, a thorough patient history with avoidance of assumptions of sexual orientation based on gender identity is integral to providing appropriate care for transgender individuals. Vaginal bleeding in transgender men should be evaluated in a similar manner to natal women, and with knowledge of the individual's present reproductive organs. The majority of transgender men receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy will have cessation of menses by 6 months of continuous use; thus, bleeding beyond this interval warrants measurement of hormone levels and further evaluation. Progesterone-only contraceptive methods including progesterone-only pills, medroxyprogesterone acetate, or a levonorgestrel intrauterine device can be used in transgender men and nonbinary patients with continued menses despite physiologic testosterone levels, or to act as a bridge method for menstrual cessation at the time of testosterone initiation. For bleeding refractory to progesterone methods, health care providers should discuss surgical options or the use of aromatase inhibitors with their patients. Counseling on fertility desires and family planning is integral to improving the reproductive care of transgender patients. Contraceptive counseling for transgender patients should include not only the efficacy and ease of use of available methods, but also discussion of advantages and disadvantages of contraceptive options with regard to the patient's gender identity.
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