Background During August 2017-January 2018, more than 700,000 forcibly displaced Rohingyas crossed into Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. In response to measles and diphtheria cases, first documented in September and November 2017, respectively, vaccination campaigns targeting children <15 years old were mobilized during September 2017-March 2018. However, in a rapidly evolving emergency situation, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, and lack of access to safe water and healthcare can increase susceptibility to infectious diseases, particularly among children. We aimed to estimate population immunity to vaccinepreventable diseases (VPDs) after vaccination activities in the camps to identify any remaining immunity gaps among Rohingya children. Methods and findings We conducted a cross-sectional serologic and vaccination coverage survey in Nayapara Registered Refugee Camp ("Nayapara") and makeshift settlements (MSs) April 28, 2018 to May 31, 2018, among 930 children aged 6 months to 14 years. MSs are informal, self-settled areas with a population of more than 850,000, the majority of whom arrived after August 2017, whereas Nayapara is a registered camp and has better infrastructure than MSs, including provision of routine immunization services. Households were identified using simple random sampling (SRS) in Nayapara and multistage cluster sampling in MSs (because PLOS MEDICINE
Background
Diphtheria, a life-threatening respiratory disease, is caused mainly by toxin-producing strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae, while nontoxigenic Corynebacteria, such as C. pseudodiphtheriticum rarely causes diphtheria-like illness. Recently several global diphtheria outbreaks have resulted from the breakdown of healthcare infrastructures particularly in countries experiencing political conflict. This report summarizes a laboratory and epidemiological investigation of a diphtheria outbreak among Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals in Bangladesh.
Methods
Specimens and clinical information were collected from patients presenting at Diphtheria Treatment Centers. Swabs were tested for toxin-gene (tox) bearing C. diphtheriae by real-time (RT) PCR and culture. The isolation of another Corynebacterium species prompted further laboratory investigation.
Results
Among 382 patients; 153 (40%) tested tox-positive for C. diphtheriae by RT-PCR; 31 (20%) PCR-positive swabs were culture-confirmed. RT-PCR revealed 78% (298/382) of patients tested positive for C. pseudodiphtheriticum. Of patients positive for only C. diphtheriae, 63% (17/27) had severe disease compared to 55% (69/126) positive for both Corynebacterium species, and 38% (66/172) for only C. pseudodiphtheriticum.
Conclusions
We report the confirmation of a diphtheria outbreak and identification of a co-circulating Corynebacterium species. The high proportion of C. pseudodiphtheriticum co-detection may explain why many suspected patients testing negative for C. diphtheriae presented with diphtheria-like symptoms.
Objective:
to describe a pilot infection prevention and control (IPC) assessment conducted in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in New York State (NYS) during a pivotal two-week period when the region became the nation’s epicenter for COVID-19.
Design:
a telephone and video assessment of IPC measures in SNFs at high risk or experiencing COVID-19 activity.
Participants:
SNFs in 14 NYS counties including New York City.
Intervention:
a three-component remote IPC assessment: 1) screening tool; 2) telephone IPC checklist; and 3) COVID-19 video IPC assessment (“COVIDeo”).
Results:
92 SNFs completed the IPC screening tool and checklist; 52/92 (57%) were conducted as part COVID-19 investigations, and 40/92 (43%) were proactive prevention-based assessments. Among the 40 proactive assessments, 14/40 (35%) identified suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases. COVIDeo was performed in 26/92 (28%) of assessments and provided observations that other tools would have missed including: PPE (personal protective equipment) that was not easily accessible, redundant, or improperly donned, doffed, or stored and specific challenges implementing IPC in specialty populations. The IPC assessments took approximately one hour each, reached an estimated four times as many SNFs as onsite visits in a similar timeframe.
Conclusions:
Remote IPC assessments by telephone and video provided a timely and feasible method to assess the extent to which IPC interventions had been implemented in a vulnerable setting and to disseminate real-time recommendations. Remote assessments are now being implemented across NYS and in various healthcare facility types. Similar methods have been adapted nationally through CDC.
Successful achievement of global targets for elimination of trachoma as a public health problem and eradication of yaws will require control efforts to reach marginalized populations, including refugees. Testing for serologic evidence of transmission of trachoma and yaws in residents of registered camps and a Makeshift Settlement in Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh, was added to a serosurvey for vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) conducted April–May 2018. The survey was primarily designed to estimate remaining immunity gaps for VPDs, including diphtheria, measles, rubella, and polio. Blood specimens from 1- to 14-year-olds from selected households were collected and tested for antibody responses against antigens from Treponema pallidum and Chlamydia trachomatis using a multiplex bead assay to evaluate for serologic evidence of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) yaws and trachoma, respectively. The prevalence of antibodies against two C. trachomatis antigens in children ranged from 1.4% to 1.5% for Pgp3 and 2.8% to 7.0% for CT694. The prevalence of antibody responses against both of two treponemal antigens (recombinant protein17 and treponemal membrane protein A) tested was 0% to 0.15% in two camps. The data are suggestive of very low or no transmission of trachoma and yaws, currently or previously, in children resident in these communities. This study illustrates how integrated serologic testing can provide needed data to help NTD programs prioritize limited resources.
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