International Public Health Commons^™

The Community Health System In The Drc: An Overview, Frontline Health Project

Reproductive Health

This brief provides an overview of the community health system in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The community health system is decentralized and operates across five levels: national, provincial, health zone, health area, and community. Various policy documents guide DRC’s community health system, including The National Health Development Plan 2016–2020. Relais communautaire (RECOs) are the main cadre of community health workers operating in the DRC. They are volunteers who provide a minimum package of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health services, including the provision of family planning; integrated community case management for malaria, diarrhea, and respiratory diseases; nutrition …

The Community Health System In Mali: An Overview, Frontline Health Project

Reproductive Health

This brief provides an overview of the community health system in Mali. The system is decentralized and operates across five levels: national, regional, district, health area, and community. It relies on two cadres of community health workers to deliver health-care services, primarily to rural populations: agents de santé communautaire (ASCs) and relais communautaire. The National Implementation Guide for Essential Community Health Care is the main document that outlines responsibilities of community health providers and processes for organization, management, and delivery of health services. Although Mali’s maternal, child (under five years), and infant mortality rates have fallen over the past two …

Transitioning From Episodic To Sustained Care In Humanitarian Service, W Howard Mcalister Od, Ma, Mph, Jeffrey L. Weaver Od, Ms, Timothy A. Wingert Od, Kristen Kramlich Od

Optometric Clinical Practice

Background: Humanitarian missions serve populations needing care and usually provide short term interventions. Traditionally, care provided through humanitarian agencies like VOSH International has been episodic, consisting of a short-term mission placing a team in country for several days. There have been discussions that episodic care is a short term measure which impedes the systematic development of a long term solution to providing the necessary health care. The move toward sustained care is a step in the direction of improving the public health in developing countries.

Method: A survey instrument was mailed to the 26 VOSH chapters in the United States …

Measurement Of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Status: Perspectives From Healthcare Providers, Policymakers, Programme Implementers, And Researchers, Dennis Matanda

Reproductive Health

Among practicing communities, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a highly sensitive and emotionally charged issue, and open discussion is often considered taboo. Not only may it be difficult to motivate people to discuss the topic, but the validity of their responses may be questionable. These factors make research on FGM/C challenging and hence the need for careful consideration of research methodologies. There is a need for proper documentation of the strengths and limitations of the various data-collection methodologies to assist in generating reliable data for programmatic efforts toward FGM/C abandonment. This working paper describes a study undertaken to highlight methodological …

When And How Does Law Effectively Reduce The Practice Of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting?, Josephine Wouango, Susan L. Ostermann, Daniel Mwanga

Reproductive Health

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is recognized globally as carrying risks to both the physical and psychological health of girls and women and is widely considered a violation of human rights. An estimated 200 million girls and women in 30 countries have undergone FGM/C and as many as 30 million girls younger than 15 years of age are at risk. A common policy response to FGM/C is to call for the enactment and enforcement of criminal prohibitions on the practice. Yet, compliance with laws is complex: it can be motivated and undercut by moral, social, religious, and incentive-based factors. The study …

How Immune T-Cell Augmentation Can Help Prevent Covid-19: A Possible Nutritional Solution Using Ketogenic Lifestyle, Ravi K. Kamepalli Md,Fidsa,Cwsp

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Covid-19-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Among Adolescents And Young People In Bihar And Uttar Pradesh, India: Study Description, Rajib Acharya, Mukta Gundi, Thoai Ngo, Neelanjana Pandey, Sangram Kishor Patel, Jessie Pinchoff, Shilpi Rampal, Niranjan Saggurti, K.G. Santhya, Corinne White, A.J. Francis Zavier

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of COVID-19 in India and to aid the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), the Population Council and other non-governmental organizations are conducting research to assess residents’ ability to follow sanitation and social distancing precautions under a countrywide lockdown. The Population Council COVID-19 study team is implementing rapid phone-based surveys to collect information on knowledge, attitudes and practices, as well as needs, among 2,041 young people (ages 19-23 years) and/or an adult household member, sampled from an existing prospective cohort study with a total sample size of 20,574 in Bihar (n=10,433) and …

Vaccines In Current Culture: The Hpv Vaccine Controversy, Alyssa Johnston

Senior Honors Theses

The use of vaccinations has drastically decreased mortality and morbidity rates related to infectious disease and has become an intrinsic part of modern health care. However, the fear of risks related to vaccines has been partially responsible for the decisions of many parents to delay or avoid vaccinating their children. The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine specifically is one of the most controversial vaccines in current culture due to reports of new onset or exacerbation of autoimmune diseases, infertility, and even death following its administration. This review synthesizes information regarding the relevance and safety of the HPV vaccine, as well …

Nairobi Informal Settlements: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices And Needs—Round 2, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of coronavirus, the Kenyan Ministry of Health COVID-19 Taskforce has implemented initial prevention and mitigation measures. Of concern are the densely overcrowded, poor urban slums where sanitation and social distancing measures are near impossible. COVID-19 would spread rapidly and be devastating under these conditions. To inform the Taskforce strategy, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collection information on knowledge, attitudes and practices among ~2,000 heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies across five Nairobi urban slums. Iterations of the survey will be conducted every 1-2 weeks. Baseline findings on …

Kenya: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices And Needs—Responses From Second Round Of Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, Mathare), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of coronavirus, the Kenyan Ministry of Health COVID-19 Taskforce has implemented initial prevention and mitigation measures. Of concern are the densely overcrowded, poor urban slums where sanitation and social distancing measures are near impossible. COVID-19 would spread rapidly and be devastating under these conditions. To inform the Taskforce strategy, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collection information on knowledge, attitudes and practices among ~2,000 heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies across five Nairobi urban slums. Iterations of the survey will be conducted every 1-2 weeks. Baseline findings on …

484— Modeling Social Distancing Methods And Their Effectiveness In Combating The Spread Of Ebola, Rachel Fair

GREAT Day Posters

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a rare but severe disease that is transmitted among humans through direct-contact with, and close proximity to, infected bodily fluids. From 2014-16, West Africa experienced the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, infecting over 28,000 people, and killing over 11,000. Although the symptoms of EVD are treatable, the disease can be extremely deadly, with an average of 50% EVD cases resulting in fatality. In areas where healthcare is scarce and vaccinations are not readily available, the practices of social distancing and self-quarantining have been shown to be highly effective in combating the spread of EVD. To …

Coronavirus Closes In On Rohingya Refugees In Bangladesh’S Cramped, Unprepared Camps, Saleh Ahmed

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2020

Coronavirus is spreading quickly in densely populated Bangladesh, despite a nationwide shutdown put in place a month ago.

This preventive measure has proven challenging to implement due to lack of awareness of the coronavirus and the absence of a social safety net. Extreme poverty also forces many Bangladeshis to keep working and looking for food despite the risks. Bangladesh had 2,948 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 20.

The disease has not yet spread into the refugee camps that house the Rohingya Muslims who fled ethnic violence in Myanmar in 2017, according to a recent update from the humanitarian organizations …

Low Perceived Risk: A Challenge To Adoption Of Preventive Behaviors For Covid-19?, Population Council Institute

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

India, with 13,387 cases reported as of April 17, currently accounts for just 0.6% of the COVID-19 cases worldwide. The nationwide lockdown may have helped contain the initial COVID-19 outbreak. However, until testing rates improve, the size of the outbreak remains unclear, and the risk of spread remains. It is critical to ensure ongoing adherence to current social distancing and handwashing behaviours to protect the population from a larger outbreak. An ongoing COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes and practices study implemented by the Population Council Institute in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh sought to assess the extent to which study participants felt personally …

Migration And Covid-19: Uttar Pradesh And Bihar, Population Council Institute

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of COVID-19 in India and to aid the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Population Council and other nongovernmental organizations are conducting research to assess residents’ ability to follow sanitation and social distancing precautions under a countrywide lockdown. The Population Council COVID-19 study team is implementing rapid phone-based surveys to collect information on knowledge, attitudes, and practices, as well as needs, among 1,237 young people. As noted in this brief, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar are two of the highest out-migration states in India. Migration is mostly to metropolitan areas in Delhi, …

Covid-19-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Among Decisionmakers Of Indigenous Municipalities In Guatemala: Study Description, Angel Del Valle, Hannah Briggs, Benjamin Chang, Aiken Chew, Brian Medina, Gabriela Muñoz, Thoai Ngo, Elizabeth Vásquez, Corinne White, Ramón Zamora

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Indigenous communities are often socially and economically marginalized which makes them particularly vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19. The Population Council has a longstanding partnership with indigenous communities in Guatemala through the "Abriendo Oportunidades" program. To understand the knowledge, perspectives, and needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will conduct key informant interviews with indigenous community leaders and frontline workers. Phone-based surveys will be carried out with approximately 130 key informants in the municipalities of Chisec, Patzún, San Andrés Semetabaj, San Juan Ostuncalco, San Juan Sacatepéquez, San Pedro Carchá, Santa María Chiquimula, Totonicapán, Uspantán and Sololá in April 2020. These …

Evidence Around Engaging Men In Hiv Prevention And Treatment, Julie Pulerwitz, Ann Gottert, Jerry Okal, Sanyukta Mathur

HIV and AIDS

No abstract provided.

Understanding Etiologies Of Road Traffic Crashes, Injuries, And Death For Patients At National Hospital Abuja: A Qualitative Content Analysis Using Haddon’S Matrix, Benjamin D. Holmes, Kristin Haglund, Emmanuel A. Ameh, Oluwole O. Olaomi, Uthman Uthman, Laura D. Cassidy

The Qualitative Report

Road traffic crashes and sequelae are reaching pandemic proportions globally and have currently achieved disproportionately high levels in Nigeria. Quantitative studies are accumulating in the peer-reviewed literature, but there is a paucity of qualitative research in Nigeria. Data for this study of structural and behavioral factors of road traffic crashes and injuries in Federal Capital Territory were collected in semi-structured interviews with crash survivors at National Hospital Abuja. Interviews were analyzed via qualitative content analysis, revealing crash location and participant beliefs about crash etiologies. Units of analysis were developed from participant statements and were structured within four a priori etiologic …

Evaluation Of A Drowning Prevention Campaign In A Vietnamese American Community, Linda Quan Md, Elena Shephard Md, Elizabeth Bennett Ches, Mph

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

To address Washington State’s high pediatric fatal drowning rates in Asian children, especially Vietnamese, we conducted and evaluated a community water safety campaign for Vietnamese American families. Working with community groups, parks departments and public health, we disseminated three messages (learn to swim, swim with a lifeguard, and wear a life jacket) in Vietnamese media and at events, increased access to free/low cost swim lessons and availability of lifeguarded settings and life jackets in the community. Parents completed 168 pre- and 230 post-intervention self-administered, bilingual surveys. Significantly more post-intervention compared to pre-intervention respondents had heard water safety advice …

Copd Exacerbation Caused By Sars-Cov-2: A Case Report From The Louisville Covid-19 Surveillance Program, Forest W. Arnold, Kamran Mahmood, Angeline Prabhu, Darmaan Aden, Anupama Raghuram, Mark Burns, Leslie A. Beavin, Donghoon Chung, Kenneth E. Palmer, Julio A. Ramirez

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

A 53-year-old male with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on home oxygen presented to the hospital with worsening shortness of breath plus cough. He was admitted to the intensive care unit for COPD exacerbation and respiratory failure. A routine evaluation was performed, including a nasopharyngeal swab for a respiratory viral panel, which was negative. His symptoms improved over 48 hours, after which time a surveillance test for SARS-CoV-2 returned as positive. After clinical improvement, he was discharged to home isolation.

How To Prevent Covid-19 In Nurses And Physicians In The Hospital Setting: Universal Test-And-Isolate For All Patients Admitted To Hospitals, Julio A. Ramirez, Ruth Carrico, Forest W. Arnold, Paul Schulz

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Nairobi Informal Settlements: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices—Preliminary Findings, Karen Austrian, Timothy Abuya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of coronavirus, the Kenyan Ministry of Health COVID-19 Taskforce has implemented initial prevention and mitigation measures. Of concern are the densely overcrowded, poor urban slums where sanitation and social distancing measures are near impossible. COVID-19 would spread rapidly and be devastating under these conditions. To inform the Taskforce strategy, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collection information on knowledge, attitudes and practices among ~2,000 heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies across five Nairobi urban slums. Iterations of the survey will be conducted every 1-2 weeks. Baseline findings on …

Kenya: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices—Preliminary Findings, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of coronavirus, the Kenyan Ministry of Health COVID-19 Taskforce has implemented initial prevention and mitigation measures. Of concern are the densely overcrowded, poor urban slums where sanitation and social distancing measures are near impossible. COVID-19 would spread rapidly and be devastating under these conditions. To inform the Taskforce strategy, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collection information on knowledge, attitudes and practices among ~2,000 heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies across five Nairobi urban slums. Iterations of the survey will be conducted every 1-2 weeks. Baseline findings on …

Factors Associated With Tobacco Smoking Among Saudi College Students: A Systematic Review, Saad A. Alotaibi, Praveen Durgampudi

College of Health Sciences Posters

Introduction: There has been an increase in tobacco smoking among Saudi college students in recent years. However, no study has examined, with a systematic approach, the extent to which specific factors are associated with tobacco smoking among this population.

Methods: PubMed, ProQuest, CINAHL, and Web of Science were utilized to retrieve studies addressing risk factors associated with tobacco smoking among Saudi college students between 2010 and 2019. After confirming their eligibility criteria, studies were imported to the NVivo software for data collection and synthesis. All included articles were critically appraised, based on a modified STROBE.

Results: Twenty-one out of 300 …

Covid-19 Has Rewritten Social Narratives. What We Now Need Is A Unifying Mindset, Arthur Adimoelia

Social Space

As COVID-19 cases climb into the millions and the world scrambles to contain its spread, many fingers are pointed at different members of society for not taking social distancing and other mitigating measures seriously.

A Survey Of Patients With Congenital Orthopedic Conditions In Malawi: Factors That Influence Late Presentation, Brianna Wallis

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Staff at CURE International, a non-profit organization that provides orthopedic care in Malawi, noticed a high prevalence of patients with congenital orthopedic conditions who are presenting late for treatment. Late presentation results in prolonged pain or discomfort for the patient and has the potential for increased cost to the institution, longer duration of treatment, and decreased quality of outcomes. To identify the factors that influenced presentation delays, we surveyed the caregivers of patients with congenital conditions that were seen in out-patient clinics, in-patient wards, and mobile clinics across the country. Sixty-two caregivers were surveyed; forty-two patients had a diagnosis of …

Vaccine Confidence, Coverage, And Hesitancy Worldwide: A Literature Analysis Of Vaccine Hesitancy And Potential Causes Worldwide, Jordan Hammond

Senior Theses

Vaccines are one of the world’s most impactful medical therapies. They are cost-effective, successfully proven, and one of the quickest treatment options available today (Clark et al., 2016). They save millions of lives every year and have eliminated certain diseases on a national and international level. However, millions of people worldwide still remain unvaccinated. In developed nations, mainly The United States (U.S.) and the European countries, many of the unvaccinated are a result of rising vaccine hesitancy of parents in conjunction with the anti-vaccination movement. Vaccine hesitancy is defined as “a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability” …

Congenital Zika Syndrome - Background And Nutrition Care Of Affected Infants, Ann Gaba, Ghada Soliman

Publications and Research

This review provides a history and overview of Zika infection, with special attention to resultant birth defects and the nutrition care required by Zika affected infants.

A Diagnostic Assessment Of The Health System’S Response To Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Management And Prevention In Kenya, Samuel Kimani, Chantalle Okondo

Reproductive Health

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a cultural practice associated with health consequences and rights violations. In Kenya, health sector–led FGM/C-related interventions are anchored in the legal and policy instruments and guidelines adapted from global/regional frameworks, as well as interventional tools approved by the World Health Organization. Despite the existence of the instruments, guidelines, and tools that should direct a robust health system response to FGM/C, the practice persists and quality of care of services for women and girls with FGM/C-related complications has not been ascertained. Evidence on whether the health sector implements relevant FGM/C-related legal and policy frameworks to address …

Impactos En La Salud Pública Y Desigualdades Frente Al Cambio Climático En América Latina: Una Aproximación Hacia Las Consecuencias Diferenciales De Las Inundaciones Y Olas De Calor En La Cuenca Matanza Riachuelo. / Public Health Impacts And Inequalities In The Face Of Climate Change In Latin America: An Approach Towards The Differential Consequences Of Floods And Heat Waves In The Matanza Riachuelo Watershed., Julia Mettler-Grove

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La relación entre el cambio climático y la salud pública es un tema emergente y crítico para estudiar en la escala local, concretamente en lo que refiere a analizar los efectos producidos por las olas de calor y las inundaciones. Si bien existe un campo de investigación creciente sobre el tema, son pocos los trabajos que ahondan en la conexión con la salud pública, un elemento central para pensar en la gestión del cambio climático en las ciudades. Esto es precisamente lo que se propone hacer la presente investigación, tomando como caso de estudio la cuenca más urbanizada e industrializada …

El Covid-19 Y El Derecho A La Información De Los Pueblos Indígenas En La Región De Arica Y Parinacota / Covid-19 And The Right To Information Of Indigenous Peoples In The Region Of Arica And Parinacota, Finn Odum

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The present work tries to understand if the health communication programs in Chile are sufficient and, specifically, if the Chilean state guarantees the right to information of indigenous peoples in the context of COVID-19 in the Arica and Parinacota region. For this, semi-structured interviews were carried out and analyzed using the Atlas.ti software. The results showed that the indigenous peoples of Arica and Parinacota need intercultural programs that recognize their rights and cultures, and more access to information.

El presente trabajo pretende comprender si los programas de comunicación de salud en Chile son suficientes y, en específico, si el estado …