Category Archives: Co-infections
A comparison of active pharmacovigilance strategies used to monitor adverse events to antiviral agents: A systematic review
INTRODUCTION: The safety of antiviral agents in real-world clinical settings is crucial, as pre-marketing studies often do not capture all adverse events (AE). Active pharmacovigilance strategies are essential for detecting...
A critical review of mpox outbreaks, risk factors, and prevention efforts in Africa: Lessons learned and evolving practices
OBJECTIVES: In recent years, mpox, a zoonotic disease caused by the mpox virus, has transcended its primary association with Central and West Africa, emerging as a global public health concern....
Disease intervention specialist-delivered interventions and other partner services for HIV and sexually transmitted infections: A systematic review
INTRODUCTION: Disease intervention specialists (DIS) are critical for delivering partner services programs that provide partner notification, counseling, referral, and other services for HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and other infections....
Burden of tuberculosis in underserved populations in South Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Identifying case-finding strategies to reduce tuberculosis (TB) incidence in high-burden countries requires better knowledge of the disease burden in key contributing populations and settings. To inform South Africa’s National Tuberculosis...
Innovative pre-exposure prophylaxis interventions among adolescent girls and young women during COVID-19 lockdown period in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
Adolescent girls and young women are key, and priority populations impacted by a higher risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus. In 2015, pre-exposure prophylaxis was introduced as a biomedical human...
Respiratory syncytial virus among people living with HIV: Is there a case for rolling out prophylaxis? A viewpoint based on a systematic review
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is responsible for a considerable burden of respiratory disease among children and older adults. Several prophylactic strategies have recently been introduced. We review the available evidence...
Exploring facilitators and barriers to STD/STI/HIV self-testing among college students in the United States: A scoping review
Background: HIV affects 1.2 million Americans, with 20% of new diagnoses being 13 to 24-year-olds. Young adult college students are more likely than the general population of 18 to 24-year-olds in...
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis: Lessons for future public health crises
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization is committed to strengthening access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention and its integration into primary care services. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted...
Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis for bacterial sexually transmitted infections: The current landscape and future directions
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The incidence of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STI) continues to rise particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy-PEP) has emerged as...
High rates of Treponema pallidum, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, or Trichomonas vaginalis co-infection in people with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Purpose: People living with HIV (PWH) experience a disproportionate burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), leading to more severe health outcomes and increasing the risk of HIV transmission. The presence of...
Effectiveness of MenB-4C vaccine against gonorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction: There is no licensed vaccine against gonorrhea but Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B outer membrane vesicle-based vaccines, like MenB-4C, may offer cross-protection against gonorrhea. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized...
