Knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to treatment and prevention of cholera, Haiti, 2010.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Beau De Rochars VE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3310585 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:The 2010 cholera epidemic in Haiti was one of the largest cholera epidemics ever recorded. To estimate the magnitude of the death toll during the first wave of the epidemic, we retrospectively conducted surveys at 4 sites in the northern part of Haiti. Overall, 70,903 participants were included; at all sites, the crude mortality rates (19.1-35.4 deaths/1,000 person-years) were higher than the expected baseline mortality rate for Haiti (9 deaths/1,000 person-years). This finding represents an excess of 3,406 deaths (2.9-fold increase) for the 4.4% of the Haiti population covered by these surveys, suggesting a substantially higher cholera mortality rate than previously reported.
| S-EPMC4766911 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In the course of infectious disease outbreaks, barriers to accessing health care can contribute to preventable mortality. According to the Ministry of Health of Haiti (Ministère de la Santé Publique et de la Population [MSPP]), the 2010 cholera epidemic caused 7,936 deaths from October 2010 to December 2012 in Haiti alone. We seek to quantify the excess mortality attributable to patients not seeking care during the cholera outbreak in the Nord Department in 2010-2012. Using data from a community-based retrospective survey conducted by Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières [MSF]) in Northern Haiti, we used logistic regression to examine the association between healthcare utilization and fatality among household members with watery diarrhea in the Communes of Borgne, Pilate, Plaisance, and Port-Margot in the Nord Department. We found that failing to seek care resulted in a 5-fold increase in the case fatality ratio among infected individuals (26%) versus those who sought care (5%). Common concerns noted for why care was not sought included travel distance to treatment centers, not attributing watery diarrhea episodes to cholera, and being unsure where to seek health care for their watery diarrhea episodes within their Communes. In conclusion, addressing transportation and information needs could increase healthcare utilization and reduce lives lost during an outbreak.
| S-EPMC10699631 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Haiti has the highest human rabies burden in the Western Hemisphere. There is no published literature describing the public's perceptions of rabies in Haiti, information that is critical to developing effective interventions and government policies. We conducted a knowledge, attitudes and practices survey of 550 community members and 116 health professionals in Pétionville, Haiti in 2013 to understand the perception of rabies in these populations. The majority of respondents (85%) knew that dogs were the primary reservoir for rabies, yet only 1% were aware that bats and mongooses could transmit rabies. Animal bites were recognized as a mechanism of rabies transmission by 77% of the population and 76% were aware that the disease could be prevented by vaccination. Of 172 persons reporting a bite, only 37% sought medical treatment. The annual bite incidence rate in respondents was 0·9%. Only 31% of bite victims reported that they started the rabies vaccination series. Only 38% of respondents reported that their dog had been vaccinated against rabies. The majority of medical professionals recognized that dogs were the main reservoir for rabies (98%), but only 28% reported bats and 14% reported mongooses as posing a risk for rabies infection. Bites were reported as a mechanism of rabies transmission by 73% of respondents; exposure to saliva was reported by 20%. Thirty-four percent of medical professionals reported they would wash a bite wound with soap and water and 2·8% specifically mentioned rabies vaccination as a component of post-bite treatment. The majority of healthcare professionals recommended some form of rabies assessment for biting animals; 68·9% recommended a 14-day observation period, 60·4% recommended a veterinary consultation, and 13·2% recommended checking the vaccination status of the animal. Fewer than 15% of healthcare professionals had ever received training on rabies prevention and 77% did not know where to go to procure rabies vaccine for bite victims. Both study populations had a high level of knowledge about the primary reservoir for rabies and the mode of transmission. However, there is a need to improve the level of knowledge regarding the importance of seeking medical care for dog bites and additional training on rabies prevention for healthcare professionals. Distribution channels for rabies vaccines should be evaluated, as the majority of healthcare providers did not know where rabies vaccines could be obtained. Canine rabies vaccination is the primary intervention for rabies control programmes, yet most owned dogs in this population were not vaccinated.
| S-EPMC5426290 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Mathematical models can provide key insights into the course of an ongoing epidemic, potentially aiding real-time emergency management in allocating health care resources and by anticipating the impact of alternative interventions. We study the ex post reliability of predictions of the 2010-2011 Haiti cholera outbreak from four independent modeling studies that appeared almost simultaneously during the unfolding epidemic. We consider the impact of different approaches to the modeling of spatial spread of Vibrio cholerae and mechanisms of cholera transmission, accounting for the dynamics of susceptible and infected individuals within different local human communities. To explain resurgences of the epidemic, we go on to include waning immunity and a mechanism explicitly accounting for rainfall as a driver of enhanced disease transmission. The formal comparative analysis is carried out via the Akaike information criterion (AIC) to measure the added information provided by each process modeled, discounting for the added parameters. A generalized model for Haitian epidemic cholera and the related uncertainty is thus proposed and applied to the year-long dataset of reported cases now available. The model allows us to draw predictions on longer-term epidemic cholera in Haiti from multiseason Monte Carlo runs, carried out up to January 2014 by using suitable rainfall fields forecasts. Lessons learned and open issues are discussed and placed in perspective. We conclude that, despite differences in methods that can be tested through model-guided field validation, mathematical modeling of large-scale outbreaks emerges as an essential component of future cholera epidemic control.
| S-EPMC3340092 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionHearing loss is the most common congenital condition screened for at birth in the United States, and more than 95% of newborns are currently screened for hearing. Newborn hearing screening is most effective when infants receive timely and effective interventions. Unfortunately, follow-up rates for newborns not passing their initial hearing screenings are as low as 50% in some states. Midwives are well-positioned to encourage families to follow-up with their neonatal providers when newborns are referred for further testing. Newborn hearing screening is a relatively new practice in the United States and, to date, there has been no research regarding the informational needs and practices of certified nurse-midwives or certified midwives related to hearing screening. This study examined the knowledge, attitudes, and follow-up practices of midwives related to newborn hearing screening and intervention.MethodsA survey instrument was developed and sent to 5255 American College of Nurse-Midwives members in 50 states and 2 territories.ResultsFive hundred and eighteen surveys were returned, yielding a response rate of 9.9%. Only 68% of respondents said it was very important to screen all newborns for hearing loss. Respondents reported significant gaps in their knowledge about screening procedures, steps for referral, and the availability of resources when newborns did not pass the test. Midwives also reported the need for information about hearing loss conditions and genetics, screening guidelines, protocols for follow-up, referral networks, and therapies available.DiscussionCurrent practices in newborn hearing screening and intervention programs can be enhanced by strengthening the basic midwifery knowledge of and rationale for follow-up when newborns fail their hearing screenings. Midwives can play an integral role in optimizing hearing, speech, and family interaction by assuring that each newborn has access to the best hearing screening and referrals.
| S-EPMC3068862 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Childhood obesity is a growing concern worldwide. Though multifactorial, the family environment exerts significant influence on children's eating habits. Grandparents are increasingly involved as caregivers and they can significantly influence their grandchildren's eating habits. Yet, literature on this topic is lacking. This exploratory sequential mixed methods study (qualitative interview and interviewer-administered questionnaire) aims to understand grandparents' knowledge, attitudes, and practices on the feeding of their grandchildren in Singapore. A total of 11 interview participants and 396 questionnaire respondents with at least one grandchild, aged 12 years and below were included. Qualitative interviews informed the questionnaire development. Responses to interview questions about knowledge, attitudes, and practices revealed sub-themes such as knowledge on the impact of feeding, attitude toward feeding role, and challenges to feeding. Of the 396 participants, 35% were primary caregivers (defined as the person who spends the most time with the grandchild and performs most of the caregiving tasks). Nutritional knowledge was fair (median score 5/8), with misconceptions centered around healthy feeding practices. Grandparents who were primary caregivers, female, Malay, and younger than 70 years old believed that they played an important role in feeding their grandchild (p < 0.05). Overall, 47.2% of the grandparents rarely or never set a maximum limit on the amount of unhealthy food eaten, of which 77.1% are non-primary caregivers. In comparison, primary caregivers tend to set a maximum limit to the amount of unhealthy food their grandchildren eat and choose a wide variety of food (p < 0.05). These findings support the need for further improvement of grandparents' feeding knowledge and practices as part of tackling childhood obesity.
| S-EPMC6683024 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Haiti has the highest number of people living with HIV infection in the Caribbean/Latin America region. Medical male circumcision (MMC) has been recommended to help prevent the spread of HIV. We sought to assess knowledge, attitudes, practices and beliefs about MMC among a sample of health care providers in Haiti.A convenience sample of 153 health care providers at the GHESKIO Centers in Haiti responded to an exploratory survey that collected information on several topics relevant to health providers about MMC. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the responses and multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine opinions of health care providers about the best age to perform MMC on males. Bayesian network analysis and sensitivity analysis were done to identify the minimum level of change required to increase the acceptability of performing MMC at age less than 1 year.The sample consisted of medical doctors (31.0%), nurses (49.0%), and other health care professionals (20.0%). Approximately 76% showed willingness to offer MMC services if they received training. Seventy-six percent believed that their male patients would accept circumcision, and 59% believed infancy was the best age for MMC. More than 90% of participants said that MMC would reduce STIs. Physicians and nurses who were willing to offer MMC if provided with adequate training were 2.5 (1.15-5.71) times as likely to choose the best age to perform MMC as less than one year. Finally, if the joint probability of choosing "the best age to perform MMC" as one year or older and having the mistaken belief that "MMC prevents HIV entirely" is reduced by 63% then the probability of finding that performing MMC at less than one year acceptable to health care providers is increased by 35%.Participants demonstrated high levels of knowledge and positive attitudes towards MMC. Although this study suggests that circumcision is acceptable among certain health providers in Haiti, studies with larger and more representative samples are needed to confirm this finding.
| S-EPMC4523202 | biostudies-other
Project description:BACKGROUND:In Zambia, cervical cancer screening was started in 2006 and the human papillomavirus vaccine was piloted in 2013. Nevertheless, cervical cancer remains the leading cancer. It is assumed that knowledge, social interaction, health behaviors and religion are factors that can influence screening and vaccination practices. This study addresses the question, what is the relationship between knowledge about cervical cancer, attitudes, self-reported behavior, and immediate support system, towards screening and vaccination of cervical cancer of Zambian women and men. The results of this study serve as a basis for future research, an input for improvement and adjustment of the existing prevention program and build on documented health behavior frameworks. METHODS:A cross-sectional mixed methods study was conducted from February to May 2016. Two separate questionnaires were used to collect data from women (N?=?300) and men (N?=?300) residing in Chilenje and Kanyama (two townships in the capital city Lusaka). Respondent's knowledge of cervical cancer was operationalized by grading their ability to correctly identify causes and protective factors if they were aware of cervical cancer. Besides providing descriptive statistics of all study variables, we tested four research hypotheses concerning the link between knowledge, attitudes and practices suggested by the literature, by applying appropriate statistical tests (chi square test, analysis of variance, logistic regression). RESULTS:Less than half of the respondents (36.8%) had heard of cervical cancer, 20.7% of women had attended screening and 6.7% of the total sample had vaccinated their daughter. Knowledge of causes and prevention was very low. There was a strong association between having awareness of cervical cancer and practicing screening (odds ratio?=?20.5, 95% confidence interval?=?[9.214, 45.516]) and vaccination (odds ratio?=?5.1, 95% confidence interval?=?[2.473, 10.423]). Social interactions were also found to greatly influence screening and vaccination behaviors. CONCLUSIONS:The low level of knowledge of causes and prevention of cervical cancer suggests a need to increase knowledge and awareness among both women and men. Interpersonal interactions have great impact on practicing prevention behaviors, for instance, vaccination of daughters.
| S-EPMC6500583 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Oral cholera vaccines (OCVs) have been recommended in cholera-endemic settings and preemptively during outbreaks and complex emergencies. However, experience and guidelines for reactive use after an outbreak has started are limited. In 2010, after over a century without epidemic cholera, an outbreak was reported in Haiti after an earthquake. As intensive nonvaccine cholera control measures were initiated, the feasibility of OCV use was considered. We reviewed OCV characteristics and recommendations for their use and assessed global vaccine availability and capacity to implement a vaccination campaign. Real-time modeling was conducted to estimate vaccine impact. Ultimately, cholera vaccination was not implemented because of limited vaccine availability, complex logistical and operational challenges of a multidose regimen, and obstacles to conducting a campaign in a setting with population displacement and civil unrest. Use of OCVs is an option for cholera control; guidelines for their appropriate use in epidemic and emergency settings are urgently needed.
| S-EPMC3310586 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The emergence of epidemic cholera in post-earthquake Haiti portended a public health disaster of uncertain magnitude. In order to coordinate relief efforts in an environment with limited healthcare infrastructure and stretched resources, timely and realistic projections of the extent of the cholera outbreak were crucial. Projections were shared with Government and partner organizations beginning 5 days after the first reported case and were updated using progressively more advanced methods as more surveillance data became available. The first projection estimated that 105 000 cholera cases would occur in the first year. Subsequent projections using different methods estimated up to 652 000 cases and 163 000-247 000 hospitalizations during the first year. Current surveillance data show these projections to have provided reasonable approximations of the observed epidemic. Providing the real-time projections allowed Haitian ministries and external aid organizations to better plan and implement response measures during the evolving epidemic.
| S-EPMC9151838 | biostudies-literature