Haiti

Haiti is home to approximately 11 million people and has a high incidence of vector-borne disease, including more than 70,000 cases of dengue per year. Vector control is difficult in Haiti and adulticide spray of malathion is the main method of control employed during the outbreak of disease although pyrethroids are used in both bed net campaigns and in widely available aerosol cans for personal use. However, limited pathogen or insecticide resistance surveillance data are available for making operational decisions...

BACKGROUND: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) inflict significant comorbid disability on the most vulnerable communities; yet interventions targeting the mental health of affected communities are lacking. A pilot study to assess the effectiveness of a chronic disease self-management program (CDSMP) was introduced to lymphatic filariasis peer support groups in Léogâne, Haiti. METHODS: Using a closed-cohort stepped-wedge cluster trial design, Hope Clubs were assigned into Arm 1 (n=118 members) and Arm 2 (n=92)...

Sex-determination is of particular importance in avian ecology and conservation. However, many bird species show no conspicuous sexual dimorphism, such as the La Selle Thrush, Turdus swalesi , a vulnerable species endemic to Hispaniola. We captured individuals in southeastern Haiti, in 2019-2022. For each one, we collected contour feathers or blood samples for molecular sex identification based on the CHD-1 gene. In addition, we took body measurements of several captured individuals and recorded their weight...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Haiti's hypertension prevalence among adults ≥40 years of age is nearly twice that of nations in the Americas. Haiti Health Initiative (HHI) developed a hypertension management protocol for use in outreach clinics in Timo, a rural mountainous community in Haiti. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the hypertension protocol for treating adults ≥40 years of age and pregnant women with severe hypertension. METHODS: This retrospective longitudinal study included 209 patients across 1148 clinic visits/encounters...

Teenage pregnancy remains a global problem because of its consequences for the teenager, her child, her family, and society. In Haiti, this type of pregnancy burdens the family economy. In addition, the adolescent fertility rate is still high, despite efforts to reduce it. This article aims to analyze the perception and experiential experience of relatives of pregnant adolescents in Haiti. A qualitative study design based on Dewey's social survey was conducted. Data were collected from 17 relatives (partners, parents, guardians, and others) of pregnant adolescents in Haiti's North and Northeast departments...

BACKGROUND: The primary barrier to curing HIV infection is the pool of intact HIV proviruses integrated into host cell DNA throughout the bodies of people living with HIV (PLHIV), called the HIV reservoir. Reservoir size is impacted by the duration of HIV infection, delay in starting antiretroviral therapy (ART), and breakthrough viremia during ART. The leading infectious cause of death worldwide for PLHIV is TB, but we don't know how TB impacts the HIV reservoir. METHODS: We designed a case-control study to compare HIV provirus-containing CD4 in PLHIV with vs...

In Haiti, pathological confirmation of a cancer diagnosis is often delayed or impossible, imaging is expensive and imperfect, and many tests are unavailable. Physicians frequently struggle to establish cancers at a level of certainty required by "evidence based" standards, delaying definitive diagnosis and rendering some cancers permanently "suspected." I use 22 months of participant observation at the two largest cancer treatment programs in Haiti, as well as throughout Haiti's fragmented healthcare system, to look closely at processes of diagnosis and management of suspected 'cancers' which may never fully come to be...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Children (aged 0-14 years) living with HIV often experience lower rates of HIV diagnosis, treatment, and viral load suppression. In Haiti, only 63% of children living with HIV know their HIV status (compared to 85% overall), 63% are on treatment (compared to 85% overall), and 48% are virally suppressed (compared to 73% overall). Electronic medical records (EMRs) can improve HIV care and patient outcomes, but these benefits are largely dependent on providers having access to quality and nonmissing data...

OBJECTIVES: To identify the prevalence and determinants of continued breastfeeding in Haitian children aged 12-23 months. METHODS: Three cross-sectional surveys were conducted yearly during the summers of 2017 to 2019 as part of a 4-year (2016-2020) multisectoral maternal and infant health initiative in the regions of Les Cayes, Jérémie, and Anse d'Hainault in Haiti. A total of 455 children 12-23 months of age and their mothers participated in the study...

Haiti is a low-income country with one of the lowest human development index rankings in the world. Its childhood cancer services are provided by a single hospital with the only dedicated paediatric oncology department in the country. Our objective was to assess the cost and cost-effectiveness of all types of childhood cancer in Haiti to help prioritise investments and to support national cancer control planning. All costing data were collected from the year 2017 or 2018 hospital records. Costs were classified into 11 cost categories, and the proportion of the overall budget represented by each was calculated and converted from Haitian Gourde to United States dollars...

BACKGROUND: Previous work suggests that Google searches could be useful in identifying conjunctivitis epidemics. Content-based assessment of social media content may provide additional value in serving as early indicators of conjunctivitis and other systemic infectious diseases. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether large language models, specifically GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 (OpenAI), can provide probabilistic assessments of whether social media posts about conjunctivitis could indicate a regional outbreak...

BACKGROUND: Hundreds of millions of people become infected globally every year while seeking care in health facilities that lack basic needs like infection control measures and personal protective equipment (PPE). We aimed to evaluate the availability of infection control items and PPE in eight low- and middle-income countries and identify disparities in the availability of those items. METHODS: In this study, we combined publicly available nationally representative cross-sectional health system surveys (Service Provision Assessments by the Demographic and Health Survey Programme) conducted in eight countries between 2013 and 2018: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Malawi, Nepal, Senegal, and Tanzania...

Latin America is a culturally, geographically, politically, and economically diverse region. Agriculture in Latin America is marked by a remarkable diversity of production systems, reflecting various agroecological zones, farm sizes, and technological levels. In the last decade, the swine industry increased by 30.6%, emerging as a great contributor to food security and economic development in Latin America. Brazil and Mexico dominate the pig production landscape, together accounting for 70% of sow inventory in the region...

Mental health is a significant public health challenge globally, and one anticipated to increase following the COVID-19 pandemic. In many rural regions of developing nations, little is known about the prevalence of mental health conditions and factors that may help mitigate poor outcomes. This study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and social support for residents of rural Haiti. Data were collected from March to May 2020. The Patient Health Questionnaire subscales for anxiety and depression, and the Perceived Stress Scale were utilized in addition to tailored questions specific to COVID-19 knowledge...

In the chronicles of medical advancement, Dr Paul Farmer stands out as a transformative figure whose unwavering commitment to healthcare equity has reshaped treatments for the disenfranchised. An American anthropologist and physician, Farmer has had a profound impact on global health which encapsulates a legacy driven by the steadfast belief that healthcare is an inalienable human right. This article explores Farmer's monumental contributions, showcasing how his dedication has revolutionized the landscape of healthcare, particularly for those marginalized and underserved...

To address high HIV prevalence rates in Haiti, disseminating information about HIV transmission has been emphasized. Yet, after several decades, we do not know how effective HIV information dissemination has been in reducing HIV misconceptions. Using the 2005-06, 2012, and 2016-17 Haiti Demographic and Health Surveys and applying logistic regression, we found nuanced gender dynamics in endorsing HIV misconceptions over time. Among females at the bivariate level, the odds of endorsement of HIV misconceptions in 2012 (OR = 0...

Zika virus (ZIKV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) are arthropod-borne viruses with significant pathogenicity, posing a substantial health and economic burden on a global scale. Moreover, ZIKV-CHIKV coinfection imposes additional therapeutic challenges as there is no specific treatment for ZIKV or CHIKV infection. While a growing number of studies have documented the ZIKV-CHIKV coinfection, there is currently a lack of conclusive reports on this coinfection. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the true statistics of ZIKV-CHIKV coinfection in the global human population...

People with disabilities (PWD) are thought to be low risk for HIV because of social norms regarding disability and sex. However, qualitative studies indicate they are at risk and are not being reached by HIV programs. The Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted in Haiti in 2016 included HIV biomarker data and disability status. Crude and adjusted odds ratios were calculated using a disability severity indicator as the independent variable and HIV infection as the dependent variable. Covariates were selected based on theory and previous studies...