Systematic Surveillance of Rickettsial Diseases in 27 Hospitals from 26 Provinces throughout Vietnam.

In Vietnam, the public health burden of rickettsial infections continues to be underestimated due to knowledge gaps in the epidemiology of these diseases. We conducted a systematic study among 27 hospitals from 26 provinces in eight ecological regions throughout Vietnam to investigate the prevalence, distribution, and clinical characteristics of rickettsial diseases. We recruited 1834 patients in the study from April 2018 to October 2019. The findings showed that rickettsial diseases were common among undifferentiated febrile patients, with 564 (30.8%) patients positive by qPCR for scrub typhus, murine typhus or spotted fever. Scrub typhus (484, 85.8%) was the most common rickettsial disease, followed by murine typhus (67, 11.9%) and spotted fever (10, 1.8%). Rickettsial diseases were widely distributed in all regions of Vietnam and presented with nonspecific clinical manifestations.

Acceptability and feasibility of a randomized clinical trial of oral naltrexone vs. placebo for women living with HIV infection: Study design challenges and pilot study results.

BACKGROUND: Women living with HIV/AIDS who drink alcohol are at increased risk for adverse health outcomes, but there is little evidence on best methods for reducing alcohol consumption in this population. We conducted a pilot study to determine the acceptability and feasibility of conducting a larger randomized clinical trial of naltrexone vs. placebo to reduce alcohol consumption in women living with HIV/AIDS. METHODS: We designed the trial with input from community and scientific review. Women with HIV who reported current hazardous drinking (>7 drinks/week or ≥4 drinks per occasion) were randomly assigned to daily oral naltrexone (50mg) or placebo for 4months. We evaluated willingness to enroll, adherence to study medication, treatment side effects, and drinking and HIV-related outcomes. RESULTS: From 2010 to 2012, 17 women enrolled (mean age 49years, 94% African American). Study participation was higher among women recruited from an existing HIV cohort study compared to women recruited from an outpatient HIV clinic. Participants took 73% of their study medication; 82% completed the final assessment (7-months). Among all participants, mean alcohol consumption declined substantially from baseline to month 4 (39.2 vs. 12.8 drinks/week, p<0.01) with continued reduction maintained at 7-months. Drinking reductions were similar in both naltrexone and placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS: A pharmacologic alcohol intervention was acceptable and feasible in women with HIV, with reduced alcohol consumption noted in women assigned to both treatment and placebo groups. However, several recruitment challenges were identified that should be addressed to enhance recruitment in future alcohol treatment trials.