ObjectivesThe purpose of this prospective cohort study is to characterize the event of acute hospitalization for people living with and without HIV and describe its impact on the care continuum. This study describes care-seeking behavior prior to an index hospitalization, inpatient HIV testing and diagnosis, discharge instructions, and follow-up care for patients for patients being discharged from a single hospital in South Africa.MethodsA convenience sample of adult patients was recruited from the medical wards of a tertiary care facility. Baseline information at the time of hospital admission, subsequent diagnoses, and discharge instructions were recorded. Participants were prospectively followed with phone calls for six months after hospital discharge. Descriptive analyses were performed.ResultsA total of 293 participants were enrolled in the study. Just under half (46%) of the participants were known to be living with HIV at the time of hospital admission. Most participants (97%) were given a referral for follow-up care; often that appointment was scheduled within two weeks of discharge (64%). Only 36% of participants returned to care within the first month, 50% returned after at least one month had elapsed, and 14% of participants did not return for any follow up.ConclusionsLarge discrepancies were found between the type of post-discharge follow-up care recommended by providers and what patients were able to achieve. The period of time following hospital discharge represents a key transition in care. Additional research is needed to characterize patients’ risk following hospitalization and to develop patient-centered interventions.

Typhoid fever remains an important public health problem in low-and middle-income countries, with large outbreaks reported from Africa and Asia. Although the WHO recommends typhoid vaccination for control of confirmed outbreaks, there are limited data on the epidemiologic characteristics of outbreaks to inform vaccine use in outbreak settings. We conducted a literature review for typhoid outbreaks published since 1990. We found 47 publications describing 45,215 cases in outbreaks occurring in 25 countries from 1989 through 2018. Outbreak characteristics varied considerably by WHO region, with median outbreak size ranging from 12 to 1,101 cases, median duration from 23 to 140 days, and median case fatality ratio from 0% to 1%. The largest number of outbreaks occurred in WHO Southeast Asia, 13 (28%), and African regions, 12 (26%). Among 43 outbreaks reporting a mode of disease transmission, 24 (56%) were waterborne, 17 (40%) were foodborne, and two (5%) were by direct contact transmission. Among the 34 outbreaks with antimicrobial resistance data, 11 (32%) reported Typhi non-susceptible to ciprofloxacin, 16 (47%) reported multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, and one reported extensively drug-resistant strains. Our review showed a longer median duration of outbreaks caused by MDR strains (148 days versus 34 days for susceptible strains), although this difference was not statistically significant. Control strategies focused on water, sanitation, and food safety, with vaccine use described in only six (13%) outbreaks. As typhoid conjugate vaccines become more widely used, their potential role and impact in outbreak control warrant further evaluation.

Background Since the availability of antiretroviral therapy, mortality rates among people with HIV (PWH) have decreased; however, this does not quantify premature deaths among PWH, and disparities persist. Methods We examined all-cause and premature mortality among PWH receiving care at the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic from January 1998 – December 2018. Mortality rates were compared by demographic and clinical factors and adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRR) were calculated using multivariable Poisson regression. For individuals who died, age-adjusted years of potential life lost (aYPLL) per total person-years living with HIV were calculated from US sex-specific life tables, and sex and race differences were examined using multivariable linear regression. Results Among 6,531 individuals (51% non-Hispanic [NH] White race, 40% NH Black race, 21% cis-gender women, 78% cis-gender men) included, 956 (14.6%) died. In adjusted analysis, PWH alive in the most recent calendar era (2014-2018) had decreased risk of mortality compared to those in the earliest calendar era (1998-2003) (aIRR = 0.22 [95% CI: 0.17-0.29]), and women had increased risk of death compared to men (aIRR = 1.31 [95% CI: 1.12-1.54]). Of those who died, Black women had the highest aYPLL (592.5 [95% CI 588.4-596.6]), followed by Black men (470.7 [95% CI 468.4-472.9]), White women (411.5 [95% CI 405.6-417.4]), then White men (308.6 [95% CI 308.0-309.2]). In adjusted models, higher YPLL remained associated with NH Black race and cis-gender women, regardless of HIV risk factor. Conclusions Despite marked improvement over time, sex disparities in mortality as well as sex and race disparities in YPLL remained among PWH in this cohort.

concerns about targeted marketing, specifically the lack of campaigns focusing on transgender, female, and minority communities. Our bootstrap method of training and testing resulted in a process that had an 80% likelihood of identifying, analyzing, and classifying HIV related PrEP tweets. Once classified, 40% of tweets were advertising and messaging, the rest were concerns about cost (31%), requests for info/ ways to pay for PrEP (20%), as well as other non-classified comments. Conclusions: There are a number of different conversations about HIV/PrEP awareness happening on Twitter. However, access and cost were consistently the most common themes being discussed. Currently, a 30-day supply of PrEP costs between $0-$1600, in the US, which may be creating a substantial barrier to further reducing HIV rates. Additionally, Improving online marketing strategies of PrEP could increase awareness and use by offering targeted information as well as identification of local resources to those interested or in need. Sources of Support: NYU CAMS Undergradaute Internship 190.