Publicaties

In Belgium, nursing home (NH) staff (NHS) and residents were prioritised for the initial COVID-19 vaccination and successive booster doses. The vaccination campaign for the first booster started in September 2021 in Belgian NH. Our first study about vaccine hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine in Belgian NHS already showed a degree of fear for the primary vaccination course (T1). This new study aims to evaluate vaccine hesitancy to get the ...

Article Authors Metrics Comments Media Coverage Abstract Introduction Materials and methods Results Discussion Conclusions Acknowledgments References Reader Comments Figures Accessible Data IconAccessible Data See the data Link Icon This article includes the Accessible Data icon, an experimental feature to encourage data sharing and reuse. Find out how research articles qualify for this feature. Abstract Ethiopian schools were closed for nearly ...

Background The impact of access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health education on large-scale deworming programs aimed at controlling soil-transmitted helminth (STH) and schistosome (SCH) infections has not been well studied. We assessed the additional impact of improved WASH infrastructure and health education at schools on STH and SCH infections in Ethiopia. Methods The study used a quasi-experimental design under which ...

(1)Background: early in the COVID-19 pandemic, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing was limited. Assessing seroprevalence helps understand prevalence and reinfection risk. However, such data are lacking for the first epidemic wave in Belgian nursing homes. Therefore, we assessed SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and cumulative RT-PCR positivity in Belgian nursing homes and evaluated reinfection risk. (2) Methods: we performed ...

Introduction Vaginal Candida colonization (CC) can lead to vulvovaginal candidiasis, the second most prevalent vaginal condition worldwide, and has been associated with adverse birth outcomes. However, no data on CC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are available. We investigated the prevalence, Candida species, clinical correlates, risk factors and pregnancy outcomes in women with CC in the second trimester of pregnancy. Material and ...

Background: Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) can occur in S. haematobium infection and is caused by egg deposition in the genital tract. Confirming a diagnosis of FGS is challenging due to the lack of a diagnostic reference standard. A 2010 expert-led consensus meeting proposed visual inspection of the cervicovaginal mucosa as an adequate reference standard for FGS diagnosis. The agreement of expert human reviewers for visual-FGS has not ...

Globally, notable emphasis is currently being placed on improving access to and acceptance of sanitation in schools as part of the drive towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6. However, the importance of sustaining effective cleaning of latrines in schools remains an under-emphasized and under-researched topic, with serious negative consequences for the health of school-aged children in low-income settings. In this ...

The identification of gastrointestinal helminth infections of humans and livestock almost exclusively relies on the detection of eggs or larvae in faeces, followed by manual counting and morphological char-acterisation to differentiate species using microscopy-based techniques. However, molecular approaches based on the detection and quantification of parasite DNA are becoming more prevalent, increasing the sensitivity, specificity and ...

Author summaryWorldwide large-scale deworming programs are implemented to reduce the morbidity attributable to intestinal worms in school children. To monitor and evaluate the progress towards the programs goals, Word Health Organization (WHO) has developed both a survey design and a corresponding decision tree based on the prevalence and intensity of infections. However, these programs operate in resource-constrained countries, and hence it is ...