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This study's goal was to characterize the utility of symptom screening in staff and students for COVID-19 identification and control of transmission in a school setting. We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data for staff, students and associated household members in a Georgia school district exposed to COVID-19 cases who received RT-PCR testing and symptom monitoring. Among positive contacts, 30/49 (61%) of students and 1/6 (17%) of staff reported no symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Symptom sensitivity was 30% in elementary students and 42% in middle/high students. Fifty-three percent (10/19) of symptomatic positive contacts had at least one household member test positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared with 50% (10/20) of asymptomatic positive contacts. The absence of symptoms in children is not indicative of a lack of SARS-CoV-2 infection or reduced risk of infection for associated household members. Testing all close contacts of people with COVID-19 in schools is needed to interrupt transmission networks.

Information about care-seeking behavior, symptom duration, and risk factors for progression to severe illness in nonhospitalized patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) aids in resource planning, disease identification, risk stratification, and [...]

Transgender persons are disproportionately affected by HIV, but preexposure prophylaxis use has been low in this population. Clinical encounters for gender-affirming hormone therapy provide opportunities for HIV prevention. This retrospective analysis of secondary data from commercial databases sought to estimate the number of commercially insured transgender women and transgender men in the United States and their use of HIV prevention services. Visual Abstract. HIV Testing and Preexposure Prophylaxis Prescriptions Among U.S. Commercially Insured Transgender Men and Women, 2014 to 2021: Transgender persons are disproportionately affected by HIV, but preexposure prophylaxis use has been low in this population. Clinical encounters for gender-affirming hormone therapy provide opportunities for HIV prevention. This retrospective analysis of secondary data from commercial databases sought to estimate the number of commercially insured transgender women and transgender men in the United States and their use of HIV prevention services. Background: Transgender persons are disproportionately affected by HIV, but preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use has been low in this population. Clinical encounters for gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) provide opportunities for HIV prevention. Objective: To estimate the number of commercially insured transgender women (TGW) and transgender men (TGM) in the United States and their use of HIV prevention services. Design: Retrospective analysis of secondary data. Setting: Merative MarketScan commercial databases from 2014 to 2021. Participants: TGW and TGM, defined as those with transgender-related diagnoses and prescriptions for feminizing or masculinizing GAHT. Measurements: HIV testing and PrEP use. Results: A substantially increasing trend was observed in the prevalence of transgender-related diagnosis codes from 2014 to 2021 and in the proportion of persons who used GAHT. The increases were driven by persons aged 18 to 34 years. In 2021, among 10 613 TGW with a test for or a diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the previous 12 months, 61.1% had an HIV test; among those, 20.2% were prescribed PrEP. Among 4184 TGM with STI risk, 48.3% had an HIV test; among those, 10.2% were prescribed PrEP. The prevalence of TGW and TGM who had a test for or a diagnosis of an STI, had an HIV test, and were prescribed PrEP increased substantially from 2014 to 2021. Limitation: The findings represent only persons with commercial health insurance who sought health care services for GAHT. Conclusion: It is important to identify transgender persons to monitor their receipt of HIV prevention services. Encounters for GAHT provide opportunities to offer HIV prevention and other prevention services. Many HIV prevention opportunities were likely missed at clinical encounters for GAHT. Primary Funding Source: None. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To describe HIV testing among clients in the Targeted Highly Effective Interventions to Reverse the HIV Epidemic (THRIVE) demonstration project and evaluate testing frequency. Methods. We identified factors associated with an average testing frequency of 180 days or less compared with more than 180 days using adjusted Poisson regression models. We performed the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis to compare time to diagnosis by testing frequency. Results. Among 5710 clients with 2 or more tests and no preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prescription, 42.4% were tested frequently. Black/African American clients were 21% less likely and Hispanic/Latino clients were 18% less likely to be tested frequently than were White clients. Among 71 Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino cisgender men who have sex with men and transgender women with HIV diagnoses, those with frequent testing had a median time to diagnosis of 137 days, with a diagnostic testing yield of 1.5% compared with those tested less frequently, with 559 days and 0.8% yield. Conclusions. HIV testing at least every 6 months resulted in earlier HIV diagnosis and was efficient. Persons in communities with high rates of HIV who are not on PrEP can benefit from frequent testing, and collaborative community approaches may help reduce disparities. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(9):1019–1027. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307341) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the epidemiology of monkeypox in children aged around 12 years during the 2022 outbreak in the United States. Highlighting the transmission routes, the occurrence of cases in neonates and the importance of implementing immediate protective measures for household contacts to prevent transmission to children, emphasizing the need for early diagnosis, infection control and timely implementation of prevention strategies to reduce monkeypox transmission.

The article reports on the cases of severe monkeypox in hospitalized patients in the U.S. from August 10 to October 10, 2022. Data shows the characteristics of patients with severe manifestations of monkeypox by sex, race and ethnicity, homelessness, immunocompromising condition, clinical manifestation, treatment, intensive care and sexually transmitted infection (STI) coinfection, as well as laboratory and treatment characteristics of patients with HIV infection and severe monkeypox.

Introduction: More information is needed to understand the clinical epidemiology of children and young adults hospitalized with diabetes and COVID‐19. We describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients <21 years old hospitalized with COVID‐19 and either Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM or T2DM) during peak incidence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection with the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant. Methods: This is a descriptive sub‐analysis of a retrospective chart review of patients aged <21 years hospitalized with COVID‐19 in six US children's hospitals during July–August 2021. Patients with COVID‐19 and either newly diagnosed or known T1DM or T2DM were described using originally collected data and diabetes‐related data specifically collected on these patients. Results: Of the 58 patients hospitalized with COVID‐19 and diabetes, 34 had T1DM and 24 had T2DM. Of those with T1DM and T2DM, 26% (9/34) and 33% (8/24), respectively, were newly diagnosed. Among those >12 years old and eligible for COVID‐19 vaccination, 93% were unvaccinated (42/45). Among patients with T1DM, 88% had diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and 6% had COVID‐19 pneumonia; of those with T2DM, 46% had DKA and 58% had COVID‐19 pneumonia. Of those with T1DM or T2DM, 59% and 46%, respectively, required ICU admission. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of considering diabetes in the evaluation of children and young adults presenting with COVID‐19; the challenges of managing young patients who present with both COVID‐19 and diabetes, particularly T2DM; and the importance of preventive actions like COVID‐19 vaccination to prevent severe illness among those eligible with both COVID‐19 and diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background To inform prevention strategies, we assessed the extent of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission and settings in which transmission occurred in a Georgia public school district. Methods During 1 December 2020–22 January 2021, SARS-CoV-2–infected index cases and their close contacts in schools were identified by school and public health officials. For in-school contacts, we assessed symptoms and offered SARS-CoV-2 reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing; performed epidemiologic investigations and whole-genome sequencing to identify in-school transmission; and calculated secondary attack rate (SAR) by school setting (eg, sports, elementary school classroom), index case role (ie, staff, student), and index case symptomatic status. Results We identified 86 index cases and 1119 contacts, 688 (61.5%) of whom received testing. Fifty-nine of 679 (8.7%) contacts tested positive; 15 of 86 (17.4%) index cases resulted in ≥2 positive contacts. Among 55 persons testing positive with available symptom data, 31 (56.4%) were asymptomatic. Highest SARs were in indoor, high-contact sports settings (23.8% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 12.7%–33.3%]), staff meetings/lunches (18.2% [95% CI, 4.5%–31.8%]), and elementary school classrooms (9.5% [95% CI, 6.5%–12.5%]). The SAR was higher for staff (13.1% [95% CI, 9.0%–17.2%]) vs student index cases (5.8% [95% CI, 3.6%–8.0%]) and for symptomatic (10.9% [95% CI, 8.1%–13.9%]) vs asymptomatic index cases (3.0% [95% CI, 1.0%–5.5%]). Conclusions Indoor sports may pose a risk to the safe operation of in-person learning. Preventing infection in staff members, through measures that include coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination, is critical to reducing in-school transmission. Because many positive contacts were asymptomatic, contact tracing should be paired with testing, regardless of symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: During the 2022 Multinational Monkeypox Response, cases of Monkeypox illness reported in children and adolescents in the US were rare. Early in the response, little was known about MCM safety and efficacy for treating monkeypox in children and adolescents. As cases in children and adolescents increased, knowledge about safety and efficacy evolved. Method: Cases of monkeypox in children <18 years of age across the US were reported to CDC. MCM consultations from clinical and regulatory affairs subject matter experts supported clinician administration and management of antiviral and immunoglobulin treatment. Data from the first pediatric cases were collected to help answer some of these questions on the use of MCM in pediatric populations. Results: Across the US, 116 cases of monkeypox in children <18 years of age have been verified through October 2022. Of these cases, 41 occurred in patients twelve years of age or less, with 75 cases in adolescents 13-17 years of age. Ten percent of patients were hospitalized, none required ICU care and no deaths occurred. Children were most commonly hospitalized due to young age, rash near or including the eye, secondary bacterial infections, or pain management. At least eleven patients with confirmed orthopoxvirus were treated with tecovirimat and two with Vaccinia Immune Globulin. Those who received MCM recovered and tolerated treatments well with one patient stopping treatment secondary to development of a drug rash. Conclusion: Data on the safety and efficacy of MCM for monkeypox are limited in pediatric populations. As of November 3, 2022, most cases of monkeypox in the pediatric population in the 2022 monkeypox outbreak were mild and self-limited. Patients who received MCM recovered and tolerated treatments without serious adverse events. These findings can inform clinicians and public health providers about the clinical features of monkeypox in children and provide information about MCM treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]