Background: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color) communities bear a disproportional burden of seasonal influenza hospitalizations in the United States.
Methods: We developed a race-stratified (5 racial-ethnic groups) agent-based model of seasonal influenza transmission and quantify the effects of 5 idealized interventions aimed at reducing inequities in symptomatic infections and hospitalizations. The interventions assumed (i) equalized vaccination rates, (ii) equalized comorbidities, (iii) work-risk distribution proportional to the distribution of the population, (iv) reduced work contacts for all, or (v) a combination of equalizing vaccination rates and comorbidities and reducing work contacts.
Results: Our analysis suggests that symptomatic infections could be greatly reduced (by up to 17% in BIPOC adults aged 18-49) by strategies reducing work contacts or equalizing vaccination rates. All tested interventions reduced the inequity in influenza hospitalizations in all racial-ethnic groups, but interventions equalizing comorbidities were the most effective, with over 40% less hospitalizations in BIPOC groups. Inequities in hospitalizations in different racial-ethnic groups responded differently to interventions, pointing to the need of tailored interventions for different populations. Notably, these interventions resulted in better outcomes across all racial-ethnic groups, not only those prioritized by the interventions.
Conclusions: In this simulation modeling study, equalizing vaccination rates and reducing number of work contacts (e.g., improving air filtration systems, tailored vaccination campaigns) reduced both inequity and the total number of symptomatic infections and hospitalizations in all age and racial-ethnic groups. Reducing inequity in influenza hospitalizations requires different interventions for different groups.
Background: Although prior studies of tuberculosis-preventive treatment (TPT) for pregnant people with human immunodeficiency virus (PPWH) report conflicting adverse pregnancy outcome (APO) risks, international guidelines recommend TPT for PPWH.
Methods: We used a microsimulation model to evaluate 5 TPT strategies among PPWH receiving antiretroviral therapy in South Africa: No TPT; 6 months of isoniazid (6H) or 3 months of isoniazid-rifapentine (3HP) during pregnancy (Immediate 6H or Immediate 3HP) or post partum (Deferred 6H or Deferred 3HP). The primary outcomes were maternal, fetal/infant, and combined deaths from causes potentially influenced by TPT (maternal tuberculosis, maternal hepatotoxicity, stillbirth, low birth weight [LBW], and infant tuberculosis). Tuberculosis during pregnancy confers 250% and 81% higher modeled risks of stillbirth and LBW, respectively. In lower-risk or higher-risk scenarios, immediate TPT confers 38% lower or 92% higher risks of stillbirth and 16% lower or 35% higher risks of LBW.
Results: Immediate TPT would minimize deaths among PPWH. When TPT confers higher stillbirth and LBW risks, immediate TPT would produce the most combined maternal and fetal/infant deaths, even with low maternal CD4 cell count and high tuberculosis incidence. If immediate TPT yields a <4% or <20% increase in stillbirth or LBW, immediate TPT would produce fewer combined deaths than deferred TPT (sensitivity analysis range, <2%-22% and <11%-120%, respectively).
Conclusions: If APO risks are below identifiable thresholds, TPT during pregnancy could decrease combined maternal and fetal/infant deaths. Given uncertainty around isoniazid's risks, and the low threshold at which APO risks could outweigh benefits from tuberculosis deaths averted, studies of newer TPT regimens among PPWH are warranted to inform guidelines.
Background: As COVID-19 is integrated into existing infectious disease control programs, it is important to understand the comparative clinical impact of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with symptomatic healthcare-associated COVID-19 or influenza reported to the nationwide, hospital-based surveillance system in Switzerland. Included patients were adults (≥18 years) hospitalized for ≥3 days in tertiary care and large regional hospitals. Patients had COVID-19 symptoms and a RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection ≥3 days after hospital admission between 1 February 2022 and 30 April 2023, or influenza symptoms and a RT-PCR-confirmed influenza A or B infection ≥3 days after hospital admission between 1 November 2018 and 30 April 2023. Primary and secondary outcomes were 30-day in-hospital mortality and admission to intensive care unit (ICU), respectively. Cox regression (Fine-Gray model) was used to account for time-dependency and competing events, with inverse probability weighting to adjust for confounding.
Results: We included 2901 patients with symptomatic healthcare-associated COVID-19 (Omicron) and 868 patients with symptomatic healthcare-associated influenza from nine hospitals. We found a similar case fatality ratio between healthcare-associated COVID-19 (Omicron) (6.2%) and healthcare-associated influenza (6.1%) patients; after adjustment, patients had a comparable subdistribution hazard ratio for 30-day in-hospital mortality (0.91, 95%CI 0.67-1.24). A similar proportion of patients were admitted to ICU (2.4% COVID-19; 2.6% influenza).
Conclusions: COVID-19 and influenza continue to cause severe disease among hospitalized patients. Our results suggest that in-hospital mortality risk of healthcare-associated COVID-19 (Omicron) and healthcare-associated influenza are comparable.