Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of COVID-19. However, data on HCWs’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward COVID-19 are limited. Between September and November 2020, we conducted a questionnaire-based COVID-19 KAP survey among HCWs at three hospitals in Uganda. We used Bloom’s cut-off of ≥80% to determine sufficient knowledge, good attitude, and good practice, and multivariate Poisson regression with robust variance for statistical analysis. Of 717 HCWs invited to participate, 657 (91.6%) agreed and were enrolled. The mean age (standard deviation) of enrollees was 33.2 (10.2) years; most were clinical HCWs (64.7%) and had advanced secondary school/other higher-level education (57.8%). Overall, 83.9% had sufficient knowledge, 78.4% had a positive attitude, and 37.0% had good practices toward COVID-19. Factors associated with KAP were: Knowledge: being a clinical HCW (aRR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.02–1.23) and previous participation in health research (aRR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.04–1.17); Attitude: age > 35 years (aRR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.79–0.98); Practice: being a clinical HCW (aRR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.41–2.59). HCWs in Uganda have good knowledge and positive attitude but poor practices towards COVID-19. Differences in COVID-19 KAP between clinical and non-clinical HCWs could affect uptake of COVID-19 interventions including vaccination.

Background: We report here on a prospective hospital-based cohort study that investigates predictors of 30-day and 90-day mortality and functional disability among Ugandan stroke patients. Methods: Between December 2016 and March 2019, we enrolled consecutive hemorrhagic stroke and ischemic stroke patients at St Francis Hospital Nsambya, Kampala, Uganda. The primary outcome measure was mortality at 30 and 90 days. The modified Ranking Scale wasused to assess the level of disability and mortality after stroke. Stroke severity at admission was assessed using the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). Examination included clinical neurological evaluation, laboratory tests and brain computed tomography (CT) scan. Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model were used for unadjusted and adjusted analysis to predict mortality. Results: We enrolled 141 patients; 48 (34%) were male, mean age was 63.2 (+ 15.4) years old; 90 (64%) had ischemic and 51 (36%) had hemorrhagic stroke; 81 (57%) were elderly (≥ 60 years) patients. Overall mortality was 44 (31%); 31 (23%) patients died within the first 30 days post-stroke and, an additional 13 (14%) died within 90 days post-stroke. Mortality for hemorrhagic stroke was 19 (37.3%) and 25 (27.8%) for ischemic stroke. After adjusting for age and sex, a GCS score below < 9 (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] =3.49, 95% CI: 1.39–8.75) was a significant predictor of 30-day mortality. GCS score < 9 (aHR =4.34 (95% CI: 1.85–10.2), stroke severity (NIHSS ≥21) (aHR = 2.63, 95% CI: (1.68–10.5) and haemorrhagic stroke type (aHR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.13–4.66) were significant predictors of 90-day mortality. Shorter hospital stay of 7–13 days (aHR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.11–0.93) and being married (aHR = 0.22 (95% CI: 0.06–0.84) had protective effects for 30 and 90-day mortality respectively. Conclusion: Mortality is high in the acute and sub-acute phase of stroke. Low levels of consciousness at admission, stroke severity, and hemorrhagic stroke were associated with increased higher mortality in this cohort of Ugandan stroke patients. Being married provided a protective effect for 90-day mortality. Given the high mortality during the acute phase, critically ill stroke patients would benefit from early interventions established as the post-stroke- standard of care in the country.

Background: Although cervical cancer is preventable, most women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) do not receive routine screening and few treatment options exist. Female Sex Workers (FSWs) are among the Ugandan female population at highest risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV and human papilloma viruses (HPV), the cause of cervical cancer. We report one-year experiences of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) positivity among FSWs in the early detection of pre-cancerous and cancerous cervical lesions in Kampala, Uganda. Methods: Between June 2014 and July 2015, we enrolled FSWs into a cross-sectional study at a research clinic. The women were screened using the VIA method (application of 3–5 % acetic acid to the cervix). All VIA positive women were referred to a tertiary hospital for colposcopy, biopsy, and immediate treatment (if indicated) at the same visit according to national guidelines. Data on socio-demographic, sexual behaviour, sexual reproductive health and clinical characteristics were collected. We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with VIA positivity. Results: Of 842 women assessed for eligibility, 719 (85 %) of median age 30 (IQR 26, 35) were screened, and 40 (6 %) women were VIA positive. Of the 24 histology specimens analysed, 6 showed inflammation, only 1 showed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1, 13 women showed CIN2/3, while 4 women already had invasive cervical cancer. The overall prevalence of HIV was 43 %, of whom only 35 % were receiving ART. In the age-adjusted analysis, VIA positivity was more likely among women who reported having > 100 life-time partners (aOR = 3.34, 95 %CI: 1.38–8.12), and HIV positive women (aOR = 4.55; 95 %CI: 2.12–9.84). Conclusions: We found a relatively low proportion of VIA positivity in this population. The experience from our program implies that the VIA results are poorly reproducible even among a category of trained professional health workers. VIA positivity was more likely among women with a high number of sexual partners and HIV infection. Interventions for improving cervical cancer screening should be recommended as part of HIV care for FSWs to reduce the disease burden in this population.

Alcohol-related harms may be increased among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) involved in sex work, yet data on alcohol misuse among AGYW in sub-Saharan Africa are still scarce. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 15–24-year-old AGYW from January 2013 to December 2018 in Kampala, Uganda and used the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) to study alcohol use patterns and dependence symptoms (dependence score ≥4). Of 1440 participants (median age 21 years), 83.1% had less than secondary education, 79.8% reported ≥10 paying sexual partners in the past month, 46.0% had ever experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), and 20.6% were living with HIV. Overall, 59.9% scored ≥8 and 29.4% scored ≥16 on the AUDIT. Of 277 (15.8%) with dependence symptoms, 69.1% were screened alcohol dependent. An AUDIT score ≥8 was associated with older age, illicit drug use, experiencing IPV, inconsistent condom use with paying partners, and HIV sero-negativity. All factors remained associated with a higher score ≥16 except HIV status. Similarly, illicit drug use, experiencing IPV and inconsistent condom use were associated with dependence symptoms and, in addition, a higher number of paying sexual partners. Alcohol misuse is high in this population, they urgently need harmful substance use reduction interventions.

Background: Immediate uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) after an HIV-positive diagnosis (Test and Treat) is now being implemented in Uganda. Data are limited on lost to follow-up (LTFU) in high-risk cohorts that have initiated ‘Test and Treat’. We describe LTFU in a cohort of women of high-risk sexual behaviour who initiated ART under “Test and Treat”. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of participant records at the Good Health for Women Project (GHWP) clinic, a clinic in Kampala for women at high-risk of HIV-infection. We included HIV positive women ≥18 years who initiated ART at GHWP between August 2014 and March 2018. We defined LTFU as not taking an ART refill for ≥3 months from the last clinic appointment among those not registered as dead or transferred to another clinic. We used the Kaplan-Meier technique to estimate time to LTFU after ART initiation. Predictors of LTFU were assessed using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. Results: The mean (±SD) age of the 293 study participants was 30.3 (± 6.5) years, with 274 (94%) reporting paid sex while 38 (13%) had never tested for HIV before enrolment into GHWP. LTFU within the first year of ART initiation was 16% and the incidence of LTFU was estimated at 12.7 per 100 person-years (95%CI 9.90–16.3). In multivariable analysis, participants who reported sex work as their main job at ART initiation (Adjusted Hazards Ratio [aHR] =1.95, 95%CI 1.10–3.45), having baseline WHO clinical stage III or IV (aHR = 2.75, 95% CI 1.30–5.79) were more likely to be LTFU. Conclusion: LTFU in this cohort is high. Follow up strategies are required to support women on Test and Treat to remain on treatment, especially those who engage in sex work and those who initiate ART at a later stage of disease.

Background: In populations at high risk of HIV infection, rates of depression can be elevated with far-reaching effects on overall well-being. There is limited research on depression among young women engaged in high-risk sexual behaviour in low and middle-income settings. We investigated the prevalence, correlates and factors associated with mean HSCL depression score among young women at high risk (aged 15–24 years old) in Kampala, Uganda. Methods: We conducted a baseline analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Probable depression was measured using the 15-item Hopkins Symptoms Checklist for depression (HSCL). This checklist has been validated in Ugandan populations, and our reliability test gave a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.89. The test was administered to all the participants. Participants whose HSCL mean score was greater than 1.75 were categorized as having probable depression. Socio-demographics and behaviour data were collected and factors associated with mean HSCL depression score were analysed using multiple linear regression. Results: Data was available for 600 participants, mean age 20.4 (SD±2.44) years. The prevalence of probable depression was 56% (95% CI, 52%-60%). Probable depression symptoms were most prevalent among those who reported ever-experiencing violence from a sexual partner (64.7%), those aged between 20–24 years (58.2%) and those who reported more than 10 sexual exposures in the month prior to the interview (56.8%). At the adjusted analysis level, condom use during their last sexual intercourse prior to the survey decreased probable depression symptoms by 0.147 units compared to those who never used condoms (β = -0.147, 95% CI -0.266–0.027). Having experienced physical violence by a sexual partners increased mean HSCL depression score by 0.183 units compared to those who have never experienced violence (β = 0.183, 95% CI 0.068–0.300). Participants who reported ever using drugs of addiction had their mean HSCL depression scoreincrease by 0.20 units compared to those who have never used (β = 0.20,95% CI 0.083–0.317). Conclusions: Probable depression is high in this population and increased mean HSCL depression score is related to violence. Periodic screening for depression and interventions targeting depression, partner violence and risky sexual behaviours are recommended.