Little has been studied in Peru on the mental health repercussions after a major earthquake. We aimed to explore the factors associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms in people who experienced a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in Piura, Peru, on 30 July 2021. A preliminary cross-sectional study was conducted in the general population between August–September 2021. An online questionnaire was provided using PHQ-9, GAD-7, and other relevant measures. Generalized linear models were applied. Of the 177 participants, the median age was 22 years, the majority were female (56%), and many experienced depressive (52%) or anxiety symptoms (52%). Presence of depressive symptoms was associated with a personal history of mental disorder, moderate housing damage, social/material support from politicians, moderate food insecurity, and insomnia. Presence of anxiety symptoms was associated with physical injury caused by the earthquake, mild food insecurity, and insomnia. The development of depressive and anxiety symptoms following the 2021 earthquake experienced in Piura depended on multiple individual and socioeconomic factors. Additional studies should reinforce the factors identified here given the methodological limitations, such as the study design, sampling method, and sample size. This would lead to effective intervention measures to mitigate the impact of earthquakes on mental health.

In Peru, major disasters like the 2007 Pisco earthquake have produced high rates of post-traumatic stress. However, evidence is still needed to strengthen interventions. In 2021, a major earthquake struck Piura, in northern Peru. In this context, we aimed to assess the prevalence of PTSD and its associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted during August–September 2021 in people who experienced the 6.1 Piura earthquake on 30 July 2021. The questionnaire included the PCL-C, CD-RISC, ISI, HFIAS, and additional demographic data. Generalized linear models were used. The prevalence of PTSD was 20.3%. Household income was between PEN 2001 and 3000 (PR = 4.26, 95% CI: 1.08–16.75), smoking (PR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.03–6.01), experience of a nervous breakdown (PR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.09–3.09), moderate food insecurity (PR = 2.91, 95% CI: 1.10–7.73), and severe insomnia (PR = 8.25, 95% CI: 2.22–30.71) increased the prevalence of PTSD. One out of five individuals experienced post-traumatic stress symptoms after the 2021 earthquake in Piura, which varies depending on socioeconomic, psychosocial, and individual factors. Further research should strengthen these findings to ensure a fair and early mental health intervention against new seismic events in this and other Peruvian regions.

Introducción: El COVID 19 es una enfermedad infecciosa causada por el SARS-CoV-2 que ha afectado en gran escala al Perú. No están documentados los potenciales factores clínicos y/o epidemiológicos que están relacionados a la positividad de SARS-CoV-2 en población altoandina. Objetivo: Determinar los factores asociados a positividad de SARS-Cov-2 en personas que viven en Ancash. Material y métodos: Estudio transversal analítico. Se utilizaron los registros de pacientes atendidos por sospecha de COVID-19 en un hospital público de Huaraz en marzo-mayo 2020. Se estimaron razones de prevalencia (RP) con intervalos de confianza. En el análisis de regresión simple, se estimaron razones de prevalencia e intervalos de confianza al 95%, utilizando familia de distribución Poisson, función de enlace log y varianza robusta Resultados: De 903 pacientes, 13,7% pacientes resultaron positivos a SARS-CoV-2. En la regresión simple, resultó que el sexo masculino (RP=2,98), presentar tos (RP=2,27), dificultad respiratoria (RP=2,97), diarrea (RP=2,69), malestar general (RP=1,82), odinofagia (RP=1,69) se asociaron positivamente a tener prueba SARS-CoV-2 positiva. En la regresión múltiple se mantuvo la asociación en cuatro características: ser varón (RP=2,7), presentar tos (RP=1,45), dificultad respiratoria (RP=2,15) y diarrea (RP=1,89). Conclusión: En zona altoandina, los casos positivos en su mayoría presentan síntomas típicos. Los factores asociados a la positividad fueron el sexo masculino y la presencia de dificultad tos, respiratoria y diarrea.

Introduction. Toxoplasma gondii infection can cause important complications during pregnancy. Threatened abortion may be a late indicator for infection in settings with high prevalence of toxoplasmosis. We aimed to determine the association between T. gondii infection and threatened abortion in women from northern Peru. Methods. We conducted a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study in pregnant women from a hospital and a rural community in Lambayeque, Peru. Exposure variable was serological diagnosis of toxoplasmosis, defined as the demonstration of either IgM or IgG antibodies against T. gondii. Outcome variable was threatened abortion, defined as the diagnosis of bloody vaginal discharge or bleeding during the first half of pregnancy. Prevalence ratios were estimated in simple and multiple regression analyses. Results. Of 218 pregnant women, 35.8 presented positive serology for T. gondii and 14.7 had threatened abortion in their current pregnancy. Pregnant women with positive T. gondii infection had 2.45-fold higher frequency of threatened abortion (PR: 2.45, 95 CI: 1.15-5.21). In addition, the frequency of threatened abortion decreased by 9 for each additional year of age (PR: 0.91, 95 CI: 0.86-0.97). A previous history of threatened abortion also showed a higher frequency of threatened abortion (PR: 5.22, 95 CI: 2.45-11.12). Conclusions. T. gondii infection is associated with threatened abortion. An early age of pregnancy and a previous history of abortion are also associated with this condition.

COVID-19 vaccines have achieved a significant reduction in mortality, yet objective estimates are needed in specific settings. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination at a referral hospital in Lambayeque, Peru. We conducted a retrospective cohort study from February to September 2021. We included hospitalized patients with COVID-19, whose data were stored in NotiWeb, a patient data system of the Peruvian Ministry of Health. We applied a propensity score-weighting method according to baseline characteristics of patients, and estimated hazard ratios (HR) using Cox regression models. Of 1553 participants, the average age was 55 years (SD: 16.8), 907 (58%) were male, and 592 (38%) deceased at 28-day follow-up. Before hospital admission, 74 (4.8%) had been immunized with at least one vaccine dose. Effectiveness against death in vaccinated patients was 50% at 90-day follow-up (weighted HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.28–0.89). Our results support the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination against death and provide information after early immunization in Peru.

Objectives: Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is a supportive strategy in medical education. In Peru, this method has been implemented by few universities. However, there are no consistent studies evaluating their acceptability by medical students. The objective of this study was to evaluate the perception of medical students about PAL in five Peruvian universities. Results: A total of 79 medical students were included in the study. The mean age was 20.1 ± 1.9 years, 54% were female, and 87% were in the first 4 years of study. Most of the students were satisfied with classes and peer teachers. Similarly, most of the students agreed with the interest in developing teaching skills. It was also observed that 97% of students approved to implement PAL in medical education programs.