Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia
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Recent Submissions
Ring-enhancing brain lesions in a patient with advanced retroviral disease
(2026-3-11) Chang Chee Yik
The patient is a 30-year-old man who was recently diagnosed with HIV infection and has a CD4 count of 30 cells/mm3. He presented with a one-week history of intermittent fever and right-sided body weakness, and upon examination, was found to have right hemiparesis. There were no other features of opportunistic infections noted. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain revealed a hypodense lesion with a rounded enhancing rim in the left basal ganglia, measuring 3 x 3 x 2.5 cm. The lesion was associated with marked deep white matter oedema, causing effacement of the lateral and third ventricles, as well as a slightly dilated temporal horn of the right lateral ventricle. The left cerebral sulci were also effaced (Figure 1).
Mechanistic Insights to Advance Infectious Diseases Practice
(2026-3-14) Nellore Anoma; Ison Michael G.
Prevalence and risk factors for key infectious diseases amongst migrants to the UK: a systematic review
(2026-3-3) Baggaley Rebecca F.; Hooper Carys M.; Silva Luisa; Lal Zainab; Bird Paul; Menezes Dee; Zenner Dominik; Martin Christopher A.; Pareek Manish
Abstract Background Migrants are at increased risk of infections including HIV, tuberculosis and viral hepatitis, with poorer outcomes. Early diagnosis and management can reduce morbidity, mortality and onward transmission. This systematic review summarises prevalence of HIV, latent and active tuberculosis and hepatitis B and C among UK migrants and evaluates associated risk factors. Methods PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched from 2004 to 11 June 2025. The review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines and registered with PROSPERO (registration CRD42024521191). Quality assessment was performed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Prevalence Studies. High heterogeneity (I 2 = 95.2%, 99.2%, 87.2%, 96.9% and 91.6% for IGRA, active TB, HIV, HBV and HCV yields, respectively) indicated that meta-analysis was not appropriate. The impact of risk factors on prevalence was explored through meta-regression and descriptive analysis. Results Of 2033 identified records, 36 were included, reporting Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) ( n = 13), active TB ( n = 10), HIV ( n = 12), HBV ( n = 16) and HCV ( n = 11) test yields. An additional two publications excluded from the main analysis for reporting duplicate study data were included in the risk factor analysis because they stratified prevalence by additional risk factors. Highest yield was for IGRA which, excluding one lower prevalence outlier (6.9% ( n = 1617)), was 15.1%–22.1%. There was high heterogeneity in active TB prevalence: 62–1,484/100,000. HIV prevalence among larger studies ( n > 200) was 0.18%–0.48%. HBV prevalence was 0.00%–8.93% (all studies) and 1.06%–4.75% for larger studies ( n > 1000). HCV prevalence was lower: 0.00%–1.67%, with only two of 11 included estimates above 0.50%. There was considerable heterogeneity in risk factors analysed making comparisons difficult. Conclusions Despite heterogeneity, infection prevalence was generally high, particularly IGRA yield and HBV. This underscores the need to maintain effective monitoring, testing and treatment for key infections among migrant populations, especially given the rapidly evolving epidemiological and demographic landscape for this population.
Lipid-pathogen interactions: sphingolipids in Chlamydia trachomatis infection
(2026-6) D’Spain Samantha K; Derré Isabelle
From Project Continuity to Institutionalised Viability: Rethinking Sustainability In NGO-Led Education in Zambia
(2026-3-11) Namuchana Maimbolwa; Masaiti Gift; Mwelwa Kapambwe
In the context of NGO-led educational campaigns, the concept of sustainability is often related to the simple continuation of programmes after donor funding exhaustion. However, this project-based understanding obscures the institutional conditions that enable long-term functioning within public education systems. The article is based on a convergent mixed-methods inquiry conducted with six education-oriented non-governmental organisations and representatives of the Ministry of Education in Zambia to examine how educational interventions can be sustained amid resource volatility. Ordinal regression analysis shows that financial resilience and operational viability explain a substantial proportion of variance in sustainability strategies (Nagelkerke R² = .416). Whereas financial diversification can help mitigate funding shocks, governance coherence, monitoring architecture, coordination routines, and institutional alignment have a stronger structural impact on sustainability outcomes. Qualitative results also provide further insights into the fact that participation and capacity-building, despite their ubiquity, are often poorly embedded in the Ministry of Education's planning, budgeting, and performance-management systems. As a result, the research modifies a conceptual change between project continuity and institutionalised viability. Sustainability is redefined as system-level capacity that arises when feasible operational routines become institutionalised within structures of state governance and remain responsive under conditions of scarce resources. The article provides a clear explanation of why funding plurality is insufficient to ensure the endurance of programmes, drawing on the resource dependency, institutionalisation, and dynamic capability literature. Sustainability in resource-constrained educational systems is not realised through projects as independent entities, but rather through the institutionalisation of their operational logic in public systems. This reframing has significant implications for both NGOs, donors, and policymakers who hope to achieve enduring education reform within the funding period.