Non-communicable diseases are the leading global cause of death, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite their growing prevalence, non-communicable diseases remain underdiagnosed and undertreated due to limited screening, poor awareness, and health systems focused on infectious diseases. This study uses data from the 2023-2024 Demographic and Health Survey to assess non-communicable diseases screening prevalence among women in the Democratic Republic of Congo and identify key determinants. This cross-sectional study utilized data from the nationally representative DHS-DRC 2023-2024. The analysis focused on a weighted sample of 11,368 women aged 30-49 years. The DHS employed a stratified, multistage sampling design. Data were analyzed using STATA/SE 17.0, applying multilevel logistic regression to account for hierarchical data structure. Model fit was evaluated using deviance, ICC, and PCV, with statistical significance determined at p < 0.05 and AORs reported with 95% confidence intervals. Among 11,368 Congolese women aged 30-49 years, 53.42% were screened for at least one non-communicable disease. Hypertension screening was most common (52.18%), followed by diabetes (14.25%) and cervical cancer (0.69%). Significant disparities in screening uptake were observed across communities, with multilevel modeling confirming substantial between-cluster variation. Key individual-level factors associated with increased screening included older age, higher education, employment, media exposure, wealth status, health insurance coverage, recent healthcare visits, and alcohol consumption. Community-level factors such as high media exposure, lower poverty levels, urban residence, and higher contraceptive utilization also positively influenced screening rates. Although over half of Congolese women aged 30-49 were screened for at least one non-communicable disease, screening rates for diabetes and cervical cancer remain low. Both individual-level factors (age, education, health insurance, facility visits) and community-level determinants (media exposure, poverty, and contraceptive use) significantly influence screening uptake. To enhance non-communicable disease prevention, targeted interventions are needed, such as expanding health insurance, strengthening media outreach, integrating screening into reproductive health services, and investing in education and economic empowerment.

For over 30 years, the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) has conducted national prospective surveillance of rare conditions in children, including communicable diseases and complications, providing data that has informed changes to policy and clinical practice. In 2025, the APSU monitored seven rare communicable diseases and complications: acute flaccid paralysis (AFP); perinatal exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); paediatric HIV infection; juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JoRRP); congenital rubella infection/syndrome; congenital varicella syndrome (CVS); and neonatal varicella infection (NVI). An average of 1,313 paediatricians and other relevant clinical specialists received a report card each month listing rare conditions under APSU surveillance (including the seven described in this report), and completed a case report form for any child(ren) seen with one or more of these conditions, detailing demographics, clinical features, treatment/management, risk factors and short-term outcomes. There were 134 notifications, of which 105 were confirmed as cases, after excluding duplicate reports or errors. The annual response rate to the report card was 78.4%. The non-polio AFP incidence of 1.58 per 100,000 children aged < 15 years exceeded the World Health Organization requirement to maintain Australia's polio-free status. Incidence of perinatal exposure to HIV remained stable, but new paediatric HIV infections increased. While there were no cases of congenital rubella or CVS, three cases of NVI and one case of JoRRP were reported, indicating ongoing gaps in vaccination despite two decades of universal vaccination in Australia. Continued APSU surveillance remains essential to assess the prevention of disease occurrence and adverse outcomes.

There are known gaps in care uptake for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and public health surveillance represents an opportunity to support health service engagement for cases; however, specific data are lacking regarding follow-up after diagnosis. We assessed outcomes of a Victorian initiative to enhance data availability and to support linkage to care.

In 2020, the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System received 1,618 tuberculosis (TB) notifications, representing a notification rate of 6.3 per 100,0000 population. In 2019, there were 1,505 TB notifications, with a rate of 5.9 per 100,000 population. Australia has achieved and maintained good TB control since the mid-1980s, sustaining a low annual TB incidence rate of approximately five to six cases per 100,000 population. The number of multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases notified in Australia is lower than global rates, with approximately 2% of TB notifications per year classified as MDR-TB. In Australia, overseas-born people represent the majority of TB cases, accounting for 92% and 90% of TB notifications in 2020 and 2019, respectively. In 2020 and 2019, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people recorded TB rates approximately four times higher than the Australian-born non-Indigenous population. Whilst Australia has achieved and maintained excellent control of TB, sustained effort is required to reduce local rates further, especially among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, and to contribute to the World Health Organization's goal to end the global TB epidemic by 2035.

Monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) and the saponin-MPLA nanoparticle adjuvant (SMNP) are known immunostimulants used as adjuvants in vaccines to boost immunity. These adjuvants are under investigation for use in prophylactic and therapeutic HIV-1 vaccines. However, their effects in ART-treated people with HIV-1 (PWH) remain unclear, as chronic immune activation may reduce responses and potentially reactivate latent virus reservoirs. Here we observed that both adjuvants, MPLA and SMNP, triggered TLR4‑dependent cytokine production in monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs), but SMNP elicited a stronger response than MPLA based on costimulatory receptor expression and cytokine production. Cytokines produced by adjuvant stimulated dendritic cells were able to induce HIV-1 transcription in a J-Lat cell model. Notably, SMNP, but not MPLA, also induced a cytokine response in PBMC from PWH, albeit lower as compared to in healthy donor PBMC. Importantly, SMNP substantially reduced the size of the inducible HIV‑1 reservoir in PWH ex vivo. The effect on the viral reservoir was likely caused by the cytokine production induced by SMNP, as supernatants from SMNP stimulated DCs showed a similar viral reservoir reduction. Our findings demonstrate that TLR4-targeted adjuvants, especially SMNP, can effectively induce immune activation, supporting their potential use in therapeutic vaccination.

This prospective randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of multi-scenario simulation teaching in improving practical competence among medical and nursing students during infectious disease training. A total of 121 students were randomly assigned to a simulation group (n = 60) or a traditional teaching group (n = 61). The simulation curriculum covered key clinical workflows, including triage, isolation, specimen collection, infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and occupational exposure management. Primary outcomes were post-intervention Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) scores and critical action compliance rates. Secondary outcomes included clinical reasoning, teamwork and communication skills, learner satisfaction, self-efficacy, engagement, and cognitive load. Compared with the control group, the simulation group achieved significantly higher OSCE scores (mean difference 8.1; 95% CI, 5.4-10.9; Cohen's d = 1.14; P < 0.001) and critical action compliance rates (10.5% higher; 95% CI, 7.3-13.6; Cohen's d = 1.23; P < 0.001). The simulation group also demonstrated improved teamwork, greater satisfaction and self-efficacy, and lower cognitive load. These findings indicate that multi-scenario simulation teaching enhances practical competence, safety-critical performance, and learning experiences in infectious disease education.