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. 2022 Sep;10(3):93-108.
doi: 10.1007/s40124-022-00267-y. Epub 2022 Aug 1.

Building Programs to Eradicate Toxoplasmosis Part II: Education

Mariangela Soberón Felín  1 Kanix Wang  2 Aliya Moreira  3   4   5   6   7   8 Andrew Grose  3   6   8 Karen Leahy  3 Ying Zhou  3 Fatima Alibana Clouser  3 Maryam Siddiqui  3 Nicole Leong  3 Perpetua Goodall  3 Morgan Michalowski  3 Mahmoud Ismail  3 Monica Christmas  3 Stephen Schrantz  3 Zuleima Caballero  4 Ximena Norero  5 Dora Estripeaut  5 David Ellis  5 Catalina Raggi  6   7   8 Catherine Castro  3   6   8 Claudia Rengifo-Herrera  4   9 Davina Moossazadeh  6   7   8   10 Margarita Ramirez  3   6   7   8 Abhinav Pandey  6   7   8 Kevin Ashi  3   6   8 Samantha Dovgin  6   7 Ashtyn Dixon  6 Xuan Li  11 Ian Begeman  3   6 Sharon Heichman  3   6 Joseph Lykins  3   6 Delba Villalobos-Cerrud  4 Lorena Fabrega  4 José Luis Sanchez Montalvo  6   8 Connie Mendivil  4 Mario R Quijada  4 Silvia Fernández-Pirla  1   4   12   13 Valli de La Guardia  1   4   13   14 Digna Wong  4 Mayrene Ladrón de Guevara  4   13 Carlos Flores  13 Jovanna Borace  13 Anabel García  4 Natividad Caballero  14 Maria Theresa Moreno de Saez  5 Michael Politis  1 Stephanie Ross  11 Mimansa Dogra  8 Vishan Dhamsania  3   8   15 Nicholas Graves  3   8   15 Marci Kirchberg  15   16 Kopal Mathur  15   16 Ashley Aue  8   16 Carlos M Restrepo  4 Alejandro Llanes  4 German Guzman  4 Arturo Rebellon  17 Kenneth Boyer  11 Peter Heydemann  11 A Gwendolyn Noble  6   18 Charles Swisher  6   18 Peter Rabiah  6   19 Shawn Withers  6 Teri Hull  3 David Frim  3 David McLone  18 Chunlei Su  20 Michael Blair  3   6 Paul Latkany  6 Ernest Mui  6 Daniel Vitor Vasconcelos-Santos  21 Alcibiades Villareal  4 Ambar Perez  4 Carlos Andrés Naranjo Galvis  22 Mónica Vargas Montes  23 Nestor Ivan Cardona Perez  23 Morgan Ramirez  7 Cy Chittenden  7 Edward Wang  7 Laura Lorena Garcia-López  23 Juliana Muñoz-Ortiz  24 Nicolás Rivera-Valdivia  24 María Cristina Bohorquez-Granados  24 Gabriela Castaño de-la-Torre  24 Guillermo Padrieu  1   4   24 Juan David Valencia Hernandez  25 Daniel Celis-Giraldo  23 John Alejandro Acosta Dávila  23 Elizabeth Torres  23 Manuela Mejia Oquendo  23 José Y Arteaga-Rivera  24 Dan L Nicolae  10 Andrey Rzhetsky  2 Nancy Roizen  3 Eileen Stillwaggon  26 Larry Sawers  27 Francois Peyron  28 Martine Wallon  28 Emanuelle Chapey  28 Pauline Levigne  28 Carmen Charter  13 Migdalia De Frias  13 Jose Montoya  29 Cindy Press  29 Raymund Ramirez  29 Despina Contopoulos-Ioannidis  30 Yvonne Maldonado  30 Oliver Liesenfeld  31 Carlos Gomez  30 Kelsey Wheeler  6   7 Samantha Zehar  18 James McAuley  6 Denis Limonne  32 Sandrine Houze  33 Sylvie Abraham  33 Raphael Piarroux  32 Vera Tesic  3 Kathleen Beavis  3 Ana Abeleda  3 Mari Sautter  3   6 Bouchra El Mansouri  34 Adlaoui El Bachir  34 Fatima Amarir  35 Kamal El Bissati  3   34 Ellen Holfels  6 Richard Penn  3 William Cohen  3   6   7 Alejandra de-la-Torre  24 Gabrielle Britton  4   36 Jorge Motta  36   37 Eduardo Ortega-Barria  36   37   38 Isabel Luz Romero  37 Paul Meier  3 Michael Grigg  39 Jorge Gómez-Marín  23 Jagannatha Rao Kosagisharaf  4   36 Xavier Sáez Llorens  5   36 Osvaldo Reyes  9   13   36 Rima McLeod  1   2   3   6   7   8   40   41
Affiliations

Building Programs to Eradicate Toxoplasmosis Part II: Education

Mariangela Soberón Felín et al. Curr Pediatr Rep. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Review work to create and evaluate educational materials that could serve as a primary prevention strategy to help both providers and patients in Panama, Colombia, and the USA reduce disease burden of Toxoplasma infections.

Recent findings: Educational programs had not been evaluated for efficacy in Panama, USA, or Colombia.

Summary: Educational programs for high school students, pregnant women, medical students and professionals, scientists, and lay personnel were created. In most settings, short-term effects were evaluated. In Panama, Colombia, and USA, all materials showed short-term utility in transmitting information to learners. These educational materials can serve as a component of larger public health programs to lower disease burden from congenital toxoplasmosis. Future priorities include conducting robust longitudinal studies of whether education correlates with reduced adverse disease outcomes, modifying educational materials as new information regarding region-specific risk factors is discovered, and ensuring materials are widely accessible.

Keywords: Education; Primary prevention; Toxoplasma; Toxoplasmosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Denis Limone Pharm D,is Chairman , shareholder and CEO and Raphael Piarroux Pharm D, PhD, is RandD Director and employee at LDBio Diagnostics. A patent application was submitted in the United States for the development of the whole blood point of care test with the scientists at the University of Chicago to insure its continued high quality performance and reproducibility. The authors declare no other competing interests..

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Beginning of toxoplasmosis education programs in Panama. Ai. Poster presentation by a group of AIP students. (Aii) “Why am I covering one eye?” campaign, part of the same group presentation that sought to educate both students and the public about Toxoplasma. (Bi) Educational Pamphlet 1 (Brazilian), developed by Fernanda Loureiro de Moura. (Bii) Educational Pamphlet 2 (translated English version). (Biii) Educational Pamphlet 3 (Panama-specific). (Biv) Participants reading pamphlets in the waiting room at Hospital Santo Tomás in Ciudad de Panamá. (Bv) Participants completing post-questionnaire in the waiting room at Hospital Santo Tomás. (Bvi) Comparison of effectiveness of pamphlets 1, 2, and 3. (Ci) Educational Pamphlet 4 (new and Panama-specific). (Cii) Comparison of New Panama-specific pamphlet (Educational Pamphlet 4) and old Brazilian Pamphlet (Educational Pamphlet 1). (D) Effectiveness of PDF vs printed Educational Pamphlet 4 Bi included with permission from de Moura(18) and Epidemiol Serv Saude.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Maps and summary slides from presentation by Abhi Pandey and Aliya Moreira that details their studies in Panama. One component of their research was a study on the effectiveness of using digital media to teach pregnant women about congenital toxoplasmosis. Pandey and Moreira also created incidence and screening maps for toxoplasmosis in Panama; these maps were based on screening data, IgG/IgM test results, demographic data, and addresses from prenatal control charts. Also shown as Fig 1 in Part III
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Data and conclusion slides from presentation by Jose Sanchez that outlines an educational study with pregnant women in Hospital del Sur and Hospital San Juan de Dios in Armenia, Colombia. An educational pamphlet developed for Panama was adapted to account for unique parasite transmission risk factors in Colombia. See Supplement for complete presentation
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women in 2014 at Hospital Santo Tomás in Ciudad de Panamá, Panama. (Ai) Prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG+ and IgM+. (Aii) Toxoplasma IgG+ vs IgG−. (Aiii) Toxoplasma serology IgG+ and IgG− with age. (Aiv) Toxoplasma serology IgG+ and IgM+ with age. (Bi) IgG+ and IgM+ seroprevalence in urban and rural areas. (Bii) Toxoplasma IgG+ and IgG− in urban and rural areas. (Ci) Seal of executive action passed in 2014 by the Panama Ministry of Health (MINSA) following this study
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Results of Castro’s 2017 project on educational modules for medical students and medical professionals in Ciudad de Panamá. (A) Demographics included 87 participants from Universidad Latina, Policlínica Betania, Hospital Santo Tomás, and Hospital San Miguel Arcángel. (B) Correct response rates for pre and post surveys. There was an 18.32% increase from pre-survey mean score 74.96% when compared to the post-intervention mean score of 93.28% (p<0.001). (Ci) Mean correct response rates overall. (Cii) Mean correct response rates by demographic. (D). Highest score improvements were observed in questions about CT treatment. (Ei/Eii/Eiii) Following the intervention, participants reported greater confidence in their knowledge of CT treatment; of CT risks; and of CT diagnosis. (F) Respondents most commonly selected patient education (38%) and cost (32%) as barriers to improving toxoplasmosis care. (G) Example of qualitative analysis of participant feedback
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Impact slide from presentation by Eileen Stillwaggon and Rima McLeod at SENACYT symposium that details the economics of prenatal screening to prevent CT in Europe, particularly in Austria, a cost-benefit model for screening in the USA, and opportunities for a model of screening and prenatal care in Panama See Supplement for complete presentation
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Conclusions slide from translation of a 2017 presentation by Mariángela Soberón Felín that examines compliance with mandatory reporting for congenital toxoplasmosis in Panama and makes suggestions for improving CT care. Full presentation is in the Supplemental

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