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South Carolina's Read to Succeed Law (RTS) is different than the other 15 states' literacy-based third grade retention laws. It mandates literacy intervention training for in-service and pre-service teachers. Research indicates academic gains from retention are short-lived, diminishing over time and increasing drop-out rates. Through a statewide survey, this study identifies educators' perceptions and knowledge of retention and the RTS policy, and examines the relationship between knowledge and perceptions. Educators were not familiar with retention research or RTS specifics, but favored retention. Implications include the need for more teacher training regarding new state policies and the efficacy of their foundations. This study provides evidence that policymakers should consider the means of implementation and shoulder accountability for a structured and equitable support system.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on multiple levels of society. Not only has the pandemic completely overwhelmed some health systems but it has also changed how scientific evidence is shared and increased the pace at which such evidence is published and consumed, by scientists, policymakers and the wider public. More significantly, the pandemic has created tremendous challenges for decision-makers, who have had to implement highly disruptive containment measures with very little empirical scientific evidence to support their decision-making process. Given this lack of data, predictive mathematical models have played an increasingly prominent role. In high-income countries, there is a long-standing history of established research groups advising policymakers, whereas a general lack of translational capacity has meant that mathematical models frequently remain inaccessible to policymakers in low-income and middle-income countries. Here, we describe a participatory approach to modelling that aims to circumvent this gap. Our approach involved the creation of an international group of infectious disease modellers and other public health experts, which culminated in the establishment of the COVID-19 Modelling (CoMo) Consortium. Here, we describe how the consortium was formed, the way it functions, the mathematical model used and, crucially, the high degree of engagement fostered between CoMo Consortium members and their respective local policymakers and ministries of health.

Objective To evaluate the screening measures that would have been required to assess all travellers at risk of transporting A(H1N1)pdm09 out of Mexico by air at the start of the 2009 pandemic. Methods Data from flight itineraries for travellers who flew from Mexico were used to estimate the number of international airports where health screening measures would have been needed, and the number of travellers who would have had to be screened, to assess all air travellers who could have transported the H1N1 influenza virus out of Mexico during the initial stages of the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic. Findings Exit screening at 36 airports in Mexico, or entry screening of travellers arriving on direct flights from Mexico at 82 airports in 26 other countries, would have resulted in the assessment of all air travellers at risk of transporting A(H1N1)pdm09 out of Mexico at the start of the pandemic. Entry screening of 116 travellers arriving from Mexico by direct or connecting flights would have been necessary for every one traveller at risk of transporting A(H1N1)pdm09. Screening at just eight airports would have resulted in the assessment of 90% of all air travellers at risk of transporting A(H1N1)pdm09 out of Mexico in the early stages of the pandemic. Conclusion During the earliest stages of the A(H1N1) pandemic, most public health benefits potentially attainable through the screening of air travellers could have been achieved by screening travellers at only eight airports. Objectif Evaluer les mesures de depistage qui auraient ete necessaires pour depister tous les voyageurs potentiellement porteurs du virus A(H1N1)pdm09 au depart du Mexique par avion au debut de la pandemie de 2009. Methodes Les donnees provenant des itineraires de vol des voyageurs qui ont quitte le Mexique en avion ont ete utilisees pour estimer le nombre d'aeroports internationaux ou des mesures de depistage medical auraient ete necessaires, et le nombre de voyageurs qui auraient du etre depistes afin d'evaluer tous les voyageurs aeriens qui pourraient avoir ete porteurs du virus de la grippe H1N1 au depart du Mexique pendant les premiers stades de la pandemie A(H1N1) de 2009. Resultats Le depistage de sortie dans 36 aeroports mexicains, ou le depistage d'entree des voyageurs arrivant sur des vols directs depuis le Mexique dans 82 aeroports de 26 autres pays, aurait permis d'evaluer tous les voyageurs aeriens potentiellement porteurs du virus A(H1N1) pdm09 au depart du Mexique au debut de la pandemie. Le depistage d'entree de 116 voyageurs arrivant du Mexique par des vols directs ou des correspondances aurait ete necessaire pour chacun des voyageurs aeriens potentiellement porteurs du virus A(H1N1)pd m09. Le depistage dans 8 aeroports seulement aurait permis d'evaluer 90% de tous les voyageurs aeriens potentiellement porteurs du virus A(H1N1)pdm09 au depart du Mexique Iors des premiers stades de la pandemie. Conclusion Au cours des premiers stades de la pandemie de grippe A(H1N1), la plupart des points benefiques pour la sante et potentiellement realisables par le biais du depistage des voyageurs aeriens auraient pu etre obtenus en depistant les voyageurs dans seulement 8 aeroports. Objetivo Evaluar las medidas de deteccion sistematica que tendrian que haberse aplicado con el fin de analizar a todos los pasajeros de avion con riesgo de transportar el virus de la gripe A (H1N1) pdm09 desde Mexico al principio de la pandemia de 2009. Metodos Se analizaron los datos de los itinerarios de vuelo de los pasajeros que volaron desde Mexico en esas fechas. A partir de dichos datos, se calculo el numero de aeropuertos en los que habria sido necesario aplicar medidas de control sanitario y el numero de pasajeros que se habria sometido a una deteccion sistematica. De este modo, se habria analizado a todos los que podrian haber transportado el virus de la gripe H1N1 desde Mexico durante las fases iniciales de la pandemia de gripe A (H1N1) de 2009. Resultados La deteccion sistematica a la salida de 36 aeropuertos mexicanos o a la entrada de los pasajeros de vuelos directos procedentes de Mexico en 82 aeropuertos de 26 paises podria haber dado como resultado la evaluacion de todos los pasajeros de avion con riesgo de transportar el virus de la gripe A (H1N1)pdm09 desde Mexico ai principio de la pandemia. Para poder detectar a todos los pasajeros de avion con riesgo de transportar el virus de la gripe A (H1N1)pdm09 habria sido necesario aplicar la deteccion sistematica a la entrada de 116 pasajeros de los aviones procedentes de Mexico (directos o con escala). De haber aplicado la deteccion sistematica en tan solo ocho aeropuertos se habria obtenido una evaluacion del 90% de todos los pasajeros con riesgo de transportar el virus de la gripe A (H1N1) desde Mexico en las primeras fases de la pandemia. Conclusion Durante las primeras fases de la pandemia del virus de la gripe A (H1N1) podrian haberse alcanzado los mayores beneficios en cuanto a sanidad publica aplicando la deteccion sistematica de pasajeros en tan solo ocho aeropuertos., Introduction New infectious diseases appear to be emerging faster now than ever before, and many diseases that were once controlled are re-emerging. (1) These trends are probably driven by the [...]

Abstract Background This article centers around a proposal outlining how research universities could leverage their intellectual property to help close the access gap for health innovations in poor countries. A recent deal between Emory University, Gilead Sciences, and Royalty Pharma is used as an example to illustrate how 'equitable access licensing' could be put into practice. Discussion While the crisis of access to medicines in poor countries has multiple determinants, intellectual property protection leading to high prices is well-established as one critical element of the access gap. Given the current international political climate, systemic, government-driven reform of intellectual property protection seems unlikely in the near term. Therefore, we propose that public sector institutions, universities chief among them, adopt a modest intervention – an Equitable Access License (EAL) – that works within existing trade-law and drug-development paradigms in order to proactively circumvent both national and international obstacles to generic medicine production. Our proposal has three key features: (1) it is prospective in scope, (2) it facilitates unfettered generic competition in poor countries, and (3) it centers around universities and their role in the biomedical research enterprise. Two characteristics make universities ideal agents of the type of open licensing proposal described. First, universities, because they are upstream in the development pipeline, are likely to hold rights to the key components of a wide variety of end products. Second, universities acting collectively have a strong negotiating position with respect to other players in the biomedical research arena. Finally, counterarguments are anticipated and addressed and conclusions are drawn based on how application of the Equitable Access License would have changed the effects of the licensing deal between Emory and Gilead.