State of newborn care in South Sudan’s displacement camps: A descriptive study of facility-based deliveries
Background: Approximately 2.7 million neonatal deaths occur annually, with highest rates of neonatal mortality in countries that have recently experienced conflict. Constant instability in South Sudan further strains a weakened health system and poses public health challenges during the neonatal period. We aimed to describe the state of newborn facility-level care in displaced person camps […]
Time to first antenatal care visit among pregnant women in Ethiopia: secondary analysis of EDHS 2016; application of AFT shared frailty models
Background: The survival of pregnant women is one of great interest of the world and especially to a developing country like Ethiopia which had the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world due to low utilization of maternal health services including antenatal care (ANC). Survival analysis is a statistical method for data analysis where the […]
Malnutrition, morbidity and infection in the informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya: An epidemiological study
Background: Malnutrition constitutes one of the major public health challenges throughout the developing world. Urban poverty and malnutrition have been on the rise, with an increased rate of morbidity. We herein explore the relationship between infections and nutritional status and the related association with hygienic conditions as risk of infection in children residing in the […]
Child health inequities in developing countries: Differences across urban and rural areas
Objectives: To document and compare the magnitude of inequities in child malnutrition across urban and rural areas, and to investigate the extent to which within-urban disparities in child malnutrition are accounted for by the characteristics of communities, households and individuals. Methods: The most recent data sets available from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of […]
Cell-Free (RNA) and Cell-Associated (DNA) HIV-1 and Postnatal Transmission through Breastfeeding
Introduction: Transmission through breastfeeding remains important for mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) in resource-limited settings. We quantify the relationship between cell-free (RNA) and cell-associated (DNA) shedding of HIV-1 virus in breastmilk and the risk of postnatal HIV-1 transmission in the first 6 months postpartum. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six HIV-positive mothers who transmitted HIV-1 by breastfeeding were matched […]
Impact of antimalarial resistance and COVID-19 pandemic on malaria care among pregnant women in Northern Uganda (ERASE): protocol of a prospective observational study
Background: Uganda accounts for 5% of all malaria cases and deaths reported globally and, in endemic countries, pregnancy is a risk factor for both acquisition of P. falciparum infection and development of severe malaria. In recent years, malaria control has been threatened by COVID-19 pandemic and by the emergence, in Northern Uganda, of both resistance […]
Designing programs to improve diets for maternal and child health: Estimating costs and potential dietary impacts of nutrition-sensitive programs in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and India
Improving maternal and child nutrition in resource-poor settings requires effective use of limited resources, but priority-setting is constrained by limited information about program costs and impacts, especially for interventions designed to improve diet quality. This study utilized a mixed methods approach to identify, describe and estimate the potential costs and impacts on child dietary intake […]
Prevalence, risk factors and adverse pregnancy outcomes of second trimester bacterial vaginosis among pregnant women in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Background Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common gynecological condition in women of reproductive age and associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), neonatal mortality rate is as high as 2.8 percent with preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) as leading causes. Because no studies have addressed […]
Subnational variation for care at birth in Tanzania: Is this explained by place, people, money or drugs?
Background: Tanzania achieved the Millennium Development Goal for child survival, yet made insufficient progress for maternal and neonatal survival and stillbirths, due to low coverage and quality of services for care at birth, with rural women left behind. Our study aimed to evaluate Tanzania’s subnational (regional-level) variations for rural care at birth outcomes, i.e., rural […]
Individual and community-level factors of treatment-seeking behaviour among caregivers with febrile children in Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis
Background Early diagnosis and treatment of childhood fever are essential for controlling disease progression and death. However, the Treatment-seeking behaviour of caregivers is still a significant challenge in rural parts of the African region. This study aimed to assess individual and community-level factors associated with treatment-seeking behaviours among caregivers of febrile under-five age children in […]
