Maternity waiting areas–serving all women? Barriers and enablers of an equity-oriented maternal health intervention in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, maternal waiting areas (MWAs)–residential areas near health facilities where women can stay while waiting to give birth–are community-based, equity-oriented interventions to improve maternal outcomes among rural populations. In this qualitative study we sought to explore the barriers and enablers that Health Extension Workers (HEWs) encounter when engaging with communities about MWAs. We conducted […]

Co-creation to scale up provision of simplified high-quality comprehensive abortion care in East Central and Southern Africa

Universal access to comprehensive abortion care (CAC) is a reproductive right and is essential to reduce preventable maternal mortality and morbidity. In East Africa, abortion rates are consistently high, and the vast majority of all abortions are unsafe, significantly contributing to unnecessary mortality and morbidity. The current debate article reflects and summarises key action points […]

African infants’ CCL3 gene copies influence perinatal HIV transmission in the absence of maternal nevirapine

BACKGROUND: Individuals with more copies of CCL3L1 (CCR5 ligand) than their population median have been found to be less susceptible to HIV infection. We investigated whether maternal or infant CCL3L1 gene copy numbers are associated with perinatal HIV transmission when single-dose nevirapine is given for prevention. METHOD: A nested case-control study was undertaken combining data […]

A regional comparison of distribution strategies and women’s awareness, receipt, and use of misoprostol to prevent postpartum hemorrhage in rural Amhara and Oromiya regions of Ethiopia

Introduction: In Ethiopia, postpartum hemorrhage is a leading cause of maternal death. The Maternal Health in Ethiopia Partnership (MaNHEP) project developed a community-based model of maternal and newborn health focusing on birth and early postpartum care. Implemented in the Amhara and Oromiya regions, the model included misoprostol to prevent postpartum hemorrhage. This article describes regional […]

Maternal health after Ebola: Unmet needs and barriers to healthcare in rural Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone has the world’s highest estimated maternal mortality. Following the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak, we described health outcomes and health-seeking behaviour amongst pregnant women to inform health policy. In October 2016-January 2017, we conducted a sequential mixed-methods study in urban and rural areas of Tonkolili District comprising: household survey targeting women who had given birth […]

Maternity waiting homes and traditional midwives in rural Liberia

Objective: Maternity waiting homes (MWHs) can reduce maternal morbidity and mortality by increasing access to skilled birth attendants (SBAs). The present analysiswas conducted to determinewhetherMWHs increase the use of SBAs at rural primary health clinics in Liberia; to determinewhether traditionalmidwives (TMs) are able to work with SBAs as a team and to describe the perceptions […]

Cost-effectiveness of maternal influenza immunization in Bamako, Mali: A decision analysis

Background Maternal influenza immunization has gained traction as a strategy to diminish maternal and neonatal mortality. However, efforts to vaccinate pregnant women against influenza in developing countries will require substantial investment. We present cost-effectiveness estimates of maternal influenza immunization based on clinical trial data from Bamako, Mali. Methods We parameterized a decision-tree model using prospectively […]

Ethnicity, gender, and migration status: Applying intersectionality methodology to explore barriers to equitable health systems for maternal and newborn health among immigrant populations in Masindi, Uganda

Globally, 298,000 women die due to pregnancy related causes and half of this occurs in Africa. In Uganda, maternal mortality has marginally reduced from 526 to 336 per 100,000 live births between 2001 and 2016. Health facility delivery is an important factor in improving maternal and neonatal outcomes. However, the concept of using a skilled […]

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