Leveraging smart glasses for telemedicine to improve primary healthcare services and referrals in a remote rural district, Kingandu, DRC, 2019–2020
Background: Telemedicine enables new forms of medical consultation and is expanding worldwide. Patients in sub-Saharan Africa could potentially benefit substantially from telemedicine. Objective: To improve primary healthcare services, especially referrals to the district hospital, for the population in three health centres in the rural district Kingandu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by […]
“Our voices matter”: A before-after assessment of the effect of a community-participatory intervention to promote uptake of maternal and child health services in Kwale, Kenya
Background: Community-participatory approaches are important for effective maternal and child health interventions. A community-participatory intervention (the Dialogue Model) was implemented in Kwale County, Kenya to enhance uptake of select maternal and child health services among women of reproductive age. Methods: Community volunteers were trained to facilitate Dialogue Model sessions in community units associated with intervention […]
Antiretroviral treatment and prevention of peripartum and postnatal HIV transmission in West Africa: Evaluation of a two-tiered approach
Background: Highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) has only been recently recommended for HIV-infected pregnant women requiring treatment for their own health in resource-limited settings. However, there are few documented experiences from African countries. We evaluated the short-term (4 wk) and long-term (12 mo) effectiveness of a two-tiered strategy of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV […]
Spatial and multilevel analysis of unskilled birth attendance in Chad
Background: Unskilled birth attendance is a major public health concern in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Existing studies are hardly focused on the socio-demographic correlates and geospatial distribution of unskilled birth attendance in Chad (a country in SSA), although the country has consistently been identified as having one of the highest prevalence of maternal and neonatal deaths […]
Perceptions of malaria in pregnancy and acceptability of preventive interventions among Mozambican pregnant women: Implications for effectiveness of malaria control in pregnancy
Background: Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPTp) and insecticide treated nets (ITNs) are recommended malaria in pregnancy preventive interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite their cost-effectiveness and seemingly straight-forward delivery mechanism, their uptake remains low. We aimed at describing perceptions of pregnant women regarding malaria and the recommended prevention interventions to understand barriers to uptake and help to […]
Towards universal health coverage for reproductive health services in Ethiopia: Two policy recommendations
Reproductive health services are crucial for maternal and child health, but universal health coverage is still not within reach in most societies. Ethiopia’s goal of universal health coverage promises access to all necessary services for everyone while providing protection against financial risk. When moving towards universal health coverage, health plans and policies require contextualized knowledge […]
Epidemiology of malaria, schistosomiasis, geohelminths, anemia and malnutrition in the context of a demographic surveillance system in northern Angola
Background: Malaria, schistosomiasis and geohelminth infection are linked to maternal and child morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Knowing the prevalence levels of these infections is vital to guide governments towards the implementation of successful and cost-effective disease control initiatives. Methodology/Principal Findings: A cross-sectional study of 1,237 preschool children (0-5 year olds), 1,142 school-aged children […]
Demand-side financing in the form of baby packages in Northern Mozambique: Results from an observational study
Background The Maternal Mortality Ratio in Mozambique has stagnated at 405 deaths per 100,000 live births with virtually no progress over the last 15 years. Low Institutional Birth Rates (IBRs) levelling around 50% in many rural areas constitute one of the contributing reasons. Demand-side financing has successfully increased usage of maternal health services in other […]
Burden, risk factors, and comorbidities of behavioural and emotional problems in Kenyan children: a population-based study
Background Three-quarters of the burden of mental health problems occurs in low-and-middle-income countries, but few epidemiological studies of these problems in preschool children from sub-Saharan Africa have been published. Behavioural and emotional problems often start in early childhood, and this might be particularly important in Africa, where the incidence of perinatal and early risk factors […]
Factors associated with asthma among under-fives in Mulago hospital, Kampala Uganda: A cross sectional study
Background: Asthma is the most common chronic childhood illness, with rapidly increasing prevalence in low-income countries. Among young children, asthma is often under-diagnosed.We investigated the factors associated with asthma among under-fives presenting with acute respiratory symptoms at Mulago hospital, Uganda.Methods: A hospital-based cross sectional study of 614 children with cough and/or difficult breathing, and fast […]
