Neonatal and postneonatal tetanus at a referral hospital in Kamsar, Guinea: a retrospective audit of paediatric records (2014-2018)
BACKGROUND: Tetanus is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. In 2018, all of Guinea was considered to be at risk of the disease and the country is currently in the elimination phase. METHODS: A 5-y audit (1 January 2014-31 December 2018) of all admissions to the neonatal and general paediatric units of […]
Findings and Implications from an Evaluation of the Gold Star Campaign in Post-Ebola Guinea: The Role of Gender and Education
In post-Ebola Guinea, the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3) project worked to rebuild trust in the health system and increase the utilization of reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health services. Core to HC3 Guinea was the promotion of quality local health centers through the Gold Star campaign (2016-2017). The current study aimed to determine the […]
Measuring progress and projecting attainment on the basis of past trends of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries: An analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016
Background: The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are grounded in the global ambition of “leaving no one behind”. Understanding today’s gains and gaps for the health-related SDGs is essential for decision makers as they aim to improve the health of populations. As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 […]
Political instability and supply-side barriers undermine the potential for high participation in HIV testing for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission in Guinea-Bissau: A retrospective cross-sectional study
Background The World Health Organization recommends HIV testing is included in routine screening tests for all pregnant women in order to prevent mother-to-child-transmission of HIV and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. Objectives To assess the proportion of women approached and tested for HIV at delivery and factors associated with non-testing at the maternity ward of […]
Wealth-related inequalities of women’s knowledge of cervical cancer screening and service utilisation in 18 resource-constrained countries: Evidence from a pooled decomposition analysis
Introduction: Resource-constrained countries (RCCs) have the highest burden of cervical cancer (CC) in the world. Nonetheless, although CC can be prevented through screening for precancerous lesions, only a small proportion of women utilise screening services in RCCs. The objective of this study was to examine the magnitude of inequalities of women’s knowledge and utilisation of […]
Burden and impact of Plasmodium vivax in pregnancy: A multi-centre prospective observational study
Background: Despite that over 90 million pregnancies are at risk of Plasmodium vivax infection annually, little is known about the epidemiology and impact of the infection in pregnancy. Methodology and principal findings: We undertook a health facility-based prospective observational study in pregnant women from Guatemala (GT), Colombia (CO), Brazil (BR), India (IN) and Papua New […]
Factors associated with comorbidity of diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections among children under five years in Ghana
Introduction Globally, childhood mortality is an important public health concern. In Ghana, both diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are among the top five causes of morbidity and mortality among children under five years old (CU5). Yet, there is a paucity of studies on the comorbidity of diarrhoea and ARIs in CU5 in Ghana. Aim […]
Risk factors and knowledge associated with high unintended pregnancy rates and low family planning use among pregnant women in Papua New Guinea
Unintended pregnancy is a major driver of poor maternal and child health in resource-limited settings. Data on pregnancy intention and use of family planning (FP) is scarce in Papua New Guinea (PNG), but are needed to inform public health strategies to improve FP accessibility and uptake. Data from a facility-based cross-sectional sample of 699 pregnant […]
Pooled prevalence and determinants of informed choice of contraceptive methods among reproductive age women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A multilevel analysis
Background: Despite the commitments of the government to minimize unintended pregnancy, abortion, and unmet need for contraceptives, as per our search of the literature, there is no study on the pooled prevalence and determinants of informed choice of contraceptive methods in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the pooled prevalence and determinants of […]
Determinants of induced abortion among women of reproductive age: evidence from the 2013 and 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey
Background: Worldwide, pregnancy termination due to unintended pregnancy is crucial in maternal health, particularly in settings where abortion laws are restrictive. Presently, there is a paucity of literature on determinants of induced abortion among women of reproductive age in Sierra Leone. The study findings could be used to improve the country’s maternal mortality indices and […]