Evaluating the cascade of care for hypertension in Sierra Leone
Objective: To assess the care for hypertension in Sierra Leone, by the use of a cascade-of-care approach, to identify where the need for healthcare system interventions is greatest. Methods: Using data from a nationwide household survey on surgical conditions undertaken in 1956 participants ≥18 years from October 2019 to March 2020, a cascade of care for […]
Post-deployment effectiveness of malaria control interventions on Plasmodium infections in Madagascar: A comprehensive phase IV assessment
Background: Because international funding for malaria control is plateauing, affected countries that receive foreign funding are expected to maintain a constant budget while continuing to reduce Plasmodium transmission. To investigate the appropriateness of a malaria control policy in Madagascar, the effectiveness of all currently deployed malaria control interventions (MCIs) was measured. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional […]
A ten-year review of neonatal tetanus cases managed at a tertiary health facility in a resource poor setting: The trend, management challenges and outcome
Background Neonatal Tetanus (NNT) is a vaccine preventable disease of public health importance. It is still being encountered in clinical practice largely in developing countries including Nigeria. NNT results from unhygienic delivery practices and some harmful traditional cord care practices. The easiest, quickest and most cost-effective preventive measure against NNT is vaccination of the pregnant […]
Determinants of Anemia in Pregnancy: Findings from the Ethiopian Health and Demographic Survey
In Ethiopia, anemia during pregnancy is a major public health problem and affects both the mother’s and their child’s health. There is a scarcity of community-based evidence on determinants of anemia among pregnant women in the country. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the determinants of anemia among pregnant women in Ethiopia. Method. This study […]
Frequency of viremic episodes in HIV-infected women initiating antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy: A cohort study
Background. The numbers of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in pregnancy are increasing rapidly with global policy changes. There are widespread concerns about ART adherence during pregnancy and postpartum but few data on viral suppression (VS) over time in these populations. Methods. We followed a cohort of 523 women in Cape […]
Partner HIV serostatus disclosure and determinants of serodiscordance among prevention of mother to child transmission clients in Nigeria
Background: Serodiscordance exists when the known HIV result of one member of a couple pair is positive while that of his/her partner is negative. In sub-Saharan Africa, in stable long-term couple partnerships (married or cohabiting), serodiscordance is a growing source of HIV-transmissions. This study aimed to ascertain across Nigeria, serodiscordance prevalence, partner HIV status disclosure […]
Life-course of atopy and allergy-related disease events in tropical sub-Saharan Africa: A birth cohort study
Background: In high-income countries, allergy-related diseases (ARDs) follow a typical sequence, the ‘Atopic March’. Little is known about the life-course of ARDs in the markedly different, low-income, tropical environment. We describe ARDs in a tropical, African birth cohort. Methods: Ugandan children were followed from birth to 9 years. ISAAC questionnaires were completed at intervals; doctor-diagnosed ARDs […]
Setting up a nurse-led model of care for management of hypertension and diabetes mellitus in a high HIV prevalence context in rural Zimbabwe: A descriptive study
Background: In the light of the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) on health systems in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, context-adapted, cost-effective service delivery models are now required as a matter of urgency. We describe the experience of setting up and organising a nurse-led Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Hypertension (HTN) model […]
Promoting progress in child survival across four African countries: The role of strong health governance and leadership in maternal, neonatal and child health
Despite numerous international and national efforts, only 12 countries in the World Health Organization’s African Region met the Millennium Development Goal #4 (MDG#4) to reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Given the variability across sub-Saharan Africa, a four-country study was undertaken to examine barriers and facilitators of child survival prior to 2015. Liberia and […]
Prevalence of hepatitis D virus infection in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Hepatitis D virus (also known as hepatitis delta virus) can establish a persistent infection in people with chronic hepatitis B, leading to accelerated progression of liver disease. In sub-Saharan Africa, where HBsAg prevalence is higher than 8%, hepatitis D virus might represent an important additive cause of chronic liver disease. We aimed to establish […]
