Obstetric outcomes: A comparison of teenagers and adults in the Cape Coast metropolis, Ghana
Prevalence of teenage pregnancy is very high in the Central Region of Ghana. Although, pregnant teenagers are perceived to be high-risk mothers, very little has been documented about obstetric outcomes among these mothers in Ghana. This case-control observational study compared maternal and perinatal outcomes between teen and adult mothers in the Cape Coast metropolis. Data […]
Maternal death review and surveillance: The case of Central Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria
Background: Despite the adoption of Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health to track and rectify the causes of maternal mortality, very limited documentation exists on experiences with the method and its outcomes at institutional and policy levels. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify through […]
Patterns and causes of hospital maternal mortality in Tanzania: A 10-year retrospective analysis
Background Maternal mortality is among the most important public health concerns in Sub-Saharan Africa. There is limited data on hospital-based maternal mortality in Tanzania. The objective of this study was to determine the causes and maternal mortality trends in public hospitals of Tanzania from 2006–2015. Methods and findings This retrospective study was conducted between July […]
Women’s perceptions of antenatal, delivery, and postpartum services in rural Tanzania
Background: Maternal health care provision remains a major challenge in developing countries. There is agreement that the provision of quality clinical services is essential if high rates of maternal death are to be reduced. However, despite efforts to improve access to these services, a high number of women in Tanzania do not access them. The […]
Design and implementation of a health systems strengthening approach to improve health and nutrition of pregnant women and newborns in Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, and Senegal
Maternal and neonatal mortality are unacceptably high in developing countries. Essential nutrition interventions contribute to reducing this mortality burden, although nutrition is poorly integrated into health systems. Universal health coverage is an essential prerequisite to decreasing mortality indices. However, provision and utilization of nutrition and health services for pregnant women and their newborns are poor […]
Measles susceptibility in maternal-infant dyads—Bamako, Mali
Measles is endemic in Africa; measles mortality is highest among infants. Infant measles antibody titer at birth is related to maternal immune status. Older mothers are likelier to have had measles infection, which provides higher antibody titers than vaccine-induced immunity. We investigated the relationship between maternal age and measles susceptibility in mother-infant pairs in Mali […]
Interrupted time series analysis of free maternity services policy in Nyamira County, Western Kenya
Introduction The Government of Kenya instituted the free maternity services (FMS) policy to improve utilization of maternal healthcare services and thus improve maternal health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the FMS policy on the uptake of maternal health services in Nyamira County in western Kenya. Methods An interrupted time […]
Removal of user fees and system strengthening improves access to maternity care, reducing neonatal mortality in a district hospital in Lesotho
Objective: Lesotho has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. While at primary health care (PHC) level maternity care is free, at hospital level co-payments are required from patients. We describe service utilisation and delivery outcomes before and after removal of user fees and quality of delivery care, and associated costs, at […]
Prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistance amongst newly diagnosed HIV-infected infants age 4-8 weeks, enrolled in three nationally representative PMTCT effectiveness surveys, South Africa: 2010, 2011-12 and 2012-13
BACKGROUND: South Africa (SA) has expanded efforts to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) to less than 2% at six weeks after birth and to less than 5% at 18 months postpartum by 2016. Despite improved antiretroviral regimens and coverage between 2001 and 2016, there is little data on infant HIV drug resistance. This paper tracks […]
Severe maternal morbidity (Near-miss) and its correlates in the world’s newest nation: South Sudan
Background: This study investigates the frequency of near-miss events and compares correlates in the world’s newest nation. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out to audit near-miss events and their causes. A total of 1,041 mothers were sampled. Data were gathered using World Health Organization near-miss evaluation tools according to morbidity and organ failure-based criteria. […]