Verbal autopsies (VAs) are extensively used to determine cause of death (COD) in many low- and middle-income countries. However, COD determination from VA can be inaccurate. Computer coded verbal autopsy (CCVA) algorithms used for this task are imperfect and misclassify COD for a large proportion of deaths. If not accounted for, this misclassification leads to […]
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Approaches, achievements, challenges and lessons learned in setting up an urban-based Health and Demographic Surveillance System in South Africa
Reliable civil registration and vital statistics (CRVSs) are essential for estimating mortality rates and population changes, and are critical for public health and socio-economic planning. CRVSs are largely incomplete in Africa, thus Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSSs) fill gaps in CRVSs, albeit existing HDSSs in South Africa are in rural areas. This limits the […]
Effect of Delays in Maternal Access to Healthcare on Neonatal Mortality in Sierra Leone: A Social Autopsy Case-Control Study at a CHAMPS Site
AB – In low-resource settings, a social autopsy tool has been proposed to measure the effect of delays in access to healthcare on deaths, complementing verbal autopsy questionnaires routinely used to determine cause of death. This study estimates the contribution of various delays in maternal healthcare to subsequent neonatal mortality using a social autopsy case–control […]
Klebsiella spp. cause severe and fatal disease in Mozambican children: antimicrobial resistance profile and molecular characterization
Klebsiella spp. are important pathogens associated with bacteremia among admitted children and is among the leading cause of death in children […]
COVID-19 Testing Experience in a Resource-Limited Setting: The Use of Existing Facilities in Public Health Emergency Management
Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a public health emergency with little testing and treatment experiences at its occurrence. Diagnostic and treatment rapidly changed in the world including Ethiopia. Haramaya University has strived to change its diagnostic capacity using existing facilities in response to the national call to the pandemic. Objective: This summary aims to […]
Provider adherence to clinical care recommendations for infants and children who died in seven low- and middle-income countries in the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network
Background Most childhood deaths globally are considered preventable through high-quality clinical care, which includes adherence to clinical care recommendations. Our objective was to describe adherence to World Health Organization recommendations for the management of leading causes of death among children. Methods We conducted a retrospective, descriptive study examining clinical data for children aged 1–59 months […]
Diarrhoeal diseases in Soweto, South Africa, 2020: a cross-sectional community survey
In South Africa, there are limited data on the burden of diarrhoea at a community level, specifically in older children and adults. This community survey estimated rates of and factors associated with diarrhoea across all ages and determined the proportion of cases presenting to healthcare facilities. […]
Global, regional, and national estimates and trends in stillbirths from 2000 to 2019: a systematic assessment
Background Stillbirths are a major public health issue and a sensitive marker of the quality of care around pregnancy and birth. The UN Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–30) and the Every Newborn Action Plan (led by UNICEF and WHO) call for an end to preventable stillbirths. A first step to prevent […]
Deaths Attributed to Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Young Children in High-Mortality Rate Settings: Report from CHAMPS
Lower respiratory tract infections are a leading cause of death in young children, but few studies have collected the specimens needed to define the role of specific causes. The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) platform aims to investigate causes of death in children aged <5 years in high–mortality rate settings, using postmortem minimally […]
Global Respiratory Syncytial Virus – Related Infant Community Deaths
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of pediatric death, with >99% of mortality occurring in low- and lower middle-income countries. At least half of RSV-related deaths are estimated to occur in the community, but clinical characteristics of this group of children remain poorly characterized.The RSV Global Online Mortality Database (RSV GOLD), a global […]
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