Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH)

Distance to Health Centers and Effectiveness of Azithromycin Mass Administration for Children in Niger

Importance The MORDOR (Macrolides Oraux pour Réduire les Décès avec un Oeil sur la Résistance) trial demonstrated that mass azithromycin administration reduced mortality by 18% among children aged 1 to 59 months in Niger. The identification of high-risk subgroups to target with this intervention could reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance. Objective To evaluate whether…
Trends in treatment-seeking for fever in children in 151 countries from 1990 to 2020

Access to medical treatment for fever is essential to prevent morbidity and mortality in individuals and to prevent transmission of communicable febrile illness in communities. Quantification of the rates at which treatment is accessed is critical for health system planning and a prerequisite for disease burden estimates. In this study, national data on the proportion…
Contribution of malaria and sickle cell disease to anaemia among children aged 6-59 months in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study using data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey

Objectives: To estimate the fraction of anaemia attributable to malaria and sickle cell disease (SCD) among children aged 6-59 months in Nigeria. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of data from Nigeria’s 2018 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Setting: Nigeria. Participants: 11 536 children aged 6-59 months from randomly selected households were eligible for participation, of whom 11…
Family-Assisted Severity of Illness Monitoring for Hospitalized Children in Low-Resource Settings—A Two-Arm Interventional Feasibility Study

Introduction: Pediatric mortality remains unacceptably high in many low-resource settings, with inpatient deaths often associated with delayed recognition of clinical deterioration. The Family-Assisted Severe Febrile Illness ThERapy (FASTER) tool has been developed for caregivers to assist in monitoring their hospitalized children and alert clinicians. This study evaluates feasibility of implementation by caregivers and clinicians. Methods:…
Potential Impacts of Mass Nutritional Supplementation on Measles Dynamics: A Simulation Study

The bidirectional interaction between undernutrition and infection can be devastating to child health. Nutritional deficiencies impair immunity and increase susceptibility to infection. Simultaneously, infections compound undernutrition by increasing metabolic demand and impairing nutrient absorption. Treatment of acute malnutrition (wasting) can reverse some of its deleterious effects and reduce susceptibility to infectious diseases. Nutrition-specific approaches may…
The contribution of malaria and sickle cell disease to anaemia among children aged 6-59m in Nigeria: A secondary analysis using data from the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey

Introduction Anaemia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Anaemia has many aetiologies best addressed by different treatments, so regional studies of the aetiology of anaemia may be required. Methods We analysed data from Nigeria’s 2018 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) to study predictors of anaemia among children ages…
The Effect of Adolescent Pregnancy on Child Mortality in 46 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Introduction Adolescent pregnancy is a known health risk to mother and child. Statements and reports of health outcomes typically group mothers under 20 years old together. Few studies examined this risk at a finer age resolution, none of them comprehensively, and with differing results. Methods We analysed Demographic and Health Surveys data from 2004 to…
A modular approach to integrating multiple data sources into real-time clinical prediction for pediatric diarrhea

Traditional clinical prediction models focus on parameters of the individual patient. For infectious diseases, sources external to the patient, including characteristics of prior patients and seasonal factors, may improve predictive performance. We describe the development of a predictive model that integrates multiple sources of data in a principled statistical framework using a post-test odds formulation.…
Estimating Sickle Cell Disease Prevalence and Child Survival using the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey

Background Child mortality from sickle cell disease in sub-Saharan Africa is presumed to be high but is not well quantified. This uncertainty contributes to the neglect of sickle cell disease and delays the prioritisation of interventions. In this study, we estimated the mortality of children in Nigeria with sickle cell disease, and the proportion of…
A modular approach to integrating multiple data sources into real-time clinical prediction for pediatric diarrhea

Traditional clinical prediction models focus on parameters of the individual patient. For infectious diseases, sources external to the patient, including characteristics of prior patients and seasonal factors, may improve predictive performance. We describe the development of a predictive model that integrates multiple sources of data in a principled statistical framework using a post-test odds formulation.…