PLoS Med 16(3): e1002768. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002768
Home delivery and late and infrequent attendance at antenatal care (ANC) are responsible for substantial avoidable maternal and pediatric morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. This cluster-randomized trial aimed to de...termine the impact of a community health worker (CHW) intervention on the proportion of women who visit ANC fewer than 4 times during their pregnancy and deliver at home.
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The whole book has 50.3 MB!!!!
To download chapter by chapter:
http://www.uib.no/cih/en/resources/neurology-in-africa
Africa is a vast continent and neurological disorders are a common cause of disability and death. This practical neurology textbook is specifically written for Sub-Saharan Africa.... The aim of this book is for students to gain an understanding of neurology, learn the necessary clinical skills and obtain sufficient knowledge to care for patients presenting with neurological disorders. Diagnosis in neurology is based on accurate history and physical examination and this book emphasizes these principles
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Providing improved water supply to low-income urban communities is a difficult challenge faced by water utilities throughout Africa and Asia.
This guide provides an introduction to available options for serving these communities.
The guide draws on sector experience in general, and more particular...ly on WSUP’s extensive experience of implementing urban WASH programmes in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere.
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The article "The silent epidemic of COPD in Africa" discusses the under-recognized yet significant prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Africa. Despite being the third leading cause of death worldwide, COPD remains poorly studied and largely unknown in sub-Saharan Africa. Th...e article highlights risk factors such as tobacco smoking and biomass smoke exposure, which significantly affect both men and women. Biomass smoke, in particular, is linked to COPD in younger individuals and impacts women due to prolonged exposure during cooking. The piece calls for better awareness, training for healthcare providers, and proactive measures to address and manage COPD in the region.
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Buruli ulcer is a disease caused by the environmental pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans that affects skin and soft tissue. It was first described in Australia in 1948 and has been reported in several sub-Saharan African countries since the late 19th century. The disease mainly affects children in rura...l areas and causes lesions and ulcers that can lead to disability if not treated. Recent research has identified a toxin produced by M. ulcerans that may be responsible for the disease's pathogenesis. Efforts are ongoing to understand transmission and develop effective control strategies, including through training of medical professionals and increased detection and treatment of cases.
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Since 2001, several Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) include HIV
testing. For many countries, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa, DHS are
the only national source of data in general population. Several DHS collect
latitude and longitude of surveyed clusters but the sampling method is not
ap...propriate to derive local estimates: sample size is not large enough for a
direct spatial interpolation.
We developed a generic approach to map spatial regional trends of HIV
prevalence from DHS. We present how our results from Burkina Faso 2003
DHS shed new light on HIV epidemics.
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Project Drawdown (2022) provides evidence of how climate solutions can also be win-win opportunities for meeting development and human well-being needs while boosting prosperity for rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The report summarizes the co-benefits of five groups of a subs...et of Project Drawdown climate solutions (28 total solutions) for advancing human well-being in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries
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J Fungi (Basel) . 2019 Aug 16;5(3):75. doi: 10.3390/jof5030075 . Namibia is a sub-Saharan country with one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world. Although care and support services are available that cater for opportunistic infections related to HIV, the main focus is narrow and predominan...tly aimed at tuberculosis. We aimed to estimate the burden of serious fungal infections in Namibia, currently unknown, based on the size of the population at risk and available epidemiological data. Data were obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and published reports.
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The AHO Malaria Fact Sheet gives a brief overview of malaria as a preventable and curable disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, mainly affecting sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights symptoms like fever and chills, notes vulnerable groups such as young children and pregnant women, and emphasizes the n...eed for targeted prevention and treatment.
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The CDC's "Malaria's Impact Worldwide" webpage provides an overview of malaria's global burden, highlighting that in 2022, there were approximately 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 deaths, predominantly among young children in sub-Saharan Africa. It emphasizes that nearly half the world's po...pulation is at risk, with malaria being a leading cause of illness and death in many affected countries. The page also discusses the significant economic and social costs of malaria on individuals, families, communities, and nations. Despite progress in reducing mortality rates by 36% from 2010 to 2020, recent years have seen a plateau in advancements, underscoring the need for ongoing vigilance and research.
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Concerned that the prevalence of Child Marriage in Malawi, at 42 per cent, is one of the highest in the Sub-Saharan Africa; and that cases of child marriage continue to rise despite the various interventions on the ground. If unabated, Child Marriage inflicts significant socio-economic and political... cost for Malawi and derails the nation’s developmental aspirations.
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This Implementation Kit (I-Kit), developed by the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3), which is funded by USAID and based at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, offers structured guidance for improving social and behavioural change communication (SBCC) strategies relat...ed to malaria in pregnancy (MiP). Designed for programme managers and stakeholders, the toolkit addresses critical communication gaps in MiP programming, particularly among service providers. It provides tools to help users integrate MiP into situation analyses, segment audiences, define behavioural objectives and draft strategic communication plans.
MiP poses a significant public health challenge, contributing to maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. Although effective interventions exist, such as the use of insecticide-treated nets, intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) and timely diagnosis and treatment, their implementation remains inconsistent. The I-Kit supports more effective SBCC planning and implementation, with the aim of increasing the uptake and impact of these interventions and ultimately reducing malaria-related deaths and illness among pregnant women and newborns.
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Malaria in children presents significant clinical challenges, with variations in presentation based on the malaria parasite involved and the child's underlying health conditions. The World Health Organization reports high incidence rates, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and emphasizes the import...ance of effective treatment strategies. First-line treatment often involves Artemether-Lumefantrine (ALu), while severe malaria requires careful management and the use of intravenous Quinine. Management protocols emphasize early diagnosis and the monitoring of severe complications to reduce mortality.
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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is committed to eradicating malaria, a disease that continues to cause hundreds of thousands of deaths every year, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.
Beyond Malaria is an educational short film that explores the wider social, economic and health system issues related to controlling malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Moving beyond the clinical aspects of the disease, the film highlights structural inequalities, poverty, access barriers and community-l...evel realities that hinder the effective prevention and treatment of malaria. Through interviews, case studies and on-the-ground footage, the film emphasises the importance of integrating public health efforts with the local context, community engagement and sustainable development strategies. Ultimately, the film advocates a more holistic approach to malaria, considering not only the parasite and the patient, but also the systems and societies in which they exist.
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Malaria remains a significant global health concern, with 249 million cases and 408,000 deaths reported in 2022, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. The most vulnerable populations are children under five and pregnant women. Rapid and accurate diagnosis using microscopy or malaria rapid diagnostic test...s (mRDTs) is essential to ensure timely treatment, prevent severe disease and promote the rational use of antimalarial drugs. This UNICEF Technical Bulletin provides guidance on the procurement, quality assurance and selection of WHO-prequalified mRDTs, including considerations for areas with a high prevalence of pfhrp2/3 gene deletions. The bulletin also highlights UNICEF’s approach to sustainability, product verification and long-term arrangements with manufacturers, which ensure a reliable supply while supporting integrated child health management programmes. The bulletin serves as a valuable resource for countries, partners and programmes involved in the implementation of malaria case management and diagnostics.
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South Africa has recorded its first case of monkeypox today, 23 June 2022. The Minister of
Health Dr. Joe Phaahla explained that he received a report from the National Health
Laboratory Services’ CEO that they have confirmed through laboratory tests the first case of
monkeypox in South Africa. ...South Africa's monkeypox patient zero is a 30-year-old man from
Johannesburg.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has prepared an
information sheet to better understand monkeypox, the symptoms to treatment.
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Schistosomiasis is widely recognized as a disease that is socially determined. An
understanding of the social and behavioural factors linked to disease transmission and
control should play a vital role in designing policies and strategies for schistosomiasis
prevention and control. To this must b...e added the awareness that schistosomiasis is
also a disease of poverty. It still survives in poverty-stricken, remote areas where there
is little or no safe water or sanitation, and health care is scarce or non-existent. For
a variety of complex reasons, many of which are addressed in this book, the disease
is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, and persists in certain areas of rural
China. This concern for human behaviour in an environment of poverty echoes the
concerns of the new research priority for “diseases of poverty” identified by the
Special Programme for Research & Training in Tropical Diseases.
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The One Health Commission is a globally focused organization dedicated to implementing One Health and One Health actions around the world.
The goal of the One Health Research, Education and Outreach Centre in Africa (OHRECA) is to improve the health of humans, animals and ecosystems through capacit...y building, strengthening of local, regional and global networks and provision of evidence-based policy advice on One Health in sub-Saharan Africa. The centre has four thematic areas: control of neglected tropical zoonotic diseases; emerging infectious diseases; food safety and informal markets; and prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance.
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This video is of a community performance from a theatre play, called 'In Control' South Africa. Our international group of respiratory health researchers found that young people with asthma can feel stigmatised or misunderstood. We therefore developed ths play together with a UK young people's theat...re (Tramshed) and a local theatre group (Assitej).
The play is about a teenage girl with asthma, who struggles with different perceptions and prejudices people have of her condition. This play has been developed as part of a wider research project across sub-Saharan Africa, called ACACIA (Achieving Control of Asthma in Children in Africa).
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