Global health action
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Global health action · Dec 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialImplementation of accelerated research: strategies for implementation as applied in a phase 1 Ad26.ZEBOV, MVA-BN-Filo two-dose Ebola vaccine clinical trial in Uganda.
The 2013-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa is the worst ever caused by Ebolaviruses with over 28,000 human cases and 11,325 deaths. The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the epidemic a public health crisis that required accelerated development of novel interventions including vaccines. The Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit (MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit) was among the African research sites that implemented the VAC52150EBL1004 Ebola vaccine trial. ⋯ The use of well-thought strategies by sponsors and research sites can enable the implementation of accelerated research. We recommend the use of similar strategies in other settings.
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Global health action · Dec 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialAdding video-debriefing to Helping-Babies-Breathe training enhanced retention of neonatal resuscitation knowledge and skills among health workers in Uganda: a cluster randomized trial.
Skilled birth attendants must be competent to provide prompt resuscitation to save newborn lives at birth. Both knowledge and skills (competence) decline with time after training but the optimal duration for refresher training among frontline-skilled birth attendants in low-resource settings is unknown. ⋯ Adding video-debriefing to standard Helping-Babies-Breathe training had an effect on birth attendants' competence attainment and retention over 6 months in Uganda. However, more research is needed to justify the proposed intervention in this context.
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Global health action · Dec 2020
Investigation of stillbirth causes in Suriname: application of the WHO ICD-PM tool to national-level hospital data.
Suriname has one of the highest stillbirth rates in Latin America and the Caribbean. To facilitate data comparison of perinatal deaths, the World Health Organization developed the International Classification of Diseases-10 Perinatal Mortality (ICD-PM). ⋯ CTG: Cardiotocography; ENAP: Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP); ICD-PM: The WHO application of ICD-10 to deaths during the perinatal period - perinatal mortality; SBR: Stillbirth rate; SGA: Small for gestational age; WHO: World Health Organization; LMIC: Low- and middle-income countries; FHR: foetal heart rate.
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Global health action · Dec 2020
Social determinants of health: the role of effective communication in the COVID-19 pandemic in developing countries.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many countries with increasing morbidity and mortality. Interestingly, many of the actions and policies adopted in countries are linked to the social determinants of health (SDH). The SDH are critical determinants of health and health inequalities that are not directly within the health sector. ⋯ The peculiarity of many developing countries in terms of regional, cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity is an essential consideration in ensuring effective crisis and risk communication. Developing countries facing significant poverty and disease burden cannot afford to handle the burgeoning of COVID-19 infections and must take preventive measures seriously. Thus, we submit that there is a need to intensify SDH actions and ensure that no one is left behind when communicating crisis and risk to the population to address the COVID-19 pandemic.