Karen Edmond

Delayed Breastfeeding Initiation Increases Risk of Neonatal Mortality.

BACKGROUND. Breastfeeding promotion is a key child survival strategy. Although there is an extensive scientific basis for its impact on postneonatal mortality, evidence is sparse for its impact on neonatal mortality. OBJECTIVES. We sought to assess the contribution of the timing of initiation of breastfeeding to any impact. METHODS. This study took advantage of the 4-weekly surveillance system from a large ongoing maternal vitamin A supplementation trial in rural Ghana involving all women of childbearing age and their infants. It was designed to evaluate whether timing of initiation of breastfeeding and type (exclusive, predominant, or partial) are associated with risk of neonatal mortality. The analysis is based on 10947 breastfed singleton infants born between July 2003 and June 2004 who survived to day 2 and whose mothers were visited in the neonatal period. RESULTS. Breastfeeding was initiated within the first day of birth in 71% of infants and by the end of day 3 in all but 1.3% of them; 70% were exclusively breastfed during the neonatal period. The risk of neonatal death was fourfold higher in children given milk-based fluids or solids in addition to breast milk. There was a marked dose response of increasing risk of neonatal mortality with increasing delay in initiation of breastfeeding from 1 hour to day 7; overall late initiation (after day 1) was associated with a 2.4-fold increase in risk. The size of this effect was similar when the model was refitted excluding infants at high risk of death (unwell on the day of birth, congenital abnormalities, premature, unwell at the time of interview) or when deaths during the first week (days 2–7) were excluded. CONCLUSIONS. Promotion of early initiation of breastfeeding has the potential to make a major contribution to the achievement of the child survival millennium development goal; 16% of neonatal deaths could be saved if all infants were breastfed from day 1 and 22% if breastfeeding started within the first hour. Breastfeeding-promotion programs should emphasize early initiation as well as exclusive breastfeeding. This has particular relevance for sub-Saharan Africa, where neonatal and infant mortality rates are high but most women already exclusively or predominantly breastfeed their infants.

Time to initiation of breastfeeding and neonatal mortality and morbidity: a systematic review

BackgroundEarly breastfeeding is defined as the initiation of breastfeeding within twenty four hours of birth. While the benefits of breastfeeding have been known for decades, only recently has the role of time to initiation of breastfeeding in neonatal mortality and morbidity been assessed.ObjectiveTo review the evidence for early breastfeeding initiation practices and to estimate the association between timing and neonatal outcomes.MethodsWe systematically reviewed multiple databases from 1963 to 2011. Standardized abstraction tables were used and quality was assessed for each study utilizing the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. Three meta-analyses were conducted for mortality among babies surviving to 48 hours.ResultsWe identified 18 studies reporting a direct association between early breastfeeding initiation and neonatal mortality and morbidity outcomes. The results of random effects analyses of data from 3 studies (from 5 publications) demonstrated lower risks of all-cause neonatal mortality among all live births (RR = 0.56 [95% CI: 0.40 – 0.79]) and among low birth weight babies (RR=0.58 [95% CI: 0.43 – 0.78]), and infection-related neonatal mortality (RR = 0.55 [95% CI: 0.36 – 0.84]). Among exclusively breastfed infants, all-cause mortality risk did not differ between early and late initiators (RR = 0.69 [95% CI: 0.27 – 1.75]).ConclusionsThis review demonstrates that early breastfeeding initiation is a simple intervention that has the potential to significantly improve neonatal outcomes and should be universally recommended. Significant gaps in knowledge are highlighted, revealing a need to prioritize additional high quality studies that further clarify the specific cause of death, as well as providing improved understanding of the independent or combined effects of early initiation and breastfeeding patterns.

Landscape Analysis of Interactions between Nutrition and Vaccine Responses in Children

The worlds poorest children are likely to be malnourished when receiving their childhood vaccines. It is uncertain whether this affects vaccine efficacy and whether the coadministration of nutrient supplements with vaccines has beneficial or detrimental effects. More recently, a detrimental interaction between vitamin A (VA) supplementation (VAS) and the killed diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine given in early childhood has been suggested. This report provides a critical review of the published interactions between nutritional status and/or supplementation and vaccine responses in children. Due to an absence of evidence for most nutrients, this analysis focused on protein-energy, vitamins A and D, and iron and zinc. All vaccines were considered. Both observational studies and clinical trials that led to peer-reviewed publications in English or French were included. These criteria led to a pool of 58 studies for protein-energy malnutrition, 43 for VA, 4 for vitamin D, 10 for iron, and 22 for zinc. Our analysis indicates that malnutrition has surprisingly little or no effect on vaccine responses. Evidence for definitive adjunctive effects of micronutrient supplementation at the time of vaccination is also weak. Overall, the paucity, poor quality, and heterogeneity of data make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. The use of simple endpoints that may not correlate strongly with disease protection adds uncertainty. A detailed examination of the immunological mechanisms involved in potential interactions, employing modern methodologies, is therefore required. This would also help us understand the proposed, but still unproven, negative interactions between VAS and vaccine safety, a resolution of which is urgently required.

Long Term Sequelae from Childhood Pneumonia; Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background The risks of long term sequelae from childhood pneumonia have not been systematically assessed. The aims of this study were to: (i) estimate the risks of respiratory sequelae after pneumonia in children under five years; (ii) estimate the distribution of the different types of respiratory sequelae; and (iii) compare sequelae risk by hospitalisation status and pathogen. Methods We systematically reviewed published papers from 1970 to 2011. Standard global burden of disease categories (restrictive lung disease, obstructive lung disease, bronchiectasis) were labelled as major sequelae. ‘Minor’ sequelae (chronic bronchitis, asthma, other abnormal pulmonary function, other respiratory disease), and multiple impairments were also included. Thirteen papers were selected for inclusion. Synthesis was by random effects meta-analysis and meta-regression. Results Risk of at least one major sequelae was 5.5% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.8–8.3%) in non hospitalised children and 13.6% [6.2–21.1%]) in hospitalised children. Adenovirus pneumonia was associated with the highest sequelae risk (54.8% [39.2–70.5%]) but children hospitalised with no pathogen isolated also had high risk (17.6% [10.9–24.3%]). The most common type of major sequela was restrictive lung disease (5.4% [2.5–10.2%]) . Potential confounders such as loss to follow up and median age at infection were not associated with sequelae risk in the final models. Conclusions All children with pneumonia diagnosed by a health professional should be considered at risk of long term sequelae. Evaluation of childhood pneumonia interventions should include potential impact on long term respiratory sequelae.

Quality along the continuum: a health facility assessment of intrapartum and postnatal care in Ghana.

Objective To evaluate quality of routine and emergency intrapartum and postnatal care using a health facility assessment, and to estimate “effective coverage” of skilled attendance in Brong Ahafo, Ghana. Methods We conducted an assessment of all 86 health facilities in seven districts in Brong Ahafo. Using performance of key signal functions and the availability of relevant drugs, equipment and trained health professionals, we created composite quality categories in four dimensions: routine delivery care, emergency obstetric care (EmOC), emergency newborn care (EmNC) and non-medical quality. Linking the health facility assessment to surveillance data we estimated “effective coverage” of skilled attendance as the proportion of births in facilities of high quality. Findings Delivery care was offered in 64/86 facilities; only 3-13% fulfilled our requirements for the highest quality category in any dimension. Quality was lowest in the emergency care dimensions, with 63% and 58% of facilities categorized as “low” or “substandard” for EmOC and EmNC, respectively. This implies performing less than four EmOC or three EmNC signal functions, and/or employing less than two skilled health professionals, and/or that no health professionals were present during our visit. Routine delivery care was “low” or “substandard” in 39% of facilities, meaning 25/64 facilities performed less than six routine signal functions and/or had less than two skilled health professionals and/or less than one midwife. While 68% of births were in health facilities, only 18% were in facilities with “high” or “highest” quality in all dimensions. Conclusion Our comprehensive facility assessment showed that quality of routine and emergency intrapartum and postnatal care was generally low in the study region. While coverage with facility delivery was 68%, we estimated “effective coverage” of skilled attendance at 18%, thus revealing a large “quality gap.” Effective coverage could be a meaningful indicator of progress towards reducing maternal and newborn mortality.

Early initiation of breast-feeding in Ghana: barriers and facilitators

To explore why women in Ghana initiate breast-feeding early or late, who gives advice about initiation and what foods or fluids are given to babies when breast-feeding initiation is late. Qualitative data were collected through 52 semistructured interviews with recent mothers, 8 focus group discussions with women of child-bearing age and 13 semistructured interviews with health workers, policy makers and implementers. The major reasons for delaying initiation of breast-feeding were the perception of a lack of breast milk, performing postbirth activities such as bathing, perception that the mother and the baby need rest after birth and the baby not crying for milk. Facilitating factors for early initiation included delivery in a health facility, where the staff encouraged early breast-feeding, and the belief in some ethnic groups that putting the baby to the breast encourages the milk. Policy makers tended to focus on exclusive breast-feeding rather than early initiation. Most activities for the promotion of early initiation of breast-feeding were focused on health facilities with very few community activities. It is important to raise awareness about early initiation of breast-feeding in communities and in the policy arena. Interventions should focus on addressing barriers to early initiation and should include a community component.

Effect of early neonatal vitamin A supplementation on mortality during infancy in Ghana (Neovita): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND Results of randomised controlled trials of newborn (age 1-3 days) vitamin A supplementation have been inconclusive. The WHO is coordinating three large randomised trials in Ghana, India, and Tanzania (Neovita trials). We present the findings of the Neovita trial in Ghana. METHODS This study was a population-based, individually randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana. The trial participants were infants aged at least 2 h, identified at home or facilities on the day of birth or in the next 2 days, able to feed orally, and likely to stay in the study area for at least 6 months. They were randomly assigned (ratio 1:1) to receive either one oral dose of vitamin A (50,000 IU) or placebo immediately after recruitment. The research team and parents of the infants were masked to treatment assignment. Follow-up home visits were undertaken every 4 weeks, when data were recorded for deaths, facility use, and care seeking. The primary outcome was post-supplementation mortality to 6 months of age. Analysis was by intention to treat. Potential adverse events were recorded at 1 and 3 days after supplementation. This trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR)CTRN12610000582055. FINDINGS We assessed 26,414 livebirths for eligibility between Aug 16, 2010, and Nov 7, 2011. We recruited 22,955 newborn infants, with 11,474 randomly assigned to receive vitamin A and 11,481 to receive placebo. Loss to follow-up was low with vital status at 6 months of age reported for 22,698 (98·9%) infants. We recorded 278 post-supplementation deaths to 6 months of age in the vitamin A group (mortality risk 24·5 in 1000 supplemented infants) and 248 deaths in the placebo group (mortality risk 21·8 per 1000 supplemented infants), relative risk (RR) 1·12 (95% CI 0·95-1·33; p=0·183) and risk difference (RD) 2·66 (95% CI -1·25 to 6·57; p=0·18). Adverse events within 3 days of supplementation did not differ by trial group. 122 infants died in the first 3 days after supplementation; 70 (0·6%) in the vitamin A and 52 (0·5%) in the placebo group (risk ratio [RR] 1·35, 95% CI 0·94-1·93, p=0·102). 53 infants were reported to have a bulging fontanelle; 32 (0·3%) in the vitamin A group and 21 (0·2%) in the placebo group (RR 1·53, 0·88-2·62, p=0·130). INTERPRETATION The results of this trial do not support inclusion of newborn vitamin A supplementation as a child survival strategy in Ghana. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to the WHO.

Global use of Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccines have been underutilized globally. We report progress in global use of Hib vaccines included in national immunization schedules. The number of countries using Hib vaccine increased from 89/193 (46%) in 2004 to 158/193 (82%) by the end of 2009. The increase was greatest among low-income countries eligible for financial support from the GAVI Alliance [13/75 (17%) in 2004, 60/72 (83%) by the end of 2009], and can be attributed to various factors. Additional efforts are still needed to increase vaccine adoption in lower middle income countries [20/31 (65%) by the end of 2009].

Haemophilus influenzae type b disease in HIV-infected children: A review of the disease epidemiology and effectiveness of Hib conjugate vaccines

The paper reviews the literature on the epidemiology of Hib disease and the effectiveness of Hib conjugate vaccine (HibCV) in HIV-infected children. The current three-dose primary Hib conjugate vaccine schedule in low-income settings has had a striking impact on the incidence of Hib disease. However, HIV-infected children have an almost 6-fold higher risk of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) invasive disease than HIV-uninfected children and HibCV effectiveness is lower in this population. HIV-related HibCV failures are difficult to detect without well functioning surveillance systems and HIV testing of cases. Breakthrough Hib cases have been noted in vaccinated HIV-infected children in South Africa. A HibCV booster dose in addition to the three-dose primary schedule is routine in many, but not all, high-income countries. In order to determine whether a booster dose should be given to HIV-infected children in developing countries, well-designed studies need to be conducted to better determine the persistence of protective antibody concentrations, response to booster doses of vaccine as well as timing of and risk factors for vaccine failure in HIV-infected children both treated and naive to antiretroviral drug therapy (ART). Meanwhile, physicians and public health personnel should be especially vigilant at ensuring that HIV-infected infants receive their primary doses of HibCV, ART and co-trimoxazole prophylaxis. Until more definitive evidence is available, physicians may also need to consider a booster dose for such children irrespective of ART status. In any updating of vaccine schedules, HIV-infected children need particular consideration.

Setting research priorities to reduce global mortality from preterm birth and low birth weight by 2015

Aim This paper aims to identify health research priorities that could improve the rate of progress in reducing global neonatal mortality from preterm birth and low birth weight (PB/LBW), as set out in the UNs Millennium Development Goal 4. Methods We applied the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) methodology for setting priorities in health research investments. In the process coordinated by the World Health Organization in 2007–2008, 21 researchers with interest in child, maternal and newborn health suggested 82 research ideas that spanned across the broad spectrum of epidemiological research, health policy and systems research, improvement of existing interventions and development of new interventions. The 82 research questions were then assessed for answerability, effectiveness, deliverability, maximum potential for mortality reduction and the effect on equity using the CHNRI method. Results The top 10 identified research priorities were dominated by health systems and policy research questions (eg, identification of LBW infants born at home within 24–48 hours of birth for additional care; approaches to improve quality of care of LBW infants in health facilities; identification of barriers to optimal home care practices including care seeking; and approaches to increase the use of antenatal corticosteriods in preterm labor and to improve access to hospital care for LBW infants). These were followed by priorities for improvement of the existing interventions (eg, early initiation of breastfeeding, including feeding mode and techniques for those unable to suckle directly from the breast; improved cord care, such as chlorhexidine application; and alternative methods to Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) to keep LBW infants warm in community settings). The highest-ranked epidemiological question suggested improving criteria for identifying LBW infants who need to be cared for in a hospital. Among the new interventions, the greatest support was shown for the development of new simple and effective interventions for providing thermal care to LBW infants, if KMC is not acceptable to the mother. Conclusion The context for this exercise was set within the MDG4, requiring an urgent and rapid progress in mortality reduction from low birth weight, rather than identifying long-term strategic solutions of the greatest potential. In a short-term context, the health policy and systems research to improve access and coverage by the existing interventions, coupled with further research to improve effectiveness, deliverability and acceptance of existing interventions, and epidemiological research to address the key gaps in knowledge, were all highlighted as research priorities.