Queen Dube

Variation in reported neonatal Group B Streptococcal disease incidence in developing countries

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal sepsis in developed countries. Its burden in the developing world is less clear. Studies reporting neonatal GBS disease incidence from developing countries were identified from 5 literature databases. Studies were assessed with respect to case finding and culture methods. Only 20 studies were identified. The GBS incidence ranged 0-3.06 per 1000 live births with variation within and between geographic regions. All but 1 study identified GBS cases within a hospital setting, despite the potential for births in the community. Possible case under-ascertainment was only discussed in 2 studies. A higher GBS incidence was reported when using automated culture methods. Prospective, population-based surveillance is urgently needed in developing countries to provide an accurate assessment of the neonatal GBS disease burden. This will be crucial for the design of interventions, including novel vaccines, and the understanding of their potential to impact mortality from neonatal sepsis.

“They Have Already Thrown Away Their Chicken”: Barriers Affecting Participation by HIV-infected Women in Care and Treatment Programs for Their Infants in Blantyre, Malawi

Abstract HIV-infected infants and young children are at high risk of serious illness and death. Morbidity and mortality can be greatly reduced through early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV and timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Despite global efforts to scale-up of EID and infant ART, uptake of these services in resource poor, high HIV burden countries remain low. We conducted a qualitative study of 59 HIV-infected women to identify and explore barriers women face in accessing HIV testing and care for their infants. To capture different perspectives, we included mothers whose infants were known positive (n=9) or known negative (n=14), mothers of infants with unknown HIV status (n=13), and pregnant HIV-infected women (n=20). Five important themes emerged: lack of knowledge regarding EID and infant ART, the perception of health care workers as authority figures, fear of disclosure of own and/or childs HIV status, lack of psychosocial support, and intent to shorten the life of the child. A complex array of cultural, economic, and psychosocial factors creates barriers for HIV-infected women to participate in early infant HIV testing and care programs. For optimal impact of EID and infant ART, reasons for poor uptake should be better understood and addressed in a culturally sensitive manner.

Mathematical Modeling to Assess the Drivers of the Recent Emergence of Typhoid Fever in Blantyre, Malawi

Background. Multiyear epidemics of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi have been reported from countries across eastern and southern Africa in recent years. In Blantyre, Malawi, a dramatic increase in typhoid fever cases has recently occurred, and may be linked to the emergence of the H58 haplotype. Strains belonging to the H58 haplotype often exhibit multidrug resistance and may have a fitness advantage relative to other Salmonella Typhi strains. Methods. To explore hypotheses for the increased number of typhoid fever cases in Blantyre, we fit a mathematical model to culture-confirmed cases of Salmonella enterica infections at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre. We explored 4 hypotheses: (1) an increase in the basic reproductive number (R0) in response to increasing population density; (2) a decrease in the incidence of cross-immunizing infection with Salmonella Enteritidis; (3) an increase in the duration of infectiousness due to failure to respond to first-line antibiotics; and (4) an increase in the transmission rate following the emergence of the H58 haplotype. Results. Increasing population density or decreasing cross-immunity could not fully explain the observed pattern of typhoid emergence in Blantyre, whereas models allowing for an increase in the duration of infectiousness and/or the transmission rate of typhoid following the emergence of the H58 haplotype provided a good fit to the data. Conclusions. Our results suggest that an increase in the transmissibility of typhoid due to the emergence of drug resistance associated with the H58 haplotype may help to explain recent outbreaks of typhoid in Malawi and similar settings in Africa.

Recognising and Treatment Seeking for Acute Bacterial Meningitis in Adults and Children in Resource-Poor Settings: A Qualitative Study

Objective High mortality burden from Acute Bacterial Meningitis (ABM) in resource-poor settings has been frequently blamed on delays in treatment seeking. We explored treatment-seeking pathways from household to primary health care and referral for ABM in Malawi. Design A cross-sectional qualitative study using narrative in-depth interviews, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Participants Adults and children with proven and probable acute bacterial meningitis and/or their carers; adults from urban and peri-urban communities; and primary health care workers (HCW). Setting Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), urban and peri-urban private and government primary health centres and communities in Blantyre District, Malawi. Results Whilst communities associated meningitis with a stiff neck, in practice responses focused on ability to recognise severe illness. Misdiagnosis of meningitis as malaria was common. Subsequent action by families depended on the extent to which normal social life was disrupted by the illness and depended on the age and social position of the sufferer. Seizures and convulsions were considered severe symptoms but were often thought to be malaria. Presumptive malaria treatment at home often delayed formal treatment seeking. Further delays in treatment seeking were caused by economic barriers and perceptions of inefficient or inadequate primary health services. Conclusions Given the difficulties in diagnosis of meningitis where malaria is common, any intervention for ABM at primary level must focus on recognising severe illness, and encouraging action at the household, community and primary health levels. Overcoming barriers to recognition and social constraints at community level require broad community-based strategies and may provide a route to addressing poor clinical outcomes.

Barriers to successful early infant diagnosis of HIV infection at primary care level in Malawi.

HIV-infected women seeking early infant HIV diagnosis (EID) services in Malawi were asked about factors potentially associated with returning for EID results. Many (33.3%) infants failed to complete the EID process because of time and costs required for multiple visits. Infants of mothers receiving antiretroviral treatment were less likely to drop out (adjusted risk ratio 0.51), suggesting that EID completion may improve in programs providing antiretroviral treatment to all pregnant women.

New technologies for essential newborn care in under-resourced areas: what is needed and how to deliver it

Abstract Globally, the largest contributors to neonatal mortality are preterm birth, intrapartum complications and infection. Many of these deaths could be prevented by providing temperature stability, respiratory support, hydration and nutrition; preventing and treating infections; and diagnosing and treating neonatal jaundice and hypoglycaemia. Most neonatal health-care technologies which help to accomplish these tasks are designed for high-income countries and are either unavailable or unsuitable in low-resource settings, preventing many neonates from receiving the gold standard of care. There is an urgent need for neonatal health-care technologies which are low-cost, robust, simple to use and maintain, affordable and able to operate from various power supplies. Several technologies have been designed to meet these requirements or are currently under development; however, unmet technology needs remain. The distribution of an integrated set of technologies, rather than separate components, is essential for effective implementation and a substantial impact on neonatal health. Close collaboration between stakeholders at all stages of the development process and an increased focus on implementation research are necessary for effective and sustainable implementation.

Impact of maternal antibodies and infant gut microbiota on the immunogenicity of rotavirus vaccines in African, Indian and European infants: protocol for a prospective cohort study

Introduction Gastroenteritis is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among young children living in resource-poor settings, majority of which is attributed to rotavirus. Rotavirus vaccination can therefore have a significant impact on infant mortality. However, rotavirus vaccine efficacy in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia is significantly lower than in high-income countries. Maternally derived antibodies, infant gut microbiota and concomitant oral polio vaccination have been proposed as potential reasons for poor vaccine performance in low-income settings. The overall aim of this study is to compare the role of maternally derived antibodies and infant gut microbiota in determining immune response to rotavirus vaccine in high-income and low-income settings, using the same vaccine and a similar study protocol. Methods and analysis The study is an observational cohort in three countries—Malawi, India and UK. Mothers will be enrolled in third trimester of pregnancy and followed up, along with infants after delivery, until the infant completes two doses of oral rotavirus vaccine (along with routine immunisation). The levels of prevaccination maternally derived rotavirus-specific antibodies (IgG) will be correlated with infant seroconversion and antibody titres, 4 weeks after the second dose of rotavirus vaccine. Both within-country and between-country comparisons of gut microbiome will be carried out between children who seroconvert and those who do not. The impact of oral polio vaccine coadministration on rotavirus vaccine response will be studied in Indian infants. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approvals have been obtained from Integrated Research Application System (IRAS, NHS ethics) in UK, College of Medicine Research and Ethics Committee (COMREC) in Malawi and Institutional Review Board (IRB), Christian Medical College, Vellore in India. Participant recruitment and follow-up is ongoing at all three sites. Analysis of data, followed by publication of the results, is expected in 2018.

Postpartum depression and HIV infection among women in Malawi.

Background:HIV-infected women face several risk factors related to postpartum depression (PPD). We aimed to describe the prevalence and cumulative incidence of PPD in the low-income setting of Malawi and to determine the association between maternal and infant HIV and PPD. Methods:This longitudinal cohort study included 156 HIV-uninfected and 373 HIV-infected Malawian women enrolled 10–14 weeks after delivery who returned at 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months for follow-up visits. PPD was assessed at all visits. The prevalence of PPD at all visits was estimated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Association between PPD at 10–14 weeks and maternal and infant HIV status was assessed using log binomial regression. Cumulative incidence of PPD was assessed using Kaplan–Meier curves. Results:Prevalence of PPD was highest (11%) at 10–14 weeks postpartum and decreased to 2.9% at 18 months. There was no association between maternal HIV status and PPD (prevalence ratio, 1.18; 95% confidence interval: 0.68 to 2.08). Among HIV-infected women, prevalence of PPD was higher among women whose infants had acquired HIV (prevalence ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval: 1.1 to 3.6). The cumulative probability of experiencing PPD over the first 12 months postpartum was estimated to be 33.5% for HIV-infected mothers with HIV-infected infants vs. 22.5% for HIV-infected mothers with uninfected infants and 23.2% for HIV-uninfected mothers. Conclusions:PPD prevalence did not differ between HIV-infected and -uninfected mothers but increased among women with an HIV-infected infant. Our findings suggest that it may be important to monitor PPD among women with HIV-infected infants.

AutoSyP: A Low-Cost, Low-Power Syringe Pump for Use in Low-Resource Settings

This article describes the design and evaluation of AutoSyP, a low-cost, low-power syringe pump intended to deliver intravenous (IV) infusions in low-resource hospitals. A constant-force spring within the device provides mechanical energy to depress the syringe plunger. As a result, the device can run on rechargeable battery power for 66 hours, a critical feature for low-resource settings where the power grid may be unreliable. The device is designed to be used with 5- to 60-mL syringes and can deliver fluids at flow rates ranging from 3 to 60 mL/hour. The cost of goods to build one AutoSyP device is approximately

Point-of-care device to diagnose and monitor neonatal jaundice in low-resource settings

500. AutoSyP was tested in a laboratory setting and in a pilot clinical study. Laboratory accuracy was within 4% of the programmed flow rate. The device was used to deliver fluid to 10 healthy adult volunteers and 30 infants requiring IV fluid therapy at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. The device delivered fluid with an average mean flow rate error of −2.3% ± 1.9% for flow rates ranging from 3 to 60 mL/hour. AutoSyP has the potential to improve the accuracy and safety of IV fluid delivery in low-resource settings.