Correction: Depressive symptoms, HIV-related stigma and ART adherence among caregivers of children in vulnerable households in rural southern Malawi.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Exploring barriers and facilitators to blood donation in secondary schools in Malawi.

Background And Objective: Despite the Malawi Blood Transfusion Service (MBTS) increasing the amount of blood collected since its inception in 2004, Malawi remains with a 27% deficit in required blood supplies nationally. We sought to understand the facilitators and barriers to blood donation among secondary school students in Malawi.

Methods: We utilised a qualitative exploratory design, with a sample of 135 participants purposefully selected from 16 secondary schools across Malawi.

Schools of public health as a cornerstone for pandemic preparedness and response: the Africa COVID-19 experience.

Background: The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused significant morbidity and mortality in Africa, in addition to other socio-economic consequences. Across the continent, Schools of Public Health (SPHs) played several roles in supporting national, regional, and global response to the pandemic. Following a published and grey literature search, this paper reviews and analyses the contribution of SPHs in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Multimorbidity-associated emergency hospital admissions: a "screen and link" strategy to improve outcomes for high-risk patients in sub-Saharan Africa: a prospective multicentre cohort study protocol.

Background: The prevalence of multimorbidity (the presence of two or more chronic health conditions) is rapidly increasing in sub-Saharan Africa. Hospital care pathways that focus on single presenting complaints do not address this pressing problem. This has the potential to precipitate frequent hospital readmissions, increase health system and out-of-pocket expenses, and may lead to premature disability and death.

Consumption and adverse reaction reporting of herbal medicines among people living with HIV at University teaching hospitals in Blantyre, Malawi and Ibadan, Nigeria.

Background: Consumption of herbal medicines among people living with HIV is a common practice in Sub-Saharan Africa. The utilization of herbal medicines was at 17.5% and 67.

Adverse Drug Reactions Related with Antibiotic Medicines in Malawi: A Retrospective Analysis of Prevalence and Associated Factors.

Objective: We aimed to assess the occurrence and characteristics of antibiotic-associated adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in Malawi.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 304 patient records from medical wards in three hospitals in Southern Malawi. A global trigger tool was applied for the detection of suspected ADRs, and we used the Naranjo scale, the World Health Organization classification and the Schumock and Thornton scale for causality, seriousness and preventability assessment respectively.

Primary health care preparedness to integrate diabetes care in Blantyre, Malawi: A mixed methods study.

Background: There is limited access to diabetes care services at primary care facilities in Malawi. Assessing the capacity of facilities to provide diabetes care is an initial step to integrating services at primary care.

Aim: To assess the preparedness for delivering diabetes services at primary care level within the Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) to support the response to NCD epidemic in Malawi.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Among Adults in Neno District, Malawi: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continues to pose a global public health challenge. However, literature is scarce on the burden of COPD in Malawi. We assessed the prevalence and risk factors for COPD among adults in Neno, Malawi.

Training in eight low-and middle-income countries: lessons learned from a pilot study using the WHO-TDR dissemination and implementation massive open online course.

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low-and middle- income countries (LMICs). Despite this, a lack of funding, training and mentorship for NCD investigators in LMICs exists. In an effort to gain knowledge and skills to address these gaps, participants from the Global Research on Implementation and Translation Science (GRIT), a consortium of studies in eight LMICs and their networks, attended the dissemination and implementation (D&I) massive open online course (MOOC) developed by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases at the World Health Organization to strengthen D&I capacity building.

"Our [Yao people's] circumcision is of the 'brain' not of the 'penis'": factors behind the resistance to voluntary medical male circumcision among Yao people of Mangochi in Southern Malawi.

Aim: Malawi officially launched Voluntary Male Medical Circumcision (VMMC) in 2012 after the 2007 joint WHO /UNAIDS recommendation that VMMC be a key HIV prevention strategy for Sub-Sahara African region. Malawi data, however, contradicted the findings of three randomized studies conducted in Uganda, Kenya and South Africa between 2005 and 2007. While randomized trials demonstrated that male circumcision could contribute to a 60% relative reduction of HIV acquisition by men through heterosexual intercourse, HIV prevalence in Malawi was highest in the Southern Region where 47% of males were traditionally circumcised yet Central Region had 15.

Uptake of diabetic retinopathy screening at a secondary level facility in Malawi.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common microvascular complication of long-standing diabetes mellitus (DM). DR screening is a cost-effective intervention for preventing blindness from DR. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the uptake and the predictors of uptake of annual DR screening in an opportunistic DR screening programme at a secondary-level diabetes clinic in Southern Malawi.

Effect of antibiotic medicines availability on adherence to standard treatment guidelines among hospitalized adult patients in southern Malawi.

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a global public health problem. High and inappropriate use of antibiotic therapy exacerbate the risk of antibiotic resistance. We assessed the effect of availability of antibiotic medicines on adherence to standard treatment guidelines among hospitalized adult patients in Southern Malawi.

Quality of life among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi: A mixed-methods study.

Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) significantly impacts quality of life (QoL) yet data among these patients in Malawi are lacking. This study was conducted to assess QoL among patients with T2DM. A mixed-method cross-section study was conducted at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), Lilongwe, Malawi.

Global implementation research capacity building to address cardiovascular disease: An assessment of efforts in eight countries.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, but implementation of evidence-based interventions for risk factors such as hypertension is lacking, particularly in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Building implementation research capacity in LMICs is required to overcome this gap. Members of the Global Research on Implementation and Translation Science (GRIT) Consortium have been collaborating in recent years to establish a research and training infrastructure in dissemination and implementation to improve hypertension care.

Decentralized Heart Failure Management in Neno, Malawi.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death in Malawi. In rural districts, heart failure (HF) care is limited and provided by non-physicians. The causes and patient outcomes of HF in rural Africa are largely unknown.

Bivariate logistic regression model diagnostics applied to analysis of outlier cancer patients with comorbid diabetes and hypertension in Malawi.

The joint occurrence of diabetes and hypertension conditions in a patient is common. The two diseases share a number of risk factors, and are hence usually modelled concurrently using bivariate logistic regression. However, the postestimation assessment for the model, such as analysis of outlier observations, is seldom carried out.

Exploring culturally-preferred communication approaches for increased uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) services in rural Malawi.

Background: In 2007 WHO and UNAIDS recommended communication interventions as a key strategy for creating demand for Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) in Southern Africa. In Malawi, VMMC communication interventions, implemented by health communication agencies, have effectively raised awareness of services. However, high awareness of VMMC has not resulted in increased uptake.

Perceived readiness for diabetes and cardiovascular care delivery in Mangochi, Malawi: multicentre study from healthcare providers' perspectives.

Background: Despite the expected prevalence rise of 98.1% for diabetes between 2010 and 2030 in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the anticipated rise of both diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Malawi from their current figures ( 5.6 and 8.

Quality of life among cancer patients at Queen Elizabeth and Kamuzu Central Hospitals in Malawi: a cross-sectional double-center study.

Introduction: Many cancer patients experience psychosocial challenges that affect quality of life during the trajectory of their disease process. We aimed at estimating quality of life among cancer patients at two major tertiary hospitals in Malawi.

Methods: The study was conducted among 398 cancer patients using semi-structured questionnaire.