Macroeconomic impact of Ebola outbreaks in Sub-Saharan Africa and potential mitigation of GDP loss with prophylactic Ebola vaccination programs.

Introduction: Decisions about prevention of and response to Ebola outbreaks require an understanding of the macroeconomic implications of these interventions. Prophylactic vaccines hold promise to mitigate the negative economic impacts of infectious disease outbreaks. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between outbreak size and economic impact among countries with recorded Ebola outbreaks and to quantify the hypothetical benefits of prophylactic Ebola vaccination interventions in these outbreaks.

Complementary Feeding Social and Behavior Change Communication for Fathers and Mothers Improves Children's Consumption of Fish and Eggs and Minimum Meal Frequency in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Background: Fathers are key influencers of complementary feeding practices, but few studies in low- and middle-income countries have measured the effects of complementary feeding social and behavior change communication (SBCC) targeted at both fathers and mothers.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to measure the effects of an SBCC intervention on children's dietary diversity (primary outcome) and other complementary feeding indicators, fathers' and mothers' complementary feeding knowledge, and fathers' support for complementary feeding (secondary outcomes).

Methods: The 12-mo intervention in Kaduna State, Nigeria, engaged parents through community meetings, religious services, home visits from community health extension workers (CHEWs), mobile phone messages (fathers only), and mass media.

Breastfeeding Interpersonal Communication, Mobile Phone Support, and Mass Media Messaging Increase Exclusive Breastfeeding at 6 and 24 Weeks Among Clients of Private Health Facilities in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: Although most health facilities in urban Nigeria are privately owned, interventions to promote optimal breastfeeding practices in private facilities have not previously been implemented.

Objectives: We tested the impact of a breastfeeding promotion intervention on early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding among clients of private facilities in Lagos, Nigeria.

Methods: The intervention included training for health-care providers on the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and breastfeeding counseling skills, provision of interpersonal communication and support to women at facilities and on WhatsApp, distribution of behavior change communication materials, and mobile phone and mass media messaging.

Animal Source Food Social and Behavior Change Communication Intervention Among Girinka Livestock Transfer Beneficiaries in Rwanda: A Cluster Randomized Evaluation.

Animal source foods (ASFs), including cow's milk, contain essential nutrients and contribute to a healthy diet, but frequency of intake is low among children in low- and middle-income countries. We hypothesized that an ASF social and behavior change communication (SBCC) intervention implemented by community health workers (CHWs) would increase child milk consumption and dietary diversity in households that received a cow from the Government of Rwanda's Girinka livestock transfer program. We tested the 9-month SBCC intervention among children aged 12-29 months at baseline in administrative cells randomly assigned to the intervention or control.