Advancing maternal and perinatal health in low- and middle-income countries: A multi-country review of policies and programmes.

The Sustainable Development Goals prioritize maternal mortality reduction, with a global average target of < 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. Current pace of reduction is far short of what is needed to achieve the global target. It is estimated that globally there are 300,000 maternal deaths, 2.

Characterizing HIV-1 Genetic Subtypes and Drug Resistance Mutations among Children, Adolescents and Pregnant Women in Sierra Leone.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) drug resistance (HIVDR) is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable, and laboratory testing capacity remains limited. We, therefore, used a cross-sectional design and convenience sampling to characterize HIV subtypes and resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) in these groups in Sierra Leone.

Assessing eligibility for differentiated service delivery, HIV services utilization and virologic outcomes of adult HIV-infected patients in Sierra Leone: a pre-implementation analysis.

Background: There are limited data to help guide implementation of differentiated HIV service delivery (DSD) in resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objectives: This pre-implementation study sought to assess the proportion of patients eligible for DSD and HIV services utilization, as well as risk factor analysis of virologic failure in Sierra Leone.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of adult HIV-infected patients aged 18 years and older receiving care at the largest HIV treatment center in Sierra Leone 2019-2020.

Prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and serological markers of other endemic infections in HIV-infected children, adolescents and pregnant women in Sierra Leone: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of serological markers of HBV and endemic acute and chronic infections (HAV, HCV, CMV, HTLV-1/2 and syphilis) in HIV-infected children, adolescents and pregnant women in Sierra Leone.

Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study at the national children's and women's hospitals in Freetown. Logistic regression was used to assess predictors of HBsAg positivity.

Factors influencing adherence to the new intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy policy in Keta District of the Volta region, Ghana.

Background: About 25% of pregnant women in malaria-endemic areas are infected with malaria and this accounts for about 15% of maternal deaths globally. Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) is one of the main strategies for prevention of malaria in pregnancy. A new recommendation was made by the World Health Organization (WHO) that at least three doses of IPTp-SP should be administered before delivery.

Sequelae and Other Conditions in Ebola Virus Disease Survivors, Sierra Leone, 2015.

We rapidly assessed the health of Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors in Kenema, Sierra Leone, by reviewing medical charts of all patients attending the Survivor Clinic of Kenema Government Hospital. Data were abstracted on signs and symptoms at every attendance. As of November 2015, a total of 621 attendances by 115 survivors with laboratory-confirmed EVD were made to the Survivor Clinic.