To describe RDS in neonatal deaths at the CHAMPS-Kenya site between 2017 and 2021. We included 165 neonatal deaths whose their Causes of death (COD) were determined by a panel of experts using data from post-mortem conducted through minimally invasive tissue specimen testing, clinical records, and verbal autopsy. Twenty-six percent (43/165) of neonatal deaths were attributable to RDS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern, particularly among people living with the Human immunodeficiency Virus (PLWH). Accurate prediction of TB disease in this population is crucial for early diagnosis and effective treatment. Logistic regression and regularized machine learning methods have been used to predict TB, but their comparative performance in HIV patients remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Network (CHAMPS) identifies causes of under-5 mortality in high mortality countries.
Objective: To address challenges in postmortem nutritional assessment, we evaluated the impact of anthropometry training and the feasibility of 3D imaging on data quality within the CHAMPS Kenya site.
Design: Staff were trained using World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended manual anthropometry equipment and novel 3D imaging methods to collect postmortem measurements.
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of illness and death in children globally. Improved bacteriologic and clinical diagnostic approaches in children are urgently needed.
Methods: In a prospective cohort study, a consecutive series of young (<5 years) children presenting with symptoms suggestive of TB and parenchymal abnormality on chest radiograph in inpatient and outpatient settings in Kisumu County, Kenya from October 2013 to August 2015 were evaluated at baseline and over 6 months.
Background: The current burden of >5 million deaths yearly is the focus of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years old by 2030. To accelerate progression toward this goal, data are needed that accurately quantify the leading causes of death, so that interventions can target the common causes. By adding postmortem pathology and microbiology studies to other available data, the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network provides comprehensive evaluations of conditions leading to death, in contrast to standard methods that rely on data from medical records and verbal autopsy and report only a single underlying condition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Criterion-standard specimens for tuberculosis diagnosis in young children, gastric aspirate (GA) and induced sputum, are invasive and rarely collected in resource-limited settings. A far less invasive approach to tuberculosis diagnostic testing in children younger than 5 years as sensitive as current reference standards is important to identify.
Objective: To characterize the sensitivity of preferably minimally invasive specimen and assay combinations relative to maximum observed yield from all specimens and assays combined.