Temporal changes in cause of death among adolescents and adults in six countries in eastern and southern Africa in 1995-2019: a multi-country surveillance study of verbal autopsy data.

Background: The absence of high-quality comprehensive civil registration and vital statistics systems across many settings in Africa has led to little empirical data on causes of death in the region. We aimed to use verbal autopsy data to provide comparative, population-based estimates of cause-specific mortality among adolescents and adults in eastern and southern Africa.

Methods: In this surveillance study, we harmonised verbal autopsy and residency data from nine health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS) sites in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, each with variable coverage from Jan 1, 1995, to Dec 31, 2019.

Age-specific severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in February 2020 to June 2021 in the Netherlands.

Background: The severity of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 infection varies with age and time. Here, we quantify how age-specific risks of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death upon infection changed from February 2020 to June 2021 in the Netherlands.

Methods: A series of large representative serology surveys allowed us to estimate age-specific numbers of infections in three epidemic periods (late-February 2020 to mid-June 2020, mid-June 2020 to mid-February 2021, and mid-February 2021 to late-June 2021).

The daily updated Dutch national database on COVID-19 epidemiology, vaccination and sewage surveillance.

The Dutch national open database on COVID-19 has been incrementally expanded since its start on 30 April 2020 and now includes datasets on symptoms, tests performed, individual-level positive cases and deaths, cases and deaths among vulnerable populations, settings of transmission, hospital and ICU admissions, SARS-CoV-2 variants, viral loads in sewage, vaccinations and the effective reproduction number. This data is collected by municipal health services, laboratories, hospitals, sewage treatment plants, vaccination providers and citizens and is cleaned, analysed and published, mostly daily, by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands, using automated scripts. Because these datasets cover the key aspects of the pandemic and are available at detailed geographical level, they are essential to gain a thorough understanding of the past and current COVID-19 epidemiology in the Netherlands.

Ecological aspects shaping child labour in Tanzania's artisanal and small-scale gold mines: A qualitative inquiry.

Background: This study describes factors promoting child labour in small-scale gold mines in rural Tanzania, a pernicious problem despite the country's adoption of laws and regulations intended to curb it.

Methods: Employing a phenomenological design, we collected qualitative data using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to describe factors promoting children's engagement in small-scale gold mining activities in three districts in Tanzania. Data analysis applied constructs from the ecological system theory.

Implementation and experiences of integrated prevention of mother-to-child transmission services in Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa: A mixed methods study.

Although integration of HIV and maternal health services is recommended by the World Health Organization, evidence to guide implementation is limited. We describe facility-level implementation of policies for integrating HIV care within maternal health services and explore experiences of service users and providers in rural Tanzania (Ifakara), South Africa (uMkhanyakude) and Malawi (Karonga). Policy in all countries included HIV testing during antenatal care (ANC), same-day antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation for HIV-positive pregnant women, and postpartum referral to ART clinics, between six weeks (Malawi, South Africa) and two years after delivery (Tanzania).