Publications by authors named "F M-T F Behets"
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) contributes to liver-related morbidity and mortality throughout Africa despite effective antivirals. HCV is endemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) but data on HCV/HIV co-infection in pregnancy is limited. We estimated the prevalence of and risk factors for HCV/HIV co-infection among pregnant women in the Kinshasa province of the DRC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Social support and relevant skills training can reduce the risk of postpartum depression (PPD) by reducing the impact of stressors. The 10-step program to encourage exclusive breastfeeding that forms the basis of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) provides both, suggesting it may lessen depressive symptoms directly or by reducing difficulties associated with infant feeding. Our objective was to quantify the association of implementing Steps 1-9 or Steps 1-10 on postpartum depressive symptoms and test whether this association was mediated by breastfeeding difficulties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has raised important universal public health challenges. Conceiving ethical responses to these challenges is a public health imperative but must take context into account. This is particularly important in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a surge in discussions around bioethics, particularly regarding the fair allocation of limited medical resources.
- Instead of proposing another allocation model, the essay emphasizes the importance of context in decision-making, particularly regarding recommendations from high-income countries.
- The authors highlight potential negative impacts of applying these universal ethical guidelines in low-income regions like sub-Saharan Africa without considering local circumstances.
Introduction: Published data on viral suppression among pregnant and breastfeeding women in routine care settings are scarce. Here, we report provincial estimates of undetectable and suppressed viral load among pregnant or breastfeeding women in HIV care in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and associated risk factors.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted as part of a baseline assessment for the CQI-PMTCT study: an ongoing cluster randomized trial to evaluate the effect of continuous quality interventions (CQI) on long-term ART outcomes among pregnant and breastfeeding women (NCT03048669).