Probiotics for children with uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition (PruSAM study): A randomized controlled trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) contributes to nearly 1 million deaths annually worldwide, with diarrhea and pneumonia being the common morbidity associated with mortality.

Objectives: To assess the effect of probiotics on diarrhea, pneumonia, and nutritional recovery in children with uncomplicated SAM.

Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted involving 400 children with uncomplicated SAM randomly assigned to ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) either with (n = 200) or without (n = 200) probiotics.

Delayed initiation of breastfeeding in Bukavu, South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Timely initiation of breastfeeding can decrease neonatal mortality. However, about 50% of newborns are not breastfeed within 1 h of birth in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with delayed initiation of breastfeeding in an urban and rural area of Bukavu, South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

The validity of the biological eligibility criteria to antiretroviral treatment in comparison to the systematic antiretroviral treatment in a cohort of people living with the HIV in the Southern Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Introduction: The late screening of the majority of patients in sub Saharan region would justify a systematic antiretroviral treatment without breaking the country programs vision. he objective of this study was to determine the validity of biological eligibility criteria to antiretroviral treatment compared with systematic antiretroviral treatment in a cohort of the people living with HIV in Bukavu city.

Methods: One thousand hundred and forty-nine (1149) records of people living with HIV (PLWIV) followed in three HIV health care facilities of Bukavu city were selected systematically.