Publications by authors named "M Shakhnazarova"

Article Synopsis
  • Georgia launched the world's first Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Elimination Program in 2015 with a goal to reduce prevalence by 90% by 2020.
  • A nationwide survey in 2015 showed a 7.7% anti-HCV seroprevalence and identified key risk factors like male sex, unemployment, and injection drug use.
  • The survey revealed that 64% of those infected were unaware of their HCV status, highlighting the need for better screening and safer blood supply practices.
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Georgia had several waves of internally displaced people (IDPs) as a result of military conflicts on the territories of Abkhazia and Samachablo starting from 1990's with the latest large wave in 2008. Most of the IDPs live in compact settlements, such as old administrative buildings or specially constructed camps. In both cases, living conditions and social-economic status of IDPs are below Georgia's national average.

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Objective: Financial support from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to introduce the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) into the routine childhood immunization schedule in Georgia is ending in 2015. As a result, the Interagency Coordination Committee (ICC) decided to carry out a cost-effectiveness analysis to gather additional evidence to advocate for an appropriate evidence-based decision after GAVI support is over. The study also aimed to strengthen national capacity to conduct cost-effectiveness studies, and to introduce economic evaluations into Georgia's decision-making process.

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Background: The fifth Millennium Development Goal (MDG 5) established the goal of a 75% reduction in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR; number of maternal deaths per 100,000 livebirths) between 1990 and 2015. We aimed to measure levels and track trends in maternal mortality, the key causes contributing to maternal death, and timing of maternal death with respect to delivery.

Methods: We used robust statistical methods including the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) to analyse a database of data for 7065 site-years and estimate the number of maternal deaths from all causes in 188 countries between 1990 and 2013.

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Background: Remarkable financial and political efforts have been focused on the reduction of child mortality during the past few decades. Timely measurements of levels and trends in under-5 mortality are important to assess progress towards the Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4) target of reduction of child mortality by two thirds from 1990 to 2015, and to identify models of success.

Methods: We generated updated estimates of child mortality in early neonatal (age 0-6 days), late neonatal (7-28 days), postneonatal (29-364 days), childhood (1-4 years), and under-5 (0-4 years) age groups for 188 countries from 1970 to 2013, with more than 29,000 survey, census, vital registration, and sample registration datapoints.

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