Impact of population based indoor residual spraying in combination with mass drug administration on malaria incidence and test positivity in a high transmission setting in north eastern Uganda.

Background: Mass drug administration (MDA) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) are potent malaria burden reduction tools. The impact of combining MDA and IRS is not well documented. We evaluated the impact of MDA + IRS compared to IRS alone at a high transmission site in Eastern Uganda.

Impact of population based indoor residual spraying with and without mass drug administration with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine on malaria prevalence in a high transmission setting: a quasi-experimental controlled before-and-after trial in northeastern Uganda.

Background: Declines in malaria burden in Uganda have slowed. Modelling predicts that indoor residual spraying (IRS) and mass drug administration (MDA), when co-timed, have synergistic impact. This study investigated additional protective impact of population-based MDA on malaria prevalence, if any, when added to IRS, as compared with IRS alone and with standard of care (SOC).

Current malaria infection, previous malaria exposure, and clinical profiles and outcomes of COVID-19 in a setting of high malaria transmission: an exploratory cohort study in Uganda.

Background: The potential effects of SARS-CoV-2 and co-infection on host susceptibility and pathogenesis remain unknown. We aimed to establish the prevalence of malaria and describe the clinical characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and co-infection in a high-burden malaria setting.

Methods: This was an exploratory prospective, cohort study of patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to hospital in Uganda.

An assessment of the knowledge, practices and resources during the delivery of malaria health care services among private health care practitioners: a cross section study in the Mid-Western Region of Uganda.

Background: Approximately 50 % of the population in Uganda seeks health care from private facilities but there is limited data on the quality of care for malaria in these facilities. This study aimed to document the knowledge, practices and resources during the delivery of malaria care services, among private health practitioners in the Mid-Western region of Uganda, an area of moderate malaria transmission.

Methods: This was a cross sectional study in which purposive sampling was used to select fifteen private-for-profit facilities from each district.

Relationships between test positivity rate, total laboratory confirmed cases of malaria, and malaria incidence in high burden settings of Uganda: an ecological analysis.

Background: Malaria surveillance is critical for monitoring changes in malaria morbidity over time. National Malaria Control Programmes often rely on surrogate measures of malaria incidence, including the test positivity rate (TPR) and total laboratory confirmed cases of malaria (TCM), to monitor trends in malaria morbidity. However, there are limited data on the accuracy of TPR and TCM for predicting temporal changes in malaria incidence, especially in high burden settings.

Quality of healthcare for children with severe acute malnutrition in a refugee setting: cross-sectional study in West Nile Region, Uganda.

Objectives: 5.0 million annual deaths in low-income and middle-income countries are due to poor quality of care (QOC). We evaluated the QOC provided to malnourished children in West Nile Region in Uganda.

The Impact of Control Interventions on Malaria Burden in Young Children in a Historically High-Transmission District of Uganda: A Pooled Analysis of Cohort Studies from 2007 to 2018.

There is limited evidence on whether malaria elimination is feasible in high-transmission areas of Africa. Between 2007 and 2018, we measured the impact of malaria control interventions in young children enrolled in three clinical trials and two observational studies in Tororo, Uganda, a historically high-transmission area. Data were pooled from children aged 0.

Utilization of safe male circumcision among adult men in a fishing community in rural Uganda.

Background: In Uganda, most-at-riskpopulations(MARPs) such as fishing communities remain vulnerable to preventable HIV acquisition. Safe Male Circumcision (SMC) has been incorporated into Uganda's HIV prevention strategies. This study aimed at determining SMC utilization and associated factors among adult men in a rural fishing community in Uganda.

Supportive supervision to improve the quality and outcome of outpatient care among malnourished children: a cluster randomised trial in Arua district, Uganda.

Introduction: Suboptimal quality of paediatric care has been reported in resource-limited settings, but little evidence exists on interventions to improve it in such settings. This study aimed at testing supportive supervision (SS) for improving health status of malnourished children, quality of case management, overall quality of care, and the absolute number of children enrolled in the nutritional services.

Methods: This was a cluster randomised trial conducted in Arua district.

Implementing population-based mass drug administration for malaria: experience from a high transmission setting in North Eastern Uganda.

Background: Mass drug administration (MDA) is a suggested mean to accelerate efforts towards elimination and attainment of malaria-free status. There is limited evidence of suitable methods of implementing MDA programme to achieve a high coverage and compliance in low-income countries. The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of this MDA delivery strategy while using coverage measured as effective population in the community and population available.

Improving the quality of neonatal data capture and clinical care at a tertiary-care hospital in Uganda through enhanced surveillance, training and mentorship.

: Accurate documentation of neonatal morbidity and mortality is limited in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This project aimed to establish a surveillance system for neonatal conditions as an approach to improving the quality of neonatal care.: A systematic data capture and surveillance system was established at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda using a standardised neonatal medical record form which collected detailed individual patient level data.

Implementation of the WHO manual for Robson classification: an example from Sri Lanka using a local database for developing quality improvement recommendations.

Objectives: This study aimed at describing the use of a prospective database on hospital deliveries for analysing caesarean section (CS) practices according to the WHO manual for Robson classification, and for developing recommendations for improving the quality of care (QoC).

Design: Observational study.

Setting: University Obstetric Unit at De Soysa Hospital for Women, the largest maternity unit in Sri Lanka.

Implementation of an individual patient prospective database of hospital births in Sri Lanka and its use for improving quality of care.

Objectives: This study was aimed at piloting a prospective individual patient database on hospital deliveries in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and at exploring its use for developing recommendations for improving quality of care (QoC).

Design: Observational study.

Setting: De Soysa Maternity Hospital, the largest referral hospital for maternity care in Sri Lanka.

Community facilitators and barriers to a successful implementation of mass drug administration and indoor residual spraying for malaria prevention in Uganda: a qualitative study.

Background: There is growing interest to add mass drug administration (MDA) to the already existing malaria prevention strategies, such as indoor residual spraying (IRS). However, successful MDA and IRS requires high population-wide coverage, emphasizing the importance of community acceptance. This study's objectives were to identify community-level facilitators and barriers during the implementation of both MDA and IRS in communities with high malaria transmission intensity.

Quality of care for children with acute malnutrition at health center level in Uganda: a cross sectional study in West Nile region during the refugee crisis.

Background: Arua district, in Uganda, hosts some of the largest refugee camps in the country. The estimated prevalence of moderate and severe acute malnutrition in children is higher than the national estimates (10.4 and 5.

Long lasting insecticidal bed nets ownership, access and use in a high malaria transmission setting before and after a mass distribution campaign in Uganda.

Introduction: Uganda is conducting a second mass LLIN distribution campaign and Katakwi district recently received LLINs as part of this activity. This study was conducted to measure the success of the campaign in this setting, an area of high transmission, with the objectives to estimate LLIN ownership, access and use pre and post campaign implementation.

Methods: Two identical cross sectional surveys, based on the Malaria Indicator Survey methodology, were conducted in three sub-counties in this district (Kapujan, Magoro and Toroma), six months apart, one before and another after the mass distribution campaign.

Willingness by people living with HIV/AIDS to utilize HIV services provided by Village Health team workers in Kalungu district, central Uganda.

Background: Less than one quarter of people in need have access to HIV services in Uganda. This study assessed willingness of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) to utilize HIV services provided by Village Health Teams (VHTs) in Kalungu district, central Uganda.

Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted in two health facilities providing anti-retroviral therapy enrolled 312 PLWHAs.

Malaria incidence among children less than 5 years during and after cessation of indoor residual spraying in Northern Uganda.

Background: In June 2015, a malaria epidemic was confirmed in ten districts of Northern Uganda; after cessation of indoor residual spraying (IRS). Epidemic was defined as an increase in incidence per month beyond one standard deviation above mean incidence of previous 5 years. Trends in malaria incidence among children-under-5-years were analysed so as to describe the extent of change in incidence prior to and after cessation of IRS.

Factors associated with malaria parasitaemia among children under 5 years in Uganda: a secondary data analysis of the 2014 Malaria Indicator Survey dataset.

Background: In the midst of success with malaria reduction in Uganda, there are areas that still have high prevalence of malaria parasitaemia. This project aimed at investigating factors associated with this prevalence and its relationship with anaemia.

Methods: This is a secondary data analysis of the 2014 Malaria Indicator Survey dataset of children under 5 years.

Analgesic Effects of Preincision Ketamine on Postspinal Caesarean Delivery in Uganda's Tertiary Hospital: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

. Good postoperative analgesic management improves maternal satisfaction and care of the neonate. Postoperative pain management is a challenge in Mulago Hospital, yet ketamine is accessible and has proven benefit.

Oral zinc for treating diarrhoea in children.

Background: In developing countries, diarrhoea causes around 500,000 child deaths annually. Zinc supplementation during acute diarrhoea is currently recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Objectives: To evaluate oral zinc supplementation for treating children with acute or persistent diarrhoea.

Abnormal Admission Chest X-Ray and MEWS as ICU Outcome Predictors in a Sub-Saharan Tertiary Hospital: A Prospective Observational Study.

. Critical care in Uganda is a neglected speciality and deemed costly with limited funding/prioritization. We studied admission X-ray and MEWS as mortality predictors of ICU patients requiring mechanical ventilation.

Neurocysticercosis among patients with first time seizure in Northern Namibia.

Introduction: Neurocysticercosis is a common cause of seizures in low resource countries. There is a paucity of data regarding the extent of this infection in Namibia. There are multiple causes of First-time seizure including electrolyte abnormalities, infections, trauma, drugs, alcohol and many times no apparent cause can be found.

The challenge of using intermittent preventive therapy with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine among pregnant women in Uganda.

Background: The Uganda National Malaria Control Programme recommends the use of intermittent preventive therapy in pregnancy with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) to prevent malaria, however, there is overwhelming evidence of low uptake of this intervention. This study, therefore, sought to examine the factors associated with taking two or more doses of therapy among women who had had the most recent live birth.

Methods: This was a secondary data analysis of the 2014 Malaria Indicator Survey dataset.

Population Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Lumefantrine in Young Ugandan Children Treated With Artemether-Lumefantrine for Uncomplicated Malaria.

Background: The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of lumefantrine, a component of the most widely used treatment for malaria, artemether-lumefantrine, has not been adequately characterized in young children.

Methods: Capillary whole-blood lumefantrine concentration and treatment outcomes were determined in 105 Ugandan children, ages 6 months to 2 years, who were treated for 249 episodes of Plasmodium falciparum malaria with artemether-lumefantrine.

Results: Population pharmacokinetics for lumefantrine used a 2-compartment open model with first-order absorption.