Autonomous Continuation of Community Health Workers' Activities in Thegon Township, Bago Region, Myanmar.

Few studies have reported on the autonomous continuation of Community Health Worker (CHW) activities after external supervision and support have ended. The study reports CHW activity continuation in Thegon Township, Bago Region, Myanmar, observed after the supervision by the external organization is completed. Following the completion of a child nutrition program in Thegon Township, CHWs were left unsupervised and uninformed of a follow-up at 10, 23, and 40 months from the end of the program survey due to unforeseen circumstances.

The impact of community-based outreach immunisation services on immunisation coverage with GIS network accessibility analysis in peri-urban areas, Zambia.

Background: Accessibility to health services is a critical determinant for health outcome.

Objectives: To examine the association between immunisation coverage and distance to an immunisation service as well as socio-demographic and economic factors before and after the introduction of outreach immunisation services, and to identify optimal locations for outreach immunisation service points in a peri-urban area in Zambia.

Methods: Repeated cross-sectional surveys were conducted for two groups of children born between 1999 and 2001, and between 2003 and 2005.

The impact of an immunization programme administered through the Growth Monitoring Programme Plus as an alternative way of implementing Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses in urban-slum areas of Lusaka, Zambia.

A time-lag study design was used to examine the effects of an immunization programme implemented through an integrated community-based child health approach called the Growth Monitoring Programme Plus (GMP+) in peri-urban areas of Lusaka, Zambia. The immunization coverage and sociodemographic data of eligible children and households were obtained from three repeated surveys in two intervention areas. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the factors affecting immunization coverage.

Access to a health facility and care-seeking for danger signs in children: before and after a community-based intervention in Lusaka, Zambia.

Objective: To assess the association of accessibility to a health facility with caregivers' care-seeking practices for children with danger signs before and after community-based intervention in Lusaka, Zambia.

Method: Health education on childhood danger signs was started in September 2003 at the monthly Growth Monitoring Program Plus (GMP+) service through various channels of health talk and one-on-one communication in a peri-urban area of Lusaka. Two repeated surveys were conducted: in 2003 to collect baseline data before the intervention and in 2006 for 3-year follow-up data.

Impact of drainage networks on cholera outbreaks in Lusaka, Zambia.

Objectives: We investigated the association between precipitation patterns and cholera outbreaks and the preventative roles of drainage networks against outbreaks in Lusaka, Zambia.

Methods: We collected data on 6542 registered cholera patients in the 2003-2004 outbreak season and on 6045 cholera patients in the 2005-2006 season. Correlations between monthly cholera incidences and amount of precipitation were examined.

Improvement in mothers' immediate care-seeking behaviors for children's danger signs through a community-based intervention in Lusaka, Zambia.

The large number of child deaths in developing countries is associated with delays in care-seeking by families, but the community-based efforts of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses developed by WHO/UNICEF has remained ineffectual. To improve caregivers' ability to recognise potentially life-threatening symptoms of major childhood illnesses, we provided education about the importance of danger signs and immediate care-seeking practices through a community-based intervention of 'the Growth Monitoring Programme Plus (GMP+)' in low-income areas of Lusaka, Zambia. Using repeated cross-sectional data from interviews, we compared attendance and non-attendance groups to assess the impacts of intervention on mothers' care-seeking.