Clinical features and treatment outcomes of visceral leishmaniasis patients admitted to three centers in Oromia, Ethiopia.

Introduction: In three health care facilities in the Oromia region, the aim of this study is to report on 1) the number of VL cases registered over time (2013-2018) and 2) the clinical profile, type of treatment used and response to treatment.

Methodology: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among all VL cases admitted with a diagnosis of VL.

Results: A total of 434 VL cases were registered at the three health facilities, but patient files were available for only 188.

How can integrated care and research assist in achieving the SDG targets for diabetes, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS?

Integrating the management and care of communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and non-communicable diseases, particularly diabetes mellitus (DM), may help to achieve the ambitious health-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3.3 and 3.4) by 2030.

Integration of tobacco cessation and tuberculosis management by NGOs in urban India: a mixed-methods study.

Tobacco use compromises tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes. Tobacco cessation is beneficial to TB patients at the individual level and from the perspective of a larger spectrum of non-communicable diseases associated with tobacco use. We assessed feasibility, effectiveness and provider perceptions on integrating brief tobacco cessation advice into routine TB care by DOTS providers from 27 TB treatment centres run by three non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in urban India.

Assessment of household ownership of bed nets in areas with and without artemisinin resistance containment measures in Myanmar.

Background: Myanmar lies in the Greater Mekong Subregion where there is artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. As the artemisinin compound is the pillar of effective antimalarial therapies, containing the spread of artemisinin resistance is a national and global priority. The use of insecticide-treated bed nets/long-lasting insecticidal nets (ITNs/LLINs) is the key intervention for ensuring the reduction of malaria transmission and the spread of resistant strains, and for eventually eliminating malaria.

Provision of emergency obstetric care at secondary level in a conflict setting in a rural area of Afghanistan - is the hospital fulfilling its role?

Background: Provision of Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC) reduces maternal mortality and should include three components: Basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (BEmONC) offered at primary care level, Comprehensive EmONC (CEmONC) at secondary level and a good referral system in-between. In a conflict-affected province of Afghanistan (Khost), we assessed the performance of an Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) run CEmONC hospital without a primary care and referral system. Performance was assessed in terms of hospital utilisation for obstetric emergencies and quality of obstetric care.

Closing the gap: decentralising mental health care to primary care centres in one rural district of Rwanda.

Programmes that integrate mental health care into primary care settings could reduce the global burden of mental disorders by increasing treatment availability in resource-limited settings, including Rwanda. We describe patient demographics, service use and retention of patients in care at health centres (HC) participating in an innovative primary care integration programme, compared to patients using existing district hospital-based specialised out-patient care. This was a retrospective cohort study using routinely collected data from six health centres and one district hospital from October 2014 to March 2015.

Tuberculosis among migrants in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Twenty-two first-line, two second-line and one tertiary health facility in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Among migrants, a marginalised population at risk for acquiring and transmitting tuberculosis (TB), we determined the proportion with TB among all registered TB cases. For those registered at primary-level facilities, we then reported on their demographic and clinical profiles and TB treatment outcomes.

Using mobile phones to ensure that referred tuberculosis patients reach their treatment facilities: a call that makes a difference.

Background: Over the last decade, the availability and use of mobile phones have grown exponentially globally and in Cambodia. In the Sihanouk Hospital Centre of Hope(SHCH) in Cambodia about half of all tuberculosis patients referred out to peripheral health facilities for TB treatment initiation or continuation were lost to contact after referral ranging from 19 to 69% between 2008 and 2013. To address this, we implemented a mobile phone-based patient tracking intervention.

Do incentivised community workers in informal settlements influence maternal and infant health in urban India?

The introduction of accredited social health activists (ASHAs, community workers) in the community is encouraged by the Government of India as being of universal benefit for maternal and infant health. In two informal settlements in Chandigarh, India, one with ASHAs and the other without, we assessed 1) whether ASHAs influenced certain selected maternal and infant health indicators, and 2) perceptions among women who did not contact the ASHAs. This was a mixed-methods study conducted from April 2013 to March 2016 using quantitative (retrospective programme data) and qualitative (free-listing) components.

Ten tips to improve the visibility and dissemination of research for policy makers and practitioners.

Effective dissemination of evidence is important in bridging the gap between research and policy. In this paper, we list 10 approaches for improving the visibility of research findings, which in turn will hopefully contribute towards changes in policy. Current approaches include using social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn); sharing podcasts and other research outputs such as conference papers, posters, presentations, reports, protocols, preprint copy and research data (figshare, Zenodo, Slideshare, Scribd); and using personal blogs and unique author identifiers (ORCID, ResearcherID).

Effects of the 2014 Ebola outbreak on antenatal care and delivery outcomes in Liberia: a nationwide analysis.

All health facilities, public and private, in Liberia, West Africa. To determine access to antenatal care (ANC), deliveries and their outcomes before, during and after the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study.

The Ebola outbreak and staffing in public health facilities in rural Sierra Leone: who is left to do the job?

The 82 public health facilities of rural Kailahun District, Sierra Leone. The 2014-2015 Ebola virus disease outbreak in Sierra Leone led the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and stakeholders to set minimum standards of staffing (medical/non-medical) for a basic package of essential health services (BPEHS). No district-level information exists on staffing levels in relation to the Ebola outbreak.

Paediatric care in relation to the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak and general reporting of deaths in Sierra Leone.

All peripheral health units countrywide in Sierra Leone and one hospital in Port Loko. Sierra Leone was severely affected by the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak, whose impact on paediatric care and mortality reports merits assessment. We sought to compare the periods before, during and after the Ebola outbreak, the countrywide trend in morbidities in children aged < 5 years and exit outcomes in one district hospital (Port Loko).

Influence of the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak on the vaccination of children in a rural district of Guinea.

All health centres in Macenta District, rural Guinea. To compare stock-outs of vaccines, vaccine stock cards and the administration of various childhood vaccines across the pre-Ebola, Ebola and post-Ebola virus disease periods. This was an ecological study.

A crisis of protection and safe passage: violence experienced by migrants/refugees travelling along the Western Balkan corridor to Northern Europe.

Background: Pushed by ongoing conflicts and pulled by the desire for a better life, over one million migrants/refugees transited Balkan countries and arrived in Europe during 2015 and early 2016. To curb this influx, European countries instituted restrictive migration policies often characterized by building of razor-wire border fences and border closures. Among migrants/refugees who received mental health care in Serbia while travelling through Balkan countries to Northern Europe, we assessed the prevalence and patterns of violent events experienced including physical trauma.

Effect of the 2014/2015 Ebola outbreak on reproductive health services in a rural district of Guinea: an ecological study.

Background: The 2014/2015 Ebola outbreak was the most sustained in history. In Guinea, we compared trends in family planning, antenatal care, and institutional deliveries over the period before, during and after the outbreak.

Methods: We carried out an ecological study involving all the health facilities during pre-Ebola (1 March 2013 to 28 February 2014), intra-Ebola (1 March 2014 to 28 February 2015) and post-Ebola (1 March to 31 July 2016) periods in Macenta district.

Emergency obstetric care in a rural district of Burundi: What are the surgical needs?

Objectives: In a rural district hospital in Burundi offering Emergency Obstetric care-(EmOC), we assessed the a) characteristics of women at risk of, or with an obstetric complication and their types b) the number and type of obstetric surgical procedures and anaesthesia performed c) human resource cadres who performed surgery and anaesthesia and d) hospital exit outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of EmOC data (2011 and 2012).

Results: A total of 6084 women were referred for EmOC of whom 2534(42%) underwent a major surgical procedure while 1345(22%) required a minor procedure (36% women did not require any surgical procedure).

How do low-birthweight neonates fare 2 years after discharge from a low-technology neonatal care unit in a rural district hospital in Burundi?

Objectives: As neonatal care is being scaled up in economically poor settings, there is a need to know more on post-hospital discharge and longer-term outcomes. Of particular interest are mortality, prevalence of developmental impairments and malnutrition, all known to be worse in low-birthweight neonates (LBW, <2500 g). Getting a better handle on these parameters might justify and guide support interventions.

Offering general pediatric care during the hard times of the 2014 Ebola outbreak: looking back at how many came and how well they fared at a Médecins Sans Frontières referral hospital in rural Sierra Leone.

Background: In Bo district, rural Sierra Leone, we assessed the burden of the 2014 Ebola outbreak on under-five consultations at a primary health center and the quality of care for under-15 children at a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) referral hospital.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study, comparing a period before (May-October 2013) and during the same period of the Ebola outbreak (2014). Health worker infections occurred at the outbreak peak (October 2014), resulting in hospital closure due to fear of occupational-risk of contracting Ebola.

Prevalence and diagnostics of congenital malaria in rural Burundi, a cross-sectional study.

Background: Congenital malaria, defined as the presence of asexual forms of malaria parasites in the peripheral blood during the first 7 days of life, remains a neglected area of research. Knowledge gaps exist about prevalence and management of malaria in this age group. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of congenital malaria and the validity of a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for its diagnosis in rural Burundi.

Is adjunctive naturopathy associated with improved glycaemic control and a reduction in need for medications among type 2 Diabetes patients? A prospective cohort study from India.

Background: With an estimated 65 million Diabetes Mellitus (DM) patients, India ranks second in the world in terms of DM burden. The emphasis of current medical practice has been on pharmacotherapy but, despite the best combination therapies, acheiving glycaemic control (reduction of blood sugar to desirable levels) is a challenge. 'Integrated Naturopathy and Yoga'(INY) is an alternative system of medicine that lays emphasis on the role of diet and physical exercise.

Building Global Capacity for Conducting Operational Research Using the SORT IT Model: Where and Who?

Setting: Research capacity is weakest in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) where operational research is highly relevant and needed. Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative (SORT IT) courses have been developed to train participants to conduct and publish operational research and influence policy and practice. Twenty courses were completed in Asia, Africa, Europe and the South Pacific between 2009 and 2014.

HIV and tuberculosis in prisons in sub-Saharan Africa.

Given the dual epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis in sub-Saharan Africa and evidence suggesting a disproportionate burden of these diseases among detainees in the region, we aimed to investigate the epidemiology of HIV and tuberculosis in prison populations, describe services available and challenges to service delivery, and identify priority areas for programmatically relevant research in sub-Saharan African prisons. To this end, we reviewed literature on HIV and tuberculosis in sub-Saharan African prisons published between 2011 and 2015, and identified data from only 24 of the 49 countries in the region. Where data were available, they were frequently of poor quality and rarely nationally representative.

Caesarean sections in rural Burundi: how well are mothers doing two years on?

Setting: A caesarean section (C-section) is a life-saving emergency intervention. Avoiding pregnancies for at least 24 months after a C-section is important to prevent uterine rupture and maternal death.

Objectives: Two years following an emergency C-section, in rural Burundi, we assessed complications and maternal death during the post-natal period, uptake and compliance with family planning, subsequent pregnancies and their maternal and neonatal outcomes.