Private sector engagement for immunisation programmes: a pragmatic scoping review of 25 years of evidence on good practice in low-income and middle-income countries.

Introduction: Many National Immunisation Programmes attempt to leverage the private sector ; however, there is limited consolidated and synthesised documentation on good practices, gaps and lessons learnt. A 2017 WHO guidance document recommended best practices for private sector engagement (PSE) in immunisation. We conducted a pragmatic scoping review to identify gaps, update and consolidate evidence on promising practices in PSE for vaccination.

Integrating HPV vaccine service delivery with adolescent health programmes - Experiences and perspectives from selected countries in Africa.

Primary prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is particularly important in Africa, where there is a high and accelerating burden of cervical cancer. Stakeholders have increasingly called for integration of other services with HPV vaccination in low- and middle-income countries, yet successful and sustainable integration requires intensive resource inputs, and few countries in Africa have tested integrated approaches. We describe co-author experience and previously published assessments to present the experiences of four African countries, Senegal, Togo, Tanzania, and Lesotho, with integrating HPV vaccine services with other programmes and services.

Pandemic-related resilience in HPV vaccination programmes - Perspectives from selected countries in Africa on what it will take to vaccinate 90 % of girls by 2030.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread disruptions to primary health care and other sectors, halting the majority of routine immunisation services and particularly impacting newer, less routinized HPV vaccine programmes. We present a series of five country case studies, drawing directly from frontline experiences in Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Liberia, Zambia, and Senegal to explore potential barriers and enablers of national HPV vaccine programme resiliency in the aftermath of a pandemic. A series of common themes emerged, articulating common challenges to maintaining HPV vaccine programmes, common factors that supported programme resilience, and common themes of resource needs to rebuild stronger routine immunisation programmes to face future threats.

The Role of Health Information Sources on Cervical Cancer Literacy, Knowledge, Attitudes and Screening Practices in Sub-Saharan African Women: A Systematic Review.

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Sub-Saharan African women. This systematic review aimed to identify information sources and their relation to cervical cancer knowledge, literacy, screening, and attitudes. Peer-reviewed literature was searched on 2 March 2022, and updated on 24 January 2023, in four databases-CINAHL Plus, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science.

Applying a Primary Health Care Approach to Closing the Human Resource for Health Gaps for Immunization.

This perspective is focused on the evidence on human resources for health (HRH) solutions for immunization, as a part of a primary health care (PHC) approach.. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and 50 years since the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) clocks 50 years since its inception.

Mycoplasma genitalium in pregnancy, including specific co-infections, is associated with lower birthweight: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Mycoplasma genitalium infection in pregnancy is increasingly reported at similar frequencies to other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Knowledge on its contribution to adverse pregnancy outcomes is very limited, especially relative to other STIs or bacterial vaginosis (BV). Whether M.

Prevalence of and factors associated with zero-dose and under-immunized children in selected areas of Bangladesh: Findings from Lot Quality Assurance Sampling Survey.

Background: In the era of Gavi's 5.0 vision of "leaving no one behind with immunization", childhood routine vaccination in missed communities is considered as a priority concern. Despite having a success story at the national level, low uptake of immunization is still persistent in selected pocket areas of Bangladesh.

Point-of-care testing and treatment of sexually transmitted and genital infections to improve birth outcomes in high-burden, low-resource settings (WANTAIM): a pragmatic cluster randomised crossover trial in Papua New Guinea.

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, and bacterial vaginosis have been associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes, but there is conflicting evidence on the benefits of antenatal screening and treatment for these conditions. We aimed to determine the effect of antenatal point-of-care testing and immediate treatment of C trachomatis, N gonorrhoeae, T vaginalis, and bacterial vaginosis on preterm birth, low birthweight, and other adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes compared with current standard of care, which included symptom-based treatment without laboratory confirmation.

Methods: In this pragmatic cluster randomised crossover trial, we enrolled women (aged ≥16 years) attending an antenatal clinic at 26 weeks' gestation or earlier (confirmed by obstetric ultrasound), living within approximately 1 h drive of a study clinic, and able to provide reliable contact details at ten primary health facilities and their catchment communities (clusters) in Papua New Guinea.

Measuring Zero-Dose Children: Reflections on Age Cohort Flexibilities for Targeted Immunization Surveys at the Local Level.

Zero-dose (ZD) children is a critical objective in global health, and it is at the heart of the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) strategy. Coverage for the first dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP1)-containing vaccine is the global operational indicator used to estimate ZD children. When surveys are used, DTP1 coverage estimates usually rely on information reported from caregivers of children aged 12-23 months.

Global perspectives of determinants influencing HPV vaccine introduction and scale-up in low- and middle-income countries.

Achieving WHO cervical cancer elimination goals will necessitate efforts to increase HPV vaccine access and coverage in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). Although LMICs account for the majority of cervical cancer cases globally, scale-up of HPV vaccine programs and progress toward coverage targets in LMICs has been largely insufficient. Understanding the barriers and facilitators that stakeholders face in the introduction and scale-up of HPV vaccination programs will be pivotal in ensuring that LMICs are equipped to optimize the implementation of HPV vaccination programs.

Women's experience of childbirth care in health facilities: a qualitative assessment of respectful maternity care in Afghanistan.

Background: Respectful maternity care (RMC) remains a key challenge in Afghanistan, despite progress on improving maternal and newborn health during 2001-2021. A qualitative study was conducted in 2018 to provide evidence on the situation of RMC in health facilities in Afghanistan. The results are useful to inform strategies to provide RMC in Afghanistan in spite of the humanitarian crisis due to Taliban's takeover in 2021.

Cost-effectiveness of community-based distribution of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy in Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Introduction: Malaria in pregnancy is a major driver of maternal and infant mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO recommends the administration of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) at antenatal care (ANC) visits. Despite being a highly cost-effective strategy, IPTp-SP coverage and uptake remains low.

The economic costs of malaria in pregnancy: evidence from four sub-Saharan countries.

Background Malaria in pregnancy is a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which imposes a significant economic burden. We provide evidence on the costs of malaria care in pregnancy to households and the health system in four high-burden countries in SSA.  Methods Household and health system economic costs associated with malaria control in pregnancy were estimated in selected areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar (MDG), Mozambique (MOZ) and Nigeria (NGA).

Planning, implementation, and sustaining high coverage of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs: What works in the context of low-resource countries?

Cervical cancer due to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a leading cause of mortality among women in low-resource settings. Many Sub-Saharan African countries have introduced HPV vaccination programs at the national level in the last few years. However, countries are struggling to maintain sustainable coverage.

Acceptability of an integrated school-based HPV vaccination program within two districts of Tanzania: A qualitative descriptive study.

Tanzania has one of the highest cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa. The Tanzanian Ministry of Health developed an integrated adolescent health program, HPV-Plus, that combines HPV vaccination with additional health services: nutritional assessments, vision screening, and vaccination for adolescent girls, and education for all genders. This qualitative descriptive study evaluated the acceptability of the HPV-Plus program in two districts in Tanzania.

Availability of priority maternal and newborn health indicators: Cross-sectional analysis of pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care registers from 21 countries.

Data from national health information systems are essential for routinely tracking progress, programmatic decision-making and to improve quality of services. Understanding the data elements captured in patient registers which are building blocks of national HMIS indicators, enables us to standardize data collection and measurement of key indicators for tracking progress towards achieving maternal and newborn health goals. This analysis was done through a review of antenatal care (ANC), childbirth and postnatal care (PNC) registers from 21 countries across five geographic regions.

Evaluating the potential cost-effectiveness of microarray patches to expand access to hepatitis B birth dose vaccination in low-and middle-income countries: A modelling study.

Timely birth dose vaccination is key for achieving elimination of hepatitis B, however, programmatic requirements for delivering current vaccine presentations to births outside of health facilities inhibits coverage within many low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Vaccine technologies in development such as microarray patches (MAPs) could assist in overcoming these barriers, but procurement could incur higher per-dose commodity costs than current ten-dose (US$0.34) and single-dose (US$0.

Partnership-defined quality approach to companionship during labour and birth in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea: A mixed-methods study.

Companionship during labour and birth is a critical component of quality maternal and newborn care, resulting in improved care experiences and better birth outcomes. Little is known about the preferences and experiences of companionship in Papua New Guinea (PNG), and how it can be implemented in a culturally appropriate way. The aim of this study was to describe perspectives and experiences of women, their partners and health providers regarding labour and birth companionship, identify enablers and barriers and develop a framework for implementing this intervention in PNG health facilities.

The impact of community delivery of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy on its coverage in four sub-Saharan African countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Nigeria): a quasi-experimental multicentre evaluation.

Background: Intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is recommended at each antenatal care clinic visit in high-moderate transmission areas. However, its coverage remains unacceptably low in many countries. Community health workers can effectively deliver malaria preventive interventions.

Surgical Capacity in Public and Private Health Facilities After a Five-Year Strategic Plan Implementation in Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Study.

Background: Surgical capacity is critical for ensuring optimum access to safe, affordable, and timely emergency and essential surgical care (EESC) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Ethiopia. A five-year strategic plan has been implemented during 2016-2020 in Ethiopia to improve surgical capacity.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the impact of the five-year strategy in surgical capacity in the country.

Low knowledge of newborn danger signs among pregnant women in Papua New Guinea and implications for health seeking behaviour in early infancy - findings from a longitudinal study.

Background: Globally, 2.5 million babies die in the first 28 days of life each year with most of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Early recognition of newborn danger signs is important in prompting timely care seeking behaviour.