4,401 results match your criteria: "Sierra Leone; Cleveland Clinic[Affiliation]"

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a significant public health concern worldwide. These infections can have severe consequences for women's health, including pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and increased risk of HIV acquisition. Understanding the prevalence and factors associated with STIs among women in Sierra Leone is crucial to developing effective prevention and treatment strategies.

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Prevalence of syphilis among men serving in the militaries of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sex Transm Dis

November 2024

Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, San Diego, California, USA.

Article Synopsis
  • The 2030 UN Agenda aims to eliminate STIs as a public health threat, but data on STI prevalence, especially among men in middle and low-income countries, is insufficient.
  • The study analyzed survey data from military personnel across several African countries (Cameroon, Chad, DRC, etc.) between 2013-2018 to estimate active syphilis prevalence and its associations with demographic factors.
  • Results showed low syphilis prevalence (<1%) in most countries, with notably higher rates in Chad (6.2%) and DRC (15.5%), highlighting a critical need for better epidemiological surveillance in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Objectives: This study aims to identify the factors influencing vaccine hesitancy, willingness and its variation over time in order to inform more responsive strategies for increasing vaccination uptake. The specific objectives are: (1) to describe and compare levels of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the general population in rural and urban settings in West Africa over time and (2) to identify factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination willingness and hesitancy among the general population across five West African countries over time.

Design: Following a baseline survey (Wave I), three serial cross-sectional surveys (Waves II-IV) were implemented.

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Background: This study explores the impact of community-based health literacy interventions on the health and mental well-being of disadvantaged young Africans in Zambia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and South Africa. The pandemic has exacerbated mental health problems amongst children and young people, underscoring the urgent need for equitable access to mental healthcare resources. Emphasizing the importance of equitable access to mental healthcare resources, the research addresses educational and income disparities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly amongst young Africans with disabilities or vulnerabilities.

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The West Africa One Health project is a multi-country project designed to utilise the One Health approach and deploy the Community Action Networks (CAN), a concept rooted in the principles of community-based participatory research, to improve knowledge of high-risk communities on zoonoses. The majority of emerging zoonoses occur at the human-wildlife interface, of which wildlife hunters and traders are critical stakeholders. We assessed the effectiveness of a CAN-based intervention involving the use of a video documentary and case studies as model tools in improving the knowledge of zoonoses among wildlife hunters and traders in Epe, an established hunting community in Lagos State, Nigeria.

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The 2013-2016 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic in West Africa was the deadliest in history, with over 28,000 cases. Numerous physical and mental health symptoms have been reported in EVD survivors, although there is limited prior research on how the health of survivors compares to the general population. We conducted a survey of EVD survivors in Kenema District, Sierra Leone and a population-based sample of community members who lived in EVD-affected areas but were not diagnosed with EVD, and compared resulting data about self-reported symptoms, duration, and severity between EVD survivors and community members through multivariate regression models.

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Data sharing considerations and practice among health researchers in Africa: A scoping review.

Digit Health

October 2024

Wits Cricket Research Hub for Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Objective: To examine the way African health researchers share data. It summarized the types of data collected, the data sharing platforms, and how the geographical distribution of the African-based health researchers influenced data sharing practices. Ethical, legal, and social aspects were considered.

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Article Synopsis
  • Intestinal worm infections during pregnancy pose serious health risks for women and babies in low-income countries, but deworming medications can help mitigate these risks and improve health outcomes.
  • A study in Sierra Leone from 2008 to 2019 analyzed deworming medication use among pregnant women, utilizing surveys and health equity assessment tools to identify trends and inequalities based on age, economic status, education, residence, and province.
  • The findings revealed an overall increase in deworming prevalence, but persistent inequalities related to economic status and education, alongside a notable reduction in age-related and provincial inequalities over the study period.
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Background: Adherence to anti-seizure medication (ASM) by people diagnosed with epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa remains low. The factors for low adherence are not well understood. To improve adherence, it is important to understand the perceptions and views of healthcare professionals delivering epilepsy care to this population.

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Implementation of digital chest radiography for childhood tuberculosis diagnosis at district hospital level in six high tuberculosis burden and resources limited countries.

Trop Med Int Health

November 2024

Translational Research on HIV and Endemic and Emerging Infectious Diseases (TransVIHMI), University of Montpellier, National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), Montpellier, France.

Objectives: Chest x-ray (CXR) plays an important role in childhood tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, but access to quality CXR remains a major challenge in resource-limited settings. Digital CXR (d-CXR) can solve some image quality issues and facilitate their transfer for quality control. We assess the implementation of introducing d-CXR in 12 district hospitals (DHs) in 2021-2022 across Cambodia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Uganda as part of the TB-speed decentralisation study on childhood TB diagnosis.

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Cesarean section (CS) is a life-saving procedure when performed for the right indication but carries substantial risks, specifically during subsequent pregnancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate obstetric outcomes for women 5 years after a CS performed by medical doctors and associate clinicians. This was a prospective multi-center observational study of women who had a CS at any of nine hospitals in Sierra Leone.

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Article Synopsis
  • Low- and middle-income countries are encouraged to conduct integrated vaccination campaigns to maximize resource efficiency, yet the financial implications of such approaches remain unclear.
  • A study analyzed the costs of integrated vaccination campaigns in Sierra Leone and Nigeria, revealing average delivery costs of $0.34 and $0.29-$0.35 per dose, respectively.
  • The research indicated that integrating campaigns can lead to significant savings, with Anambra state potentially saving over $1.2 million by delivering yellow fever and meningitis A vaccines together.
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We construct a new metapopulation model for the transmission dynamics and control of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in an environment characterized by considerable migrations and travels of people. It is an extended SEIR model modified by the addition of Quarantine and Isolated compartments to account for travelers who undergo the exit screening. The model is well-fitted by using the reported cases from the neighboring countries Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone where the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak simultaneously arose.

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During the last decade, global health security has been threatened by major Ebola virus disease outbreaks in Western Africa (2014 to 2016) and in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (2018 to 2020). Particularly in Western Africa, the outbreak initially overwhelmed health care capacity in already fragile health systems. Thousands of survivors were at risk of newly recognized postacute ocular complications, and their need for urgent ophthalmic care challenged national vision health systems with scarce eye care services.

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A range of challenges exists regarding vitreoretinal (VR) surgical services in resource-limited settings, including Sierra Leone. As a result, retinal pathologies may contribute to vision loss and blindness. In the wake of the 2013 to 2016 outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa, gaps in ophthalmic care were underscored as survivors were experiencing a constellation of sequelae, including uveitis and VR disease.

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Objective: To assess the socioeconomic inequality in postnatal care (PNC) utilisation and its contributors among women in 14 sub-Saharan African countries with high maternal mortality.

Design: Community-based cross-sectional study using Demographic Health Survey SETTING: Africa countries with the highest maternal mortality ratio (14 countries) PARTICIPANTS: All women who had given birth within 2 years prior to the survey (n=64 912) PRIMARY OUTCOMES: Postnatal care utilisation RESULTS: The percentage of women who had PNC utilisation was lowest in Ethiopia (23.4%: 95% CI: 22.

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Background: Diarrhea is a leading cause of death among children <5 years of age and can have long-term adverse consequences for human development. The World Health Organization has recommended the therapeutic use of zinc for the treatment of diarrhea, along with oral rehydration solutions, since 2004. We studied recent trends in the use of zinc to treat diarrhea in 23 low- and middle-income countries.

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Background: Antenatal care is vital for maternal health and wellbeing, with the World Health Organization recommending a minimum of eight visits during pregnancy. In this study, we examined the regional disparities and factors associated with eight or more antenatal care visits in Ghana.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey.

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Background: Early marriage, the formal or informal union before age 18, remains a critical challenge in several low-and middle-income countries. It has adverse health and education-related implications on child brides. This study examined the regional distribution of early marriage and its associated factors in Ghana.

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There is increased awareness of the gendered impacts of outbreaks, including an exacerbation of violence against women and disruptions to essential health service delivery for women. However, there is limited understanding of women's own experiences of deciding to use the health system after experiencing violence in settings affected by major emergent outbreaks like Ebola and COVID-19. Drawing on data from 37 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions conducted in Sierra Leone we described survivors' help-seeking pathways and interactions with the health system.

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Participatory development of training videos for respiratory equipment.

Bull World Health Organ

November 2024

Medical Devices and Diagnostics, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

Problem: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, medical oxygen therapy was urgently needed for patients with hypoxaemia. Many low- and middle-income countries lacked the medical devices for oxygen therapy and experience in their use.

Approach: In addition to providing medical devices for oxygen therapy for countries in need, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners developed training videos to help local health workers select, use and maintain this equipment.

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Climate change is intensifying rainfall erosivity and soil erosion in West Africa.

Sci Total Environ

December 2024

Department of Water Resources Management and Agrometeorology, Federal University, PMB 373, Oye, Ekiti 371104, Nigeria.

Soil erosion is a critical environmental challenge with significant implications for agriculture, water quality, and ecosystem stability. Understanding its dynamics is essential for sustainable environmental management and societal welfare. Here, we analyze rainfall erosivity and erosion patterns across West Africa (WAF) during the historical (1982-2014), near future (2028-2060), and far future (2068-2100) periods under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs 370 and 585).

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Leg torsion and distal asymmetry (LTDA) among cows reared on intensive farms in the Comarca Lagunera region of northern Mexico may be indicative of underlying health concerns. To ascertain whether the incidence of LTDA is associated with trough measurements and with productive, reproductive, and disease variables, the prevalence of LTDA was determined in lactating dairy cows. The data were derived from two intensive dairy farms in northern Mexico (G60: 2043 cows in 13 pens with 142.

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Background: Unmet need for birth spacing can significantly impact maternal and child health outcomes, leading to unintended or mistimed births, neonatal mortality, pregnancy loss, induced abortions, small-sized births, and malnutrition. Considering the role of women empowerment in women's sexual and reproductive health, we examined the association between the survey-based women's empowerment index (SWPER) and unmet need for spacing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Methods: We used data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 21 in SSA conducted between 2015 and 2021.

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The Ebola Data Platform (EDP) was developed to strengthen knowledge and capacity across health, research, and humanitarian communities to reduce the impact of Ebola through responsible data use. This collaborative initiative was established by West African governments, NGOs, academic organisations, and intra-governmental health organisations directly involved in the 2013-2016 West African Ebola outbreak. The platform was established to provide a centralised, standardised dataset of individual patient data collected during the outbreak for the purpose of research to improve Ebola treatment and control, and includes over 13,600 patient records of individuals infected and treated from 22 different Ebola treatment centres across Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria.

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