Setting up child health and mortality prevention surveillance in Ethiopia
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Mortality rates for children under five years of age, and stillbirth risks, remain high in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network aims to ascertain causes of child death in high child mortality settings (>50 deaths/1000 live-births). We aimed to develop a “greenfield” site for CHAMPS, based in Harar and Kersa, in Eastern Ethiopia. This very high mortality setting (>100 deaths/1000 live-births in Kersa) had limited previous surveillance capacity, weak infrastructure and political instability. Here we describe site development, from conception in 2015 to the end of the first year of recruitment. Methods: We formed a collaboration between Haramaya University and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and engaged community, national and international partners to support a new CHAMPS programme. We developed laboratory infrastructure and recruited and trained staff. We established project specific procedures to implement CHAMPS network protocols including; death notifications, clinical and demographic data collection, post-mortem minimally invasive tissue sampling, microbiology and pathology testing, and verbal autopsy. We convened an expert local panel to determine cause-of-death. In partnership with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute we developed strategies to improve child and maternal health. Results: Despite considerable challenge, with financial support, personal commitment, and effective partnership, we successfully initiated CHAMPS. One year into recruitment (February 2020), we had received 1173 unique death notifications, investigated 59/99 MITS-eligible cases within the demographic surveillance site, and assigned an underlying and immediate cause of death to 53 children. Conclusions: The most valuable data for global health policy are from high-mortality settings, but initiating CHAMPS has required considerable resource. To further leverage this investment, we need strong, sustained, local research leadership, and to broaden the scientific remit. To support this, we have set up a new collaboration, the “Hararghe Health Research Partnership”.
Source: Gates Open Research
Authors: Anna C. Seale, Nega Assefa, Lola Madrid, Stefanie Wittmann, Hanan Abdurahman, Nardos Teferi, Letta Gedefa, Alexander Mohamed, Natnael Debela, Tseyon Tesfaye, Tigistu Samuel, Mehret Dubale, Hiwot Yigzaw, Eyoel Taye, Workalemahu Bekele, Caroline Ackley, Gutema Imana Keno, Yosef Zegeye, Zerihun Girma, Ketema Degefa, Berhanu Damisse, Adugna Tadesse, Mohammed Aliyi, Gurmu Feyissa, Yenenesh Tilahun, Getahun Wakwaya, Bizunesh Sintayehu, Getamesay Abayneh, Addisu Alemu, Emmanuel Azore, Joe Oundo, Zelalem T Mariam, Dadi Marami, Mulu Berihun, Mussie Berhanu, Mahlet Mekonnen, Andualem Alemayehu, Nana Sarkodie-Mensah, Shirine Voller, Boniface Jibendi, Abraham Aseffa, Taye Balcha, Robert F. Breiman, Scott F Dowell, Asnake Worku, Tsigereda Kifle, Ebba Abate, Yadeta Dessie, J. Anthony G. Scott
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,073
Awards: Using pneumococcal carriage and invasiveness to inform vaccine policy in tropical Africa, Emory University - to create a long-term network of high-quality sites for the collection of primary data to track the preventable causes of childhood death globally, Which maternal infections are associated with stillbirths and early neonatal deaths, in East Africa?
OpenAlex ID: W4221040483