scholarly journals Estimating the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on childhood pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chukwuemeka Onwuchekwa ◽  
Edem Bassey ◽  
Victor Williams ◽  
Emmanuel Oga

AbstractBackgroundThe impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction in reducing the incidence of childhood pneumonia has not been well documented in sub-Saharan Africa. Many studies evaluating vaccine impact have used invasive pneumococcal disease or pneumococcal pneumonia as an outcome.ObjectiveTo estimate the impact of routine administration of 10-valent and 13-valent PCV on the incidence of pneumonia in children under five years of age in sub-Saharan Africa.Data sourcesA systematic review was conducted between 16 and 31 July 2019. The review was registered on PROSPERO with registration number CRD42019142369. The literature search was conducted in indexed databases including Medline and Embase, grey literature databases and online libraries of two universities. Manual search of the references of included studies was performed to identify additional relevant studies. The search strategy combined pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, pneumonia and child as search concepts.Study selectionStudies investigating the impact of 10- or13-valent PCV on childhood pneumonia in a sub-Saharan African country were eligible for inclusion. Case-control, cohort, pre-post and time-series study designs were eligible for inclusion. Exclusion criteria were use of 7- or 9-valent PCV, systematic review studies, clinical trials and record publication prior to 2009.Data extractionIndependent data extraction was conducted. Key variables include year study conducted, type of study design, type of PCV used and year of introduction, reported PCV coverage, outcome measure evaluated and the effect measure.Data synthesisEight records were included in the final analysis, 6 records were pre-post or time-series studies, 1 was a case-control study and 1 report combined pre-post and case-control studies. Vaccine impact measured as percentage reduction in risk (%RR) of clinical pneumonia was mostly small and non-significant. The risk reduction was more significant and consistent on radiological and pneumococcal pneumonia. Vaccine effectiveness reported in case-control studies was mostly non-significant.ConclusionEvidence of the positive impact of routine infant pneumococcal vaccination on pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa is weak. There is a need for more research in this area to evaluate the influence of pathogen or serotype replacement in pneumonia after PCV introduction. Ongoing surveillance is also required to establish the long term trend in pneumonia epidemiology after PCV introduction.

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 765
Author(s):  
Chukwuemeka Onwuchekwa ◽  
Bassey Edem ◽  
Victor Williams ◽  
Emmanuel Oga

Background: This study aimed to summarise the evidence on the impact of routine administration of 10-valent and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on pneumonia in children under five years of age in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted including primary research reporting on the impact of 10- or 13-valent pneumococcal vaccines on childhood pneumonia in a sub-Saharan African country. Case-control, cohort, pre-post and time-series study designs were eligible for inclusion. Thematic narrative synthesis was carried out to summarise the findings. Results: Eight records were included in the final analysis, 6 records were pre-post or time-series studies, 1 was a case-control study and 1 report combined pre-post and case-control studies. Vaccine impact on clinical pneumonia measured as percentage reduction in risk (%RR) was mostly non-significant. The reduction in risk was more consistent in radiological and pneumococcal pneumonia. Conclusions: Evidence of the positive impact of routine infant pneumococcal vaccination on clinical pneumonia incidence in sub-Saharan Africa is inconclusive. Ongoing surveillance and further research is required to establish the long term trend in pneumonia epidemiology and aetiology after PCV introduction. PROSPERO registration: CRD42019142369 30/09/19


F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 765
Author(s):  
Chukwuemeka Onwuchekwa ◽  
Bassey Edem ◽  
Victor Williams ◽  
Emmanuel Oga

Background: This study aimed to summarise the evidence on the impact of routine administration of 10-valent and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on pneumonia in children under five years of age in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted including primary research reporting on the impact of 10- or 13-valent pneumococcal vaccines on childhood pneumonia in a sub-Saharan African country. Case-control, cohort, pre-post and time-series study designs were eligible for inclusion. Thematic narrative synthesis was carried out to summarise the findings. Results: Eight records were included in the final analysis, 6 records were pre-post or time-series studies, 1 was a case-control study and 1 report combined pre-post and case-control studies. Vaccine impact on clinical pneumonia measured as percentage reduction in risk (%RR) was mostly non-significant. The reduction in risk was more consistent in radiological and pneumococcal pneumonia. Conclusions: Evidence of the positive impact of routine infant pneumococcal vaccination on clinical pneumonia incidence in sub-Saharan Africa is inconclusive. Ongoing surveillance and further research is required to establish the long term trend in pneumonia epidemiology and aetiology after PCV introduction. PROSPERO registration: CRD42019142369 30/09/19


PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. e0222566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tesfalidet Tekelab ◽  
Catherine Chojenta ◽  
Roger Smith ◽  
Deborah Loxton

Food Security ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Pawel Jarzebski ◽  
Abubakari Ahmed ◽  
Yaw Agyeman Boafo ◽  
Boubacar Siddighi Balde ◽  
Linda Chinangwa ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Azhar Khan ◽  
Bernard Ojiambo Okeah ◽  
Etheldreda Leinyuy Mbivnjo ◽  
Ephraim Kisangala ◽  
Aaron W Pritchard

Oral ailments are largely preventable but remain a significant public health concern afflicting nearly half the global population. These conditions account for 220 years of life lost per 100,000 people and about US$500 billion in health-related expenditures. Sub-Saharan Africa bears a significant burden of oral health problems thus exerting additional pressure on the scarce human resources for health. Community healthcare workers (CHWs) could be potentially utilised to bridge the shortage of oral health professionals in sub-Saharan Africa, hence, this systematic review that seeks to explore their current roles in oral health and potential impact on general physical health. This review follows the PRISMA guidelines and databases searched include PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and CINAHL published between January 2010 and December 2019. Nine studies met the study eligibility criteria. This review established that CHWs perform variable roles cutting across primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention including providing oral hygiene education, recognising common pathologies, and treating oral lesions, administration of tooth extractions, dental pain management, and referral for advanced care. Although this could potentially improve oral health, our review did not establish the extent of the specific impact on general physical health of patients and the burden of oral condition.


Author(s):  
Naim Mahroum ◽  
Abdulla Watad ◽  
Charlie Bridgewood ◽  
Muhammad Mansour ◽  
Ahmad Nasr ◽  
...  

Background. Tocilizumab is an anti-IL-6 therapy widely adopted in the management of the so-called “cytokine storm” related to SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, but its effectiveness, use in relation to concomitant corticosteroid therapy and safety were unproven despite widespread use in numerous studies, mostly open label at the start of the pandemic. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies utilising tocilizumab in COVID-19 on different databases (PubMed/MEDLINE/Scopus) and preprint servers (medRxiv and SSRN) from inception until 20 July 2020 (PROSPERO CRD42020195690). Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were performed. The impact of tocilizumab and concomitant corticosteroid therapy or tocilizumab alone versus standard of care (SOC) on the death rate, need for mechanical ventilation, ICU admission and bacterial infections were assessed. Results. Thirty-nine studies with 15,531 patients (3657 cases versus 11,874 controls) were identified. Unadjusted estimates (n = 28) failed to demonstrate a protective effect of tocilizumab on survival (OR 0.74 ([95%CI 0.55–1.01], p = 0.057), mechanical ventilation prevention (OR 2.21 [95%CI 0.53–9.23], p = 0.277) or prevention of ICU admission (OR 3.79 [95%CI 0.38–37.34], p = 0.254). Considering studies with adjusted, estimated, tocilizumab use was associated with mortality rate reduction (HR 0.50 ([95%CI 0.38–0.64], p < 0.001) and prevention of ICU admission (OR 0.16 ([95%CI 0.06–0.43], p < 0.001). Tocilizumab with concomitant steroid use versus SOC was protective with an OR of 0.49 ([95%CI 0.36–0.65], p < 0.05) as was tocilizumab alone versus SOC with an OR of 0.59 ([95%CI 0.34–1.00], p < 0.001). Risk of infection increased (2.36 [95%CI 1.001–5.54], p = 0.050; based on unadjusted estimates). Conclusion: Despite the heterogeneity of included studies and large number of preprint articles, our findings from the first eight of the pandemic in over 15,000 COVID-19 cases suggested an incremental efficacy of tocilizumab in severe COVID-19 that were confirmed by subsequent meta-analyses of large randomized trials of tocilizumab. This suggests that analysis of case-control studies and pre-print server data in the early stages of a pandemic appeared robust for supporting incremental benefits and lack of major therapeutic toxicity of tocilizumab for severe COVID-19.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-29
Author(s):  
Andy Emmanuel ◽  
Victoria Kain ◽  
Elizabeth Forster

Sub-Saharan Africa, has the highest child mortality rate in the world (World Health Organization [WHO], 2016). However, there is a paucity of current systematic reviews on the impact of essential newborn care interventions in Africa. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to summarize evidence about the impact of essential newborn care interventions in Africa. Numerous databases were searched to retrieve articles that reported interventions in newborn care in Africa. The search was limited to the English language and to articles published between 2007 and 2017. Nine articles were selected for inclusion in this systematic review. Overall, these papers demonstrated an increase in performance of health workers (between 8 and 400%) following a test of knowledge, while health workers practical performance increased by 34%. Moreover, neonatal mortality was reduced by 45%, while perinatal mortality was reduced by 30%. Training healthcare workers is one of the most effective ways of improving newborn care and neonatal survival in Africa. However, there is a need for additional evidence to support this, because none of the reviewed studies assessed the impact of training by examining variables such as trainees' satisfaction with training, the knowledge and skills developed, and the health outcomes achieved.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicla Manzari ◽  
Karen Matvienko-Sikar ◽  
Franco Baldoni ◽  
Gerard W. O'Keeffe ◽  
Ali S. Khashan

Background: Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is defined as the experience of significant levels of prenatal stress, depression or anxiety during pregnancy. PNMS has been associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in exposed offspring. However, these findings are inconsistent and other studies found no association, meaning a clear consensus on the impact of PNMS on ASD and ADHD risk is required. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize and critically review the existing literature on the effects of PNMS on ASD and ADHD risk. Methods: Electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus and EMBASE) will be searched for articles following a detailed search strategy. We will include cohort and case-control studies that assessed maternal exposure to psychological and/or environmental stress and had ASD or ADHD as an outcome. Two reviewers will independently screen the titles, abstracts and full articles to identify eligible studies. We will use a standardised data extraction form for extracting data and a bias classification tool for assessing study quality. This systematic review will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The generic inverse variance method will be used if possible to perform meta-analyses. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required for this study because it will not involve the conduct or inclusion of any experimental or personal data that would require informed consent.  The systematic review will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42018084222.


BMJ Open ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. e047205
Author(s):  
Fisaha Haile Tesfay ◽  
Sara Javanparast ◽  
Hailay Gesesew ◽  
Lillian Mwanri ◽  
Anna Ziersch

ObjectivesAlthough some studies have identified various challenges affecting nutritional programmes to effectively tackle undernutrition among people living with HIV, evidence about the characteristics and impacts of these programmes on weight-related nutritional outcomes varies based on country contexts, specific programme goals and the implementation processes. This systematic review sought to synthesise evidence on the characteristics and impact of nutritional programmes on weight-related nutritional outcomes of people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.DesignSystematic review.Data sourcesWe searched for primary studies published in the following databases: Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, ScienceDirect, ProQuest and Google Scholar, supplemented by checking reference lists of included papers.Eligibility criteriaStudies published from 2005 to 10 July 2020 and reporting on the weight-related nutritional outcomes of undernourished people enrolled in nutritional programmes in HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa were included.Data extraction and synthesisData were extracted using a data extraction proforma. Weight-related nutritional outcomes of people living with HIV before and after enrolment in a nutritional programme were compared and narratively synthesised.ResultsSixteen studies assessing the impact of nutritional programmes in HIV care on weight-related nutritional outcomes were included. Of these, 13 examined nutritional programmes implemented in health facilities and the remaining three were delivered outside of health facilities. Nutritional recovery (defined differently in the studies) ranged from 13.1% to 67.9%. Overall programme failure rate, which included default after enrolment in a nutritional programme or non-response, ranged from 37.6% to 48.0%. More specifically, non-response to a nutritional programme ranged from 21.0% to 67.4% and default from the programme ranged from 19.0% to 70.6%. Key sociodemographic, clinical and nutritional characteristics that affect nutritional recovery, non-response and default were also identified.Conclusions and recommendationsNutritional programmes in HIV care have led to some improvements in weight-related nutritional outcomes among people living with HIV. However, the programmes were characterised by a high magnitude of default and non-response. To improve desired weight-related nutritional outcomes of people living with HIV, a holistic approach that addresses longer-term determinants of undernutrition is needed.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020196827.


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