Malaria Burden in Pregnancy at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda

Pregnancy-associated malaria is a major global health concern. To assess the Plasmodium falciparum burden in pregnancy we conducted a cross-sectional study at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. Malaria prevalence by each of three measures—peripheral smear, placental smear, and placental histology was 9% (35/391), 11.3% (44/389), and 13.9% (53/382) respectively. Together, smear and histology data yielded an infection rate of 15.5% (59/380) of active infections and 4.5% (17/380) of past infections; hence 20% had been or were infected when giving birth. A crude parity dependency was observed with main burden being concentrated in gravidae 1 through gravidae 3. Twenty-two percent were afflicted by anaemia and 12.2% delivered low birthweight babies. Active placental infection and anaemia showed strong association (OR = 2.8) whereas parity and placental infection had an interactive effect on mean birthweight (P = .036). Primigravidae with active infection and multigravidae with past infection delivered on average lighter babies. Use of bednet protected significantly against infection (OR = 0.56) whilst increased haemoglobin level protected against low birthweight (OR = 0.83) irrespective of infection status. Albeit a high attendance at antenatal clinics (96.8%), there was a poor coverage of insecticide-treated nets (32%) and intermittent preventive antimalarial treatment (41.5%)

"I abandoned my job to look after my baby." Understanding the unpriced cost of care of a preterm infant: Caregivers' lived experiences.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth is associated with life-long cost implications on the infant, family, health system, and society at large. The costs related to lost productivity at contributions at work during care of preterm infants are difficult to measure. We aimed to explore and document the unpriced costs parents incur following birth of a preterm infant in the first year of life in a low resource setting. METHODS: Thirty-nine mothers and five fathers of preterm infants who had ever attended the preterm follow-up clinic after discharge from Mulago National Referral Hospital, were included in a qualitative study between November 2019 and February 2020. Participants were purposively selected, and data were collected using four focused group discussions with mothers and in-depth interviews with the fathers lasting 30-70 minutes each. These were audio-recorded, transcribed and translated. The data were manually analysed using the thematic approach. FINDINGS: Three themes were generated: i) complex nature of the infant, ii) time to care for the infant, iii) mother as the predominant caregiver. The parents perceived preterm infants as delicate, complicated and their care more costly compared to those born at term. Expressions of need for time to care for their infants, frequent hospital visits and readmission were raised. Availability of the mother as the predominant caregiver some of whose roles cannot be delegated and their experiences following return to work after birth of a preterm were cited by the participants. CONCLUSION: The results highlight the unpriced costs incurred by the parents through disruption of the work pattern due to the actual and perceived needs of a preterm infant and time to care in a low resource setting. We recommend guidance on financial planning, development of policies and programs on social and financial support for parents and future studies on indirect costs of preterm care

Occurrence of spina bifida in the Makerere University Galloway collection: an osteological anatomical study

Spina bifida is one of the commonest neural tube defects. Though food fortification with folic acid has been reported to reduce spina bifida, the incidence of spina bifida and the benefits of taking folic acid have not been documented in many developing countries including Uganda. This study set out to determine the incidence of spina bifida and related skeletal neural tube defects in the skeletons currently housed in the Galloway skeletal collection at Makererere University College of Health Sciences, Anatomy department with the aim of using the data to extrapolate on the usefulness of food fortification with folic acid. This was a descriptive cross sectional study on 226 skeletons in the Galloway osteological collection examined by an experienced anatomist for features of neural tube defects that ranged from non-fusion of the spinal arches to total absence of vertebral structures. Of the skeletons examined 43/226 (19%) had spina bifida. Of these 38/43 (88%) were male, suggesting a higher incidence of spina bifida in males than in the females. Overall 55.2% of the skeletons were within the age range of 20-55 years. This historical study highlights possible differences in the maternal micro nutrient status in the early months of pregnancy for various African populations as shown by the differences in the prevalence rates of minor spina bifida defects in the Galloway osteological collection. There is need for baseline studies on folic acid levels during pregnancy and the various local dietary sources of folic acid for Africans.Key words: Neural tube defects, osteolog

Malariometric indices from Iganga, Uganda: baseline characterization in preparation of GMZ2 vaccine trial

Background: Malaria still remains the leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in Uganda. Interventions like malaria vaccines which reduce the malaria burden are needed in malaria endemic communities. There is need to establish baseline characteristics in vaccine trial study sites. This study determined the following baseline malariometric indices: spleen rates, bed net use, malaria parasitaemia and malaria episodes in an inception cohort of children aged 12 – 60 months in Iganga district, Uganda. Methods: In a longitudinal cohort study, 748 children were enrolled with 397 in an active follow up arm and 351 in a passive arm. The children in the two arms were followed for 6 months to determine the incidence of malaria episodes. Results: The overall baseline spleen rate was 8.2% (61/748) among the study participants. Of the households surveyed, about 36% reported using bed nets and almost 30% of the users had insecticide-treated nets. 274 (36.6%) of the study participants had a history of fever in the past 24 hrs at the time of the baseline survey. All participants had a peripheral blood smear for malaria parasites done at enrollment with 76.8% having the asexual form of malaria parasites. The malaria episodes per child per year were 1.5 and 0.79 in the active and passive follow up arms respectively. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of malaria asexual parasitaemia in children below five years. The bed net usage still remains low among this population. These baseline malariometric indices have important implication for malaria control interventions

Adherence to iron supplements among women receiving antenatal care at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda-cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Antenatal iron supplementation is a cost effective way of reducing iron deficiency anaemia among pregnant women in resource limited countries like Uganda. Poor adherence to iron supplements has limited its effectiveness in reducing maternal anaemia as evidenced by the high burden of iron deficiency anemia in Sub-saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the level of and factors associated with adherence to iron supplementation among women attending antenatal clinic at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. Methods Three hundred and seventy pregnant women were recruited in a cross sectional survey in Mulago National Referral Hospital antenatal clinic after informed consent between February and April 2014. Levels of adherence to iron supplements were assessed using visual analogue scale and factors associated collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Results About 12% (11.6%) of the mothers attending the antenatal clinic adhered to iron supplements over 30 day period. Mothers who had had four or more antenatal visits prior to the survey [odds ratio (OR) = 1.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12–1.97], had more than 2 week supply of iron supplements in the previous visit (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.02–1.09), prior health education (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.07–2.29) were more likely to adhere to iron supplements. Inadequate drug supplies and fear for side effects were the main reasons why participants missed the iron supplements. Conclusions There was low adherence to iron supplements among mothers attending antenatal clinic at Mulago National Referral  Hospital. We recommend a national evaluation of adherence to iron supplements and look at ways of increasing adherence

Validity of self-reported use of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine intermittent presumptive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp): a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Malaria in pregnancy is a major health problem that can cause maternal anaemia, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight and intra-uterine stunting. The WHO recommends use of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy (IPTp) in endemic areas. Towards monitoring and assessing IPTp coverage in the population, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership recommends the use of self-reported data. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of self-reported IPTp by testing for sulphadoxine in maternal blood at delivery. Methods Two hundred and four pregnant women were consented and enrolled in a cross-sectional study in Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala Uganda. - Participants who reported a history of taking sulpha-containing drugs like co-trimoxazole , those who were not sure of dates relating to last menstrual period or who took IPTp within the first 20 weeks of gestation were excluded from the study. Data on demographic characteristics, obstetric history, and delivery outcome were collected. At birth, maternal venous blood was taken off aseptically and used to make thick blood smears for malaria parasites and plasma for determining sulphadoxine using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results Of 120 participants who self reported to have used IPTp, 35 (29.2%) tested positive for sulphadoxine by HPLC, while 63 (75%) of 84 patients who reported not having used IPTp tested negative for sulphadoxine. Participants possessing post-primary education were more likely to have reported using IPTp. The low agreement (kappa coefficient = 0.037) between self-report and actual presence of the drug in the blood casts doubt on the validity of self-reported data in estimating IPTp coverage. Conclusions The results of this study question the accuracy of self-reported data in estimating IPTp coverage in the population. More studies on validity of self reported data are recommended. Since the validity of IPTp self reports is vital for guiding policy on malaria control in pregnancy, ways should be sought to improve accuracy of the information from such reports.</p

Early discontinuation of long-acting reversible contraceptives and associated factors among women discontinuing long-acting reversible contraceptives at national referral hospital, Kampala-Uganda; a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background High levels of unmet need for contraception and unwanted pregnancies are high in developing countries despite efforts to reduce them. Long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods are more than 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. Discontinuation of LARC within the first year of initiation contributes to the high levels of unmet need. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with the first-year discontinuation of LARC at Kawempe National Referral hospital. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2020 to June 2021. We consecutively recruited 354 participants who discontinued a LARC (intrauterine device {IUD} and sub-dermal implant) during the study period after informed written consent. Data on duration of use, reasons for discontinuation, and factors associated were collected using a face-to-face interviewer-administered questionnaire and review of client records. Early LARC discontinuation was defined as the termination of the contraception within the first 12 months of use. Data were entered using SPSS version 14/0 and analyzed in STATA version 15. Prevalence was expressed as a proportion while logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with early LARC discontinuation. Variables with a p-value of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results The proportion of first-year discontinuation of LARC was 29%. Women Age less than 25 years (OR = 5.07; 95% CI: 1.1–24.8) and those who desired a family size of fewer than four children (OR = 3.19; 95%CI: 1.2–8.7 ) were more likely to discontinue the LARC within 12 months of initiation after multivariate analysis. Method-related reasons for removal were painful menstrual cramps for implants, recurrent infections for IUDs, and a non-side effect reason was the desire to get pregnant. Conclusion A high proportion of women discontinue LARC within 12 months following initiation. Young adults and those who desire small families are more likely to have first-year discontinuation of LARC. We recommend age-specific counseling for patients receiving the LARC and further studies looking at the depth analysis of reasons for the first-year discontinuation

A comparison of the baseline and second audit for preterm birth management as per the developed protocol.

A comparison of the baseline and second audit for preterm birth management as per the developed protocol.</p

Baseline characteristics of 360 patients with preterm birth managed for both phases of the audit in Mulago National Referral Hospital labor ward.

Baseline characteristics of 360 patients with preterm birth managed for both phases of the audit in Mulago National Referral Hospital labor ward.</p

Findings from baseline audit as per guidelines by Delphi technique for preterm birth management.

Findings from baseline audit as per guidelines by Delphi technique for preterm birth management.</p