Men's involvement in maternal health in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review of enablers and barriers.

BACKGROUND: Globally, there are about 800 maternal deaths every day, with low-to-middle-income countries accounting for most of these deaths. A lack of access to maternal healthcare services is one of the main causes of these deaths. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), one of the barriers to accessing maternal healthcare services by women is a lack of their male partners' involvement. This scoping review aimed to assess the enablers and barriers to men's involvement in maternal healthcare services. METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist was used as a guide for this review. We searched for peer-reviewed articles published between 2013 and 2023 in the English language from SCOPUS, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Africa Journals Online (AJOL), and Google Scholar databases. Two reviewers independently conducted the data extraction and article selection. All of the authors discussed and decided on the codes and categories for enablers and barriers after using NVivo to generate them. RESULTS: Twenty-seven articles were used in this review. Of these, seventeen were qualitative studies, six were quantitative studies, and four were mixed-methods studies. The enablers of men's involvement in maternal healthcare were grouped into sociodemographic factors, health system factors, and policy factors, while barriers were grouped into sociodemographic, cultural, economic, and health system barriers. The lack of maternal health knowledge, insufficient economic resources, and unfriendly staff at healthcare facilities all contributed to a lack of involvement by men. CONCLUSION: To improve men's involvement in maternal healthcare in SSA, there should be economic empowerment of both men and women, health education, and the provision of adequate infrastructure in healthcare facilities to accommodate men.

Nurses' obesity knowledge, attitudes and practices in private facilities in Oshana, Namibia.

Background: The prevalence of obesity has been rising globally, and this is leading to an increase in other non-communicable diseases. The level of obesity knowledge among nurses may have an impact on how they treat and perceive obese patients. Aim: The study aimed to ascertain the knowledge, attitudes and practices of nurses regarding obesity at private healthcare facilities located in Namibia's Oshana Region. Setting: A total of four private healthcare facilities in Namibia's Oshana area served as the study's sites. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional research design using proportional stratified random sampling was used to choose 250 respondents for the study. A questionnaire that respondents self-administered was used to gather the data. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were determined during a pilot study. IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 was used for data analysis. Results: Of the participants, about two-fifths had a positive attitude (n = 112; 44.8%), slightly less than two-fifths had good practices (n = 96; 38.4%) and more than one-third had good knowledge (n = 97; 39%). There were differences in knowledge mean scores based on age, occupation, sex and educational level. Conclusion: The results validate the necessity for healthcare facilities to implement nurse education and mentorship initiatives, as well as to recognise and reward nurses who effectively care for patients with obesity. Contribution: This study added literature on knowledge, attitudes and practices of nurses in private healthcare facilities in Namibia, as well as factors that influence knowledge levels among the nurses.

Health effects of climate change in Africa: A call for an improved implementation of prevention measures.

The world's climate, particularly in Africa, has changed substantially during the past few decades, contributed by several human activities. Africa is one of the continents that is most vulnerable to climate change globally. Since the beginning of 2022, extreme weather events in Africa have affected about 19 million people and killed at least 4,000 individuals. Cyclones, floods, heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and famine were among the severe weather occurrences. Natural disasters and extreme weather events brought on by climate change may compromise access to clean water, sanitation systems, and healthcare facilities, making people more vulnerable to a number of illnesses. Floods and drought can lead to both communicable and non-communicable diseases. The African population is more likely to experience more mental health disorders than before because of natural disasters, which result in the loss of property and sometimes loss of lives more frequently. We, therefore, call for an improved implementation of strategies to prevent the health effects of climate change so that the health of the people in Africa can be maintained.

Risk factors and clinical presentations of long COVID in Africa: A scoping review.

COVID-19-related complications can last for years, even in patients who are asymptomatic during the acute phase, a phenomenon referred to as long COVID. This scoping review aimed to summarize the risk factors and clinical symptoms of long COVID in Africa between 2020 and 2022. Five studies were included. Three of the studies used in this review were retrospective cross-sectional studies, one was a prospective cohort study while another one was a case-control study. The review identified several risk factors for long COVID, including being female, being older than 40 years, having more than four acute COVID-19 symptoms, and having concomitant conditions such as asthma, hypertension, and depression. General, respiratory, cardiovascular, otolaryngological, gastrointestinal, and neurological symptoms were among the reported long COVID symptoms. To ensure that patients with long COVID are diagnosed and treated early, the risk factors and clinical symptoms of long COVID need to be identified for different population groups.

The HIV/AIDS responses pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa: A basis for sustainable health system strengthening post-COVID-19.

In May 2023, the World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 was no longer a global emergency. The impact of COVID-19 on the provision of HIV/AIDS services was not that severe due to the reprogramming of key resources. For health systems in sub-Saharan Africa to become resilient to future pandemics, lessons should be learned from the successful HIV/AIDS response in the region, and how the HIV/AIDS services were successfully adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we reviewed the 6 World Health Organization health system building blocks on how the best practices from the provision of HIV/AIDS services and the services' response to the COVID-19 pandemic can be used as a basis for restoring and strengthening health systems to offer universal access to quality essential health services. The success of the leadership and governance for universal access to anti-retroviral therapy can be a blueprint for the realization of universal health coverage. Significant efficiencies that resulted in the reduction in anti-retroviral therapy costs can be leveraged to ensure cheaper essential drugs while differentiated service delivery models can be used to improve health service accessibility. New technologies that have proven to be successful in HIV/AIDS care can also be used in the care of other diseases, including disease outbreaks. The strong health information systems developed for HIV programs can be used as a foundation for developing health information systems for the whole health sector while the healthcare professionals trained for the provision of HIV/AIDS services can be trained to provide services for a variety of other conditions.

Prevention of antimicrobial resistance in sub-Saharan Africa: What has worked? What still needs to be done?

Antibiotics help in preventing and treating infections and increasing life expectancy globally. Globally, many people's lives are being threatened by the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The cost of treating and preventing infectious diseases has increased due to AMR. Bacteria can resist the effects of antibiotics by altering drug targets, inactivating drugs, and activating drug efflux pumps. According to estimates, five million individuals died in 2019 from AMR-related causes, wherein 1.3 million deaths were directly linked to bacterial AMR. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) experienced the greatest mortality rate from AMR in 2019. In this article, we discuss AMR's causes and challenges SSA faces in implementing AMR prevention measures and propose recommendations to address the challenges. Antibiotic misuse and overuse, widespread usage in agriculture, and the pharmaceutical industry's absence of new antibiotic development are the factors contributing to AMR. SSA's challenges in preventing AMR include poor AMR surveillance and lack of collaboration, irrational use of antibiotics, weak medicine regulatory systems, lack of infrastructural and institutional capacities, lack of human resources, and inefficient infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. The challenges faced by countries in SSA can be addressed by increasing the public's knowledge of antibiotics and AMR, promoting antibiotic stewardship, improving AMR surveillance, promoting collaboration within and beyond countries, antibiotics regulatory enforcement, and improving the practice of IPC measures at home, food handling establishments, and healthcare facilities.

The Use of Economic Evaluation Tools in Essential Health Benefits Package Selection for Universal Health Coverage.

OBJECTIVES: The sustainable development goals launched in 2015 are a follow-up commitment to the successful Millennium Development Goals. Goal number 3 of ensuring "good health and well-being" is a target to ensure universal health coverage. Universal health coverage means the provision of quality services that meet the needs of populations without risking financial impoverishment in the process. The guaranteed minimum health services in every health system constitute the health benefits package (HBP), which should be explicit and be composed of services that represent the best value for money and guarantee the best return on investment. The objective of this study was to review the application of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and budget impact analysis in the development of HBP in low-to-middle income countries across the world. METHODOLOGY: A literature review using a systematic approach was used. A search of PubMed, Google Scholar, World Health Organization, and World Bank databases was made for articles outlining the development of HBP in low- and middle-income countries, and a narrative synthesis was used for analysis. RESULTS: Results from processes in Armenia, Ethiopia, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, and Malawi showed CEA and budget impact analysis as 2 criteria used in HBP development in a limited number of countries with either no reference to the two or no reporting from the others. Local CEA estimates and cost data limitations were the biggest challenges to efforts to use robust methods. CONCLUSION: Sustained efforts are needed to understand and address the challenges to the use of economic evaluation in the development of HBPs.

Implementation of Public Health Genomics in Africa: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, challenges, and recommendations.

Public Health Genomics (PHG) is a relatively new field. The wide application of genomic technologies played a pivotal role in elucidating the full genomic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This breakthrough proved to be the starting point in the manufacture of diagnostic kits and the subsequent making of vaccines. Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, many African countries can take advantage of the various investments in genomic technologies to introduce and intensify the use of genomics for public health gain. Public Health Genomics effectively monitors, prevents, and manages non-communicable and infectious diseases. However, there are several challenges to implementing PHG in Africa. In this perspective article, we discuss the utilization of PHG during the COVID-19 pandemic, the lessons learned from using PHG to manage and contain the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as potential challenges Africa may face when putting PHG into practice compared to challenges of other regions. We also discuss our recommendations for overcoming these challenges.

Abnormal vaginal discharge among women of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa: the need for a paradigm shift from a syndromic approach to specific pathogen identification and directed treatment.

Background: An abnormal vaginal discharge is a frequent manifestation of reproductive tract infections, including sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and vulvovaginal candidiasis. It is also a manifestation of bacterial vaginosis, which has a prevalence of up to 50% among women of reproductive age. Reproductive tract infections are associated with a range of reproductive health challenges and increase the risk of HIV acquisition. Methods: This study was performed to critically review and discuss the current diagnostic and treatment approaches to abnormal vaginal discharge among women of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa, and to call for a paradigm shift from the syndromic approach to specific pathogen identification and directed antimicrobial therapy. Discussion: Young women have the highest incidence of HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa where the prevalence of both STIs and bacterial vaginosis is very high have been employing a syndromic approach for the treatment of abnormal vaginal discharge since around 1984. However, the syndromic approach has several limitations, with the potential to miss infections, over-diagnose and over-treat STIs, and propagate antimicrobial resistance, which is one of the greatest global health challenges of the 21st century. Conclusions: The low to middle-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa must innovate and leverage improved diagnostics to capacitate primary health care and other levels for point-of-care diagnostic testing, in order to provide an immediate diagnosis and treatment for women with an abnormal vaginal discharge.

The re-emergence of wild poliovirus type 1 in Africa and the role of environmental surveillance in interrupting poliovirus transmission.

Although there has been a global reduction in wild poliovirus (WPV) type 1 cases, Africa has experienced a re-emergence of the disease. This article discusses the re-emergence of WPV in Africa, the transmission and pathogenesis of WPV, and the role of environmental surveillance and other strategies used to interrupt all WPV transmission in the region permanently.

HIV and adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa: A call for expedited action to reduce new infections.

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), aged 15-24, remain at substantial risk of acquiring HIV. AGYW accounted for 63% of all new HIV infections in 2021. Reducing incident infections in AGYW and among the other key populations is key to eliminating HIV infections. Expedited prioritization and actions to reduce incident infections among AGYW from sub-Saharan Africa are therefore required to attain the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets by 2030. In this article, we discuss the factors contributing to higher HIV infections among AGYW and strategies that can be used to reduce HIV infection among them. Several biological, socio-economic, religious, and cultural factors continue to put the AGYW at a disproportionately high risk of acquiring HIV. Many AGYW in SSA are economically marginalized and therefore are unable to negotiate condom use and monogamy. Patriarchal culture predominant in SSA also exacerbates AGYW's inferiority in sexual matters. To address these factors, a multi-pronged approach is required. Some of the strategies we recommend are passing stricter sentences for sexual offenders and abusers, economically empowering AGYW, increasing the provision of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) education and services to AGYW, increasing access to pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis, treatment of HIV as prevention, and engaging and educating communities on SRHR matters.

Monkeypox outbreak: a perspective on Africa's diagnostic and containment capacity.

Since the first monkeypox (MPX) case was reported in humans in 1970, there have been several outbreaks of the disease. MPX is endemic in central and western Africa. MPX virus infection is confirmed using the conventional polymerase chain reaction, which detects the viral DNA in samples from the rash. Of concern is that the current outbreak has affected five regions of the world. Although MPX confirmatory tests are available worldwide, there are concerns about Africa's capacity to diagnose and contain the disease. The challenges faced by Africa include a lack of adequate laboratory infrastructure and health care workers, weak disease surveillance systems, and a lack of MPX knowledge among health care workers and communities. These challenges can be addressed by mobilizing resources for MPX virus testing, strengthening surveillance systems, collaboration among countries, training health care workers, task shifting, and engaging communities.