Effectiveness of the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on pediatric pneumonia confirmed by ultrasound: a matched case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Bangladesh introduced the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) for children aged < 1 year in March 2015. Previous vaccine effectiveness (VE) studies for pneumonia have used invasive pneumococcal disease or chest X-rays. None have used ultrasound. We sought to determine the VE of PCV10 against sonographically-confirmed pneumonia in three subdistrict health complexes in Bangladesh. METHODS: We conducted a matched case-control study between July 2015 and September 2017 in three subdistricts of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Cases were vaccine-eligible children aged 3-35 months with sonographically-confirmed pneumonia, who were matched with two types of controls by age, sex, week of diagnosis, subdistrict health complex (clinic controls) or distance from subdistrict health complex (community controls) and had an illness unlikely due to Streptococcus pneumoniae (clinic controls) or were healthy (community controls). VE was measured using multivariable conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: We evaluated 8926 children (average age 13.3 months, 58% boys) with clinical pneumonia by ultrasound; 2470 had pneumonia with consolidations ≥ 1 cm; 1893 pneumonia cases were matched with 4238 clinic controls; and 1832 were matched with 3636 community controls. VE increased with the threshold used for consolidation size on ultrasound: the adjusted VE of ≥ 2 doses vs. non-recipients of PCV10 against pneumonia increased from 15.8% (95% CI 1.6-28.0%) for consolidations ≥ 1 cm to 29.6% (12.8-43.2%) for consolidations ≥ 1.5 cm using clinic controls and from 2.7% (- 14.2-17.2%) to 23.5% (4.4-38.8%) using community controls, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PCV10 was effective at reducing sonographically-confirmed pneumonia in children aged 3-35 months of age when compared to unvaccinated children. VE increased with the threshold used for consolidation size on ultrasound in clinic and community controls alike. This study provides evidence that lung ultrasound is a useful alternative to chest X-ray for case-control studies evaluating the effectiveness of vaccines against pneumonia.

Prediction of gestational age using urinary metabolites in term and preterm pregnancies.

Assessment of gestational age (GA) is key to provide optimal care during pregnancy. However, its accurate determination remains challenging in low- and middle-income countries, where access to obstetric ultrasound is limited. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop clinical approaches that allow accurate and inexpensive estimations of GA. We investigated the ability of urinary metabolites to predict GA at time of collection in a diverse multi-site cohort of healthy and pathological pregnancies (n = 99) using a broad-spectrum liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) platform. Our approach detected a myriad of steroid hormones and their derivatives including estrogens, progesterones, corticosteroids, and androgens which were associated with pregnancy progression. We developed a restricted model that predicted GA with high accuracy using three metabolites (rho = 0.87, RMSE = 1.58 weeks) that was validated in an independent cohort (n = 20). The predictions were more robust in pregnancies that went to term in comparison to pregnancies that ended prematurely. Overall, we demonstrated the feasibility of implementing urine metabolomics analysis in large-scale multi-site studies and report a predictive model of GA with a potential clinical value.

Impact of national introduction of ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on invasive pneumococcal disease in Bangladesh: Case-control and time-trend studies.

BACKGROUND: Bangladesh introduced the ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) into its national immunization program in March 2015 creating an opportunity to assess the real-world impact of PCV on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). METHODS: Between January 2014 and June 2018, children aged 3-35 months in three rural sub-districts of Sylhet district of Bangladesh were visited every two months to collect morbidity and care-seeking data. Children attending sub-district hospitals with pneumonia, meningitis, or sepsis were assessed for IPD after obtaining informed consent. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid were collected from enrolled children to isolate pneumococcus using culture and molecular test. Children who were age-eligible to receive the PCV and had pneumococcus isolated were enrolled as cases. Four age and sex-matched clinic and community controls were selected for each case within one to two weeks of case identification. Data on immunization status and confounders were collected. PCV coverage was estimated using vaccine coverage surveys. Case-control and incidence trend analyses were conducted to assess the impact of PCV on IPD. RESULTS: The community cohort yielded 217,605 child years of observations and 154,773 sick child-visits to study hospitals. Pneumococcus was isolated from 44 children who were age-eligible to receive PCV; these children were enrolled as cases. The cases were matched with 166 community- and 150 clinic-controls. The matched case-control analyses using community-controls showed 83% effectiveness (95% CI: 1.57-97.1%) and clinic controls showed 90% effectiveness (95% CI: -26.0% to 99.1%) of PCV in preventing IPD. Incidence trend analysis estimated vaccine effectiveness at 80.1% (95% CI: 38.4, 93.6). CONCLUSION: PCV in this pediatric population in Bangladesh was highly effective in preventing IPD.

Multiomics Characterization of Preterm Birth in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Importance: Worldwide, preterm birth (PTB) is the single largest cause of deaths in the perinatal and neonatal period and is associated with increased morbidity in young children. The cause of PTB is multifactorial, and the development of generalizable biological models may enable early detection and guide therapeutic studies. Objective: To investigate the ability of transcriptomics and proteomics profiling of plasma and metabolomics analysis of urine to identify early biological measurements associated with PTB. Design, Setting, and Participants: This diagnostic/prognostic study analyzed plasma and urine samples collected from May 2014 to June 2017 from pregnant women in 5 biorepository cohorts in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs; ie, Matlab, Bangladesh; Lusaka, Zambia; Sylhet, Bangladesh; Karachi, Pakistan; and Pemba, Tanzania). These cohorts were established to study maternal and fetal outcomes and were supported by the Alliance for Maternal and Newborn Health Improvement and the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth biorepositories. Data were analyzed from December 2018 to July 2019. Exposures: Blood and urine specimens that were collected early during pregnancy (median sampling time of 13.6 weeks of gestation, according to ultrasonography) were processed, stored, and shipped to the laboratories under uniform protocols. Plasma samples were assayed for targeted measurement of proteins and untargeted cell-free ribonucleic acid profiling; urine samples were assayed for metabolites. Main Outcomes and Measures: The PTB phenotype was defined as the delivery of a live infant before completing 37 weeks of gestation. Results: Of the 81 pregnant women included in this study, 39 had PTBs (48.1%) and 42 had term pregnancies (51.9%) (mean [SD] age of 24.8 [5.3] years). Univariate analysis demonstrated functional biological differences across the 5 cohorts. A cohort-adjusted machine learning algorithm was applied to each biological data set, and then a higher-level machine learning modeling combined the results into a final integrative model. The integrated model was more accurate, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.83 (95% CI, 0.72-0.91) compared with the models derived for each independent biological modality (transcriptomics AUROC, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.61-0.83]; metabolomics AUROC, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.47-0.72]; and proteomics AUROC, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.64-0.85]). Primary features associated with PTB included an inflammatory module as well as a metabolomic module measured in urine associated with the glutamine and glutamate metabolism and valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis pathways. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that, in LMICs and high PTB settings, major biological adaptations during term pregnancy follow a generalizable model and the predictive accuracy for PTB was augmented by combining various omics data sets, suggesting that PTB is a condition that manifests within multiple biological systems. These data sets, with machine learning partnerships, may be a key step in developing valuable predictive tests and intervention candidates for preventing PTB.

Effectiveness of the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against radiographic pneumonia among children in rural Bangladesh: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) effectiveness against radiographic pneumonia in South Asia is unknown. Bangladesh introduced PCV10 in 2015 using a three dose primary series (3 + 0). We sought to measure PCV10 effectiveness for two or more vaccine doses on radiographic pneumonia among vaccine-eligible children in rural Bangladesh. METHODS: We conducted a matched case-control study over two years from 2015 to 2017 using clinic and community controls in three subdistricts of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Cases were vaccine eligible 3-35 month olds at Upazila Health Complex outpatient clinics with World Health Organization-defined radiographic primary endpoint pneumonia (radiographic pneumonia). Clinic controls were matched to cases within a one week time window by age, sex, and clinic and had an illness unlikely to be Streptococcus pneumoniae; community controls were healthy and similarly matched within a one week time window by age and sex, and distance from the clinic. We estimated adjusted vaccine effectiveness (aVE) using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: We matched 1262 cases with 2707 clinic and 2461 community controls. Overall, aVE using clinic controls was 21.4% (95% confidence interval, -0.2%, 38.4%) for ≥2 PCV10 doses and among 3-11 month olds was 47.3% (10.5%, 69.0%) for three doses. aVE increased with higher numbers of doses in clinic control sets (p = 0.007). In contrast, aVE using community controls was 7.6% (95% confidence interval, -22.2%, 30.0%) for ≥2 doses. We found vaccine introduction in the study area faster and less variable than expected with 75% coverage on average, which reduced power. Information bias may also have affected community controls. CONCLUSIONS: Clinic control analyses show PCV10 prevented radiographic pneumonia in Bangladesh, especially among younger children receiving three doses. While both analyses were underpowered, community control enrollment - compared to clinic controls - was more difficult in a complex, pluralistic healthcare system. Future studies in comparable settings may consider alternative study designs.

Implementation research to support Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to implement its national guidelines for management of infections in young infants in two rural districts.

BACKGROUND: World Health Organization revised the global guidelines for management of possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) in young infants to recommend the use of simplified antibiotic therapy in settings where access to hospital care is not possible. The Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of Bangladesh (GOB) adopted these guidelines, allowing treatment at first-level facilities. During the first year of implementation, the Projahnmo Study Group and USAID/MaMoni Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Project supported the MoHFW to operationalize the new guidelines and conducted an implementation research study in selected districts to assess challenges and identify solutions to facilitate scale-up across the country. IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT: Projahnmo and MaMoni HSS teams supported implementation in three areas: building capacity, strengthening service delivery, and mobilizing communities. Capacity building focused on training paramedics to conduct outpatient management of PSBI cases and developing monitoring and supervision systems. The teams also filled gaps in government supply of essential drugs, equipment, and logistics. Community mobilization strategies to promote care-seeking and referrals to facilities varied across districts; in one district community, health workers made home visits while in another district, the promotion was carried out through community volunteers, village doctors, and through existing community structures. METHODS: We followed a plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle to identify and address implementation challenges. Three cycles-1 every 4 months-were conducted. We collected data utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods in both the community and facilities. The total sample size for this study was 13,590. DISCUSSION: This article provides implementation research design details for program managers intending to implement new guidelines on management of young infant infections. Results of this research will be reported in the forthcoming papers. Preliminary findings indicate that the management of PSBI cases at the UH&FWCs is feasible. However, MoHFW, GOB needs to address the implementation challenges before scale-up of this policy to the national level.

Training and standardization of general practitioners in the use of lung ultrasound for the diagnosis of pediatric pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is a leading cause of death in children of low-resource settings. Barriers to care include an early and accurate diagnosis. Lung ultrasound is a novel tool for the identification of pediatric pneumonia; however, there is currently no standardized approach to train in image acquisition and interpretation of findings in epidemiological studies. We developed a training program for physicians with limited ultrasound experience on how to use ultrasound for the diagnosis of pediatric pneumonia and how to standardize image interpretation using a panel of readers. METHODS: Twenty-five physicians participating in the training program conducted lung ultrasounds in all children with suspected pneumonia, aged 3 to 35 months, presenting to three subdistrict hospitals in Sylhet, Bangladesh, between June 2015 and September 2017. RESULTS: A total of 9051 pediatric lung ultrasound assessments were conducted through 27 months of data collection. Study physicians underwent training and all were successfully standardized, achieving 91% agreement and maintained a sensitivity and specificity of 88% and 92%, respectively, when their diagnosis was compared with experts. Overall kappa between two readers was high (0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84-0.87), and remained high when a third expert reader was included (0.80, 95% CI, 0.79-0.81). Agreement and kappa statistics were similarly high when stratified by age, sex, presence of danger signs, or hypoxemia. CONCLUSIONS: Lung ultrasound is a novel tool for the diagnosis of pediatric pneumonia with evidence supporting its validity and feasibility of implementation. Here we introduced a training program that resulted in a high level of inter-sonographer agreement.

Chest radiograph reading panel performance in a Bangladesh pneumococcal vaccine effectiveness study.

Introduction: To evaluate WHO chest radiograph interpretation processes during a pneumococcal vaccine effectiveness study of children aged 3-35 months with suspected pneumonia in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Methods: Eight physicians masked to all data were standardised to WHO methodology and interpreted chest radiographs between 2015 and 2017. Each radiograph was randomly assigned to two primary readers. If the primary readers were discordant for image interpretability or the presence or absence of primary endpoint pneumonia (PEP), then another randomly selected, masked reader adjudicated the image (arbitrator). If the arbitrator disagreed with both primary readers, or concluded no PEP, then a masked expert reader finalised the interpretation. The expert reader also conducted blinded quality control (QC) for 20% of randomly selected images. We evaluated agreement between primary readers and between the expert QC reading and the final panel interpretation using per cent agreement, unadjusted Cohen's kappa, and a prevalence and bias-adjusted kappa. Results: Among 9723 images, the panel classified 21.3% as PEP, 77.6% no PEP and 1.1% uninterpretable. Two primary readers agreed on interpretability for 98% of images (kappa, 0.25; prevalence and bias-adjusted kappa, 0.97). Among interpretable radiographs, primary readers agreed on the presence or absence of PEP in 79% of images (kappa, 0.35; adjusted kappa, 0.57). Expert QC readings agreed with final panel conclusions on the presence or absence of PEP for 92.9% of 1652 interpretable images (kappa, 0.75; adjusted kappa, 0.85). Conclusion: Primary reader performance and QC results suggest the panel effectively applied the WHO chest radiograph criteria for pneumonia.

Maternal short stature and under-weight status are independent risk factors for preterm birth and small for gestational age in rural Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To estimate the risks of term-small for gestational age (SGA), preterm-appropriate for gestational age (AGA), and preterm SGA associated with maternal height and body mass index (BMI) and to calculate the population attributable fractions (PAF) of term SGA, preterm AGA, and preterm SGA associated with maternal short stature. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A population-based cohort of 13,230 women with pre-pregnancy height and weight followed from 2012 to 2016 in Sylhet, Bangladesh. We analyzed data of 2655 singleton live born infants. The babies born <37 weeks of gestation were considered preterm and weight <10th percentile of Intergrowth sex-specific gestational age were considered SGA. Risk factors for term SGA, preterm AGA, and preterm SGA were examined using multinomial logistic regression that estimated relative risk ratios (RRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Maternal short stature <145 cm was significantly associated with term SGA (RRR 1.88, 95% CI 1.37, 2.58; p < 0.001), preterm AGA (RRR 1.45, 95% CI 1.02, 2.05; p < 0.05), and preterm SGA (RRR 14.40, 95% CI 1.82, 113.85; p < 0.05). Maternal underweight status (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) was significant predictor of term SGA (RRR 1.32, 95% CI 1.10, 1.59; p < 0.01), and preterm AGA (RRR 1.39, 95% CI 1.12, 1.71; p < 0.01). PAF for maternal short stature were 23.2, 7.3, and 73.9% for term SGA, preterm AGA, and preterm SGA, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: To address the problem of undernutrition, Bangladesh needs to strengthen implementation of its multi-sectoral nutrition program comprising nutrition specific and sensitive interventions. Implementation of the program with high coverage and quality would improve maternal nutrition and perinatal outcomes including preterm births and SGA.

Prevalence of and risk factors for abnormal vaginal flora and its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes in a rural district in north-east Bangladesh.

INTRODUCTION: The role of screening and treatment for abnormal vaginal flora (AVF) on adverse pregnancy outcomes remains unclear. Using data from women who participated in a population-based cluster randomized trial who were screened and treated for AVF, we report risk factors for AVF and association of persistent AVF with adverse perinatal outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Pregnant women (n = 4221) <19 weeks of gestation provided self-administered mid-vaginal swabs; smears were Nugent-scored. AVF was treated with oral clindamycin; if AVF was present 3 weeks after treatment, persistent AVF was re-treated. We examined risk factors for AVF and the association of persistent AVF with adverse pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS: The prevalence of AVF was 16.5%: 9.8% of women had bacterial vaginosis and 6.8% had intermediate flora. Lower economic and educational status of women were associated with increased risk of AVF. One-third of women with AVF had persistent abnormal flora; these women had a higher risk of a composite measure of adverse pregnancy outcomes from 20 to <37 weeks (preterm live birth, preterm still birth, late miscarriage) (relative risk [RR] 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-1.65) and of late miscarriage alone (RR 4.15, 95% CI 2.12-8.12) compared to women without AVF. CONCLUSIONS: In this study in Sylhet District, Bangladesh, rates of AVF and persistent AVF were high and persistent AVF was associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, with an especially high associated risk for late miscarriage. Further characterization of the microbiome and relative bacterial species density associated with persistent AVF is needed.

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine impact assessment in Bangladesh.

The study examines the impact of the introduction of 10-valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV10) into Bangladesh's national vaccine program. PCV10 is administered to children under 1 year-old; the scheduled ages of administration are at 6, 10, and 18 weeks. The study is conducted in ~770,000 population containing ~90,000 <5 children in Sylhet, Bangladesh and has five objectives: 1) To collect data on community-based pre-PCV incidence rates of invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD) in 0-59 month-old children in Sylhet, Bangladesh; 2) To evaluate the effectiveness of PCV10 introduction on Vaccine Type (VT) IPD in 3-59 month-old children using an incident case-control study design. Secondary aims include measuring the effects of PCV10 introduction on all IPD in 3-59 month-old children using case-control study design, and quantifying the emergence of Non Vaccine Type IPD; 3) To evaluate the effectiveness of PCV10 introduction on chest radiograph-confirmed pneumonia in children 3-35 months old using incident case-control study design. We will estimate the incidence trend of clinical and radiologically-confirmed pneumonia in 3-35 month-old children in the study area before and after introduction of PCV10; 4) To determine the feasibility and utility of lung ultrasound for the diagnosis of pediatric pneumonia in a large sample of children in a resource-limited setting. We will also evaluate the effectiveness of PCV10 introduction on ultrasound-confirmed pneumonia in 3-35 month-old children using an incident case-control design and to examine the incidence trend of ultrasound-confirmed pneumonia in 3-35 month-old children in the study area before and after PCV10 introduction; and 5) To determine the direct and indirect effects of vaccination status on nasopharyngeal colonization on VT pneumococci among children with pneumonia .  This paper presents the methodology. The study will allow us to conduct a comprehensive and robust assessment of the impact of national introduction of PCV10 on pneumococcal disease in Bangladesh.

Can facility delivery reduce the risk of intrapartum complications-related perinatal mortality? Findings from a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Intrapartum complications increase the risk of perinatal deaths. However, population-based data from developing countries assessing the contribution of intrapartum complications to perinatal deaths is scarce. METHODS: Using data from a cohort of pregnant women followed between 2011 and 2013 in Bangladesh, this study examined the rate and types of intrapartum complications, the association of intrapartum complications with perinatal mortality, and if facility delivery modified the risk of intrapartum-related perinatal deaths. Trained community health workers (CHWs) made two-monthly home visits to identify pregnant women, visited them twice during pregnancy and 10 times in the first two months postpartum. During prenatal visits, CHWs collected data on women's prior obstetric history, socio-demographic status, and complications during pregnancy. They collected data on intrapartum complications, delivery care, and pregnancy outcome during the first postnatal visit within 7 days of delivery. We examined the association of intrapartum complications and facility delivery with perinatal mortality by estimating odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) adjusting for covariates using multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The overall facility delivery rate was low (3922/24 271; 16.2%). Any intrapartum complications among pregnant women were 20.9% (5,061/24,271) and perinatal mortality was 64.7 per 1000 birth. Compared to women who delivered at home, the risk of perinatal mortality was 2.4 times higher (OR = 2.40; 95% CI = 2.08-2.76) when delivered in a public health facility and 1.3 times higher (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.06-1.64) when delivered in a private health facility. Compared to women who had no intrapartum complications and delivered at home, women with intrapartum complications who delivered at home had a substantially higher risk of perinatal mortality (OR = 3.45; 95% CI = 3.04-3.91). Compared to women with intrapartum complications who delivered at home, the risk of perinatal mortality among women with intrapartum complications was 43.0% lower for women who delivered in a public health facility (OR = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.42-0.78) and 58.0% lower when delivered in a private health facility (OR = 0.42; 95% CI = 0.28-0.63). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal health programs need to promote timely recognition of intrapartum complications and delivery in health facilities to improve perinatal outcomes, particularly in populations where overall facility delivery rates are low. The differential risk between public and private health facilities may be due to differences in quality of care. Efforts should be made to improve the quality of care in all health facilities.

Factors associated with poor knowledge among adults on tuberculosis in Bangladesh: results from a nationwide survey.

INTRODUCTION: In 2012, Bangladesh continues to be one of the 22 high tuberculosis (TB) burden countries in the world. Although free diagnosis and management for TB is available throughout the country, case notification rate/100,000 population for new smear positive (NSP) cases under the national TB control programme (NTP) remained at around 70/100,000 population and have not changed much since 2006. Knowledge on TB disease, treatment and its management could be an important predictor for utilization of TB services and influence case detection under the NTP. Our objective is to describe knowledge of TB among newly diagnosed TB cases and community controls to assess factors associated with poor knowledge in order to identify programmatic implications for control measures. METHODS: Embedded in TB prevalence survey 2007-2009, we included 240 TB cases from the TB registers and 240 persons ≥ 15 years of age randomly selected from the households where the survey was implemented. All participants were interviewed using a structured, pre-tested questionnaire to evaluate their TB knowledge. Regression analyses were done to assess associations with poor knowledge of TB. RESULTS: Our survey documented that overall there was fair knowledge in all domains investigated. However, based on the number of correct answers to the questionnaires, community controls showed significantly poorer knowledge than the TB cases in the domains of TB transmission (80% vs. 88%), mode of transmission (67% vs. 82%), knowing ≥ 1 suggestive symptoms including cough (78% vs. 89%), curability of TB (90% vs. 98%) and availability of free treatment (75% vs. 95%). Community controls were more likely to have poor knowledge of TB issues compared to the TB cases even after controlling for other factors such as education and occupation in a multivariate model (OR 3.46, 95% CI: 2.00-6.09). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge on various aspects of TB and TB services varies significantly between TB cases and community controls in Bangladesh. The overall higher levels of knowledge in TB cases could identify them as peer educators in ongoing communication approaches to improve care seeking behavior of the TB suspects in the community and hence case detection.

Care seeking in tuberculosis: results from a countrywide cluster randomised survey in Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVES: To explore systematically the care seeking trajectories of tuberculosis (TB) cases up to four subsequent places of care and to assess the type of services provided at each place. METHODS: TB cases detected actively during the 2007-2009 national TB prevalence survey and passively under the routine programme in the same period were interviewed by administering a standardised questionnaire. Care seeking and services provided up to four subsequent points were explored. Care seeking was further explored by categorising the providers into formal, informal and 'self-care' groups. RESULTS: A total of 273 TB cases were included in this study, of which 33 (12%) were detected during the survey and 240 (88%) from the TB registers. Out of the 118 passively detected cases who first sought care from an informal provider, 52 (44.1%) remained in the informal sector at the second point of care. Similarly, out of the 52, 17 (32.7%) and out of the 17, 5 (29.4%) remained in the informal sector at the third and fourth subsequent points of care, respectively. All the 33 actively detected cases had 'self-care' at the first point, and 27 (81.8%) remained with 'self-care' up to the fourth point of care. Prescribing drugs (59-99%) was the major type of care provided by the formal and informal care providers at each point and was limited to the non-existent practice of investigation or referrals. CONCLUSIONS: Free TB services are still underutilised by TB cases and informal caregivers remained the major care providers for such cases in Bangladesh. In order to improve case detection, it is necessary that the National Tuberculosis Programme immediately takes effective initiatives to engage all types of care providers, particularly informal providers who are the first point of care for the majority of the TB suspects.

Feasibility, acceptability, and programme effectiveness of misoprostol for prevention of postpartum haemorrhage in rural bangladesh: a quasiexperimental study.

We explored the feasibility of distributing misoprostol tablets using two strategies in prevention of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) among women residing in the Abhoynagar subdistrict of Bangladesh. We conducted a quasiexperimental study with a posttest design and nonequivalent comparison and intervention groups. Paramedics distributed three misoprostol tablets, one delivery mat (Quaiyum's delivery mat), a packet of five standardized sanitary pads, and one lidded plastic container with detailed counseling on their use. All materials except misoprostol were also provided with counseling sessions to the control group participants. Postpartum blood loss was measured by paramedics using standardized method. This study has demonstrated community acceptability to misoprostol tablets for the prevention of PPH that reduced overall volume of blood loss after childbirth. Likewise, the delivery mat and pad were found to be useful to mothers as tools for assessing the amount of blood loss after delivery and informing care-seeking decisions. Further studies should be undertaken to explore whether government outreach health workers can be trained to effectively distribute misoprostol tablets among rural women of Bangladesh. Such a study should explore and identify the programmatic requirements to integrate this within the existing reproductive health program of the Government of Bangladesh.