Integrated community case management (iCCM) programs are expanding rapidly in many low– and middle–income countries, particularly in sub–Saharan Africa. Conclusions from the recent review of iCCM programs in Africa emphasized the critical importance of using routine data to assess program performance and to inform impact evaluations [1]. Yet monitoring systems often fail to deliver quality data...

BACKGROUND Trends in the prevalence of acute myocardial infarction in sub-Saharan Africa have not been well described, despite growing recognition of the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this systematic review was to describe the prevalence of acute myocardial infarction in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Globa...

BACKGROUND Currently, oesophageal cancer is not a public health priority disease in Sub-Saharan Africa. AIM Analysis of published scientific studies regarding oesophageal cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa was done to ascertain the incidence, prevalence and geographical distribution of the disease in the region. METHODS A pub med literature search was conducted for articles ranging from 1950 to 2...

BACKGROUND Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a complex metabolic state of hyperglycaemia, ketosis, and acidosis. Diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa is, in many patients a serious disease with a poor prognosis. Most deaths, however, are due to preventable causes. OBJECTIVE To improve knowledge on the management of DKA in sub-Saharan Africa. DATA SOURCES Literature review from different published so...

The aim of this paper is to examine and expand our focus on human capital capacity building as a foundation for poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa. The data showed significant differences in the human capital capacity building characteristics as measured by demographic, education and gender equality characteristics. In analyzing select human capital capacity building markers, the findings ...

OBJECTIVE Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of maternal mortality, with almost 300,000 cases and ~72,000 PPH deaths annually in sub-Saharan Africa. Novel prevention methods practical in community settings are required. Tranexamic acid, a drug to reduce bleeding during surgical cases including postpartum bleeding, is potentially suitable for community settings. Thus, we sought to dete...

BACKGROUND There is a great need for safe surgical services in sub-Saharan Africa, but a major difficulty of performing surgery in this region is the high risk of post-operative surgical site infection (SSI). METHODS We aimed to systematically review which interventions had been tested in sub-Saharan Africa to reduce the risk of SSI and to synthesize their findings. We searched Medline, Embas...

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic continues to grow at an alarming rate, with a further 5 million new infections in 2003. Some 3.5 million of these were in sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 70% of the world's HIV-positive population resides. In contrast, the spread of HIV in high-income countries has slowed since its discovery in the 1980s, and in regions such as Western Eur...

INTRODUCTION Data on the effect of health aid on the health status in developing countries are inconclusive. Moreover, studies on this issue in sub-Saharan Africa are scarce. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the effect of health development aid in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS Using panel data analytic method, as well as infant mortality rate as a proxy for health status, this study examin...

Sub-Saharan Africa suffers by far the greatest malaria burden worldwide and is currently undergoing a profound demographic change, with a growing proportion of its population moving to urban areas. Urbanisation is generally expected to reduce malaria transmission; however the disease still persists in African cities, in some cases at higher levels than in nearby rural areas. Objective. This pap...