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Community engagement and the centrality of ‘working relationships’ in health research BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Robin Vincent, Dorcas Kamuya, Bipin Adhikari, Deborah Nyirenda, James V Lavery, Sassy Molyneux
Community engagement (CE) is widely accepted as a critical aspect of health research because of its potential to make research more ethical, relevant and well implemented. Although CE activities linked to international health research involving Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs; see author note) have proliferated and are increasingly described in published literature, there is a lack of conceptual
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Building consensus on common features and interoperability use cases for community health information systems: a Delphi study BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Isaac Holeman, David Citrin, Mohamed Albirair, Nancy Puttkammer, Madeleine Ballard, Brian DeRenzi, James O'Donovan, Beatrice Wasunna
Introduction Information systems for community health have become increasingly sophisticated and evidence-based in the last decade and they are now the most widely used health information systems in many low-income and middle-income countries. This study aimed to establish consensus regarding key features and interoperability priorities for community health information systems (CHISs). Methods A Delphi
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Towards comprehensive clinical trials for new tuberculosis drug regimens: policy recommendations from a stakeholder analysis BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Simone Villa, Pierpaolo de Colombani, Lucia Dall’Olio, Giuliano Gargioni, Mario Raviglione
Background Research and development (R&D) of new drugs and regimens against tuberculosis (TB) is evolving to meet new challenges and face limited investments in the sector. To effectively improve and fill existing gaps, researchers and trialists should engage a broad spectrum of stakeholders. With this study, we aim to map the interests in TB R&D raised by the main stakeholders in the TB field. Methods
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Comparison of WHO versus national COVID-19 therapeutic guidelines across the world: not exactly a perfect match BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Mia Cokljat, Cintia Valeria Cruz, Verena Ilona Carrara, Kanoktip Puttaraska, Camila Capriglioni, Sabrina Marcela Insaurralde, Maximo Rousseau-Portalis, Agustina Roldan, James A Watson, Joel Tarning, Nicholas J White, Philippe J Guerin
Background The COVID-19 pandemic affected all WHO member states. We compared and contrasted the COVID-19 treatment guidelines of each member state with the WHO COVID-19 therapeutic guidelines. Methods Ministries of Health or accessed National Infectious Disease websites and other relevant bodies and experts were contacted to obtain national guidelines (NGs) for COVID-19 treatment. NGs were included
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Quality and safety for substances of human origins: scientific evidence and the new EU regulations BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Julio J Elias, Nicola Lacetera, Mario Macis, Axel Ockenfels, Alvin E Roth
### Summary box In December 2023, the Council of the European Union (EU) and the European Parliament reached consensus on a new ‘Regulation on standards of quality and safety for substances of human origin intended for human application’ (SoHOs).1 These substances encompass human-origin materials, including blood, plasma, skin, corneas, embryos, sperm, breast milk and microbiota (but not solid organs)
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The need for global social epidemiology in the polycrisis era BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Davide Rasella, Ivalda Macicame, Aliya Naheed, Megan Naidoo, Elisa Landin-Basterra, Natanael Silva, Ana L Moncayo, Andrés Trotta, Luis Eugenio Portela Fernandes de Souza
#### Summary box The world is facing one of the most uncertain and unpredictable periods of its recent history. The compounding effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating global conflicts, economic instability and climate change have converged into the polycrisis era: concurrent crises interacting and amplifying their global impact beyond the sum of their individual parts.1 While …
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Making sense of national and international disparities in excess mortality from the COVID-19 pandemic BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Vladimir M Shkolnikov, Dmitri A Jdanov, Azeem Majeed, Nazrul Islam
The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the biggest health challenges faced by humanity in over a century. Unlike the 1918 Spanish influenza, data on the COVID-19 pandemic have been extensively collected, analysed, documented and monitored in real time by numerous organisations.1–4 Due to the scale of the pandemic and the variable success in tackling it in different countries, it is important to identify factors
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From polycrisis to metacrisis: harnessing windows of opportunity for renewed political leadership in global health diplomacy BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Brian Li Han Wong, Anders Nordström, Peter Piot, Helen Clark
### Summary box In an era marked by multifaceted and inter-related crises, global health stands at a crossroads of unprecedented challenges and emerging opportunities. The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, global health threats (such as the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance and the escalating threat of climate change), widespread geopolitical turmoil, rising populism, diminished
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The global health community at international climate change negotiations BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Kim Robin van Daalen, Nanine Wyma, Johanna Schauer-Berg, Iris M Blom, Juliette Mattijsen, Razan Othman, Mohamed Eissa, Robbie M Parks, Arthur Wyns, Ahmed Taha Aboushady, Muha Hassan, Tarek Ezzine, Salman Khan, Menna-Allah Elsayed Zayed, Sarah Neggazi, Lujain Alqodmani, Rachel Lowe
### SUMMARY BOX With 2023 shattering climate records across the world following decades of unprecedented warming,1 the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties 28 (UNFCCC COP28) in Dubai was the first UN climate change conference to feature an official ‘Health Day’ and witnessed the largest-ever turnout of the global health community. The threat of climate change
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Magnitude and determinants of excess total, age-specific and sex-specific all-cause mortality in 24 countries worldwide during 2020 and 2021: results on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from the C-MOR project BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Chryso Th. Pallari, Souzana Achilleos, Annalisa Quattrocchi, John Gabel, Elena Critselis, Maria Athanasiadou, Mohammad Reza Rahmanian Haghighi, Stefania Papatheodorou, Tianyu Liu, Andreas Artemiou, Jose M Rodriguez-Llanes, Catherine M Bennett, Claudia Zimmermann, Eva Schernhammer, Natalia Bustos Sierra, Reindert Ekelson, Jackeline Lobato, Laylla Macedo, Laust Hvas Mortensen, Julia Critchley, Lucy Goldsmith
Introduction To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality, we estimated excess all-cause mortality in 24 countries for 2020 and 2021, overall and stratified by sex and age. Methods Total, age-specific and sex-specific weekly all-cause mortality was collected for 2015–2021 and excess mortality for 2020 and 2021 was calculated by comparing weekly 2020 and 2021 age-standardised mortality
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A biosocial analysis of perinatal and late neonatal mortality among Indigenous Maya Kaqchikel communities in Tecpán, Guatemala: a mixed-methods study BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Anahí Venzor Strader, Magda Sotz, Hannah N Gilbert, Ann C Miller, Anne CC Lee, Peter Rohloff
Introduction Neonatal mortality is a global public health challenge. Guatemala has the fifth highest neonatal mortality rate in Latin America, and Indigenous communities are particularly impacted. This study aims to understand factors driving neonatal mortality rates among Maya Kaqchikel communities. Methods We used sequential explanatory mixed methods. The quantitative phase was a secondary analysis
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Estimated health benefits, costs and cost-effectiveness of eliminating industrial trans-fatty acids in Nigeria: cost-effectiveness analysis BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Matti Marklund, Leopold N Aminde, Mary Njeri Wanjau, Boni M Ale, Adedayo E Ojo, Clementina E Okoro, Abimbola Adegboye, Liping Huang, J Lennert Veerman, Jason HY Wu, Mark D Huffman, Dike B Ojji
Introduction Nigeria is committed to reducing industrial trans- fatty acids (iTFA) from the food supply, but the potential health gains, costs and cost-effectiveness are unknown. Methods The effect on ischaemic heart disease (IHD) burden, costs and cost-effectiveness of a mandatory iTFA limit (≤2% of all fats) for foods in Nigeria were estimated using Markov cohort models. Data on demographics, IHD
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The rural surgeon: a practice to strive for BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Vanitha Raguveer, Riya Sawhney, Nobhojit Roy, Nakul Raykar
The milestone publication of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery in 2015 carved a niche for the field of academic global surgery, creating space for partnerships between surgeons from high-income countries (HICs) and low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).1 2 However, academic authors from HICs dominate the story of global surgery, frequently blocking out experienced voices from the front
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Shapeshifters: Global South scholars and their tensions in border-crossing to Global North journals BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Thirusha Naidu, Carrie Cartmill, Sunitha Swanepoel, Cynthia Ruth Whitehead
Introduction Global South researchers struggle to publish in Global North journals, including journals dedicated to research on health professions education (HPE). As a consequence, Western perspectives and values dominate the international academic landscape of HPE. This study sought to understand Global South researchers’ motivations and experiences of publishing in Global North journals. Methods
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Missing in action: a scoping review of gender as the overlooked component in decolonial discourses BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Tiffany Nassiri-Ansari, Emma Louise Margaret Rhule
Introduction Race and gender were intimately intertwined aspects of the colonial project, used as key categories of hierarchisation within both colonial and modern societies. As such, true decolonisation is only possible when both are addressed equally; failure to address the colonial root causes of gender-based inequalities will allow for the perpetuation of racialised notions of gender to persist
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Who is killing South African men? A retrospective descriptive study of forensic and police investigations into male homicide BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Richard Matzopoulos, Lea Marineau, Shibe Mhlongo, Asiphe Ketelo, Megan Prinsloo, Bianca Dekel, Lorna J Martin, Rachel Jewkes, Carl Lombard, Naeemah Abrahams
Not much is known about the perpetrators of male homicide in South Africa, which has rates seven times the global average. For the country’s first ever male homicide study we describe the epidemiology of perpetrators, their relationship with victims and victim profiles of men killed by male versus female perpetrators. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of routine data collected through
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The reported impact of non-communicable disease investment cases in 13 countries BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Giuseppe Troisi, Roy Small, Roman Chestnov, Diana Andreasyan, Henrik Khachatryan, Erwin Arthur Phillips, Taraleen Malcolm, Hero Kol, Nargiza Khodjaeva, Mussie Gebremichael, Addisu Worku Tessema, Asmamaw Bezabeh Workneh, Tamu Davidson, Michelle Harris, Nurgul Ibraeva, Aigul Nurmatova, Aliina Altymysheva, John Juliard Go, Anna Kontsevaya, Krisada Hanbunjerd, Sushera Bunluesin, Olivia Nieveras, Banu Ekinci
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading health and development challenge worldwide. Since 2015, WHO and the United Nations Development Programme have provided support to governments to develop national NCD investment cases to describe the socioeconomic dimensions of NCDs. To assess the impact of the investment cases, semistructured interviews and a structured process for gathering written feedback
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Building confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine in a polio-endemic country: strategic communication lessons from Pakistan BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Zaeem Ul Haq, Soofia Yunus, Naveed Jafri
In a health emergency, governments rely on public trust in their policy, and anticipate its compliance to protect health and save lives. Vaccine hesitancy compromises this process when an emergency involves infections. The prevailing discourse on vaccine hesitancy often describes it as a static phenomenon, ignoring its expanse and complexity, and neglecting the exploration of tools to address it. This
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Early and unintended pregnancy in Eastern and Southern Africa: analysis of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights policies BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Shakira Choonara, Roseline Hwati, Morris Tayebwa, Kaymarlin Govender
In 2019, there were 21 million pregnancies among adolescents aged 15–19 years globally; close to half of these pregnancies were unintended. Early and unintended pregnancy (EUP) remains a pressing concern with severe socioeconomic and health outcomes for adolescent girls aged 15–19 years, their offspring and society. In Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), Zambia, the United Republic of Tanzania, the
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Overnutrition is a risk factor for iron, but not for zinc or vitamin A deficiency in children and young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Xiaomian Tan, Pui Yee Tan, Yun Yun Gong, J Bernadette Moore
Introduction Traditionally associated with undernutrition, increasing evidence suggests micronutrient deficiencies can coexist with overnutrition. Therefore, this work aimed to systematically review the associations between iron, zinc and vitamin A (VA) status and weight status (both underweight and overweight) in children and young people. Methods Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, Scopus and Cochrane databases
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Stuck in ‘the field’: why applied epidemiology needs to go home BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Freya L Jephcott
Between December 2010 and January 2011, 16 children presented to a mission hospital, in what at the time was, the Brong Ahafo Region (BAR) of Ghana, with unusual forms of seizure and paralysis. Initial testing suggested that the cause was B virus, a zoonotic monkey-borne virus not previously seen in Africa. These unexpected and concerning results spurred national public health authorities to deploy
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The elephant in the room: reflecting on text-to-image generative AI and global health images BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Arsenii Alenichev, Patricia Kingori, Jonathan Shaffer, Koen Peeters Grietens
There has been increasing evidence that generative AI produces biased, exaggerated and otherwise problematic images with regard to class, race and gender, among other socially enacted markers.1 2 Further extending these concerns to global health and text-to-image generation,3 in this commentary article we discuss ‘the elephant in the room’ both as a metaphor for global health,4 visual culture and stereotypical
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Mortality variability and differentials by age and causes of death in rural South Africa, 1994–2018 BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Brian Houle, Chodziwadziwa Kabudula, Sanyu A Mojola, Nicole Angotti, Francesc Xavier Gómez-Olivé, Dickman Gareta, Kobus Herbst, Samuel J Clark, Jane Menken, Vladimir Canudas-Romo
Introduction Understanding mortality variability by age and cause is critical to identifying intervention and prevention actions to support disadvantaged populations. We assessed mortality changes in two rural South African populations over 25 years covering pre-AIDS and peak AIDS epidemic and subsequent antiretroviral therapy (ART) availability. Methods Using population surveillance data from the
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National public health institutes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Insights from experts in the field BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Hala Abou-Taleb, Sebastian van Gilst, Nada Mohamed, Awad Mataria
National public health institutes (NPHIs) are crucial to the effectiveness of public health systems, including delivering essential public health functions and generating evidence for national health policies, strategies and plans. Currently, there is a significant lack of information regarding NPHI or NPHI-like organisations in Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries, including how they fit into
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Interventions to address antimicrobial resistance: an ethical analysis of key tensions and how they apply in low- income and middle-income countries BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Sunil Pokharel, Bipin Adhikari, Tess Johnson, Phaik Yeong Cheah
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health and one health problem. Efforts to mitigate the problem of AMR are challenging to implement due to unresolved ethical tensions. We present an in-depth ethical analysis of tensions that might hinder efforts to address AMR. First, there is a tension between access and excess in the current population: addressing lack of access requires facilitating use
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Call for action: addressing the alarming surge of HIV in Madagascar BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Diavolana Andrianarimanana-Köcher, Rivo Andry Rakotoarivelo, Mamy Jean de Dieu Randria, Mihaja Raberahona, Andosoa Ratefiharimanana, Emmanuel Harizaka Andriamasy, Xavier Vallès, Anne-Caroline Benski, Julius Valentin Emmrich, Andrew Walsh, Kyle Robinson, Nadine Muller
#### Summary box In stark contrast to its neighbours in Sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar reports an estimated HIV prevalence below 0.5%.1 HIV infections are perceived to be primarily concentrated in key populations. However, closer inspection suggests an underestimated epidemic transitioning to the general population. A 2020 analysis by Raberahona et al on the status of HIV in Madagascar already suggested
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Effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccines on maternal and perinatal outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Silvia Fernández-García, Laura del Campo-Albendea, Dharshini Sambamoorthi, Jameela Sheikh, Karen Lau, Nana Osei-Lah, Anoushka Ramkumar, Harshitha Naidu, Nicole Stoney, Paul Sundaram, Paulomi Sengupta, Samay Mehta, Shruti Attarde, Sophie Maddock, Millie Manning, Zainita Meherally, Kehkashan Ansari, Heidi Lawson, Magnus Yap, Tania Kew, Andriya Punnoose, Chloe Knight, Eyna Sadeqa, Jiya Cherian, Sangamithra
Objective To assess the effects of COVID-19 vaccines in women before or during pregnancy on SARS-CoV-2 infection-related, pregnancy, offspring and reactogenicity outcomes. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Major databases between December 2019 and January 2023. Study selection Nine pairs of reviewers contributed to study selection. We included test-negative designs, comparative
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Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV, malaria and tuberculosis indicators in Togo: an interrupted time series analysis BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Yao Rodion Konu, Fall Dogo, Claver Anoumou Dagnra, Tinah Atcha-Oubou, Fifonsi Adjidossi Gbeasor-Komlanvi, Kossivi Agbelenko Afanvi, Fatoumata Binta Tidiane Diallo, Mahmoud Teouri, Moustafa Mijiyawa, Didier Koumavi Ekouevi
Background Limited data are available on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health-related indicators in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to estimate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on nine indicators of HIV, malaria and tuberculosis (TB) in Togo. Methods For this interrupted time series analysis, national health information system data from January 2019 to December 2021 and TB programmatic
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Informing the pandemic response: the role of the WHO’s COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Juniorcaius Ikejezie, Alessandro Miglietta, Ingrid Hammermeister Nezu, Sandra Adele, Melissa M Higdon, Daniel Feikin, Harsh Lata, Samuel Mesfin, Friday Idoko, Kazuki Shimizu, Ayse Acma, Samuel Moro, Homa Attar Cohen, Mary Anissa Sinnathamby, James Richard Otieno, Yosef Temre, Brian Ngongheh Ajong, Bernadette Basuta Mirembe, Tondri Noe Guinko, Vaishali Sodagar, Craig Schultz, Joao Muianga, Stéphane
On 31 December 2019, the Municipal Health Commission of Wuhan, China, reported a cluster of atypical pneumonia cases. On 5 January 2020, the WHO publicly released a Disease Outbreak News (DON) report, providing information about the pneumonia cases, implemented response interventions, and WHO’s risk assessment and advice on public health and social measures. Following 9 additional DON reports and 209
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Setting up a data system for monitoring malaria vaccine introduction readiness and uptake in 42 health districts in Cameroon BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Franck Mboussou, Shalom Tchokfe Ndoula, Raoul Nembot, Simon Franky Baonga, Arnaud Njinkeu, Andreas Ateke Njoh, Joseph Nsiari-muzeyi BIEY, Mohamed Kaba, Adidja Amani, Bridget Farham, Phanuel Habimana, Benido Impouma
Three months after the first shipment of RTS,S1/AS01 vaccines, Cameroon started, on 22 January 2024, to roll out malaria vaccines in 42 districts among the most at risk for malaria. Cameroon adopted and implemented the World Health Organization (WHO) malaria vaccine readiness assessment tool to monitor the implementation of preintroduction activities at the district and national levels. One week before
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Under-5 mortality surveillance in low-income and middle-income countries: insights from two Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems in rural Gambia BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Baleng Mahama Wutor, Isaac Osei, Golam Sarwar, Williams Oluwatosin Adefila, Lobga Babila Galega, Ilias Hossain, Yusuf Abdulsalam, Keita Modou Lamin, Alhagie Muya Baldeh, Basiru Barry, Esu Ezeani, Grant Mackenzie
Without complete data on under-5 mortality, tracking progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 will be challenging. Such data are also needed to ensure proper planning and prioritisation of scarce resources in low-income and middle-income countries. However, most low-income and middle-income countries have weak Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems, leaving a critical
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Damage to medical complexes in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war: a geospatial analysis BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Danielle N Poole, Daniel Andersen, Nathaniel A Raymond, Rob Grace, Trevor Smith, Kaveh Khoshnood, Hani Mowafi
Introduction Medical facilities are civilian objects specially protected during armed conflict by international humanitarian law (IHL). These protections are customarily applied regardless of the conflict, parties or contexts involved. Attacks on medical care have characterised the bombardment campaign of the Gaza Strip beginning 7 October 2023. This study presents evidence regarding patterns of damage
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Patient–physician communication on herbal medicine use during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Hyea Bin Im, Jung Hye Hwang, Dain Choi, Soo Jeung Choi, Dongwoon Han
Introduction Lack of transparent communication between patients and physicians regarding the use of herbal medicine (HM) presents a major public health challenge, as inappropriate HM use poses health risks. Considering the widespread use of HM and the risk of adverse events, it is crucial for pregnant women to openly discuss their HM use with healthcare providers. Therefore, this systematic review
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Are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) the root cause of the Aboriginal health gap in Australia? BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Subash Thapa, Peter Gibbs, Nancy Ross, Jamie Newman, Julaine Allan, Hazel Dalton, Shakeel Mahmood, Bernd H Kalinna, Allen G Ross
### Summary box Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) encompass traumatic events that occur before the age of 18. There is a consensus among scholars that ACEs are broadly categorised into abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, and further into 10 distinct subtypes (eg, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, parent with mental illness, incarcerated relative/family
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National COVID-19 preparedness and response plans: a global review from the perspective of services for maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and older people BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Alexandra Czerniewska, Alyssa Sharkey, Anayda Portela, Sarah Drapkin, Saqif Mustafa
Introduction Infectious disease outbreaks have historically led to widespread disruptions in routine essential health services. Disruptions due to COVID-19 responses led to excess deaths, including among women and children. This review builds on earlier reviews of essential health services in national COVID-19 response and preparedness plans, focusing specifically on maternal, newborn, child, adolescent
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Towards a multi-lateral framework for cross-border surveillance and information sharing between Nigeria and neighbouring countries BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Olaoluwa Oluwafemi Akinloluwa, Virgil Lokossou, Geoffrey Okatubo, Oyeladun Okunromade, Onyekachi Nwitte-Eze, Samuel Alabi, Titilope Ajayi-Ogbe, Chinenye Ofoegbunam, Lionel Sogbossi, Kima Appolinaire, Melchior Anathase Aissi
Nigeria sits at the crossroads of West and Central Africa; two increasingly critical regions for global health security. To strengthen cross-border collaboration for health security between its neighbors from West and Central Africa, the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria through the public health authority at the Points of Entry—Port Health Services, led the design of a multi-lateral framework for
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Reviewing essential public health functions in the Eastern Mediterranean Region post COVID-19 pandemic: a foundation for system resilience BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Olaa Mohamed-Ahmed, Hala Aboutaleb, Samia Latif, Hannah L Watson, Rachel Handley, Emily Humphreys, Fethiye Gulin Gedik, Joia De Sa, Yu Zhang, Tazeem Bhatia, Osman Dar, Sohel Saikat, Neil Squires, Awad Mataria
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in many health systems worldwide with profound implications for health and society. The public health challenges experienced during the pandemic have highlighted the importance of resilient health systems, that can adapt and transform to meet the population’s evolving health needs. Essential public health functions (EPHFs) offer a holistic, integrated and
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Turning crisis into opportunity: sustaining COVID-19 gains in resource-constrained and fragile settings BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Sundus Haji-Jama, Ann Moen, Wasiq Khan, Abdinasir Abubakar, Richard Brennan
### Summary box In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussions on strengthening global and national pandemic preparedness have reopened. In September 2023, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly hosted a meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, at which heads of government issued a political declaration for safeguarding against future pandemic risks. The prevailing sentiment
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Estimation of country-specific tuberculosis resistance antibiograms using pathogen genomics and machine learning BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Avika Dixit, Luca Freschi, Roger Vargas, Matthias I Gröschel, Maria Nakhoul, Sabira Tahseen, S M Masud Alam, S M Mostofa Kamal, Alena Skrahina, Ramon P Basilio, Dodge R Lim, Nazir Ismail, Maha R Farhat
Background Global tuberculosis (TB) drug resistance (DR) surveillance focuses on rifampicin. We examined the potential of public and surveillance Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( Mtb ) whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data, to generate expanded country-level resistance prevalence estimates (antibiograms) using in silico resistance prediction. Methods We curated and quality-controlled Mtb WGS data. We used
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Midwife-led birthing centres in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Uganda: an economic evaluation of case study sites BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Emily J Callander, Vanessa Scarf, Andrea Nove, Caroline Homer, Alayna Carrandi, Abu Sayeed Abdullah, Sheila Clow, Abdul Halim, Scovia Nalugo Mbalinda, Rose Chalo Nabirye, AKM Fazlur Rahman, Saad Ibrahim Rasheed, Arslan Munir Turk, Oliva Bazirete, Sabera Turkmani, Mandy Forrester, Shree Mandke, Sally Pairman, Martin Boyce
Introduction Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates will require the expansion and strengthening of quality maternal health services. Midwife-led birth centres (MLBCs) are an alternative to hospital-based care for low-risk pregnancies where the lead professional at the time of birth is a trained midwife. These have been used in many countries to
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How far can reformulation participate in improving the nutritional quality of diets at population level? A modelling study using real food market data in France BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Barthélémy Sarda, Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, Bernard Srour, Mélanie Deschasaux-Tanguy, Morgane Fialon, Léopold K Fezeu, Pilar Galan, Serge Hercberg, Mathilde Touvier, Chantal Julia
Background Food reformulation is promoted as a tool to improve the nutritional quality of population diets. However, the potential impact of industry-wide reformulation on dietary intake has been investigated minimally. Objectives The aim was to estimate the impact on the French population nutrient intakes of industry-wide reformulation towards healthier products using the updated nutrient profiling
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Aligning the principles and practice of research integrity and research fairness in global health: a mixed-methods study BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Joseph Bukulu Sempa, Rutuja Patil, Jake D Mathewson, Hannah Kabelka, Nima Yaghmaei, Harry Coleman, Preeti Sohoni, Masja Straetemans, Gowri Gopalakrishna, Martijn Wienia, Francis Kombe, Sandra Alba
Introduction In the past decade, global health research has seen a growing emphasis on research integrity and fairness. The concept of research integrity emerged in response to the reproducibility crisis in science during the late 2000s. Research fairness initiatives aim to enhance ownership and inclusivity in research involving partners with varying powers, decision-making roles and resource capacities
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Reduction of malaria case incidence following the introduction of clothianidin-based indoor residual spraying in previously unsprayed districts: an observational analysis using health facility register data from Côte d’Ivoire, 2018–2022 BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Emily R Hilton, Ndombour Gning-Cisse, Auguste Assi, Mathieu Eyakou, John Koffi, Barthelemy Gnakou, Bernard Kouassi, Cecilia Flatley, Joseph Chabi, Constant Gbalegba, Serge Alex Aimain, Colette Yah Kokrasset, Mea Antoine Tanoh, Sylvain N'Gotta, Octavie Yao, Hughes Egou Assi, Philomène Konan, Kelly Davis, Edi Constant, Allison Belemvire, Patricia Yepassis-Zembrou, Pascal Zinzindohoue, Blaise Kouadio
Background Indoor residual spraying (IRS) using neonicotinoid-based insecticides (clothianidin and combined clothianidin with deltamethrin) was deployed in two previously unsprayed districts of Côte d’Ivoire in 2020 and 2021 to complement standard pyrethroid insecticide-treated nets. This retrospective observational study uses health facility register data to assess the impact of IRS on clinically
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Building citizen science intelligence for outbreak preparedness and response: a mixed-method study in nine countries to assess knowledge, readiness and feasibility BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Yi-Roe Tan, Manh Duc Nguyen, Caroline Antonia Mubaira, Dan Kajungu, Dinesh Kumar, Felipe C Canlas, Firli Yogiteten Sunaryoko, Gyanu Raja Maharjan, Harjyot Khosa, Ingo Hauter, Joan Thiga, Md. Mazharul Anowar, Patrick Okwen, Tariro Kutadza, Walter Chikanya, Marc Choisy, Peiling Yap
Introduction Citizen science (CS) is an emerging approach in public health to harness the collective intelligence of individuals to augment traditional scientific efforts. However, citizens’ viewpoint, especially the hard-to-reach population, is lacking in current outbreak-related literature. We aim to understand the awareness, readiness and feasibility of outbreak-related CS, including digitally enabled
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Progress towards health equity in Vietnam: evidence from nationwide official health statistics, 2010-2020 BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Yikai Feng, Tran Diep Tuan, Junyi Shi, Zhuo Li, Mailikezhati Maimaitiming, Yinzi Jin, Zhijie Zheng
Introduction One of the ultimate goals of strengthening the health system is to achieve health equity. Vietnam is considered one of the ‘fast-track countries’ to achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals, but research on its equity strategies remains inadequate. Methods Using Vietnamese official health statistics, we investigated inequity in four dimensions including health resources
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African polyvalent antivenom can maintain pharmacological stability and ability to neutralise murine venom lethality for decades post-expiry: evidence for increasing antivenom shelf life to aid in alleviating chronic shortages BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Gabriela Solano, Sinead Cunningham, Rebecca J Edge, Gina Duran, Adriana Sanchez, Mauren Villalta, Rachel H Clare, Mark C Wilkinson, Amy E Marriott, Camille Abada, Stefanie K Menzies, Molly Keen, David G Lalloo, Ymkje Stienstra, Michael Abouyannis, Nicholas R Casewell, Guillermo León, Stuart Ainsworth
Introduction Antivenom is a lifesaving medicine for treating snakebite envenoming, yet there has been a crisis in antivenom supply for many decades. Despite this, substantial quantities of antivenom stocks expire before use. This study has investigated whether expired antivenoms retain preclinical quality and efficacy, with the rationale that they could be used in emergency situations when in-date
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Mass drug administration for neglected tropical disease control and elimination: a systematic review of ethical reasons BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Juliette Hoefle-Bénard, Sabine Salloch
Background Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of debilitating diseases and conditions afflicting more than one billion people in impoverished communities. Control of these diseases is crucial to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 and the pledge to ‘leave no one behind’. Relying on large-scale delivery of wide-spectrum drugs to individuals in at-risk communities irrespective
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Exploring equity in global health collaborations: a qualitative study of donor and recipient power dynamics in Liberia BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Brigid E Cakouros, Johannah Gum, Defne L Levine, Joseph Lewis, Antoinette H Wright, Bernice Dahn, Kristina Talbert-Slagle
Introduction Global health collaborations between individuals from high-resource and low-resource settings are complex and often built on hierarchical structures and power differentials that are difficult to change. There have been many calls and frameworks developed to facilitate more equity within these collaborations, yet little is known about the lived experiences of global health donors and recipients
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Public health emergencies in war and armed conflicts in Africa: What is expected from the global health community? BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Jean Kaseya, Nebiyu Dereje, Tajudeen Raji, Alain Ngashi Ngongo, Mosoka Papa Fallah, Nicaise Ndembi
### SUMMARY BOX War and armed conflicts, in any form, threaten public health.1 Outbreaks of diseases have the propensity to cripple the growth of a nation, especially when they are transitioning in a conflict setting. Diseases can often debilitate a country that is marred by conflict and facing developmental challenges. It is, thus, necessary to make global health an essential aspect of peacekeeping
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Collaboration within the global vaccine safety surveillance ecosystem during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learnt and key recommendations from the COVAX Vaccine Safety Working Group BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Rebecca E Chandler, Madhava Ram Balakrishnan, Daniel Brasseur, Philip Bryan, Emmanuelle Espie, Katharina Hartmann, Corinne Jouquelet-Royer, James Milligan, Linda Nesbitt, Shanthi Pal, Alexander Precioso, Paulo Takey, Robert T Chen
This analysis describes the successes, challenges and opportunities to improve global vaccine safety surveillance as observed by the Vaccine Safety Working Group from its role as a platform of exchange for stakeholders responsible for monitoring the safety of vaccines distributed through the COVAX mechanism. Three key elements considered to be essential for ongoing and future pandemic preparedness
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Climate change and malaria, dengue and cholera outbreaks in Africa: a call for concerted actions BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Jean Kaseya, Nebiyu Dereje, Raji Tajudeen, Alain Ngashi Ngongo, Nicaise Ndembi, Mosoka Papa Fallah
### Summary box Climate is rapidly changing and bringing extensive direct and indirect adversities to public health globally, either by increasing the seriousness and frequency of public health emergencies or causing new, unanticipated problems. Nearly half (approximately 3.6 billion) of the global population is highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change as they live in regions with high vulnerability
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The impact of policy and policy communication on COVID-19 vaccination inequalities among Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia: a comparative cross-sectional interrupted time-series analysis BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Wilson Gomez, Julián A Fernández-Niño, José Rafael Guillén, Megan Stevenson, Jennifer Ortíz, Miguel Ángel Barriga Talero, Jhon Jairo López, Ricardo Luque Núñez, Paul Spiegel, Kathleen R Page, Jhon Fredy Ramirez Correa, Damary Martínez Porras, Andrea L Wirtz
Introduction Equitable access to vaccines for migrants and refugees is necessary to ensure their right to health and to achieve public health goals of reducing vaccine-preventable illness. Public health policies require regulatory frameworks and communication to effect uptake of effective vaccines among the target population. In Colombia, the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan implicitly included Venezuelan
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Maternal and perinatal health research during emerging and ongoing epidemic threats: a landscape analysis and expert consultation BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Mercedes Bonet, Magdalena Babinska, Pierre Buekens, Shivaprasad S Goudar, Beate Kampmann, Marian Knight, Dana Meaney-Delman, Smaragda Lamprianou, Flor Muñoz Rivas, Andy Stergachis, Cristiana M Toscano, Joycelyn Bhatia, Sarah Chamberlain, Usman Chaudhry, Jacqueline Mills, Emily Serazin, Hannah Short, Asher Steene, Michael Wahlen, Olufemi T Oladapo
Introduction Pregnant women and their offspring are often at increased direct and indirect risks of adverse outcomes during epidemics and pandemics. A coordinated research response is paramount to ensure that this group is offered at least the same level of disease prevention, diagnosis, and care as the general population. We conducted a landscape analysis and held expert consultations to identify
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Designathons in health research: a global systematic review BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Warittha Tieosapjaroen, Elizabeth Chen, Tiarney Ritchwood, Chunyan Li, Jamie L Conklin, Abdulhammed Opeyemi Babatunde, Arturo M Ongkeko, Ucheoma Nwaozuru, Joseph D Tucker, Nina T Castillo Carandang, Jason J Ong
Introduction A designathon is a three-stage participatory activity informed by design thinking. There is a growing literature on designathons in health. This study synthesised designathons’ effectiveness and implementation-related factors to address health challenges. Methods We searched Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Scopus and the ClinicalTrials.gov registry for articles containing primary data
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We need to talk about ‘bad’ resilience BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Dell D Saulnier, Stephanie M Topp
In this analysis, we argue against seeing health system resilience as an inherently positive concept. The rise in the popularity of health system resilience has led to its increasingly normative framing. We question this widely accepted perspective by examining the underlying assumptions associated with this normative framing of ‘good’ resilience. Our focus is on the risks of accepting the assumption
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Assessing the effectiveness of the expanded hepatitis A vaccination program in China: an interrupted time series design BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Yueqian Wu, Pengyu Wang, Yong Huang, Jinwei Chen, Yikun Chang, Junxi Li, Yibing Wang, Yuantao Hao, Wangjian Zhang, Zhicheng Du
Introduction China initialised the expanded hepatitis A vaccination programme (EHAP) in 2008. However, the effectiveness of the programme remains unclear. We aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of EHAP in the country. Methods Based on the provincial data on the incidence of hepatitis A (HepA), the population and meteorological variables in China, we developed interrupted time series
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Pharmaceuticalisation as the tobacco industry’s endgame BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Yogi Hale Hendlin, Elieen Le Han, Pamela M. Ling
Context Declining smoking prevalence and denormalisation of tobacco in developed countries reduced transnational tobacco company (TTC) profit during 1990s and 2000s. As these companies faced increasingly restrictive policies and lawsuits, they planned to shift their business to socially acceptable reduced-harm products. We describe the internal motivations and strategies to achieve this goal. Methods
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‘They treat us like machines’: migrant workers’ conceptual framework of labour exploitation for health research and policy BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Sabah Boufkhed, Nicki Thorogood, Cono Ariti, Mary Alison Durand
Background The exploitation of migrant workers ranks high on global political agendas including the Sustainable Development Goals. Research on exploited workers, using assessment tools where exploitation is defined by professional experts, indicates serious health concerns and needs. Yet, migrant workers are rarely asked about their understanding of a phenomenon they may experience. Our study aimed
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Israeli necropolitics and the pursuit of health justice in Palestine BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Layth Hanbali, Edwin Jit Leung Kwong, Amy Neilson, James Smith, Sali Hafez, Rasha Khoury
#### Summary box In the 10 weeks since our BMJ Global Health editorial was published,1 a further 16 882 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s ongoing violence in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.2 3 As of 28 December, at least 21 624 people are known to have been killed across occupied Palestine since 7 October, with thousands of people still missing, many of whom are presumably
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Importance of a broader view of the Hamas–Israel war BMJ Glob. Health (IF 8.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Philip Greenland, Oren Lakser, Lisa Lipschutz
### Summary box We write in response to the editorial by Smith et al 1 on ‘violence in Palestine’ and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has ensued. This one-sided editorial deserves a response that takes a broader view and highlights critical omissions and alternative interpretations of the situation. The editorial rightly decries the overall humanitarian and healthcare crisis in Gaza while completely