ABSTRACT
CONTEXT: Despite instituting a policy in 2004, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continuously struggled to routinely provide safe abortion care (SAC). In 2016, the organization launched an initiative aimed at increasing availability of SAC in MSF projects and increasing understanding of abortion-related dynamics in humanitarian settings. METHODOLOGY: From March 2017 to April 2018, MSF staff conducted support visits to 10 projects in a country in sub-Saharan Africa. Each visit followed a systematic approach with six key components and related tools that were later shared with teams worldwide. Data regarding women seeking abortion services and related outcomes were collected and analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: From Q1 2017 through Q4 2019, SAC provision increased significantly in all 10 projects, rising from three to 759 safe abortions per quarter. Teams received 3831 patients seeking SAC and provided 3640 first and second trimester abortions, over 99% via medication methods. The overall complication rate was 4.29% and 0.3% for severe, life-threatening complications. No major security incidents were reported. MSF provision of SAC worldwide increased from 781 in 2016 (the year before this initiative began) to 21,546 in 2019. CONCLUSION: Implementation of SAC in humanitarian settings-even those with significant legal restrictions-is possible and necessary. Both first and second trimester medication abortion can be safely and effectively provided through both home- and facility-based models of care. Programmatic data provide valuable insights into abortion-related dynamics which must shape operational decision-making. Addressing internal barriers and providing direct field support were key to stimulating organizational cultural change.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is 323/100,000. A context of civil conflict, internally displaced people and mining activities suggests a higher regional TB incidence in North Kivu. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) supports the General Reference Hospital of Masisi, North Kivu, covering a population of 520,000, with an elevated rate of pediatric malnutrition. In July 2017, an adapted MSF pediatric TB diagnostic algorithm, including Xpert MTB/RIF on gastric aspirates (GAs), was implemented. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the introduction of this clinical pediatric TB diagnostic algorithm influenced the number of children started on TB treatment. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of pediatric TB cases started on treatment in the inpatient therapeutic feeding centre (ITFC) and the pediatric ward. We compared data collected in the second half (July to December) of 2016 (before introduction of the new diagnostic algorithm) and the second half of 2017. For the outcome variables the difference between the two years was calculated by a Pearson Chi-square test. RESULTS: In 2017, 94 GAs were performed, compared to none in 2016. Twelve percent (11/94) of samples were Xpert MTB/RIF positive. Sixty-eight children (2.9% of total exits) aged between 3 months and 15 years started TB treatment in 2017, compared to 19 (1.4% of total exits) in 2016 (p 0.002). The largest increase in pediatric TB diagnoses in 2017 occurred in patients with a negative Xpert MTB/RIF result, but clinically highly suggestive of TB according to the newly introduced diagnostic algorithm. Fifty-two (3.1%) children under five years old started treatment in 2017, as compared to 14 (1.3%) in 2016 (p 0.004). The increase was less pronounced and not statistically significant in older patients: sixteen children (2.6%) above 5 years old started TB treatment in 2017 as compared to five (1.3%) in 2016 (p 0.17). CONCLUSION: After the introduction of an adapted clinical pediatric TB diagnostic algorithm, including Xpert MTB/RIF on gastric aspirates, we observed a significant increase in the number of children - especially under 5 years old - started on TB treatment, mostly on clinical grounds. Increased 'clinician awareness' of pediatric TB likely played an important role.
ABSTRACT
In 2017, the exacerbation of an ongoing countrywide cholera outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo resulted in >53,000 reported cases and 1,145 deaths. To guide control measures, we analyzed the characteristics of cholera epidemiology in DRC on the basis of surveillance and cholera treatment center data for 2008-2017. The 2017 nationwide outbreak resulted from 3 distinct mechanisms: considerable increases in the number of cases in cholera-endemic areas, so-called hot spots, around the Great Lakes in eastern DRC; recurrent outbreaks progressing downstream along the Congo River; and spread along Congo River branches to areas that had been cholera-free for more than a decade. Case-fatality rates were higher in nonendemic areas and in the early phases of the outbreaks, possibly reflecting low levels of immunity and less appropriate prevention and treatment. Targeted use of oral cholera vaccine, soon after initial cases are diagnosed, could contribute to lower case-fatality rates.
