Newborn care knowledge and practices among care givers of newborns and young infants attending a regional referral hospital in Southwestern Uganda.

A child born in developing countries has a 10 times higher mortality risk compared to one born in developed countries. Uganda still struggles with a high neonatal mortality rate at 27/1000 live births. Majority of these death occur in the community when children are under the sole care of their parents and guardian. Lack of knowledge in new born care, inappropriate new born care practices are some of the contributors to neonatal mortality in Uganda. Little is known about parent/caregivers' knowledge, practices and what influences these practices while caring for the newborns. We systematically studied and documented newborn care knowledge, practices and associated factors among parents and care givers. To assess new born care knowledge, practices and associated factors among parents and care givers attending MRRH. We carried out a quantitative cross section methods study among caregivers of children from birth to six weeks of life attending a regional referral hospital in south western Uganda. Using pretested structured questionnaires, data was collected about care givers' new born care knowledge, practices and the associated factors. Data analysis was done using Stata version 17.0. We interviewed 370 caregivers, majority of whom were the biological mothers at 86%. Mean age was 26 years, 14% were unemployed and 74% had monthly earning below the poverty line. Mothers had a high antenatal care attendance of 97.6% and 96.2% of the deliveries were at a health facility Care givers had variant knowledge of essential newborn care with associated incorrect practices. Majority (84.6%) of the respondents reported obliviousness to putting anything in the babies' eyes at birth, however, breastmilk, water and saliva were reportedly put in the babies' eyes at birth by some caregivers. Hand washing was not practiced at all in 16.2% of the caregivers before handling the newborn. About 7.4% of the new borns received a bath within 24 hours of delivery and 19% reported use of herbs. Caregivers practiced adequate thermal care 87%. Cord care practices were inappropriate in 36.5%. Only 21% of the respondents reported initiation of breast feeding within 1 hour of birth, Prelacteal feeds were given by 37.6% of the care givers, water being the commonest prelacteal feed followed by cow's milk at 40.4 and 18.4% respectively. Majority of the respondents had below average knowledge about danger signs in the newborn where 63% and mean score for knowledge about danger signs was 44%. Caretaker's age and relationship with the newborn were found to have a statistically significant associated to knowledge of danger signs in the newborn baby. There are variable incorrect practices in the essential new born care and low knowledge and awareness of danger signs among caregivers of newborn babies. There is high health center deliveries and antenatal care attendance among the respondents could be used as an opportunity to increase caregiver awareness about the inappropriate practices in essential newborn care and the danger signs in a newborn.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Newborn Anemia in Southwestern Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: The global prevalence of maternal anemia is about 42%, and in sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of newborn anemia ranges from 25% to 30%. Anemia in newborn babies may cause complications such as delayed brain maturation and arrested growth. However, there is limited data on the prevalence of newborn anemia and its risk factors in people living in resource-limited settings. Objectives: We determined the prevalence and risk factors for newborn anemia and its correlation with maternal anemia in southwestern Uganda. Methods: This was a cross sectional study of 352 pregnant women presenting to the Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital for delivery. We collected maternal blood in labor and umbilical cord blood from the placental vein. We measured hemoglobin using a point-of-care Hemocue machine. We used summary statistics to characterize the study participants and compared demographic characteristics and outcomes using chi-square, t-test, and Wilcoxon rank sum analyses. We defined newborn anemia as umbilical cord hemoglobin <13 g/dl and measured the relationship between maternal and umbilical cord hemoglobin using linear regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of newborn anemia was 17%. Maternal parity was significantly higher for anemic than nonanemic newborns (3 versus 2, P=0.01). The mean age in years (SD) was significantly lower for participants with umbilical cord hemoglobin <13 g/dl than those ≥13 g/dl (26 years [5.6] versus 28 [6.3], P=0.01). In multivariable linear regression analysis, a 1-point decrease in maternal hemoglobin was associated with a 0.14-point decrease in umbilical cord hemoglobin (P=0.02). Each one-unit increase in parity was associated with a 0.25-point decrease in umbilical cord hemoglobin (P=0.01). Cesarean delivery was associated with a 0.46-point lower umbilical cord hemoglobin level compared with vaginal delivery (P=0.03). Conclusions: We found a significant association between maternal and newborn hemoglobin, underscoring the importance of preventing and correcting maternal anemia in pregnancy. Furthermore, maternal anemia should be considered a risk factor for neonatal anemia.

Bacterial isolates and antibiotic susceptibility among women with abnormal vaginal discharge attending the gynecology clinic at a tertiary hospital in southwestern Uganda: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal vaginal discharge is a common complaint among women of reproductive age, affecting about one- third of all women. In resource-limited settings where access to laboratory services is limited, treatment is usually syndromic. This approach may result in ineffective treatment, with high recurrence rates and a potential of developing antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to determine the bacterial isolates and antibiotic susceptibility among women with an abnormal vaginal discharge attending the gynecology clinic at a tertiary hospital in Southwestern Uganda. METHODS: We conducted a hospital based cross-sectional study among 361 women aged 15-49 years, presenting with abnormal vaginal discharge at the gynecology clinic of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital from December 2020 to June 2021. Demographic characteristics were collected using a structured questionnaire. We collected cervical and vaginal sterile swabs and subjected them to wet preparation and gram stain. The specimens were cultured for bacterial isolates. Susceptibility testing was performed on samples with bacterial isolates using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method, on the commonly prescribed antibiotics in this setting. We summarized and described the bacterial isolates and antibiotic susceptibility patterns as frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: We enrolled 361 women with abnormal vaginal discharge. Bacteria were isolated in 29.6% (107/361) of the women, and the commonest isolates included; Staphylococcus aureus 48.6% (52/107), Klebsiella pneumoniae 29.9% (32/107) and Enterococcus faecalis 15% (16/107). Yeast cells were found in 17.7% (64/361) of the women with abnormal vaginal discharge. Cefuroxime (90.7%) and Ciprofloxacin (81.3%) had a high level of sensitivity while high levels of resistance were observed for Doxycycline (86.0%) and Azithromycin (67.0%). CONCLUSION: The common bacterial isolates were Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis. The isolated bacteria were most sensitive to Cefuroxime and Ciprofloxacin but resistant to Doxycycline and Azithromycin. There is need for routine culture and susceptibility testing of women with abnormal vaginal discharge so as to guide treatment, minimize inappropriate antibiotic use and consequently reduce antibiotic resistance.

Mortality and Cause of Death in Children With Presumptive Disseminated Tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Children experience high tuberculosis (TB)-related mortality but causes of death among those with presumptive TB are poorly documented. We describe the mortality, likely causes of death, and associated risk factors among vulnerable children admitted with presumptive TB in rural Uganda. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study of vulnerable children, defined as <2 years of age, HIV-positive, or severely malnourished, with a clinical suspicion of TB. Children were assessed for TB and followed for 24 weeks. TB classification and likely cause of death were assessed by an expert endpoint review committee, including insight gained from minimally invasive autopsies, when possible. RESULTS: Of the 219 children included, 157 (71.7%) were <2 years of age, 72 (32.9%) were HIV-positive, and 184 (84.0%) were severely malnourished. Seventy-one (32.4%) were classified as "likely tuberculosis" (15 confirmed and 56 unconfirmed), and 72 (32.9%) died. The median time to death was 12 days. The most frequent causes of death, ascertained for 59 children (81.9%), including 23 cases with autopsy results, were severe pneumonia excluding confirmed TB (23.7%), hypovolemic shock due to diarrhea (20.3%), cardiac failure (13.6%), severe sepsis (13.6%), and confirmed TB (10.2%). Mortality risk factors were confirmed TB (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 2.84 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19-6.77]), being HIV-positive (aHR = 2.45 [95% CI: 1.37-4.38]), and severe clinical state on admission (aHR = 2.45 [95% CI: 1.29-4.66]). CONCLUSIONS: Vulnerable children hospitalized with presumptive TB experienced high mortality. A better understanding of the likely causes of death in this group is important to guide empirical management.

Short interbirth interval and associated factors among women with antecedent cesarean deliveries at a tertiary hospital, Southwestern Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Women with previous cesarean deliveries, have a heightened risk of poor maternal and perinatal outcomes, associated with short interbirth intervals. We determined the prevalence of short interbirth interval, and associated factors, among women with antecedent cesarean deliveries who delivered at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH), in southwestern Uganda. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on the postnatal ward of MRRH from November 2020 to February 2021. We enrolled women who had antecedent cesarean deliveries through consecutive sampling. We obtained participants' socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics through interviewer-administered structured questionnaires. We defined short interbirth interval as an interval between two successive births of < 33 months. Modified Poisson regression was used to identify factors associated with short interbirth intervals. RESULTS: Of 440 participants enrolled, most had used postpartum family planning (PPFP) prior to the current pregnancy (67.5%), and most of the pregnancies (57.2%) were planned. The mean age of the participants was 27.6 ± 5.0 years. Of the 440 women, 147 had a short interbirth interval, for a prevalence of 33% (95%CI: 29-38%). In multivariable analysis, non-use of PPFP (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 2.24; 95%CI: 1.57-3.20, P < 0.001), delivery of a still birth at an antecedent delivery (aPR = 3.95; 95%CI: 1.43-10.9, P = 0.008), unplanned pregnancy (aPR = 3.59; 95%CI: 2.35-5.49, P < 0.001), and young maternal age (aPR = 0.25 for < 20 years vs 20-34 years; 95%CI: 0.10-0.64, P = 0.004), were the factors significantly associated with short interbirth interval. CONCLUSION: One out of every three womenwith antecedent caesarean delivery had a short interbirth interval. Short interbirth intervals were more common among women with history of still births, those who did not use postpartum family planning methods, and those whose pregnancies were unplanned, compared to their counterparts. Young mothers (< 20 years) were less likely to have short interbirth intervals compared to those who were 20 years or older. Efforts should be made to strengthen and scale up child-spacing programs targeting women with previous cesarean deliveries, given the high frequency of short interbirth intervals in this study population.