Suchergebnisse

BACKGROUND: Malaria remains a major tropical vector-borne disease of immense public health concern owing to its debilitating effects in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past 30 years, the high altitude areas in Eastern Africa have been reported to experience increased cases of malaria. Governments including that of the Republic of Uganda have responded through intensifying programs that can potentially minimize malaria transmission while reducing associated fatalities. However, malaria patterns following these intensified control and prevention interventions in the changing climate remains widely unexplored in East African highland regions. This study thus analyzed malaria patterns across altitudinal zones of Mount Elgon, Uganda. METHODS: Times-series data on malaria cases (2011–2017) from five level III local health centers occurring across three altitudinal zones; low, mid and high altitude was utilized. Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation regression and Mann Kendall trend test were used to analyze malaria patterns. Vegetation attributes from the three altitudinal zones were analyzed using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to determine the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model was used to project malaria patterns for a 7 year period. RESULTS: Malaria across the three zones declined over the study period. The hotspots for malaria were highly variable over time in all the three zones. Rainfall played a significant role in influencing malaria burdens across the three zones. Vegetation had a significant influence on malaria in the higher altitudes. Meanwhile, in the lower altitude, human population had a significant positive correlation with malaria cases. CONCLUSIONS: Despite observed decline in malaria cases across the three altitudinal zones, the high altitude zone became a malaria hotspot as cases variably occurred in the zone. Rainfall played the biggest role in malaria trends. Human population appeared to influence malaria incidences in the low altitude areas ...

Maternal health is a critical public health issue worldwide, with Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) facing severe challenges in maternal mortality and morbidity. Despite global efforts, progress in SSA remains slow. The Sustainable Development Goals highlight the need for urgent action in this area. Value-based healthcare presents a promising approach to enhance maternal health in SSA by maximising health outcomes for mothers and newborns, enriching patient experiences and efficient resource use. However, the impact and implementation of value-based healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa's maternal health sector are not well studied. To evaluate the effectiveness and value of value-based healthcare interventions in improving maternal health outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa. A systematic review was carried out drawing on articles from six databases published between 2000 and 2024. The results suggest that VBHC can significantly improve maternal health, evidenced by successful implementations like obstetric units in Sierra Leone and integrated care in South Africa, which improved outcomes and cost-effectiveness. The success of value-based healthcare interventions hinges on addressing access to quality care, infrastructure, and socioeconomic barriers. Further research is essential to confirm value-based healthcare efficacy in SSA and guide policy for better maternal health outcomes.