Tag: Africa
Objective—To assess the effect of HIV care (including HAART if eligible) on neurodevelopment. Design—Prospective cohort study Methods—Motor and mental development of 35 HIV-infected children (age 18-71 months) was assessed at entry into care, and after 6 and 12 months using age-appropriate tools. Developmental trajectory was compared to 35 HIV-uninfected, affected and 90 control children using… Read more
Every child has the right to survival and development. Experience and research have shown that a minimum set of conditions is necessary to ensure a fair start in life, if these rights are to be fulfilled. These conditions include effective and responsive caring by the child’s family and the community; access to and use of… Read more
This study investigated the effect of preschool experience (two types of preschool: Madrasa and non‐Madrasa) on the cognitive development of children in East Africa. In the three countries studied (Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania/Zanzibar) preschool education is burgeoning and government standards are being set. This quasi experimental evaluation used four subscales (block building, verbal comprehension, early… Read more
Much is written about Africa today, and much of it is not hopeful. Daily, the world hears stories of disease, despair, and death. Such a litany of misery is not unfounded—but there are also stories of hope, promise, and potential. They too are a critically important part of the complex story of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)… Read more
Research using data on 17,000 grade six learners and their teachers in a thousand primary schools across six countries in East and Southern Africa has identified factors both in and out of school affecting pupil scores in reading and maths tests. Key findings: In and out of school factors not only directly affect the scores… Read more
Despite the WHO only having eight official health days mandated by the World Health Assembly, many others exist to promote important public health issues. A quick internet search indicates that there are more international health days than days in the year. Every day seems to have been claimed by either a disease, a sector or… Read more
The report focuses on four areas: Quality (focusing on teacher training) This section discusses topics including the relationship between student performance and teacher characteristics, such as qualifications, teaching experience, and indicators of academic ability or subject-matter knowledge. Challenges to teaching quality include an overemphasis on education studies, methodology distant from classroom realities, weak teaching practice… Read more
There are a number of community accountability mechanisms in health interventions. These range from community health committees which aim to represent the community in planning, monitoring and evaluating health services to those in which community members are actively involved in the delivery of health services as volunteers or community health workers. Other models of community… Read more
Synthesis Report: Will declines in fertility boost economic growth for sub-Saharan Africa? In a region where demographic change is still at an early stage, can sub-Saharan Africa look forward to the promise of economic growth and its benefits, in the same way that East Asia has experienced? Can family planning programmes help to accelerate this… Read more
Medicines are integral of any healthcare system, and limited access to medicines undermines health systems’ objectives of equity, efficiency and health development. In African countries, where it is estimated that 50–60% of the populace lack ‘‘access’’ to essential medicines, health problems associated with limited drug benefits are more damaging. The main barriers to essential medicines… Read more
This report looks at the strategies for trachoma control. Trachoma is endemic in more than 50 countries with more than 80% of the burden concentrated in 14 countries, and predominantly in the savannah areas of East and Central Africa and the Sahel of West Africa. Nearly 110 million people live in areas where trachoma is… Read more