Finding alternative roles for Traditional Birth Attendants: an experience from the south of Angola

Background

Reduction of maternal mortality ratio (MMR), a key indicator contained in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is strictly related to maternal empowerment and to an increasing access to skilled care in pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. The WHO recommends to define alternative roles for Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) in the transition from birth with TBAs to birth with Skilled Birth Attendants (SBAs), in particular in countries where maternal care services still do not meet recommended standards.

Objectives

In 2018, the Italian Non-Governmental Organization Doctors with Africa CUAMM and the District Health Department of Ombadja (a 350000 inhabitants district in Cunene province, south of Angola) started a three-year multifaceted project to support and strengthen local health services. Aim of this work is to describe the first six months of an implemented activity involving 120 local TBAs, identified and trained to perform basic educational talks in the district territory regarding topical issues of mother and child health. TBAs were also engaged in the referral of pregnant women to health facilities with SBAs.

Results

From June to November 2018, TBAs performed 2272 talks about maternal and child health issues: healthy pregnancy (551 talks, 24.3%), nutrition (404, 17.8%) and malaria (370, 16.3%) were the most debated topics. The total of women’s presences during these educational talks was 57504, and 15379 of them (26.7%) were pregnant. TBAs referred to health facilities 226 pregnant women for a delivery assisted by SBAs.

Conclusions

Angolan estimated MMR in 2015 was 477/100000 live births: therefore, more efforts should be made to contribute to the achievement of 2030 SDGs target of 70/100000 globally. Moreover, the country percentage of deliveries assisted by SBAs is less than 50%. Promoting alternative roles for TBAs into the mother and child health framework could represent an effective way to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Key messages

According to the World Health Organization, defining alternative roles for traditional birth attendants could represent an effective way to support the health of women and children. Traditional Birth Attendants can play an important role in providing basic health education and in the “referral chain” of pregnant women to health facilities with skilled birth attendants.

Multiple interventions to strengthen immunization services in an Angolan district

Background

Immunization represents one of the most effective intervention in public health. In the Sustainable Development Goals era, adequate vaccination services are still crucial for the prevention of infectious diseases and the reduction of under-5 mortality. However, in 2017 WHO estimated that children <1 year who did not receive the third dose of Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTP3) vaccine were 19.2 million globally, and 600000 of these were located in Angola, a Sub-Saharan country with an estimated DTP3 coverage of 52%. Since 2000, Italian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Doctors with Africa CUAMM supports the activity of the hospital of Chiulo in the commune of Mucope (district of Ombadja, south of Angola). Aim of the study is to describe the interventions implemented to strengthen the immunization services performed by the hospital Public Health Staff (PHS).

Methods

In May 2018 the NGO started to implement multiple interventions to enhance the number of vaccine doses administered. Firstly, outreach immunization sessions were reorganized and reinforced, for example involving local Community Health Workers in the identification of villages with a high burden of unvaccinated children. Other actions were the continuous training of the PHS in data collection and the increased collaboration with the Ombadja District Health Department in order to develop a more efficient vaccine supply chain at local level.

Results

In 2018, among children <1 year the PHS administered 19746 doses, with a 22.3% growth compared to 2017 (15349 doses). Doses administered during outreach sessions increased by 35.4% (6597 versus 4259 doses). Estimated DTP3 coverage in Mucope commune was 71% (2017, 59%).

Conclusions

The WHO “Reaching Every Community” strategy emphasizes the importance of high quality immunization services in hard-to-reach areas. The organisation of well-functioning immunization services requires a multifaceted approach by the involved stakeholders.

Key messages

In 2017, globally 19.2 million of children <1 year did not receive the recommended three DTP doses. Six-hundred thousand were located in Angola. To obtain and sustain an adequate vaccination coverage, especially in hard-to-reach areas, multiple and well-coordinated actions should be implemented by all the involved stakeholders.

One-year activity of a “Casa de Espera” (Maternity Waiting Home) in the south of Angola

Background

Maternity Waiting Homes (MWHs) are structures usually located close to health facilities able to provide emergency obstetric care. Women can decide to be hosted in MWHs and when labour begins they move to the health facility for the delivery. Although the effectiveness of MWHs is debated, literature shows increasing findings about their importance. Aim of the study is to describe a one-year activity of a MWH located in Angola.

Methods

Since 2000, Italian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Doctors with Africa CUAMM supports the activities of the hospital of Chiulo in the district of Ombadja (Cunene province). Among the implemented projects, the NGO supports the local MWH (in Portuguese, “casa de espera”), providing dedicated staff and food for all the women hosted in the MWH. The MWH team routinely performs antenatal care visits and brief talks regarding maternal health. In case of pregnancy complications, the staff promptly refers women to the nearby hospital. The MHW team is also involved in routine data collection.

Results

In 2018, 703 women were admitted in the MWH. Three-hundred and forty-two (48.6%) were between 18 and 24 years of age. Four-hundred and eighty-two (68.6%) were invited to join the MWH by personnel of local health facilities, while 160 (22.8%) by family members and 61 (8.7%) by community health workers/traditional birth attendants. Age less than 18, previous abortion and/or caesarean were the most assessed factors for high risk pregnancy. In 2018, 1364 deliveries were performed in the hospital, and 593 (43.5%) concerned women hosted in the MWH.

Conclusions

To achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals targets regarding maternal and neonatal mortality, the implementation of MHWs could represent an effective tool, especially in countries such as Angola where these indicators show a weak annual reduction. Regarding Chiulo’s MWH, an improvement of data collection could lead to a better comprehension of the efficacy of the facility.

Key messages

In the SDGs era, countries with a high burden of maternal and neonatal mortality should implement various and integrated approaches to achieve significant reductions of these indicators. Although the effectiveness of maternity waiting homes is still debated, increasing findings suggest that they could represent an effective tool to contain mother and child mortality.

[Gelatin for volume replacement in hemodilution: hemodynamic study]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether volume replacement with gelatine infusion with 3.5% urea bridges during normovolemic intentional hemodilution manages to stabilize hemodynamic parameters.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Randomized prospective study.

SETTING

Operating theatre for general surgery.

PATIENTS

ASA 1 and 2 patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. Criteria of admission: a) age < 70 years old; b) starting hematocrit > 30%; c) absence of coronary diseases or coagulative pathologies.

INTERVENTIONS

Blood lost during surgery was replaced with gelatine and crystalloid in a ratio of 1:1. Hemodynamic monitoring was performed by inserting an Opticath catheter in the pulmonary artery and the resulting data were processed using an Oximetrix computer.

FINDINGS

Oxygen transport (DO2), oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate (HR) were measured before the start of the operation and at the peak of hemodilution.

RESULTS

At times T0 = Hct 35 and T1 = Hct 28, studied parameters (DO2, VO2, HR) did not show statistically significant variations.

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of the hemodynamic parameters studied gelatine was found to be an efficacious volume replacement solution during the course of moderate, intentional hemodilution.

[Intestinal microbial pathology in AIDS. A clinical case series]

Microbial isolates from 60 diarrheic AIDS patients hospitalized to the Infectious Disease Division of Careggi hospital (Florence) are described. Clinical, microbiological and diagnostic features of each case are discussed with emphasis to some rare or underestimated entities in Europe: Campylobacter laridis bacteremia, Whipple-like disease by atypical Mycobacteria, Schistosoma mansoni proctocolitis. Results regarding newly AIDS-related microorganisms are also stressed.