Journal of Global Health

BackgroundSevere acute malnutrition (SAM) among children under 5 years of age is generally treated in outpatient settings providing caregivers with weekly ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) rations to be administered at home. Recent updates to global treatment guidelines suggest that RUTF dose can be reduced once children progress to moderate stage (MAM). No evidence exists on the optimal timing of the dosage reduction or on ideal visit frequency. ObjectivesWe aimed to test the impact of 1) i...

BackgroundIrrational use of antibiotics is a major factor in antibiotic resistance and poor patient outcomes. Globally, 50% of antibiotics are prescribed inappropriately, in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, antimicrobial resistance was linked to approximately 1.27 million deaths in 2019, mainly due to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics. In this study, we collected data to understand the prescribing patterns and factors associated with irrational antibiotic use among hospitalized patients. Methodolo...

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health threat, with sub-Saharan Africa bearing a disproportionate burden. Community-level antibiotic dispensing practices remain poorly described in Kenya outside Nairobi. MethodsA total of 504 antibiotic dispensing events were prospectively recorded across 22 community pharmacies in Kakamega County, western Kenya, between 3rd and 22nd August 2025. Data collected included dispensing source (over-the-counter [OTC] versus prescription), c...

Malnutrition among infants aged under six months (u6m) is a global public health problem. As countries begin implementing 2023 WHO malnutrition guidelines, local prevalence and epidemiology must be well understood. We analysed Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey data (2004 - 2022), describing the prevalence and time trends of infant u6m wasting (weight-for-length z-score [WLZ] <-2), stunting (length-for-age z-score [LAZ] <-2), and underweight (weight-for-age z-score [WAZ] <-2). In bivariate and...

IntroductionAccess to Hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing and treatment remains low globally. HCV self-testing (HCVST) may facilitate diagnosis and cure. We analysed treatment uptake and outcomes following a positive HCVST result in three distinct African epidemic contexts. MethodsA multi-country cohort study nested within HCVST implementation programmes in Cameroon, Nigeria, and South Africa (May 2023-May 2024). Adults ([&ge;]18 years) with positive HCVST results were followed through confirmatory...

BackgroundThe United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (UNGA HLM-AMR) committed to a target that 70% of global human antibiotic use (ABU) should be from the Access group of the WHO AWaRe system. MethodsWe used 2019 IQVIA MIDAS(R) global ABU Quarterly value sales, volumes (kg/SU) and average ex-manufacturer prices to evaluate price per daily defined dose (DDD) by AWaRe group across countries. IQVIA MIDAS volumes/value data reflect public, private, or mixed s...

Quality care during early childhood is essential for life-long health, well-being, and productivity. Recognizing the global importance of advancing early childhood development strategies, this qualitative study conducted in-depth, face-to-face interviews with women, their husbands, and mothers-in-law to explore perceived shifts in childcare roles among participants of Poriborton Trial, a randomized controlled trial of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cookstoves. These interviews aimed to capture di...

Background and objectivesCeftazidime-Avibactam (CAZ-AVI) is one of the last options to treat Enterobacteriales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa carbapenem-resistant. We aim to describe the susceptibility profile of bloodstream isolates of Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aerunosa to ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) among strains resistant to third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins and/or carbapenems. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective descriptive study in two pediatric hospitals of Rio de Janeiro...

ObjectiveTo investigate the burden of environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) and its association with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and linear growth amongst infants in rural Central Java, Indonesia. Study designA longitudinal study of 119 infants aged between 5-19 months was conducted in five villages of Wonosobo District, Central Java, Indonesia. Anthropometric measurements of infants and their mothers were performed at baseline and 5-month follow-up alongside a quantitative question...

Dysglycemia is a critical metabolic disturbance associated with mortality in acutely ill children, yet its burden may be underrecognized in low-income settings due to reliance on single point-of-care measurements. Using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), we aimed to characterize glucose patterns in acutely ill children of different anthropometric status. MethodsChildren aged 2-23 months admitted with acute illness were prospectively recruited from two hospitals in Bangladesh and Malawi. Clini...

BackgroundMaternal immunization (MI) can prevent major infectious diseases in mothers and children by boosting the immunity of pregnant women. Antenatal care (ANC) delivery platforms could be leveraged to effectively provide MI. Adding MIs into ANC could potentially enhance ANC services, positively influencing both maternal and infant health outcomes and yielding broader benefits. We model these potential ANC-mediated health benefits in five low- and middle-income countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Ken...

IntroductionUrinary tract infections are common to pregnant and nonpregnant women estimated to 150 million new cases annually. The incidence increases with pregnancy due changes that take place. Causative microbes are E.coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococci species. The disease presents symptomatically or asymptomatically, early investigation, detection and treatment to pregnant mothers are crucial to avoid maternal and foetal complications. Several effective antimicrobials are contraind...

BackgroundThe never-ending emergence of superbugs casts a shadow over the victorious age of antibiotics. In fact, the triumph of antibiotics was previously viewed in retrospection as our final victory over bacteria. Bacteria like Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Escherichia coli are now raising an alarming number of infections across hospitals and communities around the globe. The objective was to evaluate the implications for antimicrobial stewardship based on identifying the...

BackgroundVaccination is a key measure to prevent severe influenza in adults aged [&ge;]80 years, who experience the highest burden of respiratory and cardiovascular complications. Because immunosenescence reduces the effectiveness of standard-dose vaccines (SD-IIV), enhanced formulations such as high-dose vaccines (HD-IIV) are recommended in the elderly. Real-world data on their effectiveness in adults aged [&ge;]80 years remain scarce. AimTo quantify the relative vaccine effectiveness (rVE) o...

ObjectivesTo investigate the factors associated with the deterioration of post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) symptoms in patients who received a dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine [&ge;] 90 days after their infection. MethodMulticenter cohort study conducted in 33 emergency departments across Canada, including 476 patients who developed PCC according to the World Health Organization definition. Data were collected via telephone questionnaires. Statistical analyses, including logistic regression models, were...

ObjectiveTo characterize associations between tattooing and health status. MethodsWe used data from [~]27,000 respondents to the 2020-2022 Utah Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Multivariable Poisson regression was used to calculate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) associating ever receiving a tattoo with physical/mental health status. ResultsIn this cross-sectional study, ever receiving a tattoo was associated with self-reported "poorer" vs. "excellen...

BackgroundNewborns requiring inpatient care, particularly small and sick newborns (SSNBs), face high risk of mortality. Newborns referred from other facilities may experience worse outcomes than those born and managed within the same hospital (inborn newborns). Understanding factors contributing to this disparity in outcomes could support efforts to scale-up care and accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals target 3.2. MethodsData on 130,773 newborns admitted to 13 ho...

ObjectivesAdolescent fertility in India remains underexplored at the state level. This study estimates age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) for females aged 15-19 across all major Indian states and union territories (UTs) from 1990 to 2025 and generates probabilistic projections of state-level ASFRs for females aged 15-19 through 2050. DesignBayesian modelling based on fertility data from five phases of the India National Family Health Surveys (NFHSs) in 1992-93, 1998-99, 2005-06, 2015-16, and ...

IntroductionNational surveys in Pakistan are typically representative only at national or provincial levels, leaving large uncertainties in district-level contraceptive prevalence. This obscures local heterogeneity and limits data-driven program planning. Administrative data, although more frequent and detailed, are often underused due to reporting and measurement challenges. This study develops a multi-source small area estimation (SAE) framework to generate district-level estimates of contrace...

Childhood malnutrition remains a major public health challenge in Ethiopia, where stunting and wasting co-exist but may arise from distinct spatial and etiological processes. Analyses focusing on a single outcome may overlook the interdependence of these conditions and their geographic heterogeneity. This study aimed to disentangle the determinants of stunting and wasting among children under five years of age using a Bayesian bivariate spatial modelling framework. Data from 5,405 children inclu...