More articles from ORIGINAL ARTICLE
- Bringing Early Infant Male Circumcision Information Home to the Family: Demographic Characteristics and Perspectives of Clients in a Pilot Project in Tanzania
During a pilot project in Tanzania’s Iringa region, more than 2,000 male infants were circumcised in less than 2 years in 8 facilities, representing 16.4% of all male births in those facilities. The age of the infant at circumcision and the time of return for follow-up visits varied significantly between urban and rural dwellers. Early infant male circumcision (EIMC) outreach activities and use of health outposts for follow-up visits should be explored to overcome these geographic barriers. EIMC programs will also require targeted investments in demand creation, especially among fathers, to expand and thrive in traditionally non-circumcising settings such as Iringa.
- Scale-Up of Early Infant Male Circumcision Services for HIV Prevention in Lesotho: A Review of Facilitating Factors and Challenges
Key elements of Lesotho’s phased introduction of early infant male circumcision were strong commitment from the Ministry of Health and donors; adequate training and supervision; integration with maternal, newborn, and child health; and appropriate communication. Challenges around cultural acceptance, the availability of health care providers, and task sharing will need to be addressed.
- Safety, Acceptability, and Feasibility of Early Infant Male Circumcision Conducted by Nurse-Midwives Using the AccuCirc Device: Results of a Field Study in Zimbabwe
Early infant male circumcision (EIMC) conducted by nurse-midwives using the AccuCirc device proved safe, feasible, and acceptable to parents in Zimbabwe. The AccuCirc device has the potential to facilitate widespread scale-up of safe EIMC in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Scaling Up Early Infant Male Circumcision: Lessons From the Kingdom of Swaziland
Swaziland is the first country to introduce national early infant male circumcision (EIMC) into voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) programming for HIV prevention. With more than 5,000 EIMCs performed between 2010 and 2014, Swaziland learned that EIMC requires inclusion of stakeholders within and outside of HIV prevention bodies; robust support at the facility, regional, and national levels; and informed demand. Expansion of EIMC and VMMC has the potential to avert more than 56,000 HIV infections in Swaziland over the next 20 years.
- Early Infant Male Circumcision in Cameroon and Senegal: Demand, Service Provision, and Cultural Context
Despite the absence of national policies and strategies, early infant male circumcision is routinely offered at all levels of the health care system in Cameroon and Senegal, mainly because of community demand. Improving medical male circumcision will require service guidelines, preservice training, investigation of surgical and nonsurgical devices, supply chains, data collection tools, engaged communities to raise awareness, and communication strategies for men.
- Comparative Cost of Early Infant Male Circumcision by Nurse-Midwives and Doctors in Zimbabwe
Early infant male circumcision (EIMC) conducted by nurse-midwives using the AccuCirc device was safe and less costly per procedure than when conducted by doctors: for nurse-midwives, US$38.87 in vertical programs and US$33.72 in integrated programs; for doctors, US$49.77 in vertical programs.
- Feasibility and Effectiveness of mHealth for Mobilizing Households for Indoor Residual Spraying to Prevent Malaria: A Case Study in Mali
Sending voice and/or text messages to mobilize households for spraying was more costly per structure and less effective at preparing structures than traditional door-to-door mobilization approaches supplemented with radio and town hall announcements. Challenges included:
Lack of familiarity with mobile phones and with public health mobile messaging
Lack of face-to-face communication with mobilizers, making it easier to ignore mobilization messages and preventing trust-building
Low literacy levels
Gender differentials in access to mobile phones
- Success Providing Postpartum Intrauterine Devices in Private-Sector Health Care Facilities in Nigeria: Factors Associated With Uptake
41% of women delivering in the social franchise private facilities chose the postpartum IUD. Factors associated with acceptance included lower education, higher parity, and being single. Scale-up of postpartum IUD services in both public and private facilities has the potential to significantly increase use of long-acting reversible contraception in Nigeria.
- Improved Childhood Diarrhea Treatment Practices in Ghana: A Pre-Post Evaluation of a Comprehensive Private-Sector Program
From 2011 to 2015, a diarrhea management program in Ghana targeting pharmaceutical suppliers, private-sector providers, and caregivers successfully increased caregiver use of oral rehydration salts (ORS) with zinc to treat diarrhea in children under 5, from 0.8% to 29.2%, and reduced antibiotic use (which is generally inappropriate for treatment of non-bloody diarrhea) from 66.2% to 38.2%.
- Partnerships for Policy Development: A Case Study From Uganda’s Costed Implementation Plan for Family Planning
The development and launch of the costed implementation plan (CIP) in Uganda was successful in many ways. However, it would have benefitted from more focus on long-term partnership development critical for executing the CIP and by including district health officers—key players in executing the plan—more substantially in the process. Using a partnership approach sets the stage for ensuring that the right people are contributing to both development and execution.