Background
Asthma remains highly prevalent, with more severe symptoms in low-income to middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with high-income countries. Identifying risk factors for severe asthma symptoms can assist with improving outcomes. We aimed to determine the prevalence, severity and ris...k factors for asthma in adolescents in an LMIC.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey using the Global Asthma Network written and video questionnaires was conducted in adolescents aged 13 and 14 from randomly selected schools in Durban, South Africa, between May 2019 and June 2021.
Results
A total of 3957 adolescents (51.9% female) were included. The prevalence of lifetime, current and severe asthma was 24.6%, 13.7% and 9.1%, respectively. Of those with current and severe asthma symptoms; 38.9% (n=211/543) and 40.7% (n=147/361) had doctor-diagnosed asthma; of these, 72.0% (n=152/211) and 70.7% (n=104/147), respectively, reported using inhaled medication in the last 12 months. Short-acting beta agonists (80.4%) were more commonly used than inhaled corticosteroids (13.7%). Severe asthma was associated with: fee-paying school quintile (adjusted OR (CI)): 1.78 (1.27 to 2.48), overweight (1.60 (1.15 to 2.22)), exposure to traffic pollution (1.42 (1.11 to 1.82)), tobacco smoking (2.06 (1.15 to 3.68)), rhinoconjunctivitis (3.62 (2.80 to 4.67)) and eczema (2.24 (1.59 to 3.14)), all p<0.01.
Conclusion
Asthma prevalence in this population (13.7%) is higher than the global average (10.4%). Although common, severe asthma symptoms are underdiagnosed and associated with atopy, environmental and lifestyle factors. Equitable access to affordable essential controller inhaled medicines addressing the disproportionate burden of asthma is needed in this setting.
more
Severe bacterial infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among people with advanced HIV disease, after tuberculosis and cryptococcal disease. For countries to reach the end-AIDS targets for 2030, there is a need to establish a roadmap for managing severe bacterial infections and re...duce mortality. The purpose of the meeting was to
Review the current research and implementation data on the use of prophylactic antibiotics (specifically azithromycin/macrolides) as part of the AHD package of care; To review options for preventing SBIs that are in line with goals of reducing AMR; Present the current evidence on diagnostics for SBI; Discuss research gaps and implementation challenges.
more
March 2021
This report presents the key findings of the NFHS-5 survey in Manipur, followed by detailed tables and an appendix on sampling errors. The 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the fifth in the NFHS series, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India and... each state and union territory.
more
March 2021
This report presents the key findings of the NFHS-5 survey in Mizoram, followed by detailed tables and an appendix on sampling errors. The 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the fifth in the NFHS series, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India and... each state and union territory.
more
March 2021
This report presents the key findings of the NFHS-5 survey in Kerala, followed by detailed tables and an appendix on sampling errors. The 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the fifth in the NFHS series, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India and ...each state and union territory.
more
May 2021
This report presents the key findings of the NFHS-5 survey in Telangana, followed by detailed tables and an appendix on sampling errors. The 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the fifth in the NFHS series, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India and... each state and union territory.
more
July 2021
This report presents the key findings of the NFHS-5 survey in Meghalaya, followed by detailed tables and an appendix on sampling errors. The 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the fifth in the NFHS series, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India an...d each state and union territory.
more
March 2021
This report presents the key findings of the NFHS-5 survey in Goa, followed by detailed tables and an appendix on sampling errors. The 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the fifth in the NFHS series, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India and eac...h state and union territory.
more
It provides guidance on care for use in resource-limited settings or in settings where families with sick young infants do not accept or cannot access referral care, but can be managed in outpatient settings by an appropriately trained health worker. The guideline seeks to provide programmatic guida...nce on the role of CHWs and home visits in identifying signs of serious infections in neonates and young infants.
more
This report presents the key findings of the NFHS-5 in West Bengal, followed by detailed tables and an appendix on sampling errors. At the time of finalization of this report, wealth quintiles for the country as a whole were not ready. Therefore, on finalization of the national report, the breakup o...f key indicators by wealth quintiles for all states will be provided as an additional document and uploaded on the official website of MoHFW and IIPS.
more
The 2007 Rwanda Service Provision Assessment (RSPA) was a national representative survey conducted in 538 health facilities throughout Rwanda. The survey covered hospitals, health centers, dispensaries and
health posts, including all public facilities such as government and government-assisted heal...th facilities. The 2007 RSPA used interviews with health service providers and clients and observations of provider client consultations to obtain information on the capacity of facilities to provide quality services and the existence of functioning systems to support quality services. The areas addressed were the overall facility
infrastructure, maternal and child health, reproductive health, tuberculosis, malaria services; and services for sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. The objective was to assess the strengths and
weaknesses of the infrastructure and systems supporting these services, and to assess the adherence to standards in the delivery of services.
more