In 2016, PATH’s Digital Health Solutions program supported the Government of Tanzania in conducting a thorough landscape and gap analysis to identify the greatest opportunities to address key data challenges impeding health system performance. The process culminated in a government-driven data use investment road map for Tanzania. This report summarizes those findings and recommendations.

Publication date: December 2016

Region: Africa

PATH assesses diagnostic needs, landscapes potential solutions, and determines appropriate strategies to improve diagnostic testing to support schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiases control and elimination programs. Based upon literature reviews and previous input from experts, two diagnostic use cases are prioritized for further exploration.

Author: Hawkins KR, Cantera JL, Storey HL, Leader BT, de los Santos T

Publication date: December 2016

Region: Africa, Asia, Latin America

This report summarizes the results of PATH’s field evaluation of Sure Chill’s long-term passive device for the use of cold storage of vaccines in Senegal and provides important feedback in terms of thermal performance, end-user inputs, and perceptions at the Ministry of Health of the potential impact of the device on vaccine storage and availability in Senegal.

Publication date: December 2016

Region: Africa

PATH conducted a landscape analysis of cervical cancer screening in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to clarify opportunities for HPV testing as a primary cervical cancer screening method in these countries. We conducted stakeholder interviews and meetings in each country to discuss the decision-making process for test introduction, potential advantages of HPV testing, and anticipated barriers to introduction and ways to overcome them.

Publication date: December 2016

Region: Africa

This poster demonstrates that the use of DHAp for malaria treatment was generally safe and well tolerated. A total of 687 adverse events (AEs) were reported (0.13% of participants, 0.24% of treatments). Four AEs were initially reported as serious adverse events, though three were later identified as not related to drug ingestion.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

The objective of the study was to evaluate whether case investigation with focal testing and focal drug administration can decrease malaria incidence. The lack of impact attributable to the program may have been due to the large increase in cases and subsequent imperfect case investigation, with 33% of eligible cases not investigated.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

This poster, which focuses on data from Ethiopia and Senegal, shows that differences between DHIS2 and the facility source records are small and decreased from 2013 to 2014, suggesting that the system can provide accurate and timely information on malaria transmission intensity at the health-post level.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

This poster details a study evaluating the cost-effectiveness of indoor residual spraying (IRS) with pirimiphos-methyl, in addition to long-lasting insecticide-treated bednets (LLINs) in an area of high malaria transmission and emerging pyrethroid resistance.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

Real-time, accurate, and actionable data are critical for malaria elimination; using dashboards to visualize malaria data in Zambia is one possible solution to strengthen feedback loops to the most granular levels and motivate end users. To make dashboards matter, dashboards should be developed jointly with eventual end users and focus on tools for practical decision-making.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

This fact sheet describes how PATH supports Kenyan partners to adapt our existing human milk banking model, called the Mother-Baby Friendly Initiative Plus (MBFI+), to meet the country’s needs for newborn care.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa, Global

This study aimed to monitor vector behavior, species composition, and vector susceptibility to insecticides used for malaria vector control to guide the malaria elimination agenda. Outdoor biting, early biting, pyrethroid insecticide resistance, and carbamate insecticide resistance were identified and could undermine elimination efforts. Additional interventions and sustainable insecticide resistance management strategies are likely to be required.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

This study aimed to identify infections below the level of detection of the HRP2-based RDTs used to screen a cohort of individuals followed longitudinally in a randomized control trial. A negative RDT was highly predictive of a true negative, however a positive RDT was only correct half the time. RDT-positive/PCR-negative samples were likely to have been recently treated and cleared of parasites.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

This analysis assessed operational aspects of implementing reactive case investigation in very low malaria transmission areas in northern Senegal. Malaria incidence increased throughout the country, overwhelming the health system and contributing to case investigation not being conducted according to protocol, missing many households.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

The most recent Ethiopia National Malaria Indicator Survey was conducted in 2015 and sought to measure progress toward achieving the goals and objectives of the Ethiopia National Malaria Strategic Plan 2011–2015. The survey noted improvements in intervention coverage and use, but also identified gaps in utilization of interventions, especially in low transmission areas.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

Findings suggest that the selection of open source platforms such as DHIS2 and ODK and the training and mentoring of local staff at all levels can lead to a well-supported system that can produce high-quality information for decision-making.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

Participating communities were reached with information about mass drug administration (MDA) through village meetings, drama groups, radio ads, and engagement of village chiefs and local headmen among other methods. Communities that received sensitization were able to recall MDA messages, refusal rate was low (2%), and most participants reported that they believed the benefits of participating to outweigh the risks.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

Following the implementation of a successful study trial to evaluate mass drug administration (MDA), the next logical step is to transition to program mode. A modified MDA program has been developed based on evidence generated from the trial that is currently being implemented in southern Zambia.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

In 2014, in response to the need to increase access to health technologies and bolster innovation, NEPAD agency launched efforts to designate Regional Centres of Regulatory Excellence (RCOREs) in Africa. RCOREs aim to improve the safety and quality of health technologies by strengthening regulatory capacity in African Union member states.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

To facilitate uptake of the updated national health facility guidelines and enhance the quality of malaria case management, MalariaCare supported Ghana’s National Malaria Control Program to conduct on-site training and supportive supervision (OTSS) visits to 26 districts in Ghana’s Eastern region. This poster details the results of these visits and the study’s implications for malaria case management.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters

The 2015 malaria indicator survey (MIS) reflected high ITN coverage and increased IPTp coverage. Most provinces could further expand IRS. Despite high ITN coverage, there was not a drop in malaria prevalence by microscopy.

Publication date: November 2016

Region: Africa

Part of series: ASTMH posters