Syphilis diagnosis and treatment during antenatal care: the potential catalytic impact of the dual HIV and syphilis rapid diagnostic test

This post was originally published as a commentary in The Lancet Global Health here. An estimated 355 000 adverse pregnancy outcomes occur annually due to syphilis,1 two-thirds of which result in stillbirth or neonatal death.2WHO launched the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV and Syphilis initiative in 2014.3However, antenatal syphilis screening...

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Disrupting the Status Quo from the Front Lines

Standing in the small waiting room of a crowded neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Uganda, Yonah, a young nurse with relentless commitment and contagious passion, looks up at the board where newborns deaths have been tallied for the month of August. “This board is a reminder of the progress...

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Rethinking innovation in maternal and child health in Africa: five case studies

It was a typical yet astonishing scene in Wandi village in northeastern Nigeria: a traditional barber known as a wanzam ceremonially shaved Abubakar Nafisatu’s hair on his seventh day of life, as is the custom there. Then the barber did something not so customary: He stressed to Abukabar’s mother the...

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Midwives on the Edge—Providing Essential Care in Crisis Settings

Across many settings, midwives are key players in the maternal health workforce. The Maternal Health Task Force’s Kayla McGowan recently had the pleasure of interviewing Sera Bonds, Founder/CEO of Circle of Health International, for her insight into successes, challenges and the role of midwifery in crisis settings. KM: Please describe...

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