Training birth attendants in rural Zambia in neonatal resuscitation, and the use of amoxicillin coupled with facilitated referral, reduces neonatal mortality
Marsh, D.R.; Wall, S.N.
Evidence-Based Medicine 16(5): 154-155
2011
ISSN/ISBN: 1356-5524 PMID: 21561931 DOI: 10.1136/ebm1402Document Number: 221095
Neonatal death accounts for 25% of under-5 mortality in Africa. Many African countries will not achieve Millennium Development Goal 4 (a 2/3 reduction in under-5 mortality from the 199 level by 215) without reducing newborn deaths. Efforts to promote skilled birth attendance in Africa have largely assumed no role for trained traditional birth attendants (TBAs), despite families' continued use of TBAs where facility delivery and skilled birth attendance remain out of reach. Gill and colleagues considered the effect of training TBAs on newborn death in Lufwanyama District in rural Zambia. This was a prospective, cluster randomised and controlled effectiveness study of trained TBAs (6 intervention and 67 control) and the newborns they delivered (1962 intervention and 1536 control after excluding 62 for data quality concerns) over a 3-month period through November 28. The 127 clusters comprised one TBA and the newborns she delivered. All.