From September to November, the CHAMPS Ethiopia team completed a total of 32 MITS from the three DSS sites, Kersa, Harar and Haramaya. The team shared mortality and Decode data with EPHI, and presented the data to local journalists, and health workers of the Obstetric and Pediatric Departments of Hiwot Fana Hospital.
During the last few months, we have conducted two Decode, aiming to reach 100 MITS cases with a cause of death assigned by the end of 2020. For the first time, we included non-MITS cases in the Decode panel, and realized how useful MITS is to determine cause of death in children. The team continue to communicate Decode results to families and are conducting health education sessions with the family at the same time.
A forum was prepared for 10 journalists from different media outlets, working together focusing on health programs, with emphasis given towards the mass media around the catchment area of CHAMPS and its activities on child health. After the forum, Fana Radio featured news on CHAMPS findings, MITS and the knowledge transfer. The CHAMPS-Ethiopia team also shared their data with EPHI for national use and presented mortality and cause of death data to the Obstetric and Pediatric Departments. MITS cases were reviewed in detail with hospital staff working in those departments over two separate sessions.
Following Decode results, the team has contacted the Agriculture and Nutrition departments of Haramaya University to share results on Neural Tube Defects (NTD) and discussed potential collaboration for a program to prevent NTDs in our catchment area.
The CHAMPS laboratory continued being a center for COVID-19 sample extraction and has received more than 25,000 samples so far, delivering results within 24h. The team is also analyzing serum samples of pregnant women attending to ANC, to understand seroprevalence in the area.
Two rapid assessments have been conducted by the SBS team on low death notification in Kersa and COVID-19. A new rapid assessment on refusals in Kersa is under development.
What is coming up?
- First 100 MITS cases will be reviewed through the Decode panel
- The new LSHTM site lead, Dr. Stian Orlien, will join the team
- CHAMPS pregnancy surveillance will be launched