[Community-based intervention to reduce birth asphyxia mortality in Mali]

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Neonatal Medicine
• Global Health

Context:

• Birth asphyxia causes approximately one million newborn deaths annually in developing nations.
• Rural areas in developing countries often lack robust vital event surveillance systems.
• Effective management of birth asphyxia is critical for reducing neonatal mortality.

Purpose:

• To develop improved management strategies for birth asphyxia.
• To establish a community-based surveillance system for vital events in Oueléssébougou, Mali.
• To train community health workers and leaders in birth asphyxia management and communication.

Summary:

• Community actors, including traditional birth attendants and health workers, were trained in communication strategies for birth asphyxia management.
• The study focused on behavior change interventions to improve care for newborns experiencing birth asphyxia.
• Health facility-based delivery rates increased from 80% to 93%.

Impact:

• Improved identification and resuscitation of newborns with birth asphyxia (from 11% to 12%).
• Enhanced quality of delivery care through trained and supervised community health actors.
• Significant reduction in neonatal mortality rates in the studied rural areas.