Kampala, Uganda | URN | A new study has found that stillbirth, preterm birth and neonatal mortality remain high among women delivering at Kawempe National Referral Hospital, with rates exceeding Uganda’s national estimates.
The study, published in the Medical Journal Vaccine, found a stillbirth incidence of 26.3 per 1,000 total births, compared with the national estimate of 17 per 1,000 deliveries.
Preterm birth occurred at a rate of 110.9 per 1,000 births, while neonatal mortality stood at 22.5 per 1,000 live births, with the risk substantially higher among babies born prematurely.
Between September 2020 and March 2023, 3423 women were enrolled in the study at Kawempe National Referral Hospital, where 98.5% were followed to delivery and 95.7% were retained through nine months after delivery.
About 98.5 percent of the women were followed through delivery, while 95.7 percent remained in the study through nine months after delivery.
The Ugandan research was conducted by scientists from the Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration (MU-JHU) and St George’s University, London.
It formed part of a wider multi-country study involving Malawi, South Africa, the Netherlands, France and Italy.
The research was designed to generate evidence to support the development and potential introduction of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) vaccines in sub-Saharan Africa.
GBS is a bacterial infection that can cause serious illness in newborns, including sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis.
Vaccines against GBS are currently in clinical development, with researchers exploring their use during pregnancy to stimulate maternal antibodies that can cross the placenta and protect newborns.
The researchers say the high rates of adverse pregnancy and newborn outcomes observed in Uganda highlight the need for stronger interventions to prevent infections and other causes of neonatal deaths.
Globally, infections such as sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis are among the leading causes of preventable deaths in newborns. Researchers are therefore studying maternal vaccination as one potential intervention for protecting babies during the first weeks of life.
The study’s findings are expected to contribute to the evidence base needed to assess the potential role of GBS vaccination in reducing newborn infections and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.
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