Supporting early career researchers
Every Breath Counts is highlighting pneumonia research from early career researchers with results and recommendations that have the potential to accelerate reductions in pneumonia deaths, especially among children. Many of these researchers are based in low- and middle-income countries and are future leaders in their fields.
Researchers entering the pneumonia field often struggle to attract research funding and to build networks given the low priority accorded to pneumonia by the major infectious disease research funders, despite its massive burden and the high risk of future respiratory pandemics.
This is especially true for academics from the countries where pneumonia deaths are concentrated across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Every Breath Counts is delighted to draw attention to the work of academics from these settings – and their institutions. Their work will uncover the next generation of breakthrough solutions that are needed drive pneumonia deaths to low levels everywhere.
Lois King
PhD student, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Governance of childhood pneumonia
Childhood pneumonia receives less health prioritization and funding compared to other infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria. Despite this, Bangladesh has experienced large reductions in childhood pneumonia. My thesis will add to current evidence by documenting if and how childhood pneumonia governance in Bangladesh has contributed to the success and what other countries can learn from it…
Ehsan Rahman
Research Scientist, icddr,b, Bangladesh
Estimating hypoxemia burdens
The high burden of hypoxemia – low oxygen saturation in the blood – and its clinical outcomes call for urgent attention to promote oxygen security in low resource settings like Bangladesh. The availability of pulse oximetry for rapid identification and an effective oxygen delivery system for immediate correction should be ensured for averting many preventable deaths, especially among children…
Annick Sidibe
Technical Advisor, Jhpiego, Burkina Faso
Evaluating PCV schedule options
With new data showing improved group protection with two primary doses of PCV13 plus a booster (2p+1) in the first year, compared to three primary doses (3p+0), our research finds benefits in both schedules. While 2p+1 delivers a greater reduction in nasopharyngeal carriage of vaccine serotypes, the 3p+0 schedule improves protection in the first year of life. Critically there are no differences in third dose coverage….
Ayobame Bakare
PhD student, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
Point-of-care pneumonia diagnostics
While some socio-demographic factors (maternal education, low income, distance from healthcare) were associated with care seeking for children with symptoms of pneumonia, caregiver knowledge of the disease was not. Therefore, when designing public health interventions to address child mortality, information-giving alone is likely to be insufficient…
Justina Bramugy
Manhiça Health Research Centre, Mozambique
Biomarkers and pneumonia diagnosis
Biomarkers IL-8, sFlt-1, and sTREM-1 are promising candidates to be used in the risk-stratification of childhood pneumonia. An important step is their incorporation into rapid, easy-to-use, and inexpensive point-of-care triage tests to be used in low-resource settings where they could transform risk-stratification to reduce pneumonia mortality among the most vulnerable children…
Barsha Pathak
CHRD, Society for Applied Studies, India
Post-discharge child mortality
Post-discharge mortality for children with pneumonia was higher in the youngest babies, those with congenital heart disease, severe malnutrition, residing in rural areas, and with radiological pneumonia. Discharged cases must be kept under medical follow-up for at least three months, with specific health systems interventions at the child, maternal, and household levels.