Research News

Study reveals factors contributing to emotional distress among postpartum mothers with newborns at Kenyatta National Hospital

Study title: Factors Contributing to Emotional Distress among Postpartum Mothers with Newborns at Newborn Unit Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya 

Background: The expectation of a woman during pregnancy is to have a healthy live bay with no complications. Admission of a newborn baby to the newborn unit is distressing to the parents, more so in cases where there is little or no support from the health care team and other players.

HIV-1 Entry and Prospects for Protecting against Infection

Human Immunodeficiency Virus type-1 (HIV-1) establishes a latent viral reservoir soon after infection, which poses a major challenge for drug treatment and curative strategies. Many efforts are therefore focused on blocking infection. To this end, both viral and host factors relevant to the onset of infection need to be considered. Given that HIV-1 is most often transmitted mucosally, strategies designed to protect against infection need to be effective at mucosal portals of entry.

Allocation of scarce resources in Africa during COVID‐19: Utility and justice for the bottom of the pyramid?

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic has raised important universal public health challenges. Conceiving ethical responses to these challenges is a public health imperative but must take context into account. This is particularly important in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). In this paper, we examine how some of the ethical recommendations offered so far in high‐income countries might appear from a SSA perspective.

UoN partners with WSU to strengthen research on infectious diseases

The University of Nairobi (UoN) has partnered with the Washington State University (WSU) in a bid to strengthen research and study on infectious diseases such as the Rift Valley fever and Covid-19.

These diseases, medically termed as zoonotic diseases, are transmitted from animals to humans. They have devastated populations all around the world, having far worse effects on humans than animals.

Maternal deaths after CS delivery in Africa higher than in high-income countries

A study carried out in 2016 and its findings published in 2019 indicates that maternal mortality after caesarean delivery in Africa is 50 times higher than that of high-income countries.

According to the findings, the deaths are caused by peripartum haemorrhage and anaesthesia complications.

The findings also show that neonatal mortality is double the global average.

Deadline for Submission of Abstracts for Conferences of the Research Week Extended

In what is expected to be one of the biggest research events in the country, the Second Edition of the University of Nairobi Research Week shall be held from October 22-25, 2019. The Research Week shall feature a series of conferences, workshops and seminars across a broad array of disciplines. The event has 13 confirmed conferences and 2 seminars.