What to know
- Presentation Day/Time: Friday, April 25, 9:00–10:25 am
- Presenter: Camille Jones, PhD, MPH, EIS officer assigned to the Global Health Center, Global Immunization Division, Immunization Systems and Accelerated Disease Control
What did we do?
- We evaluated national core and surrogate program performance indicators as recommended by WHO to assess the likelihood that Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)'s maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination (MNTE) status is sustained.
- Maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) is a major cause of neonatal mortality among newborns of insufficiently vaccinated mothers after unhygienic deliveries. The DRC was validated to have achieved MNTE in 2019.
What did we find?
- Pregnant women receiving antenatal care decreased from 96% (2018) to 84% (2023). During 2019–2023, Td2+ coverage changed minimally from 98% to 97%. SBA coverage remained 85%. Infant TTCV coverage decreased from 73% to 60%. PAB declined from 85% to 78%. NT cases increased from six to 410 nationwide.
Why does it matter?
- Immunization and health services contributing to MNTE sustainability are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Improving antenatal care attendance and routine child immunization to pre-pandemic levels are needed.
- Further evaluation of district-level data is warranted to identify areas with gaps in MNTE sustainability. DRC may consider conducting a post-validation assessment to better understand the situation and guide actions to sustain MNTE.
Abstract Category: Global Health, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health