The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on health service delivery, including immunization programs, and this review assesses the impact on vaccine coverage across the globe and identifies the potential underlying factors. A systematic search strategy was employed on PubMed, Embase, MedRxiv, BioRxiv, and WHO COVID-19 databases from December 2019 till 15 September 2020. Two review authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, assessed quality, and extracted the data (PROSPERO registration #CRD42020182363). A total of 17 observational studies were included. The findings suggest that there was a reduction in the vaccination coverage and decline in total number of vaccines administered, which led to children missing out on their vaccine doses. An approximately fourfold increase was also observed in polio cases in polio endemic countries. Factors contributing to low vaccine coverage included fear of being exposed to the virus at health care facilities, restriction on city-wide movements, shortage of workers, and diversion of resources from child health to address the pandemic. As the world re-strategizes for the post-2020 era, we should not let a crisis go to waste as they provide an opportunity to establish guidelines and allocate resources for future instances. High-quality supplementary immunization activities and catch-up programs need to be established to address gaps during the pandemic era.

Despite social and economic development, the burden of malnutrition across the globe remains unacceptably high. A vital relationship exists between nutritional status, human capital, and economic standing. Malnutrition adversely affects the physiological and mental capacity of individuals; which in turn hampers productivity levels, making them and their respective countries more susceptible to poverty. A two-way link exists between malnutrition and poverty, creating a vicious cycle with each fueling the other. Malnutrition produces conditions of poverty by reducing the economic potential of the population and likewise, poverty reinforces malnutrition by increasing the risk of food insecurity. The aim of the paper is to describe the interconnection between malnutrition and poverty, and to highlight how both serve as the cause and consequence of each other. The paper also discusses ways to move ahead to tackle these issues in a parallel manner rather than in separate silos.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Vaccinations are recognized as a feasible, cost-effective public health intervention for reducing the burden and associated mortality of many infectious diseases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of potential interventions to improve the uptake of vaccines among children and adolescents. METHODS We performed a literature search until December 2020. Eligible studies were identified using Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, PubMed, and other sources. We included studies conducted on children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years. Studies comprised of hospitalized children and those with comorbid conditions were excluded. Two authors independently performed the meta-analysis. RESULTS Findings from 120 studies (123 articles), of which 95 were meta-analyzed, reveal that vaccination education may increase overall vaccination coverage by 19% (risk ratio [RR], 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12–1.26), reminders by 15% (RR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.11–1.18), interventions for providers by 13% (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.07–1.19), financial incentives by 67% (RR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.40–1.99), and multilevel interventions by 25% (RR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.10–1.41). The impact of school-based clinics and policy and legislation on overall vaccination coverage is still uncertain, and no impact of a multicomponent intervention on overall vaccination coverage was found. CONCLUSIONS Educational interventions, reminders, provider-directed interventions, financial incentives, and multilevel interventions may improve vaccination coverage among school-aged children and adolescents.

Context The timing of introducing complementary feeding (CF) is crucial because premature or delayed CF can be associated with adverse health outcomes in childhood and adulthood. Objective This systematic review aims to evaluate the impact of the timing of CF introduction on health, nutrition, and developmental outcomes among normal-term infants. Data Sources Electronic databases and trial registries were searched, along with the reference lists of the included studies and relevant systematic reviews. Data Extraction Two investigators independently extracted data from the included studies on a standardized data-extraction form. Data Analysis Data were meta-analyzed separately for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies on the basis of early introduction of CF (< 3 months, < 4 months, < 6 months of age) or late introduction of CF (> 6 months, > 8 months of age). Evidence was summarized according to GRADE criteria. In total, 268 documents were included in the review, of which 7 were RCTs (from 24 articles) and 217 were observational studies (from 244 articles). Evidence from RCTs did not suggest an impact of early introduction, while low-certainty evidence from observational studies suggested that early introduction of CF (< 6 months) might increase body mass index (BMI) z score and overweight/obesity. Early introduction at < 3 months might increase BMI and odds of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), and early introduction at < 4 months might increase height, LRTI, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP). For late introduction of CF, there was a lack of evidence from RCTs, but low-certainty evidence from observational studies suggests that late introduction of CF (> 6 months) might decrease height, BMI, and systolic and diastolic BP and might increase odds of intestinal helminth infection, while late introduction of CF (> 8 months) might increase height-for-age z score. Conclusion Insufficient evidence does suggest increased adiposity with early introduction of CF. Hence, the current recommendation of introduction of CF should stand, though more robust studies, especially from low- and middle-income settings, are needed. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO registration number CRD42020218517.

BackgroundBreast feeding in conflict settings is known to be the safest way to protect infant and young children from malnourishment and increased risk of infections. This systematic review assesses the evidence on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in conflict settings.MethodologyWe conducted a search in PubMed and CENTRAL and also searched for grey literature from the year 1980 to August 2019. We included studies conducted in settings inflicted with armed conflict; which comprised settings undergoing conflict, as well as, those within 5 years of its cessation. Studies were included if they discussed IYCF practices, barriers, programmes and guidelines to promote and improve IYCF practices. Two review authors independently evaluated and screened studies for eligibility and extracted data; followed by a descriptive and thematic analysis.ResultsWe included 56 studies in our review including 11 published articles and 45 reports from grey literature and broadly classified into four predetermined sections: epidemiology (n=24), barriers/enablers (n=18), programmes/interventions (n=15) and implementation guidelines (n=30). Epidemiological evidence shows that IYCF practices were generally poor in conflict settings with median prevalence of exclusive breast feeding at 25%, continued breast feeding at 29%, bottle feeding at 58.3%, introduction to solid, semisolid or soft foods at 71.1% and minimum dietary diversity at 60.3%.IYCF practices were affected by displacement, stress, maternal malnutrition and mental health, family casualties and free distribution of breast milk substitutes. To improve IYCF, several interventions were implemented; including, training of health workers, educating mothers, community networking and mobilisation, lactation-support service, baby friendly hospital initiative, mother–baby friendly spaces and support groups.ConclusionThe evidence suggests that IYCF practices are generally poor in conflict inflicted settings. However, there is potential for improvement by designing effective interventions, responsibly disseminating, monitoring and implementing IYCF guidelines as prescribed by WHO development partners, government and non-government organisations with dedicated funds and investing in capacity development.

Background: The complementary feeding (CF) period accompanies a critical window of vulnerability. During this time, failure to consume adequate energy, protein, vitamins and minerals is a significant concern and can lead to poor growth outcomes, increased susceptibility to infections, allergies, and diseases, and lower developmental potential. It is therefore of utmost importance to determine the most optimal time to start CF. The objective of this review is to assess the impact of early and late of introduction of CF on infant health, nutrition and developmental outcomes.Methods: We will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We will search MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, CENTRAL, Web of Science, and other databases and key organizational websites using terms related to complementary feeding and infants. We will also search clinicaltrials.gov for ongoing trials. We will include experimental (randomized trials (individually or cluster) and quasi-randomized trials) and observational studies with a concurrent comparison group (cohort (prospective and retrospective), controlled before-after studies and nested case control studies). We will only include studies that enroll infants, living in low, middle- or high-income countries. Outcomes will be assessed for the following two comparisons:1. Early introduction of CF (before 5 months of age) compared to introduction at 5 to 6.9 months of age2. Late introduction of CF (after 7 months) compared to introduction at 5 to 6.9 months of age All the included studies will be screened on Covidence software and analyzed on Review Manager (version 5.4.1) software.Discussion: There are inconsistencies in the existing recommendations for the introduction of CF, as the recommended age for introducing CF ranges between four and six months of age in various international guidelines. It is imperative to evaluate of consequences of both early and late introduction of complementary foods since optimal timing of introduction may have potential beneficial short- and long-term health effects. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42020218517

ObjectiveThis paper provides a systematic review of evidence of government purchase of health services from private providers through stand-alone contracting-out (CO) initiatives and CO insurance schemes (CO-I) on health service utilisation in Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) to inform universal health coverage 2030 strategies.DesignSystematic review.Data sourcesElectronic search of published and grey literature on Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, CINHAL, Google Scholar and web, including websites of ministries of health from January 2010 to November 2021.Eligibility criteriaRandomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, time series, before–after and endline with comparison group reporting quantitative utilisation of data across 16 low-income and middle-income states of EMR. Search was limited to publications in English or English translation.Data extraction and synthesisWe planned for meta-analysis, but due to limited data and heterogeneous outcomes, descriptive analysis was performed.ResultsSeveral initiatives were identified but only 128 studies were eligible for full-text screening and 17 met the inclusion criteria. These included CO (n=9), CO-I (n=3) and a combination of both (n=5) across seven countries. Eight studies assessed interventions at national level and nine at subnational level. Seven studies reported on purchasing arrangements with non-governmental organisations, 10 on private hospitals and clinics. Impact on outpatient curative care utilisation was seen in both CO and CO-I, positive evidence of improved maternity care service volumes was seen mainly from CO interventions and less reported from CO-I, whereas data on child health service volume was only available for CO and indicated negative impact on service volumes. The studies also suggest pro-poor effect for CO initiatives, whereas there was scarce data for CO-I.ConclusionPurchasing involving stand-alone CO and CO-I interventions in EMR positively impact general curative care utilisation, but lacks conclusive evidence for other services. Policy attention is needed for embedded evaluations within programmes, standardised outcome metrics and disaggregated utilisation data.