The study results support the use of the short regimen recently recommended by the World Health Organization. Its high level of success even among HIV-positive patients promises substantial improvements in TB control.

Abstract. The risk factors for maternal anemia (hemoglobin level less than 110 g/L) were studied in human immunodeficiency virus-negative pregnant women in Benin at the time of first antenatal visit and prior to any prevention. Data for the first 1,005 pregnant women included in a multicentre randomized controlled trial were analyzed. Anemia was common (68.3%), and malaria and helminth infestations were prevalent in 15.2% and 11.1% of the women. A total of 33.3%, 31.3% and 3.6% of the women were iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 deficient, respectively. These parasitic infections and nutrient deficiencies were associated with a high risk of anemia. Twenty-one percent, 15%, 12%, 11% and 7% of anemia were attributable to malnutrition, malaria, iron, folic acid deficiencies, and helminth infestations, respectively. Most anemia was caused by factors that could be prevented by available tools, stressing the need to reinforce their implementation and to evaluate their effectiveness throughout the course of the pregnancy.

Objective Few tools are available to screen or assess infant’s cognitive development, especially in French-speaking Africa. This study evaluated the use of the French translation of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL), and the ‘Ten Questions’ questionnaire (TQ) in 1-year-old children in Benin, a francophone country. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in three health centers serving a semi-rural area in Benin. Three hundred fifty-seven children aged 12 months and their mothers were enrolled in 2011. Infant development was assessed at local health centers followed by a home visit to collect information on socioeconomic status, maternal Raven score, maternal depressive symptoms, and mother–child interactions (HOME Inventory) and to administer the TQ. Results The infant’s gender (female), the HOME and maternal education were associated with a higher Early Learning Composite score in multivariate analyses (P=.02, P=.004, P=.007, respectively). The HOME and family wealth were also associated with the gross motor scale (P=.03 and P=.03, respectively). Mothers were more likely to report difficulties on the TQ when the child presented lower score on the MSEL. When considering the gross motor scale as the gold standard to define moderate delays, the two combined motor-related questions on the TQ showed good sensitivity and specificity (76.5 and 75.7). Conclusion In a low-resource rural setting in Africa, the TQ effectively identified three-quarters of 1-year-old infants with delayed development. After this screening, the MSEL may be useful for further assessment as it showed good feasibility and sensitivity to known risk factors for poor child development.