Sub-Saharan Africa bears a disproportionate burden of preterm Background: birth and other adverse outcomes. Not only is the background rate of preterm birth higher than in North America and Europe, but many facilities lack essential equipment and personnel resources to care for preterm neonates. A better understanding of the demographic, clinical, and biologic underpinnings of preterm birth is urgently needed to plan interventions and inform new discovery.The Zambian Preterm Birth Prevention Study (ZAPPS) is a Methods: prospective antenatal cohort established at the Women and Newborn Hospital of the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka, Zambia. We recruit pregnant women from the antenatal clinics of district health centers and the UTH for study participation. Women undergo ultrasound examination to determine eligibility by gestational age criteria. Enrolled participants receive routine antenatal and postnatal care, lab testing, midtrimester cervical length measurement, serial fetal growth monitoring and careful assessment of birth outcomes.Between August 2015 and September 2017, we screened 1784 Results: women, of whom 1450 (81.2%) met inclusion criteria and were enrolled. The median age at enrollment of study participants is 27 years (IQR 23-32). Participants are enrolled at a median gestational age of 16 weeks (IQR 13-18). Among all parous participants (N=866; 64%), 21% (N=182) reported a prior miscarriage, 49% (N=424) reported a prior preterm birth, and 13% (N=116) reported a prior stillbirth. The HIV seroprevalence in our cohort is 24%.We have established a large antenatal cohort to characterize the Discussion: Gates Open Research epidemiological and biological determinants of adverse birth outcomes in Lusaka, Zambia. Findings from this cohort will help guide future studies, clinical care, and policy in the prevention and treatment of adverse birth outcomes.

Cervical cancer is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide, with most cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Safe, highly effective vaccines against HPV have been on the market since 2006, yet only 6% of girls worldwide have received this life-saving cancer prevention intervention. International organizations, including PATH, Gavi, and the pharmaceutical companies Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, have provided support to eligible low- and middle-income countries to implement national HPV vaccination programs. Still, glaring disparities in the availability of national HPV vaccination programs and the coverage of the primary target population between the global north and south persist. We illustrate worldwide HPV vaccine implementation and coverage using an online data visualization, which is publicly available and can be used to gain unique insights. We also present three emerging solutions to transform future HPV vaccine delivery in low- and middle-income countries: low-cost generics, single-dose vaccination, and co-administration with other adolescent vaccines. By rapidly expanding access to HPV vaccination to girls everywhere, vaccine-type HPV infections can be virtually eliminated. At high vaccination-coverage levels, more than 80%-or approximately 230 000-of the cervical cancer deaths that occur each year can be averted.

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa bears a disproportionate burden of preterm birth and other adverse outcomes. A better understanding of the demographic, clinical, and biologic underpinnings of these adverse outcomes is urgently needed to plan interventions and inform new discovery.  Methods: The Zambian Preterm Birth Prevention Study (ZAPPS) is a prospective observational cohort established at the Women and Newborn Hospital (WNH) in Lusaka, Zambia. We recruit pregnant women from district health centers and the WNH and offer ultrasound examination to determine eligibility. Participants receive routine obstetrical care, lab testing, midtrimester cervical length measurement, and serial fetal growth monitoring. At delivery, we assess gestational age, birthweight, vital status, and sex and assign a delivery phenotype. We collect blood, urine, and vaginal swab specimens at scheduled visits and store them in an on-site biorepository. In September 2017, enrollment of the ZAPPS Phase 1—the subject of this report—was completed. Phase 2, which is limited to HIV-uninfected women, reopened in January 2018.  Results: Between August 2015 and September 2017, we screened 1784 women, of whom 1450 (81.2%) met inclusion criteria and were enrolled. The median age at enrollment was 27 years (IQR 23–32) and median gestational age was 16 weeks (IQR 13–18). Among women with a previous pregnancy (n=1042), 19% (n=194) reported a prior miscarriage.  Among parous women (n=992), 41% (n=411) reported a prior preterm birth and 14% (n=126) reported a prior stillbirth. The HIV seroprevalence was 24%. Discussion: We have established a large cohort of pregnant women and newborns at the WNH to characterize the determinants of adverse birth outcomes in Lusaka, Zambia. Our overarching goal is to elucidate biological mechanisms in an effort to identify new strategies for early detection and prevention of adverse outcomes. We hope that findings from this cohort will help guide future studies, clinical care, and policy.