BackgroundCervix cancer, preventable, continues to be the third most common cancer in women worldwide, especially in lowest income countries. Prophylactic HPV vaccination should help to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with cervical cancer. The purpose of the study was to describe the results of and key concerns in eight HPV vaccination programs conducted in seven lowest income countries through the Gardasil Access Program (GAP).MethodsThe GAP provides free HPV vaccine to organizations and institutions in lowest income countries. The HPV vaccination programs were entirely developed, implemented and managed by local institutions. Institutions submitted application forms with institution characteristics, target population, communication delivery strategies. After completion of the vaccination campaign (3 doses), institutions provided a final project report with data on doses administered and vaccination models. Two indicators were calculated, the program vaccination coverage and adherence. Qualitative data were also collected in the following areas: government and community involvement; communication, and sensitization; training and logistics resources, and challenges.ResultsA total of eight programs were implemented in seven countries. The eight programs initially targeted a total of 87,580 girls, of which 76,983 received the full 3-dose vaccine course, with mean program vaccination coverage of 87.8%; the mean adherence between the first and third doses of vaccine was 90.9%. Three programs used school-based delivery models, 2 used health facility-based models, and 3 used mixed models that included schools and health facilities. Models that included school-based vaccination were most effective at reaching girls aged 9-13 years. Mixed models comprising school and health facility-based vaccination had better overall performance compared with models using just one of the methods. Increased rates of program coverage and adherence were positively correlated with the number of vaccination sites. Qualitative key insights from the school models showed a high level of coordination and logistics to facilitate vaccination administration, a lower risk of girls being lost to follow-up and vaccinations conducted within the academic year limit the number of girls lost to follow-up.ConclusionMixed models that incorporate both schools and health facilities appear to be the most effective at delivering HPV vaccine. This study provides lessons for development of public health programs and policies as countries go forward in national decision-making for HPV vaccination.

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Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, underweight and micronutrient deficiencies account for an estimated 25% of the burden of disease. As the coverage of national health systems expands, increased opportunities exist to address the needs of children and women, the most vulnerable to these deficiencies, through high-quality nutrition services. Objectives: To assess health providers' knowledge and practice with regard to essential nutrition services for women and children in Burkina Faso, Mozambique and Niger, in order to assist the development of a standard guide and tools to assess and monitor the quality of the nutrition services delivered through national health systems. Findings: The three surveys reveal the extent of missed opportunities to deliver nutrition services during routine prenatal, postnatal and child-care consultations for the prevention and treatment of highly prevalent nutritional deficiencies. Conclusion: A commitment to improving the quality of facility-based nutrition services is necessary to impact on the health outcomes of women and children 'covered' by national health systems. Rigorous assessment and monitoring of the quality of nutrition services should inform health programme and policy development. Building on the lessons learned in these three assessments, Helen Keller International has developed a standard Guide and Tools to assess the quality of the nutrition services delivered through national health systems. These tools can be adapted to assess ongoing nutrition services in health facilities, provide a framework for nutrition programming, inform the development of pre-service as well as inservice nutrition training curricula for providers, and evaluate the impact of nutrition training on providers' practices.

Africa has long dealt with issues surrounding orphanhood and the fostering of children whose parents are no longer alive or available. With the increasing impact of HIV reflected demographically throughout the world, the sociodemographic situation of orphans in subSaharan Africa has only grown in visibility and importance. This paper compares orphans and non-orphans living in an urban area of Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso), with a special focus on school enrolment and delay. We found in univariate analysis that orphans and non-orphans are equally likely to be enrolled in school, but orphans are more likely to be delayed. Once controlling for sociodemographic differences, however, orphans are not delayed significantly in school when compared with non-orphans. Results suggest that, while orphans may be at educational risk due to other concomitant sociodemographic factors, in this urban area orphan status alone does not significantly predict educational enrolment and short-term outcome.