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Childhood tuberculosis (TB) is underserved in resource-constrained endemic areas. Zimbabwe National Tuberculosis Program recommends tuberculosis prevention treatment for children aged5 years who are close contacts of smear-positive TB cases. The Isoniazid Preventive Therapy (IPT) program performance had never been evaluated since its inception in 2010. We therefore, assessed the IPT program's inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes. We conducted a process evaluation using the logic model in Kwekwe City. We recruited twenty-seven health care workers from all the five municipal health facilities. Smear-positive guardians of under 5 children, health care workers, and registers were the study population. Data were collected using a questionnaire and checklists and presented as frequencies and proportions. The IPT program met requirements in provision of guidelines (10/10), screening tools (15/15) and on-the-job trainings done in all five health facilities. Isoniazid tablets supply and quarterly budgeting did not meet meeting program requirements. Fifty-nine out of 231 (25.5%) children contacts of sputum-positive TB patients were screened. Fifty-one of the 59 (86.4%) children were initiated on IPT, 42/51 (82.4%) completed the course, one developed TB, 3/51 were still on treatment and 5/51 were lost to follow up. No dropouts and deaths were recorded. Unavailability of drugs was a barrier to the IPT and negatively impacts the TB elimination program. Contact screening was the bottleneck in the successful implementation of the program. Adequate staff and provision of drugs might improve the program. We recommended the recruitment of more healthcare workers and the budget for the program.

in 2011, WHO African region set a target for elimination of measles by 2020. During period 2017-2020, Kwekwe city, with an estimated population of 117,116, detected one case of suspected measles. This was against a target of 2 cases per year. We evaluated the system to establish why it was failing to detect at least 2 cases per year.we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study using the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Updated Guidelines. Nineteen health facilities were selected and fifty-seven health workers were randomly recruited. An interviewer-administered questionnaire and checklists were used to collect data. We generated frequencies, proportions, and means.the mean years in service was 22.8 years (SD=12.6). Thirty (52.6%) respondents had fair knowledge. Fourteen (73.7%) of the nineteen respondents who had ever completed case investigation forms took between 10-20 minutes to complete. Only two (10.5%) of the nineteen facilities had case investigation forms. The majority of the respondents 54 (93%) were willing to continue participating in the measles Community Base Surveillance System (CBSS). None of the health facilities had used the system to inform decision-making. Reasons highlighted for poor suspected measles case detection included lack of health worker training 28/57 (49.1%).despite the high age in service, knowledge of the surveillance system was mostly fair. The system was found to be simple, not stable and not useful. The main reason for the system failure was lack of health worker training. We recommend retraining on Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) and case investigation forms distribution.

Summary Background Child stunting reduces survival and impairs neurodevelopment. We tested the independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) on stunting and anaemia in in Zimbabwe. Methods We did a cluster-randomised, community-based, 2 × 2 factorial trial in two rural districts in Zimbabwe. Clusters were defined as the catchment area of between one and four village health workers employed by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care. Women were eligible for inclusion if they permanently lived in clusters and were confirmed pregnant. Clusters were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to standard of care (52 clusters), IYCF (20 g of a small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement per day from age 6 to 18 months plus complementary feeding counselling; 53 clusters), WASH (construction of a ventilated improved pit latrine, provision of two handwashing stations, liquid soap, chlorine, and play space plus hygiene counselling; 53 clusters), or IYCF plus WASH (53 clusters). A constrained randomisation technique was used to achieve balance across the groups for 14 variables related to geography, demography, water access, and community-level sanitation coverage. Masking of participants and fieldworkers was not possible. The primary outcomes were infant length-for-age Z score and haemoglobin concentrations at 18 months of age among children born to mothers who were HIV negative during pregnancy. These outcomes were analysed in the intention-to-treat population. We estimated the effects of the interventions by comparing the two IYCF groups with the two non-IYCF groups and the two WASH groups with the two non-WASH groups, except for outcomes that had an important statistical interaction between the interventions. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01824940. Findings Between Nov 22, 2012, and March 27, 2015, 5280 pregnant women were enrolled from 211 clusters. 3686 children born to HIV-negative mothers were assessed at age 18 months (884 in the standard of care group from 52 clusters, 893 in the IYCF group from 53 clusters, 918 in the WASH group from 53 clusters, and 991 in the IYCF plus WASH group from 51 clusters). In the IYCF intervention groups, the mean length-for-age Z score was 0·16 (95% CI 0·08–0·23) higher and the mean haemoglobin concentration was 2·03 g/L (1·28–2·79) higher than those in the non-IYCF intervention groups. The IYCF intervention reduced the number of stunted children from 620 (35%) of 1792 to 514 (27%) of 1879, and the number of children with anaemia from 245 (13·9%) of 1759 to 193 (10·5%) of 1845. The WASH intervention had no effect on either primary outcome. Neither intervention reduced the prevalence of diarrhoea at 12 or 18 months. No trial-related serious adverse events, and only three trial-related adverse events, were reported. Interpretation Household-level elementary WASH interventions implemented in rural areas in low-income countries are unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia and might not reduce diarrhoea. Implementation of these WASH interventions in combination with IYCF interventions is unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia more than implementation of IYCF alone. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, Wellcome Trust, Swiss Development Cooperation, UNICEF, and US National Institutes of Health.

Introduction: The immunisation program for Mberengwa district has been experiencing a decline in coverage and high dropout rates despite it having adopted the Reaching Every District strategy in 2004. This study investigates reasons for this program failure. Methods and Materials: The Logic Model Conceptual Framework was used to evaluate the program. Data were collected using questionnaires from health workers, key informants and a separate questionnaire used to collect data from mothers of children under five years old. Focus group discussions were conducted with women in the community. A checklist was used to assess program resource availability. Data were analysed using EPI info statistical software. Qualitative data were analysed thematically Results: Forty six health workers and 56 mothers were interviewed. Ten health workers had been trained in Reaching Every District. Less than half knew the tool that is used to monitor program progress. None of the health centres had zoned catchment area maps for offering the different EPI services. Program resources were reported to be inadequate. None of the facilities were conducting regular EPI meetings with the community. Main barriers to immunisation were religious objectors, unavailability of vaccines and unavailability of outreach services Discussion: Resources put into the program were inadequate. Health workers were not conversant with the operations of the strategy. Community involvement in the program was poor .Efforts to improve program performance should be aimed at training health workers in Reaching Every District, revitalising strong links with the community and re-establishing Expanded Program on Immunisation outreach services.

Introduction: The outpatient surveillance system in Kwekwe district reported 86 AEFI cases in 2009. No surveillance forms were completed for these cases. This study was therefore conducted to identify reasons for this anomaly. Methods: Interviewer administered questionnaires were used to collect data on knowledge, usefulness and system attributes from health workers and caregivers of under-fives who were found at 18/33 health facilities in the district. Results: None of 61 nurses interviewed could correctly define an AEFI. AEFI notification and investigation forms were available at 6/18 health facilities. None of the health facilities had AEFI case definitions displayed. Reasons for failure to notify cases included lack of training on the system 56(91.8%), unavailability of stationary 43(70.5%) and mothers not knowledgeable on AEFIs 21(34.6%). The surveillance system was found to be acceptable. Conclusion: Lack of knowledge on AEFI surveillance procedures was the main challenge. As a result, 150(45%) nurses were trained in AEFI surveillance and surveillance forms were distributed to all health facilities.

Background The cornerstone of the health system in Zimbabwe, the district health system has been under the responsibility of the district health executive since 1984. Preliminary information obtained from some provincial health managers in Midlands Province suggested a poor performance by most district health executives. We therefore investigated the reasons for this poor performance. Methods A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted. Structured interviewer administered questionnaires were used to obtain information from district health managers of five randomly selected districts in the province. Checklists were used to assess resource availability, staffing levels and proxy indicators to effective district health executive function. Data were analysed using Epi Info statistical package. Results Thirty district health managers were interviewed. Almost half of the participants could not list at least five functions of district health executives. Twenty nine managers reported having inadequate management skills requiring training. District health executives failed to meet their targets on expected activities in the year 2010 such as conducting monthly district health executive meetings, conducting quarterly supervision to health centres and submitting quarterly district health reports to the provincial level. Conclusion Poor knowledge on expected functions could have resulted in poor performance. Without adequate management training district health managers are likely to underperform their duties. DHE guidelines were therefore distributed to all districts. Management trainings were conducted to all district health executives throughout the country from November 2011.

Background AFP is a rare syndrome and serves as a proxy for poliomyelitis. The main objective of AFP surveillance is to detect circulating wild polio virus and provide data for developing effective prevention and control strategies as well planning and decision making. Bikita district failed to detect a case for the past two years. Findings A total of 31 health workers from 14 health centres were interviewed. Health worker knowledge on AFP was low in Bikita. The system was acceptable, flexible, and representative but not stable and not sensitive since it missed1 AFP case. The system was not useful to the district since data collected was not locally used in anyway. The cost of running the system was high. The district had no adequate resources to run the system. Reasons for not reporting cases was that the mothers were not bringing children with AFP and ignorance of health workers on syndromes captured under AFP. Conclusion Health worker’s knowledge on AFP was low and all interviewed workers needed training surveillance. The system was found to be flexible but unacceptable. Reasons for failure to detect AFP cases could be, no cases reporting to the centres, lack of knowledge on health workers hence failure to recognise symptoms, high staff turnover.