ACEPHAP Records Major Milestone in the Fight Against Postpartum Haemorrhage
Africa Centre of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP) in collaboration with University of Birmingham, World Health Organization (WHO) and E- MOTIVE Research Teams from Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa have recorded a major breakthrough in the fight against postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), a potentially life-threatening complication of childbirth.
The exciting news was revealed on Tuesday May 9th, 2023, by E-Motive Researchers including the Director of the Centre, Professor Hadiza Galadanci, who p resented the result on behalf of all the Emotive Research Teams to the World at the International Maternal Newborn Health Conference (IMNHC2023) in Cape Town, South Africa.
Accordingtotheirpresentation, postpartumhaemorrhage is a serious complication that affects millions of women worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where access to emergency obstetric care is limited. PPH causes significant maternal morbidity and mortality, making it a major public health concern.
They painted a pathetic picture of the effect of PPH statistics on humanity. Every year, there are some 24 million women who experienced postpartum haemorrhage in the world, resulting in over 74,000 maternal deaths; i.e., a death in every 7 minutes. The vast majority of these deaths are preventable.
They Stated that E-MOTIVE intervention overcomed three challenges faced by facilities when addressing Postpartum Haemorrhage; the delay in the diagnosis of Postpartum Haemorrhage, the delay in the delivery of effective first-response treatment, and the delay in escalation for continued bleeding.
Professor Galadanci declared that E-motive intervention improved the diagnosis and bundled treatment resulting in an immense 60% (relative) reduction in severe PPH, definedasbloodlossof ≥1oomls.Thismeansareduction in the number of women having severe PPH from around 43/1000 women to about 16/1000 women.
Shedding more light on the efficacy of the discovery, the ACEPHAP Director explained that the intervention also showed a 29% (relative) reduction in blood transfusion for postpartum bleeding. This means a reduction in the number of women needing blood transfusion for postpartum bleeding from 19/1000 women to about 12/1000 women. In addition, there was also a reduction of deaths and PPH - related deaths with E-Motive Intervention.
Professor Galadanci added that the significance of this new treatment had been acknowledged by several notable figures, including Bill Gates, who tweeted about it on May 9, 2023. He said; 'I'm very encourage by the E-Motive Trial results released today at IMNHC2023 to treat postpartum haemorrhage. This new approach led by University of Birmingham and World Health Organization (WHO) could drastically improve women's chances of surviving childbirth globally.' Bill Gates is a well-known philanthropist and has been a leading advocate for global health initiatives. The WHO Executive Director, Dr. Tedros Adhanom has also posted about the breakthrough on their website, recognising the importance of this development in the field of maternal health.
The ACEPHAP Director said this new intervention was a testament of the power of global collaboration and the importance of investing in research and innovation. It is a major step in the fight against PPH and is expected to save many lives in the years to come. She is of the view that this life-saving solution was a significant milestone in the ongoing fight against reducing maternal deaths due to PPH. It highlighted the importance of investing in research and innovation to improve global health outcomes. “With continued collaboration and investment, we can look forward to a brighter future for women and their families around the world,' she concluded.
It could be recalled that ACEPHAP had won a grant of $1,928,504.59 from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct E-MOTIVE Trial in collaboration with University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
The E-MOTIVE trial which stands for “ Early detection of postpartum haemorrhage and treatment using the World Health Organization MOTIVE First response bundle: a cluster randomised trial with health economic analysis and mixed methods evaluation, is aimed at preventing maternal deaths by implementing the World Health Organization (WHO) prevention and treatment guideline for Postpartum Haemorrhage. It was implemented in four countries of Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania andSouth Africa, with World Health Organization and University of Birmingham as coordinators. The result of the E-motive trial has been published in one of the highest impact journal ;New England Journal of Medicine (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2303966)
