Decline in Under-Five Mortality from 65 to 43 Deaths per 1,000 Live Births

TLDR

• Tanzania has launched a clinical trial to reduce childhood diarrhoeal diseases by testing probiotics alongside the rotavirus vaccine.
• The PRORota Clinical Trial was launched in Dar es Salaam by Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and the National Institute for Medical Research.
• The trial aims to assess if probiotics can improve the effectiveness of the rotavirus vaccine and reduce antibiotic use among children.
• The study involves researchers from Tanzania, Norway, Malawi, and Ivory Coast, and is supported by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.
• Deputy Permanent Secretary Prof Tumaini Nagu noted significant improvements in maternal and child survival, with maternal mortality dropping from 554 to 104 deaths per 100,000 live births from 2015/16 to 2022.