Cause-specific mortality of children younger than 5 years in communities receiving biannual mass azithromycin treatment in Niger: verbal autopsy results from a cluster-randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Macrolides Oraux pour Réduire les Décès avec un Oeil sur la Résistance (MORDOR) trial found that biannual mass distribution of azithromycin to children younger than 5 years in Niger reduced the primary outcome of all-cause mortality by 18%. We aimed to determine the causes of mortality among deceased children using verbal autopsy.

Methods

In this 2-year cluster-randomised controlled trial, 594 community clusters in Niger were randomly allocated (1:1 ratio) to receive biannual mass distributions of either oral azithromycin (approximately 20 mg per kg of bodyweight) or placebo targeted to children aged 1-59 months. Participants, study investigators, and field workers were masked to treatment allocation. Between Nov 23, 2014, and July 31, 2017, 3615 child deaths

SUBMITTER: Keenan JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7025321 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature