Developing and piloting an interventional bundle to reduce mortality from gastroschisis in low-resource settings and identifying priority congenital anomalies for further interventional studies. (360G-Wellcome-210793_Z_18_Z)

Birth defects have risen to become the 5th leading cause of death in under 5-year olds across the globe. Due to a lack of newborn care facilities and surgery for babies in low- and middle-income countries, hundreds of thousands die or are disabled every year from conditions that are operable and survivable in high-income countries (HICs). This research project has two main goals: To undertake a clinical study in seven centres across four countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with the aim of improving the survival of infants born with gastroschisis. This is a condition where the baby is born with their intestines protruding through a hole in the abdominal wall; it is one of the commonest birth defects and has a great disparity in survival across the world. Above 75% die in SSA compared to less than 4% in HICs. The intervention will include training and resources that may help to improve the survival of infants born with other birth defects too. To undertake the first global study into infants born with a birth defect to determine differences in management and survival in low-, middle-, and high-income countries and to identify areas of greatest need for future interventional studies.