The majority of horses, donkeys and mules (equids) are in low- and middle-income countries, where they remain a key source of labour in the construction, agriculture and tourism industries, as well as supporting households daily through transporting people and staple goods. Globally, approximately 600 million people depend on working equids for their livelihood. Safeguarding the welfare of thes...

BACKGROUND Low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) have difficulties achieving universal financial protection, which is primordial for universal health coverage. A promising avenue to provide universal financial protection for the informal sector and the rural populace is community-based health insurance (CBHI). We systematically assessed and synthesised factors associated with CBHI enro...

BACKGROUND Available evidence suggests that low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the greatest burden of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia characterized by disproportionately high rates of morbidity, mortality and neurodevelopmental disorders compared to high-income countries. We set out to identify the risk factors that contribute to the burden of severe hyperbilirubinemia in the most...

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (also known as socially transmitted diseases) were conspicuously absent from the Millennium Development Goals and seemed to miss out on the 'golden years' of health funding despite causing more death and disability than any other disease group worldwide. The share of 'development assistance for health' dedicated to NCDs has remained at 1-2% of the total since 20...

Many health experts worry that the dra matic health gains of recent years may prove temporary if external resources wane. The U.S. Global Health Initiative (GHI) outlines an ambitious agenda to permanently strengthen the health systems of the countries we assist, but there is no consensus on how to do this. One promising approach applies the lessons learned from improving care in the U.S. healt...

BACKGROUND Back pain is a common disabling chronic condition that burdens individuals, families and societies. Epidemiological evidence, mainly from high-income countries, shows positive association between back pain prevalence and older age. There is an urgent need for accurate epidemiological data on back pain in adult populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where populations ...

Enabling innovation and access to health technologies remains a key strategy in combating infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, a gulf between paying markets and the endemicity of such diseases has contributed to the dearth of R&D in meeting these public health needs. While the pharmaceutical industry views emerging economies as potential new markets, most of...

The review assembled evidence to determine how, why and under what conditions Early Childhood Development (ECD) interventions are effective in promoting cognitive development of children living in lowand middle-income countries (LMICs). ECD interventions include (i) programmes for children under three years and their families;(ii) informal and formal services for children ranging from three to ...

Randomized clinical trials in cancer medicine are increasingly conducted in lowandmiddle-income countries (LMICs). Theproperway to conduct such studies is complex and the subject of much debate. Two key questions outline the debate. First, what is the appropriate control arm for such studies? For example, when can trials use placebo or some control less than global best practice? Second, what o...