Our study’s intervention has the potential to prevent diarrheal diseases, improve treatment outcomes, reduce gut colonization by multi-drug-resistant bacteria (Extended spectrum beta lactamases, ESBLs) and eventually protect households from the social and financial hardships associated with diarrheal diseases.
Our overall goal is to provide scientific evidence to shape global policy on the use of probiotics as an adjunct therapy to routine rotavirus vaccination and enhanced Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) education in reducing the incidence of all-cause diarrhea in infants.
We also plan to generate machine-learning models for prediction of diarrheal incidence based on climatic variables as early warning signals for implementation of health interventions.
We will initially give evidence-based recommendations to committees of experts in three participating countries – Tanzania, Malawi and Ivory Coast – to translate our findings into policies and practices. These country models will be the basis of informed, practice-based proposal for global policy changes.
Our primary beneficiaries are newborns and infants less than 6 months old who will be protected against morbidity and mortality due to diarrheal diseases.
Our secondary beneficiaries are parents and other caregivers of the vulnerable children who bear the social and economic suffering due to childhood diarrheal diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
