ArticleBirth defects research2026
Opportunities and Challenges for Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Article in Birth defects research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Correction to "Opportunities and Challenges for Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies in Sub-Saharan Africa".Birth defects research · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
19 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionCongenital anomalies (CA) are ranked as the 3rd and 4th leading cause of neonatal and under-5 mortality, respectively. Over 30% of infants born with a serious CA are found in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet there are few robust epidemiological data on the burden and distribution of CA and associated mortality, disability, and morbidity, which limits research and investment in clinical and public health interventions. The sub-Saharan African Congenital Anomalies Network (sSCAN) was established in 2021 to address the fragmented research, surveillance, and care programmes for children with CA in the region.
methodsThe sSCAN established a community of practice with the long-term aim to promote the prevention and early diagnosis of CA and care for children and families, determining prevalence, promoting preventive interventions, and improving health outcomes by: (1) Sharing resources and multidisciplinary expertise; (2) Establishing a common response to public health questions; (3) Pooling and comparing data between countries; (4) Capacity building.
resultsThe sSCAN includes 16 projects across 12 countries, in addition to other stakeholders in sub-Saharan Africa. Most projects are fully or jointly supported by donor partners with a specific disease/exposure focus: collaboration within Africa is uncommon. Lack of data harmonization, varied funding streams and related data access, and country- and institution-specific data-protection legislation limited regional data sharing. The sSCAN has hosted 15 webinars which are available with other resources on the website, and supported grant applications and publications.
conclusionThe sSCAN platform can provide opportunities to build capacity, share expertise, and optimize data use toward contextually-relevant solutions for CA in sub-Saharan Africa.
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