Countdown previously analyzed whether the Covid-19 pandemic impacted utilization of maternal and child health services in 12 African countries. Those results were published in 2022. Current research is focused on three countries - Brazil, Peru and Bangladesh.

Background and rationale - The disruptive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on health systems, both delivery and utilization of health services, have been recognized as a global threat to maternal and child health. This predominantly affects vulnerable population groups including women, newborns, children and older people, particularly in low resource settings.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need to make health services equitably available. This study will generate evidence to inform national and global decisions on future strategies to maintain the delivery and utilization of essential MNCAH services and prevent disruptions in health services due to COVID-19.

Research questions and participating countries: Researchers in Brazil, Peru and Bangladesh, are studying the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mortality and maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) service utilization. Analysis will be conducted using interrupted time series modeling to compare the pre-Covid period (2017-2019) to during Covid (2020-2021).

Outputs: Findings from the study will be reported in a supplement of papers for a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Global Health. Some papers have been published while others are still in peer review. The papers published so far are:

1. Akter and co-authors (2024) Unveiling the dimension of regional disparities: Assessing the disruption of immunisation services by COVID-19 in Bangladesh

2. Hossain and co-authors (2024) Impact of COVID-19 on the utilisation of maternal health services in Bangladesh: A division-level analysis

3. Huicho and co-authors (2024) Impact of Covid-19 on the utilization of maternal and child health services in Peru at national and subnational levels: An interrupted time series analysis (In Press)

4. Cajachagua-Torres and co-authors (2024) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small vulnerable newborns: An interrupted time series analysis in Peru and Brazil (In Press)