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Article History

Received: 1 February 2019

Accepted: 22 November 2019

First Online: 4 December 2019

Ethics approval and consent to participate

: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (reference number 14.026, dated 22nd October 2014 (Sierra Leone), 6th January 2015 (Malawi), 15th January 2015 (Kenya) and 19th March 2015 (Zimbabwe)). It was also approved by the Kenyatta National Hospital/University of Nairobi Ethics & Research Committee (Reference number KNH-ERC/A/398, dated 23rd December 2014); the College of Medicine Research & Ethics Committee (COMREC) Malawi (Reference number P.07/14/1601, dated 15th December 2014); the Sierra Leone Ethics and Scientific Review Committee (No ref. numbers, but dated 9th October 2014 and extended on 31st August 2015) and; the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe (Reference number MRCZ/A/1895, dated 9th March 2015). Given the nature of the data, individual consent from participants was not required by any of the above Ethics Committees. However, data was anonymised and confidentiality was maintained throughout. Permission to access the data was obtained from each participating healthcare facility.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.