Automatic chlorine-treated water for safer newborn care in rural clinics
Multi-component chlorination intervention to reduce neonatal infections in rural health facilities
['FUNDING_R01'] · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · NIH-11386043
This project will install automatic chlorination and on-site chlorine production in rural Kenyan clinics to protect newborns and mothers from infections.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (BERKELEY, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11386043 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If my baby is born at a participating rural clinic in Kenya, the clinic would get an automatic Venturi chlorinator and an on-site electrochlorinator so water and surfaces can be disinfected more easily. The research team will implement this package across 30 clinics and compare bacterial contamination and newborn health outcomes between clinics with and without the equipment. Staff hands, high-touch surfaces, and drinking water will be tested for harmful and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and newborns will be followed after birth for infections and health. The aim is to see whether these practical water-treatment and disinfection tools lower infections in mothers and newborns.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are newborns and their mothers receiving care at the participating rural health facilities in Kenya, especially infants in the first month of life.
Not a fit: People who give birth outside the participating clinics, or in hospitals that already have safe water and disinfection systems, would not directly benefit from this project's on-site changes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the intervention could lower newborn and maternal infections — including antibiotic-resistant infections — and help reduce neonatal deaths in rural clinics.
How similar studies have performed: Chlorine-based water treatment has reduced waterborne infections in other low-resource settings, but combining automatic in-line dosing with on-site electrochlorination in neonatal care is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
BERKELEY, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY — BERKELEY, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: PICKERING, AMY J. — UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
- Study coordinator: PICKERING, AMY J.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions: Bacterial Infections