Automatic clinic water chlorination to protect newborns and mothers
Multi-component chlorination intervention to reduce neonatal infections in rural health facilities
This project introduces an automatic, low-cost water chlorination system in rural Kenyan clinics to help protect newborns and their mothers from infections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Berkeley NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Berkeley, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11110398 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you give birth at a participating rural clinic in Kenya, some clinics will get a Venturi in-line chlorination device plus an electrochlorinator that makes chlorine from water and salt. The devices dose chlorine automatically and are designed to provide safe water and disinfect hands and high-touch surfaces without complex maintenance or electricity. Researchers will run a cluster-randomized trial across 30 clinics, testing water, surfaces, and healthcare worker hands for harmful and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. They will also follow mothers and newborns after birth to see whether infections and related health problems are reduced.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are mothers and newborns (especially babies 0–4 weeks old) who receive care at the participating rural Kenyan health facilities.
Not a fit: Patients who do not visit the participating clinics, whose infections are unrelated to clinic water or surfaces, or who seek care at better-resourced hospitals may not receive direct benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce newborn and maternal infections and lower the risk of antibiotic-resistant infections by keeping clinic water and surfaces cleaner.
How similar studies have performed: Chlorination has been shown to reduce waterborne germs and illness in other settings, but using an automatic in-line system paired with on-site chlorine production in rural health facilities is a newer approach with limited prior trials.
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.