Fig 1.
Bar chart of the prevalence of BDs per 100,000 births by study site from 2016 to 2021.
Fig 2.
Line chart of the prevalence of BDs per 100,000 births in South Kivu.
This chart displays the prevalence of BDs by mining status from 2016 to 2021.
Table 1.
Prevalence of visible birth defects in South Kivu.
Fig 3.
Birth defects diagnosed and managed in South Kivu.
(A) A newborn with clubfoot diagnosed at birth and underwent successful treatment at the Provincial General Referral Hospital of Bukavu (HPGRB), located in Kadutu, in 2021. (B) An infant with bilateral cleft lip and palate underwent unsuccessful surgery at one week of age at a peripheral center and was subsequently referred for corrective surgery at HPGRB at the age of three months. (C) A baby with an anorectal malformation (imperforate anus) diagnosed at birth at Mwenga General Hospital and was referred for surgery at HPGRB on the third day of life. The surgery was successful. (D) An infant with a late diagnosis of hydrocephalus made at Fomulac Katana General Hospital. Subsequently, he was referred for surgery at HPGRB at the age of 8 months. (E) Newborn baby with spina bifida, diagnosed at birth and referred for surgery at the HPGRB the same day. The surgery was a success. (F.a-b) A neonate with laparoschisis diagnosed at birth in a peripheral center and experienced poor stabilization. Subsequently, he was referred for surgery at HPGRB 72 hours after birth, but unfortunately, he died 24 hours after the surgery.
Table 2.
Number and prevalence of birth defect types recorded in South Kivu.
Fig 4.
Total prevalence of reported type of BDs in relation to mining status.
Fig 5.
Forest plot displaying the risk of BDs occurrence by mining status, sex, type of malformation, system involved and the gestational age at birth.
Odds ratio (OR) are represented by an orange ball with a related horizontal bar representing the 95% confidence interval. The vertical line (red line) represents the null value of the OR (1.00), and variables whose horizontal bar does not intersect the red line are significantly associated with the risk of BDs occurrence. The variables on the right are associated with an increase in risk while those on the left are associated with a significant decrease in risk. The reference category was “living non-mining zones”.