The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $8.4 million over four years to Boston University’s Center for Global Health and Development to study whether using an antiseptic wash to clean a newborn’s umbilical cord stump, compared to just letting it dry, improves newborn survival rates in Zambia. The Gates Foundation website doesn’t provide many details, nor could I locate details on the BU website.
Yes, it’s true that the first few days of life are very risky for newborns especially in low-income contexts. And yes, it’s true that something seemingly so manageable as care of the umbilical stump can lead to a baby’s death through infection. And yes, there is more to it than using an antiseptic or opting for a dry approach, as a recent study conducted in Bangladesh shows.
So the question is important and more complicated than it appears to be. But $8.4 million dollars?
anthropologyworks 
I would think/hope that this pot of research funding isn’t solely going towards a case-control exposure analysis for infection or death. I would think that knowing the influence of umbilical stump hygiene practices on newborn health goes hand in hand with understanding the mindset around those practices. I should think some portion of the money goes towards formative research to understand cultural norms and beliefs for newborn care in Zambia, so that BU has a proper understanding of context should they develop an intervention program to try to change the way in which Zambian healthcare workers or mothers care for and clean their newborns. Of course, we know that people mindsets and beliefs vary in a country, so a study in Lusaka alone would be insufficient for developing a country-wide intervention. More sites for research means more money required. Here’s to guessing some of the details that aren’t on the Gates site are fleshed out more thoroughly in BU’s project proposal, so that the $8.4 are well-spent for a well-rounded research-driven and behavior change-oriented program.
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