Malawi has one of the highest rates of death worldwide among infants and the under fives (69 and 110 per 1000 live births respectively in 2009) with pneumonia being the leading cause of mortality in this age group. 95% of households in Malawi depend on biomass as their main source of fuel and associated biomass smoke exposure is likely to be responsible for a substantial proportion of this disease.
This cluster randomized clinical trial has been designed to test the impact of the Philips fan stove, an advanced wood stove shown to reduce PM2.5 emissions in laboratory testing by 80-90%, on acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in children up to the age of 5 years. The study which began recruitment in December 2013, will involve around 10,000 children across 2 centres, with a 24 month follow-up period.
Full details of the study (including the protocol)
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