As recently as 2019, not a single African country had published population-level data on neonatal sepsis.
That is the gap NeoNET Africa exists to close. Sepsis is a leading cause of death in the first 28 days of life, and 98% of newborn deaths happen in low and middle income countries. Yet data on which bacteria are causing these infections, and which antibiotics still work against them, has been largely missing from the continent carrying the heaviest burden. Limited access to microbiology laboratories, strained health infrastructure and fragmented data management all contribute.
The consequences compound. Under-reporting means neonatal sepsis is not prioritised or funded as it should be. Missing resistance data means clinicians cannot choose antibiotics with confidence. Meanwhile global newborn mortality has fallen in every region except sub-Saharan Africa, where over one million newborns still die each year.
NeoNET Africa was established in 2023. In November that year, 55 participants from 13 African countries and the United Kingdom met at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town for an inaugural meeting. They came from neonatology, epidemiology, public health, genomics, bioinformatics and data science.
