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Background: Complications of preterm births are the largest cause of neonatal deaths and the second leading cause of deaths among children Methods: We used national preterm birth admissions data from 2015-2019 abstracted from the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) to calculate national, regional and district annual incidence of preterm births admissions. DHIS2 defines preterm birth as birth occurring Results: The national annual incidence of preterm birth admissions/1,000 LB has significantly increased from 3 in 2015 to 14 in 2019 (Incidence Risk Ratio (IRR)=1.3, p=0.003). The annual incidence of preterm birth admissions/1,000 LB increased significantly in three regions of Uganda during 2015 -2019 (Central Region from 3 to 21, IRR=1.5, pWestern Region from 4 to 15 IRR=1.2, p=0.039; Northern Region from 3 to 10, IRR=1.2, p=0.008; Eastern Region from 2 to 8, IRR=1.3, p=0.086). The Choropleth map showed minimal clustering of high incidence of preterm birth admissions at district level.Conclusion: Incidence of preterm birth admissions increased nationally and regionally in Uganda from 2015-2019. There is need to plan for and prepare health facilities to manage preterm labor and preterm babies, as well as identifying reasons for the increase. Equipping health facilities and training health workers to manage preterm labor and babies should be prioritized.

Since emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged between 12 and 15 years old was recently obtained in the United States and Europe, we aimed to assess the willingness to vaccinate children with a COVID-19 vaccine in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Therefore, we launched an online cross-sectional survey in several LMICs. Questions relating to socio-demographic information, knowledge of COVID-19, level of fear/worry of being infected with COVID-19, and willingness to vaccinate children with the COVID-19 vaccine at 50%, 75% and 95% effectiveness levels, were asked. Of the 6571 participants (mean age = 39 ± 14 years), 64.0%, 72.6%, and 92.9% were willing to vaccinate children at 50%, 75%, and 95% effectiveness levels, respectively. Respondents who were undergraduates, who were more worried/fearful about COVID-19, had higher knowledge scores regarding COVID-19, and a higher belief that COVID-19 vaccination is important to protect others, were more willing to accept COVID-19 vaccination of children. COVID-19 vaccination of children will limit the spread of the virus, especially in schools; it may decrease the need for school closures which has a negative effect on child development. Findings from this study are useful for health promotion strategies during COVID-19 vaccination implementation among children in LMICs.