Home visits by community health workers in rural South Africa have a limited, but important impact on maternal and child health in the first two years of life

More than 50% of Africa's population lives in rural areas, which have few professional health workers. South Africa has adopted task shifting health care to Community Health Workers (CHWs) to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, but little is known about CHWs' efficacy in rural areas.In this longitudinal prospective cohort study, almost all mothers giving birth (N = 470) in the Zithulele Hospital catchment area of the OR Tambo District...