Search

Background: To monitor the prevalence of schistosomiasis in school-aged children (SAC), the National Bilharzia Control Program (PNLB) was set up by the Senegalese authorities; however, geographically isolated Bedik ethnic groups that did not benefit from this program were found to be heavily infected with Schistosoma mansoni. This observation led us to implement a new schistosomiasis control program in 2008 under the aegis of the non-governmental organization "Le Kaïcedrat" and in partnership with the PNLB/WHO to monitor the prevalence of schistosomiasis in this area. In the village of Assoni, where 100% of SAC were infected, analysis of the stools of pre-school-aged children (PSAC) showed that they were massively infected, so we decided to focus our program on them., Methods: From 2008 to 2020, we (i) monitored the prevalence of S. mansoni in PSAC in Assoni using double-stool smear preparation, (ii) treated the infected PSAC with a standard dose of praziquantel 40 mg/kg, (iii) ran educational campaigns each year in the village, and (iv) built latrines to improve sanitation and reduce schistosomiasis transmission. Linear regression was used to examine the trend in the annual schistosomiasis prevalence and a two-sided of Chi-squared test was used to compare prevalence between the different age groups of PSAC., Results: We observed an extremely high prevalence of schistosomiasis (78%) in PSAC before implementation of the program in 2008. Contamination occurred in very young children, as 64.3% of children under 2 years old were infected. Moreover, prevalence increased with age and reached 96.8% in children 4 to < 6 years old. Our annual interventions in Assoni Village raised awareness among villagers that water bodies were areas of significant infestation, allowed the building of 88 latrines and led to a decrease in prevalence in PSAC as only 11% of these children were infected in 2020., Conclusion: Our study allowed Assoni to be the first village in Senegal to treat PSAC since 2014, but only on an individual basis. It also shows that schistosomiasis is difficult to eradicate and that multi-sectorial actions are required to keep its prevalence at a low level.

Schistosomiasis is the second most significant parasitic disease in children in several African countries. For this purpose, the "Programme National de Lutte contre les Bilharzioses" (PNLB) was developed in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) to control this disease in Senegal. However, geographic isolation of Bedik ethnic groups challenged implementation of the key elements of the schistosomiasis program in eastern Senegal, and therefore, a hospital was established in Ninefescha to improve access to health care as well as laboratory support for this population. The program we have implemented from 2008 in partnership with the PNLB/WHO involved campaigns to 1) evaluate schistosomiasis prevalence in children of 53 villages around Ninefescha hospital, 2) perform a mass drug administration following the protocol established by the PNLB in school-aged children, 3) monitor annual prevalence, 4) implement health education campaigns, and 5) oversee the building of latrines. This campaign led to a drop in schistosomiasis prevalence but highlighted that sustainable schistosomiasis control by praziquantel treatment, awareness of the use of latrines, and inhabitants' voluntary commitment to the program are crucial to improve Schistosoma elimination. Moreover, this study revealed that preschool-aged children, for whom praziquantel was not recommended until 2014 in Senegal, constituted a significant reservoir for the parasite., (© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.)

Background: Prefilled syringes are the standard in developed countries but logistic and financial barriers prevent their widespread use in developing countries. The current study evaluated use of a compact, prefilled, autodisable device (CPAD) to deliver pentavalent vaccine by field actors in Senegal and Vietnam., Methods: We conducted a logistic, programmatic, and anthropological study that included a) interviews of immunization staff at different health system levels and parents attending immunization sessions; b) observation of immunization sessions including CPAD use on oranges; and c) document review., Results: Respondents perceived that the CPAD would improve safety by being non-reusable and preventing needle and vaccine exposure during preparation. Preparation was considered simple and may reduce immunization time for staff and caretakers. CPAD impact on cold storage requirements depended on the current pentavalent vaccine being used; in both countries, CPAD would reduce the weight and volume of materials and safety boxes thereby potentially improving outreach strategies and waste disposal. CPAD also would reduce stock outages by bundling vaccine and syringes and reduce wastage by using a non-breakable plastic presentation. Respondents also cited potential challenges including ability to distinguish between CPAD and other pharmaceuticals delivered via a similar mechanism (such as contraceptives), safety, and concerns related to design and ease of administration (such as activation, ease of delivery, and needle diameter and length)., Conclusions: Compared to current pentavalent vaccine presentations in Vietnam and Senegal, CPAD technology will address some of the main barriers to vaccination, such as supply chain issues and safety concerns among health workers and families. Most of the challenges we identified can be addressed with health worker training, minor design modifications, and health messaging targeting parents and communities. Potentially the largest remaining barrier is the marginal increase in pentavalent cost--if any--from CPAD use, which we did not assess in our study.

Copyright of Africa Spectrum is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The objectives of this study were to study the prevalence of oral traumatisms and their relationship to epileptic seizures in Senegalese children. This study was undertaken in the Children's National Hospital of Dakar and deal with children with epilepsy. Sotf tissues and the teeth traumatisms that have occurred during epileptic seizures were recorded. We have also studied the relationship between the frequency of the seizures and the oral soft and hard tissues traumatisms. One hundred and eight children aged from 5 to 15 years with 67 boys and 41 girls with an average age of 8.16+/-2.86 years were enrolled. Several types of epileptic seizures were observed during which 44.5% of the children presented oral traumatisms of soft tissues (27.8%) and the teeth (16.7%). There is no significant relationship between the number of seizures and the frequency of the dental traumatisms (p = 0.352). The tooth fractures are the lesions most frequently noticed and are observed in 24.4% of the children. The traumatisms of the maxillary central incisors account for 38% of the traumatisms, followed by the canines (2.7%) and the molars (1.9%). The lower central incisors are the least affected. The traumatisms of soft tissues were observed in 27.8% of the children: the lips are more often affected (44%), followed by the tongue (30%), the association between lip and tongue (18%) and the cheeks (8%). There is no significant relationship between the number of seizures and the frequency of the traumatisms of soft tissues (p = 0.35).

The World Health Organization has proposed the syndromic approach for management of sexually transmissible diseases (STD) in countries where diagnostic laboratory tests are not consistently available. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach for treatment of ureteral discharge in Senegal. Twenty seven men presenting ureteral discharge underwent two-week treatment using a combination of cotrimoxazole plus tetracycline for suspected gonococcal and a chlamydial infections. Ureteral samples were collected before and after treatment to detect Neisseria gonorrhoeae by culture and Chlamydia trachomatis by direct immunofluorescence and ELISA. Results demonstrated successful treatment of all patients presenting gonococcal and chlamydial infections i.e. 84.6% of cases. Neither germ was detected in 15.4% of cases. Before treatment, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis or both were found respectively in 53.9%, 5.1% and 25.6% of samples respectively. Based on these findings we conclude that the syndromic approach was effective in 84.6% of cases but treatment was in adequation with STD biologically documented only with 25.6% of cases.

Endemic goitre and its response to orally administered iodized oil has been studied in seven villages 25-30 km south of Velingara, Eastern Casamance, Senegal. In 502 adults aged greater than 15 years goitre prevalence was 62% with 18.2% having goitre grade 2 or 3. Mean free T4 (FT4) was 11.9 +/- 3.5 (SD) pmol/l and iodine deficiency was confirmed by noting median urinary I of 0.079 mumol/l (14.9 mumol I/mol creatinine) with elevated free T3 (FT3)/FT4 ratios. Serum selenium concentrations were normal. The response to 480 mg of oral iodized oil assessed at 6 and 12 months was characterized by a 35.8% increase in FT4, a 25% decrease in FT3 and a 50% decrease in TSH (all p less than 0.01) at 12 months associated with a significant decrease in goitre size measured in 70 persons when compared to 65 controls not receiving iodine. Urinary iodine rose from 0.071 mumol/l to 0.189 mumol/l (p less than 0.01) during this time and no adverse effects on thyroid antibodies (anti-thyroid peroxidase and anti-thyroglobulin) were observed. A variation in goitre prevalence between villages was noted which, in such a small geographical area, suggests that etiological factors in addition to iodine deficiency may be important in goitre pathogenesis. Oral iodized oil administration is an effective treatment for iodine deficiency goitre in the short term.

The purpose of our study was to determine the prevalence of protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM), ocular diseases, and vitamin A deficiency in preschool children selected at random in a rural zone of the groundnut belt of Senegal. The prevalence of PCM was 37.1% (95% CI 33.8-40.2%) according to the Waterlow classification, with a majority of stunting, and prevalence of hypovitaminosis A was estimated to be 11.4% (95% CI 9.3-13.5%) by using impression cytology. Furthermore, 19.4% (95% CI 15.8-22.0%) of the children might be defined at risk of deficiency. The prevalence of Bitot's spots was equal to 0.2% (95% CI 0.03-0.9%). A problem of PCM associated with a health-endangering vitamin A deficiency existed.

The evaluation of the prevalence of ophthalmological diseases and vitamin A deficiency in Senegalese preschool-aged children enabled us to confirm the method of impression cytology with transfer (ICT) and to assess the impact of ophthalmological diseases on the cytological appearance of conjunctival cells. A simplification of the ICT method consisted of transferring cells present on a strip of paper to a glass slide by finger pressure. Harris-Schorr staining of the sample papers confirmed the results obtained by the transfer. Inflammatory trachoma influenced the results of the test. This simple method will prove very helpful for detection of vitamin A deficiency in children in underdeveloped areas.

Two hundred and six Senegalese preschool children included in an epidemiological study were selected by their results from impression cytology with transfer (ICT) for assessment of their nutritional state by means of biological variables and for assessment of the diagnostic values of the ICT. A problem of protein-calorie malnutrition existed (transthyretin and retinol-binding protein concentrations were low) associated with vitamin A deficiency (retinol concentrations were low). The sensitivity and specificity of the ICT defined with respect to retinol (threshold fixed at 0.35 mumol/L) varied with the classification criteria of ICT and seemed to be fairly insensitive but specific.

Background: Over the past two decades, preventive chemotherapy (PC) with praziquantel (PZQ) is the major strategy for controlling schistosomiasis in Senegal. The objective of this analysis was to update the endemicity of schistosomiasis at community level for better targeting mass treatment with PZQ in Senegal. Methods: Demographic and epidemiological data from 1610 community health areas were analyzed using the schistosomiasis community data analysis tool of Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases which developed by World Health Organization/Africa Office (WHO/AFRO). The tool uses a WHO/AFRO decision tree for areas without epidemiological data to determine whether mass treatment should be continued at community level. Descriptive analysis was performed. Results: Overall, the endemicity of 1610 community health areas were updated based on the data from the district endemicity (33.5%) and the form of Join request for selected PC medicine (40.5%). Up to 282 (17.5%) and 398 (24.7%) of community health areas were classified as moderate and high endemicity. 41.1% of communities were non endemic. High endemicity was more important in Tambacounda, Saint Louis, Matam, Louga and Kedougou. A change in endemicity category was observed when data was disagregted from district level to community level. Implementation units classified non endemic were more important at community level (n = 666) compared to district level (n = 324). Among 540 areas previously classified high endemic at district level, 392 (72.6%) remained high prevalence category, while 92 (17.0%) became moderate, 43 (8.0%) low and 13 (2.4%) non-endemics at community level. Number of implementation units requiring PC was more important at district level (1286) compared to community level (944). Number of school aged children requiring treatment was also more important at district level compared to community level. Conclusions: The analysis to disaggregate data from district level to community level using the WHO/AFRO schistosomiasis sub-district data optimization tool provide an update of schistosomiasis endemicity at community level. This study has allowed to better target schistosomiasis interventions, optimize use of available PZQ and exposed data gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1986-87 outbreak of paralytic poliomyelitis in Senegal, with 676 reported cases, provided an opportunity to evaluate the efficacy of an enhanced-potency inactivated poliovirus vaccine (N-IPV) in the Kolda region, where this vaccine has been used since 1980. 89 cases, confirmed to have poliomyelitis with residual paralysis, were enrolled in a case-control study, up to 5 matched controls being obtained for each case. The clinical efficacy for one dose of N-IPV was 36% (95% confidence interval 0%, 67%) and for two doses was 89% (95% CI 62%, 97%).

Ferritin, iron status, and hematological parameters--Hb, hematocrit--were determined in 172 mature women at screening visits in first aid medical care units located in Senegal. Of the subjects 36.6, 39.5, 34.9% had Hb, hematocrit, and ferritin levels below accepted norms (i.e., Hb less than 11 g/dl, hematocrit less than 33%, serum ferritin less than 10 ng/ml). Serum iron level was normal (greater than 50 micrograms/dl) in 94.2% of the subjects, but 48.3% had marginal levels (51 to 100 micrograms/dl). The distribution curves of Hb level in the population indicates that about 58% of the women had Hb less than 12 g/dl. Furthermore, the very low serum ferritin levels (less than 20 ng/ml) encountered in 75.6% of subjects, demonstrate the small size of their iron stores. This precarious iron balance indicates that these women are at a high risk of nutritional anemia. Numerous factors such as pregnancy or parasitical infestation can dramatically modify this iron balance and increase the prevalence of anemia in this population.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) in Senegal face a challenging socio-legal context, marked by homophobia and the illegality of homosexuality. In addition, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence among MSM is 27.6%, 46 times greater than the one in the general population (0.5%). Nevertheless, access to healthcare by MSM may be hampered by stigmatizing attitudes from health facility staff (medical and non-medical). This article describes the health facility staff/MSM relationship and analyses its effects on access to healthcare by MSM. The data used were collected through a field survey based on observations and qualitative interviews conducted in 2019 and 2020 with 16 MSM, 1 non-governmental organization (NGO) staff and 9 healthcare providers in Dakar (the capital city) and Mbour (secondary city on the West Coast) hospitals. The data were subject to a thematic analysis assisted by the ATLAS software. The relationship between MSM and healthcare providers is ambiguous. On the one hand, healthcare providers are torn between their professional duty to treat MSM and the cost of being stigmatized by other colleagues. Therefore, they often limit their empathy with MSM within the hospital context. On the other hand, MSM, trusting in the confidentiality of healthcare providers, feel safe in the care pathway. However, we identify the following stigmatizing factors limiting access to care include (1) fear of meeting a relative, (2) difficult relationships with non-medical support staff (mainly security guards), (3) HIV status disclosure and (4) potential conflicts with other MSM. This study is unique as it includes non-medical staff in its respondents. It shows that hospitals are divided into several areas, based on the stigma perceived by MSM. It is important to map out MSM's care trajectories and spaces and to identify all types of staff working within them, including non-medical staff, and enrol them in stigma reduction interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Mycetoma is a neglected disease, which is socioeconomically important, and with the possibility of permanent disability in infected persons if not treated early. This is especially true in resource-limited settings such as West Africa, where there is a lack of facilities and skilled personnel to make a definitive laboratory diagnosis. Countries in West Africa have similar climatic conditions to Sudan. The majority of patients seek medical care very late, when there is already bone involvement, resulting in amputations. This results in poor capture of the true burden of the problem in the literature. Methods A review of the literature revealed about 2685 documented cases in West Africa from 1929 to 2020; from 15 out of 16 countries, Senegal accounted for 74.1% (1943) of cases in the subregion. Results The majority of lesions were found on the foot; however, other body parts were also reported. Rural dwellers accounted for most cases. Only 547 (20.4%) cases had identified isolates reported. Actinomycetoma accounted for 47.9% of cases, eumycetoma 39.7% and unidentified pathogens 12.4%. Actinomadura pelletieri was the predominant pathogen isolated (21.4%; 117 isolates). Conclusion There is a dire need for capacity building, provision of facility and health education to raise awareness of this debilitating disease in West Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptococcosis is a serious and sometimes fatal fungal disease caused by Cryptococcus species. Worldwide, it is estimated to kill over 180 000 annually, with 75% of deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. Though cryptococcal infections are rare in otherwise healthy individuals, there have been reported cases in immunocompetent persons. Most cases occur in individuals who have weakened immune systems, particularly those with advanced HIV/AIDS, thus making West Africa a potential hotspot of the disease. Despite this, there is no recent review article with a focus on published findings on cryptococcosis in Western Africa. Common clinical symptoms include chest pain, dry cough, headache, nausea, confusion, fever, fatigue and stiffness of the neck/neurological impairment. The CNS and the lung remain its preferred target even though rare cases of attack on other parts of the body were reported in this review. Cryptococcal antigen screening and India ink preparation were the most commonly used diagnostic methods. Repeated isolation from environmental samples was observed. Overall, data on the clinical prevalence of Cryptococcus are scarce and variable in the region. The environmental prevalence ranges from 2.3% to 22%. This review covers all published research findings on cryptococcosis in West Africa till date. The epidemiological data will likely be of interest to clinicians within and outside the continent. The nations covered in this review include the following: Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cote d'ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. More studies are warranted to fill the observed gaps on the epidemiology of Cryptococcus in the region., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

In northern Senegal, 49 Sahel does, 2.7±0.5-year-old were observed over 1 year while foraging in natural pasture. Does were assigned to three treatments 2 weeks after kidding: ad libitum grazing (group 1), grazing plus daily supplementation with 500 g per animal of concentrate, 66% corn flour, 30% groundnut cake, and 4% mineral and vitamin premix (group 2), and grazing plus 300 g per animal of cottonseed (group 3). The grazing behavior of goats was assessed by direct observation and the milk production was recorded weekly by the double weighing method (four times per day). Goats spent about 80% of their time eating, and time spent walking was higher in the dry season than in the rainy season (5–15% versus 0.6–2.6%). Contribution of ligneous species in the diet peaked in July (96.1%) and January (95%), then decreased reaching 5% in September, corresponding to the peak intake of herbaceous species. The goats preferred the Acacia albida, Maytenus senegalensis and Piliostigma reticulata browse species, and the Ipomea pestigridis, Pennisetum pedicellatum and Brachiaria lata herbaceous species. Supplementation did not significantly affect milk yield which peaked at week 3 (1158±425 g per day per animal) for does from group 1, at week 4 (1045±343 g per day per animal) for group 2, and at week 2 post-partum (980±232 g per day per animal) for those of group 3. In the first month of lactation, body weight (BW) of twins were 1.6 kg lower than singles (P<0.05). From week 1 to 14 of lactation, does from group 1 lost more BW than those of group 2 (−0.7 kg versus −0.2 kg; P>0.05). Plasma urea level was higher in the early stage of lactation then decreased from week 8 post-kidding. Glycemia peaked at 24–48 h post-partum. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]