Ebola outbreak in Guinea, 2021: Clinical care of patients with Ebola virus disease

Background: Experience from the Zaire Ebolavirus epidemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (2018­2020) demonstrates that early initiation of essential critical care and administration of Zaire Ebolavirus specific monoclonal antibodies may be associated with improved outcomes among patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD). Objectives: This series describes 13 EVD patients and 276 patients with suspected EVD treated during a Zaire Ebolavirus outbreak in Guinea in 2021. Method: Patients with confirmed or suspected EVD were treated in two Ebola treatment centres (ETC) in the region of N'zérékoré. Data were reviewed from all patients with suspected or confirmed EVD hospitalised in these two ETCs during the outbreak (14 February 2021 ­ 19 June 2021). Ebola-specific monoclonal antibodies, were available 2 weeks after onset of the outbreak. Results: Nine of the 13 EVD patients (age range: 22­70 years) survived. The four EVD patients who died, including one pregnant woman, presented with multi-organ dysfunction and died within 48 h of admission. All eight patients who received Ebola-specific monoclonal antibodies survived. Four of the 13 EVD patients were health workers. Improvement of ETC design facilitated implementation of WHO-recommended 'optimized supportive care for EVD'. In this context, pragmatic clinical training was integrated in routine ETC activities. Initial clinical manifestations of 13 confirmed EVD patients were similar to those of 276 patients with suspected, but subsequently non confirmed EVD. These patients suffered from other acute infections (e.g. malaria in 183 of 276 patients; 66%). Five of the 276 patients with suspected EVD died. One of these five patients had Lassa virus disease and a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) co-infection. Conclusion: Multidisciplinary outbreak response teams can rapidly optimise ETC design. Trained clinical teams can provide WHO-recommended optimised supportive care, including safe administration of Ebola-specific monoclonal antibodies. Pragmatic training in essential critical care can be integrated in routine ETC activities. Contribution: This article describes clinical realities associated with implementation of WHO-recommended standards of 'optimized supportive care' and administration of Ebola virus specific treatments. In this context, the importance of essential design principles of ETCs is underlined, which allow continuous visual contact and verbal interaction of health workers and families with their patients. Elements that may contribute to further quality of care improvements for patients with confirmed or suspected EVD are discussed.

HIV Infection among children aged two years to less than eighteen years admitted to the Emergency Pediatric Unit in a tertiary health facility in Lafia North-Central Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that impairs the immune system by attacking the body's natural defense from infections and diseases. Pediatric HIV continue to be a major public health problem despite the global decline in its seroprevalence rates. The decline in the incidence of new HIV infections is particularly lower in children with a 52% reduction in the last ten years. This is attributed to a wider coverage in the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programs. Several programs designed at curtailing mother to child transmission of HIV are yielding positive result. This is not unexpected since most of the HIV infections among children were acquired via maternal to child transmission. With this, the study sets out to determine the prevalence of new HIV infection among patients admitted to the Emergency Pediatrics Unit (EPU) using the provider-initiated testing and counseling approach. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the mini laboratory attached to the EPU of the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital Lafia Nasarawa State between 1st August 2017 to 31st July 2018. Using non-probability sampling, categorical variables were analyzed as frequencies and percentages. The association between categorical variables were analyzed using chi square.RESULTS: A total of 964 children ranging in age from two to less than eighteen years were screened. The total number of males was 550 (57.1%) while females was 414 (42.9%) with a male to female ratio of 1.3:1. Five (0.5%) children were newly diagnosed with HIV of the 964 children tested for the infection. CONCLUSION: The incidence of HIV infection among children admitted into our Emergency Pediatric Unit was 0.5%, comparable to some earlier reports

Predictors of success of shock wave lithotripsy for ureteral stones based on computed tomography scan parameters

Background: For shock wave lithotripsy has proven to be an effective, safe and truly minimally invasive option for the treatment of nephrolithiasis. Various technical factors as well as patient selection can impact the success of the procedure. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the parameters on NCCT that may predict the success of shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) in ureteral stones. Patients and Methods: 102 patients who underwent SWL for ureteral stones at sayed Galal University Hospital from January 2015 to August 2018 diagnosed by non-contrasted computed tomography were studied. The failure was defined as remnant stones ﻞ4 mm. We assessed age, sex, body mass index, stone size, location, skin-to-stone distance (SSD), presence of JJ and the presence of secondary signs (hydronephrosis, renal enlargement, perinephric fat stranding, and tissue rim sign). Results: 102 patients with success rate 61.8%, stone size, stone density were significantly associated with outcome of SWL. While SSD, JJ and secondary signs (hydronephrosis, perinephric fat stranding and tissue rim sign) were insignificant. On multivariate analysis, stone size and stone density were the independent factors affecting the outcome of SWL. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that stone size and density are significant and independent predictors of outcome in patients with upper ureteral stones. However SSD and signs of impaction still have to be evaluated

In vivo antitrypanosomal effects of some ethnomedicinal plants from Nupeland of North Central Nigeria

Abstract: Four medicinal plants Acacia nilotica, Bombax buonopozense, Terminalia avicennioides and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides traditionally used for treatment of sleeping sickness in Nupeland were investigated for in vivo antitrypanosomal activity. Methanol extracts of different parts of each plant (stem barks and fruits) were obtained and evaluated for their in vivo antitrypanosomal activities against Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Phytochemical screening of the methanol extracts of each plant were performed by standard procedures. Methanol extracts of A. nilotica (stem bark), B. buonopozense (stem bark), T. avicennioides (round fruit) and Z. zanthoxyloides (stem bark) were effective on trypanosomes. The extracts of A. nilotica and B. buonopozense exhibited antitrypanosomal effects at 200 and 300 mg/kg body weight respectively. Doses were able to clear the parasites from circulation within 6 and 7 days of treatment respectively with prolonging survival period of up to 30 days. While the extracts of T. avicennioides and Z. zanthoxyloides showed trypanostatic effects and could not clear the parasites completely. The methanol extracts of these plants contain metabolites that are associated with antitrypanosomal effects; therefore, these medicinal plants may be sources of new compounds that may be active against T. b. brucei. This study has also justified the claim that some medicinal plants of Nupeland possess antitrypanosomal activity and could be useful in the management of trypanosomiasis