Strengthening equitable health systems in West Africa: The regional project on governance research for equity in health systems

The West African Health Organization (WAHO) supported an innovative regional initiative that contributes to building effective decision making, community and researcher partnerships to strengthen equitable health systems and influence local programmes and policies. Four projects were funded in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Senegal, supported by a Regional Advisory Committee of experts and local Steering Committees. Based on a framework drawn from WAHO objectives, we reviewed documents, conducted 56 project stakeholder interviews and undertook thematic analysis. A diverse range of stakeholders perceived that the projects were in line with national priorities, were well managed and were equitably implemented. The projects generated evidence that could increase access to and improve quality maternal health services. Sustainable partnerships were formed and stakeholder and research team capacity were strengthened. Our study provides insight into project implementation in West Africa, bearing in mind context-specific issues. (Afr J Reprod Health 2022; 26[5]: 81-89).

The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the ECOWAS region

Objective: to analyse the pandemic after one year in terms of the evolution of morbidity and mortality and factors that may contribute to this evolution Design: This is a secondary analysis of data gathered to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of cases, incidence rate, cumulative incidence rate, number of deaths, case fatality rate and their trends were analysed during the first year of the pandemic. Testing and other public health measures were also described according to the information available. Settings: The 15 States members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) were considered. Results: As of 31st March 2021, the ECOWAS region reported 429,760 COVID-19 cases and 5,620 deaths. In the first year, 1,110.75 persons were infected per million, while 1.31% of the confirmed patients died. The ECOWAS region represents 30% of the African population. One year after the start of COVID-19 in ECOWAS, this region reported 10% of the cases and 10% of the deaths in the continent. Cumulatively, the region has had two major epidemic waves; however, countries show different patterns. The case fatality rate presented a fast growth in the first months and then decreased to a plateau. Conclusion: We learn that the context of COVID-19 is specific to each country. This analysis shows the importance of better understanding each country's response. During this first year of the pandemic, the problem of variants of concern and the vaccination were not posed.

Coping with COVID-19 pandemic in blood transfusion services in West Africa: the need to restrategize

ABSTRACT Introduction The West African region has been lagging in terms of the availability of, and accessibility to, safe blood. According to the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Status Report on Blood Safety and Availability, none of the West African countries met the WHO benchmark of 10 blood units per 1000 inhabitants. This study is aimed at discussing the blood transfusion status of West African countries in the pre-COVID-19 period and analyze the capacity to respond to the COVID-19 blood crisis, as well as to outline the panacea. Methods Secondary data were extracted from published reports, journal articles and web pages, reviewed and analyzed. Result All the West African countries have recorded confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths. The confirmed cases have reached 55,697, with 1069 deaths and a fatality rate of 1.9%, as of June 17, 2020. The assessed countries lagged in most of the WHO benchmarks for effective blood transfusion services. Conclusion Blood transfusion services in the West African region lacked the basic benchmark practice and policy, are not coordinated and may find it hard to tackle the blood transfusion crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Hipnóticos" na metrópole: africanos no Hospital Colonial de Lisboa nas primeiras décadas do século XX / "Hypnotics" in the metropolis: Africans in the Colonial Hospital of Lisbon during the early twentieth century

Resumo No início do século XX, alguns médicos portugueses foram à África estudar a chamada doença do sono. Entre eles estava Ayres Kopke, membro da primeira missão médica à África Ocidental Portuguesa. De regresso a Lisboa, o professor da Escola de Medicina Tropical continuou suas pesquisas, inclusive por meio da observação de doentes trazidos para a metrópole. Desde 1903, as repartições de saúde nas colônias estavam incumbidas de enviar doentes com determinadas patologias exóticas para o Hospital Colonial de Lisboa. Com base em documentos desse hospital, incluindo fotografias dos doentes, então chamados de hipnóticos, o artigo aborda a importância das experiências com humanos na metrópole para o avanço da medicina tropical durante o colonialismo.

Abstract At the start of the twentieth century, some Portuguese physicians traveled to Africa to study sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis). One was Ayres Kopke, a member of the first medical mission to Portuguese West Africa and professor at the School of Tropical Medicine. After returning to Lisbon, Kopke continued his research, which included observation of patients brought to the metropolis. Starting in 1903, health departments in the colonies were responsible for sending patients with certain exotic diseases to the Colonial Hospital of Lisbon. Based on documents from this hospital including photographs of patients (who at that time were called "hypnotics"), this article discusses the importance of human experiments in Lisbon for advances in tropical medicine during the colonial period.

Data Fitting and Scenario Analysis of Vaccination in the 2014 Ebola Outbreak in Liberia

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to extend an epidemiological model (SEIHFR) to analyze epidemic trends, and evaluate intervention efficacy. METHODS: SEIHFR was modified to examine disease transmission dynamics after vaccination for the Ebola outbreak. Using existing data from Liberia, sensitivity analysis of various epidemic scenarios was used to inform the model structure, estimate the basic reproduction number ℜ₀ and investigate how the vaccination could effectively change the course of the epidemic. RESULTS: If a randomized mass vaccination strategy was adopted, vaccines would be administered prophylactically or as early as possible (depending on the availability of vaccines). An effective vaccination rate threshold for Liberia was estimated as 48.74% among susceptible individuals. If a ring vaccination strategy was adopted to control the spread of the Ebola virus, vaccines would be given to reduce the transmission rate improving the tracing rate of the contact persons of an infected individual. CONCLUSION: The extended SEIHFR model predicted the total number of infected cases, number of deaths, number of recoveries, and duration of outbreaks among others with different levels of interventions such as vaccination rate. This model may be used to better understand the spread of Ebola and develop strategies that may achieve a disease-free state.

Xerodermapigmentosum : difficulté diagnostique en Afrique occidentale

Le Xéroderma pigmentosum (XP) est lié à un défaut des enzymes impliquées dans la réparation des effets oncogènes de l'exposition aux ultraviolets. L'affection se rencontre dans le monde entier, dans toutes les ethnies et races. Cette génodermatose rare est souvent méconnue dans les pays en manque de spécialiste en dermatologie. Cette rareté de Xeroderma pigmentosum et l'insuffisance de personnel qualifié engendrent des difficultés diagnostiques de cette pathologie surtout en Afrique Occidentale où le XP est diagnostiqué à tort pour d'autres pathologies. Objectif: Partager avec les confrères la problématique de diagnostic de Xéroderma pigmentosum dans les pays en insuffisance de dermatologues et de plateau technique. Observation: il s'agissait d'un patient de 21 ans, sexe masculin, sans antécédents pathologique de dermatoses, issu d'un mariage consanguin qui a consulté pour sècheresse cutanée et photophobie après un long parcours dans beaucoup des centres de santé de la place sans diagnostic et sans amélioration notable, chez qui l'interrogatoire a retrouvé la notion de consanguinité (son père et sa mère sont des cousins, et provenaient du même clan Dogon),l'absence de troubles pigmentaires cutanées à la naissance et l'apparition des troubles pigmentaires cutanées à l'âge de 16ans. L'examen physique a objectivé la photophobie en plus des signes cliniques et paracliniques specifiques ce qui a permis de retenir le diagnostic de Xéroderma pigmentosum, forme variante. Conclusion: en Afrique Occidentale, la difficulté diagnostique de Xéroderma pigmentosum est sans doute en rapport avec un manque de personnel qualifié et des moyens techniques de diagnostic, ce qui rend sa fréquence sous-estimée

Re-emergence of human T-lymphotropic viruses in West Africa

ABSTRACT Human T-lymphotropic viruses (HTLV) are Deltaretroviruses that infect millions of individuals worldwide via the same transmission routes as HIV. With the aim of exposing the possible re-emergence of HTLV in West Africa since discovery, a systematic review was carried out, focusing on the distribution of the virus types and significance of frequent indeterminate reports, while highlighting the need for mandatory routine blood screening. Capturing relevant data from discovery till date, sources searched were Google Scholar, CrossRef, NCBI (PubMed), MEDLINE, Research Gate, Mendeley, abstracts of Conferences and Proceedings, organization websites and reference lists of selected papers. A total of 2626 references were initially retrieved using search terms: Worldwide prevalence of HTLV, HTLV in Africa, HTLV in West Africa, HTLV subtypes, HTLV 3 and 4 in Africa, HTLV of African origin, HTLV seroindeterminate results, Spread of HTLV. These references were rigorously trimmed down to 76. Although evidence shows that HTLV is still endemic in the region, West Africa lacks recent epidemiological prevalence data. Thorough investigations are needed to ascertain the true cause of indeterminate Western Blot results. It is imperative that routine screening for HTLVs be mandated in West African health care facilities.

Child Abuse and the Eye in an African Population

PURPOSE: There is a paucity of data on child abuse and the eye in West Africa. Therefore, a need exists to determine the causes and circumstances surrounding these occurrences and their effects on the eye and vision in a pediatric population. METHODS: A 3-year study of consecutive cases of ocular features that presented to an eye clinic following a history suggestive of child abuse along with any associated eye injury was carried out. Socio-demographic characteristics were obtained, as were the presenting and posttreatment visual acuity, and a full clinical eye examination was also done. RESULTS: Fifty-six children with 56 affected eyes were examined. The male to female ratio was 1.8 : 1; the mean age was 8.25 ± 3.5 years; and the subjects were predominately primary school children 30 (53.6%). The most common ocular disorders were conjunctiva hyperemia (46.4%), corneal abrasion/ulcer (25.4%), hyphema/uveitis (42.9%), retinal detachment (7.1%), sclera rupture (7.1%), and globe perforation (21.4%). The intraocular pressure was raised in 17.9% of participants. Presenting versus posttreatment visual acuities showed normal vision in four (7.1%) vs. eighteen (32.1%), visual impairment in 12 (21.4%) vs. six (10.7%), severe visual impairment in 20 (35.7%) vs. 12 (21.4%), and blindness in 12 (21.4%) vs. 14 (25%), p < 0.001. The most common injurious agents were canes (25.0%) and sticks (17.9%). The people who inflicted the injuries were parents/relatives (uncles) in 35.7% of cases and the children themselves (accidents) in 21.4% of cases. Circumstances predisposing participants to eye injuries were child labor in 39.3% and beatings in 25.0%. Complications were cataracts (25.0%), corneal opacity (39.3%), and retinal detachment (7.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Injuries commonly resulted from canes and sticks used during beatings, as well as from child labor, corporal punishment, accidents, and assaults. Legislation and laws need to be enacted to prevent negative psychosocial and economic impacts on the child, family and country as a whole.

Emergence of colorectal cancer in West Africa : accepting the inevitable - review

It seems not too long ago that colon and rectal cancer was called a 'rare' disease in rural Africa, however over the last 30 years in West Africa, published evidence has shown decade by decade increases in the incidence of Colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore CRC should now be accepted as a recognized disease in native Africans; nevertheless we must acknowledge that the incidence is a fraction of what obtains in the developed countries of Europe and America. This presentation will attempt to examine the emergence of CRC within the West African axis over the last 4 decades

Stigmate immunologique de la circulation des Orthopoxvirus chez des sujets nés après l'éradication de la variole en Côte d'ivoire Afrique de l'ouest

Justification : Depuis l'éradication du virus de la variole, on note une émergence des autres Orthopoxvirus surtout le Monkeypoxvirus en Afrique centrale. A ce jour aucun cas d'infection humaine à Orthopoxvirus n'a été notifié en Côte d'Ivoire. Cependant, l'activité humaine en milieu rural, la présence des réservoirs potentiels et le climat sont des facteurs favorables à la circulation de ce groupe de virus. Objectif : Mettre en évidence la circulation des Orthopoxvirus en Côte d'Ivoire en situation post éradication de la variole dans la population non vaccinée contre cette maladie. Matériel et méthode : 385 sérums de sujets non vaccinés contre la variole, choisis parmi 1353 sérums collectés lors d'une surveillance nationale de la fièvre jaune, ont été analysés. La méthode ELISA a été utilisée pour rechercher les IgG anti Orthopoxvirus. Résultats : l'âge moyen des patients était de 11 ans et le sex-ratio était de 1,97. Les IgG anti-Orthopoxvirus ont été détectées dans 4,95% des sérums ; seuls 0,78% de ces sérums avaient un titre ≥ 400. La majorité des sérums contenant ces IgG (84,16%) provenaient d'individus habitant la moitié sud de la Côte d'Ivoire. Conclusion : le niveau d'exposition aux Orhopoxvirus reste faible chez les sujets non vaccinés contre la variole. Cependant, vu le nombre croissant de sujets susceptibles à ces virus, il est nécessaire de mettre en place des sites sentinelles de surveillance, particulièrement du Monkeypoxvirus

Induction of Apoptosis with Kigelia africana fruits in HCT116 Human Colon Cancer Cells via MAPKs Signaling Pathway

Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth. (Bignoniaceae) is a flowering plants in South, Central and West Africa and commonly known as the sausage tree (Eng.); worsboom (Afr.); umVunguta, umFongothi (Zulu); Modukguhlu (North Sotho); Muvevha (Venda). The dried, powdered fruits are used as dressing for wounds and ulcers, haemorrhoids, rheumatism, purgative, skin-firming, lactation in breast-feeding mothers. The aim of this study is to investigate the cytotoxic and apoptotic potentials of 70% ethanolic extracts of Kigelia africana fruits in HCT116 human colon cancer cells. Treatment of Kigelia africana fruits with various concentrations resulted in a sequence of characteristic of apoptosis, including loss of cell viability and morphological changes. Flow cytometry analysis showed Kigelia africana fruits increased the sub-G1 phase (apoptosis) population. Apoptosis confirmed by annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate and propidium iodide double staining in HCT116 human colon cancer cell lines. Moreover, analysis of the mechanism indicated that Kigelia africana fruits showed an increased Bax and Bcl-2 expressions in a dose-dependent manner, resulting in activation of hallmarks of apoptotic events, caspase-3, caspase-9 and cleaved poly-ADP-ribose polymerase. This is the first report to demonstrate the cytotoxicity of Kigelia africana fruits on HCT116 human colon cancer cells.

Travel Pattern and Prescription Analysis at a Single Travel Clinic Specialized for Yellow Fever Vaccination in South Korea

BACKGROUND: Travel-related risks for infectious diseases vary depending on travel patterns such as purpose, destination, and duration. In this study, we describe the patterns of travel and prescription of vaccines as well as malaria prophylaxis medication (MPM) at a travel clinic in South Korea to identify the gaps to fill for the optimization of pre-travel consultation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cohort of travel clinic visitors in 2011 was constructed and early one-third of the visitors of each month were reviewed. During the study period, 10,009 visited the travel clinic and a retrospective chart review was performed for 3,332 cases for analysis of travel patterns and prescriptions. RESULTS: People receiving yellow fever vaccine (YFV) (n = 2,933) were traveling more frequently for business and tourism and less frequently for providing non-medical service or research/education compared to the 399 people who did not receive the YFV. Overall, most people were traveling to Eastern Africa, South America, and Western Africa, while South-Eastern Asia was the most common destination for the non-YFV group. Besides YFV, the typhoid vaccine was the most commonly prescribed (54.2%), while hepatitis A presented the highest coverage (74.7%) considering the natural immunity, prior and current vaccination history. Additionally, 402 (82.5%) individuals received a prescription for MPM among the 487 individuals travelling to areas with high-risk of malaria infection. Age over 55 was independently associated with receiving MPM prescription, while purpose of providing service and travel duration over 10 days were associated with no MPM prescription, despite travelling to high-risk areas. CONCLUSION: Eastern Africa and South America were common travel destinations among the visitors to a travel clinic for YFV, and most of them were travelling for tourism and business. For the individuals who are traveling to areas with high-risk for malaria, more proactive approach might be required in case of younger age travelers, longer duration, and travel purpose of providing service to minimize the risk of malaria infection.

Un cas de condylome géant vulvaire du nourrisson traité avec succès par électrocoagulation au Bénin

Nous rapportons ici un cas de condylome géant vulvaire chez un nourrisson de 02 ans contaminé par sa « baby-sitter » qui présentait les mêmes lésions. Traité par exérèse chirurgicale couplée à une électrocoagulation, l'évolution a été marquée par une récidive deux semaines après le traitement ; ce qui a nécessité une deuxième séance d'électrocoagulation. Plus d'un an après, plus aucune lésion n'a été notée témoignant ainsi d'un succès thérapeutique. La non disponibilité de l'imiquimod dans notre zone géographique, impose un recours systématique à un traitement invasif quelque soit l'âge du patient

The 2013-2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa

Zaire Ebola virus (EBOV) is a fatal human pathogen, with a high case fatality rate (CFR) averaging up to 78%. In March 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) was made aware of a ZEBOV outbreak in rural Guinea, West Africa. Epidemiologic investigation linked the clinical and laboratory confirmed cases with the presumed first fatality of the outbreak in December 2013. EBOV from Guinea is a separate clade from other ZEBOV strains reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Gabon. Since the outbreak in March, ZEBOV was also reported in Conakry, Guinea's capital and spread to other neighboring countries. In its largest outbreak, ZEBOV disease expanded through Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria and to Spain, the USA, and the UK. The WHO declared the 2013-2015 West African Ebola epidemic a public health emergency of international concern considering its presumable capacity for further international spread. Early manifestations of EVD (Ebola virus disease) include a high fever, body aches, malaise, and fatigue. Severe diarrhea and other gastrointestinal manifestations such as vomiting were common, while bleeding was a more sporadic finding. The fatality rate was 43% and highest in patients aged > or = 45 years and the overall fitted mean incubation period was 10.3 days (95% CI 9.9~10.7). We present a review of the literature on the emergence of Ebola, and the epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory records of patients in whom EVD was diagnosed in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, the USA, and Spain, its zoonotic origin, and the transmission of ZEBOV, as well as presenting original literature on the current Ebola outbreak.

Ebola outbreak in Western Africa 2014: what is going on with Ebola virus?

The 2014 outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa, caused by Ebola virus (Zaire Ebola virus species), is the largest outbreak of EVD in history. It cause hemorrhagic fever in human and nonhuman primates with high mortality rate up to 90% and can be transmitted by direct contact with blood, body fluids, skin of EVD patients or persons who have died of EVD. As of December 17, 2014, 450 healthcare personnel are known to have been infected with Ebola, of whom 244 died. For development of Ebola vaccine and treatment are highly difficult due to its dangerous and accessibility that requires biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) to conduct experiment. Also there is no specific vaccine and treatment for Ebola virus; however, many candidate vaccines and antiviral-drugs such as ZMapp and TKM-Ebola are being developed for Ebola virus disease. In this review, we focus on the epidemiology of 2014 outbreak of Ebola virus and candidate agent for preventing and curing from Ebola virus.

Progress of vaccine and drug development for Ebola preparedness

Since the first case of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Guinea was reported in March 2014 by World Health Organization (WHO), the outbreak has continued through the year and the total number of 19,065 patients was reported as the confirmed or suspected in the EVD-affected countries. Among the cases, 7,388 patients were reported death by 19 December. Currently, available therapeutics to treat the infected patients or vaccines to prevent people from infection is not developed yet while viral diagnostic methods were already developed and firmly established in a lot of countries as a first step for the preparedness of Ebola outbreak. Some potential therapeutic materials including ZMapp were supplied and the treated people got over the EVD. Several candidates of vaccines also were investigated their efficacy in animal models by National Institute of Health (NIH) and Department of Defense, and they are processing of clinical tests in West Africa aiming to finish the development by the 2015. Vaccine and therapeutic development is essential to stop the EVD outbreak in West Africa, also to protect the world from the risk which can be generated by potential spread of Ebola virus.