ABSTRACT
Introduction Although an essential frontline service in the prevention of child morbidity and mortality, there are indications that routine vaccinations have been disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to compare vaccination coverage before COVID-19 in Mali in 2019 and one year after COVID-19 in 2020. Objective To compare vaccination coverages before COVID-19 in Mali in 2019 and one year after COVID-19 in 2020. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting and participants We collected routine immunization data from 2019 and 2020 of children under one year in the health district of Commune V in Bamako which includes twelve community health centers (CSCom). Results Overall, vaccination coverage of the nine vaccines was higher in 2019 (89.4%) compared to 2020 (79%; p < 10− 3). In 2020, low proportions of children vaccinated were observed in May (54.8%) two months after the first COVID-19 case in Mali on March 25, 2020. For all vaccines, the mean number of children vaccinated in 2019 (before COVID-19) was significantly higher than those vaccinated in 2020 after COVID-19 (p < 0.05). However, in January 2019, the number of children vaccinated with Meningococcal A vaccine in Africa (MenAfriVac), Yellow fever vaccine (VAA) and Measles vaccine (VAR) was lower in 2019 compared to 2020 (p < 10− 3). Likewise in January 2019, in September 2019 and October 2019 BCG vaccine coverage was lower in 2019 compared to 2020 (p < 10− 3). Conclusion COVID-19 pandemic has affected routine childhood vaccine coverage in Commune V of Bamako, particularly in May 2020. Therefore, new strategies are needed to improve vaccine coverage in young children below 1.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Yellow Fever , Meningococcal InfectionsABSTRACT
With the rapid spread of the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the pathogen agent of COVID-19 pandemic created a serious threat to global public health, requiring the most urgent research for potential therapeutic agents. The availability of genomic data of SARS-CoV-2 and efforts to determine the protein structure of the virus facilitated the identification of potent inhibitors by using structure-based approach and bioinformatics tools. Many pharmaceuticals have been proposed for the treatment of COVID-19, although their effectiveness has not been assessed yet. However, it is important to find out new-targeted drugs to overcome the resistance concern. Several viral proteins such as proteases, polymerases or structural proteins have been considered as potential therapeutic targets. But the virus target must be essential for host invasion match some drugability criterion. In this Work, we selected the highly validated pharmacological target main protease Mpro and we performed high throughput virtual screening of African Natural Products Databases such as NANPDB, EANPDB, AfroDb, and SANCDB to identify the most potent inhibitors with the best pharmacological properties. In total, 8753 natural compounds were virtually screened by AutoDock vina against the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. Two hundred and five (205) compounds showed high-affinity scores (less than − 10.0 Kcal/mol), while fifty-eight (58) filtered through Lipinski’s rules showed better affinity than known Mpro inhibitors (i.e., ABBV-744, Onalespib, Daunorubicin, Alpha-ketoamide, Perampanel, Carprefen, Celecoxib, Alprazolam, Trovafloxacin, Sarafloxacin, Ethyl biscoumacetate…). Those promising compounds could be considered for further investigations toward the developpement of SARS-CoV-2 drug development.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections , COVID-19ABSTRACT
Investment in Africa over the past year with regards to SARS-CoV-2 genotyping has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, exceeding 100,000 genomes generated to track the pandemic on the continent. Our results show an increase in the number of African countries able to sequence within their own borders, coupled with a decrease in sequencing turnaround time. Findings from this genomic surveillance underscores the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic but we observe repeated dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 variants within the continent. Sustained investment for genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve, particularly in the low vaccination landscape. These investments are very crucial for preparedness and response for future pathogen outbreaks.
ABSTRACT
BackgroundLong-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) target night-time indoor biting mosquitoes and effectively reduce malaria transmission in rural settings across Africa, but additional vector control tools are needed to interrupt transmission. Attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSBs) attract and kill mosquitoes, including those biting outdoors. Deployment of ATSBs incorporating the insecticide dinotefuran was associated with major reductions in mosquito density and longevity in Mali. The impact of this promising intervention on malaria transmission and morbidity now needs to be determined in a range of transmission settings.Methods/DesignWe will conduct three similar stand-alone, open-label, two-arm, cluster-randomized, controlled trials (cRCTs) in Mali, Kenya, and Zambia to determine the impact of ATSB + universal vector control versus universal vector control alone on clinical malaria. The trials will use a ‘fried-egg’ design, with primary outcomes measured in the core area of each cluster to reduce spill-over effects. All household structures in the ATSB clusters will receive two ATSBs, but the impact will be measured in the core of clusters. Restricted randomization will be used. The primary outcome is clinical malaria incidence among children aged 5-14 years in Mali and 1-14 years in Kenya and Zambia. A key secondary outcome is malaria parasite prevalence across all ages. The trials will include 76 clusters (38 per arm) in Mali and 70 (35 per arm) in each of Kenya and Zambia. The trials are powered to detect a 30% reduction in clinical malaria, requiring a total of 3,850 person-years of follow-up in Mali, 1,260 person-years in Kenya, and 1,610 person-years in Zambia. These sample sizes will be ascertained using two seasonal 8-month cohorts in Mali, and two 6-month seasonal cohorts in Zambia. In Kenya, which has year-round transmission, four 6-month cohorts will be used (total 24 months of follow-up). The design allows for one interim analysis in Mali and Zambia and two in Kenya.DiscussionStrengths of the design include: the use of multiple study sites with different transmission patterns and a range of vectors to improve external validity; a large number of clusters within each trial site; restricted randomization; between-cluster separation to minimize contamination between study arms; and an adaptive trial design. Noted threats to internal validity include: open-label design, risk of contamination between study arms, risk of imbalance of covariates across study arms, variation in durability of ATSB stations and potential disruption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.Trial registrationZambia: NCT04800055. Registration date: March 15, 2021 - https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04800055Mali: NCT04149119. Registration date: November 4, 2019 -https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT04149119Kenya: NCT05219565. Registration date: February 2, 2022 - https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05219565
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
The progression of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Africa has so far been heterogeneous and the full impact is not yet well understood. Here, we describe the genomic epidemiology using a dataset of 8746 genomes from 33 African countries and two overseas territories. We show that the epidemics in most countries were initiated by importations, predominantly from Europe, which diminished following the early introduction of international travel restrictions. As the pandemic progressed, ongoing transmission in many countries and increasing mobility led to the emergence and spread within the continent of many variants of concern and interest, such as B.1.351, B.1.525, A.23.1 and C.1.1. Although distorted by low sampling numbers and blind-spots, the findings highlight that Africa must not be left behind in the global pandemic response, otherwise it could become a breeding ground for new variants.
ABSTRACT
Background Since the detection of the first cases of COVID-19 in Mali, the ministry of health provides daily released of information and situation report including information on the number of testing, confirmed cases, case-contacts, recovered patients, COVID-19 related deaths; and the geographic locations affected by the epidemic. The objective of this study was to analyze this information and to examine the relation between the number of confirmed cases and the number of testing, case-contacts, recovered patients and COVID-19 related deaths. Method From the daily released of information and situation reports, the data related to the number of testing, confirmed cases, case-contacts, recovered patients, COVID-19 related deaths; and the affected geographic locations were extracted on an Excel file before being analyzed with SPSS 25 software. The analyses were essentially descriptive including Spearman correlation test and Chi 2 test for statistical significance (p≤0, 05).Results The analyses include 14,938 testing, 2,260 PCR confirmed cases, 12, 864 case-contacts, 1,502 recovered patients and 117 deaths reported during the first 100 days of the epidemic, particularly from March 25 to July 2, 2020. The results show low level of testing and demonstrate a positive correlation between the number of confirmed cases and the number of testing, case-contacts, recovered patients and deaths. These results suggest that Mali could have more confirmed cases by increasing testing, particularly among case-contacts.Conclusion The results can help to understand the evolution of the epidemic, call for more testing and contact tracing of COVID-19 cases. They can also contribute to improving data quality and response to COVID-19.