BackgroundAfrican populations are considered to be particularly vulnerable to fever illnesses, including malaria, and acute respiratory disease, owing to limited resources and overcrowding. However, the overall burden of influenza in this context is poorly defined and incidence data for African countries are scarce. We therefore studied the fever syndrome incidence and more specifically influenza incidence in a cohort of inhabitants of Dielmo and Ndiop in Sokone district, Senegal.MethodsDaily febrile-illness data were prospectively obtained from January 2012 to December 2013 from the cohort of the villages of Dielmo and Ndiop, initially dedicated to the study of malaria. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from, and malaria diagnosis tests (thick blood smears) carried out on, every febrile individual during clinical visits; reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to identify influenza viruses in the samples. Binomial negative regression analysis was used to study the relationship between the monthly incidence rate and various covariates.ResultsIn Dielmo and Ndiop, the incidence of malaria has decreased, but fever syndromes remain frequent. Among the 1036 inhabitants included in the cohort, a total of 1,129 episodes of fever were reported. Influenza was present all year round with peaks in October-December 2012 and August 2013. The fever, ILI and influenza incidence density rates differed significantly between age groups. At both sites, the adjusted incidence relative risks for fever syndromes and ILI were significantly higher in the [6–24 months) than other age groups: 7.3 (95%CI: [5.7–9.3]) and 16.1 (95%CI: [11.1–23.3]) respectively. The adjusted incidence relative risk for influenza was significantly higher for the [0–6 months) than other age groups: 9.9 (95%CI: [2.9–33.6]). At both sites, incidence density rates were lowest among adults > = 50 years.ConclusionsIn this rural setting in Senegal, influenza was most frequent among the youngest children. Preventive strategies targeting this population should be implemented.
Rabies is still a deadly disease, but it is 100% preventable through vaccination. In 2016, Senegal notified 1214 cases of dog bites. In the same year, the district of Sokone recorded 50 cases of dog bites, of which 31.2% of the cases were notified in the region of Fatick. The objective of this study is to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of communities and healthcare providers when faced with a case of exposure to rabies in Sokone health district. This quantitative estimation study is of a descriptive cross-sectional type, which took place during the third quarter of 2017. It targeted the community and health care providers in the Sokone health district. Three-stage cluster sampling was carried out in the community. The recruitment of healthcare providers has been comprehensive. A questionnaire was administered to the community in the form of individual interviews and another questionnaire was sent to health care providers in the form of self-administration. Knowledge, attitude and practice rating grids were developed for the two categories of interviewees. Data entry and analysis was done with Epi Info 3.5.3 software and R 3.3.1. Out of 813 community members surveyed, 6.8% had already been bitten by an animal. A good level of knowledge about rabies was found in 22.4% of the community members. The attitude to a bite was correct for 94.1%. Of the 38 healthcare providers surveyed, only 5.6% had a good understanding of rabies. No provider knew the indications for rabies vaccination and the post-exposure vaccination schedule. In the Sokone health district, communities knew little about rabies. Healthcare providers who are supposed to inform and supervise them in the fight against rabies know less about it.
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