BackgroundAlthough sickle cell disease (SCD) children are highly susceptible to bacterial infections (BIs), there is a dreadful lack of data related to the burden and spectrum of BIs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the highest affected region with SCD. This study aimed to determine the burden and spectrum of BIs among SCD children hospitalized in a pediatric reference hospital in Cameroon, a SSA country.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of records of children hospitalized from November 2012 to August 2015 in the SCD unit of the Mother and Child Centre of the Chantal Biya Foundation, Cameroon. We enrolled all known SCD children aged 15 years or less, hospitalized for a suspicion of BI and who presented a positive culture of a body specimen.ResultsA total of 987 SCD children were hospitalized during the study period. Cultures were positive for 96 patients (9.7%) among whom 60.4% males. Ages ranged from 6 to 192 months with a median of 53 (Interquartile range (IQR) 21–101) months. For children no more covered by the Expanded Programme on Immunization, only 13 (18.8%) had received the Pneumo 23® and Meningo A&C® antigens, and 12 (17.4%), the Typhim vi® and the Haemophilus influenzae type b antigens; 58 children (84.1%) had received no vaccine. The specimen yielding positive cultures were: blood (70.7%), urine (13.1%), pus (9.1%), synovial fluid (4.1%), cerebrospinal fluid (2.0%), and bone fragment (1.0%). The different types of infection included: urinary tract infections (13.5%), myositis (8.3%), arthritis (6.3%), osteomyelitis (4.2%), and meningitis (2.1%); the site of infection was unidentified in 65.6% of cases. The main bacteria included: Salmonella sp. (28.1%), Staphylococcus sp. (18.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.7%), Escherichia coli (10.4%), Enterobacter sp. (5.2%), Acinetobacter sp. (4.2%), Streptococcus sp. (4.2%) and Serratia sp. (4.2%).ConclusionThis retrospective analysis revealed 9.7% cases of BIs, mainly caused by Salmonella sp. (28.1%), Staphylococcus sp. (18.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.7%), and Escherichia coli (10.4%).

IntroductionL'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé a estimé la survenue globale de décès néonatal à 2,8 millions en 2015, dont 47,6% étaient dues aux infections. Ces infections peuvent survenir chez un nouveau-né de 0 à un mois de vie, pouvant aller jusqu’à 3 mois.MéthodesC'est une étude prospective allant du 1er mars au 30 juin 2015 au Service de néonatologie de l'Hôpital Laquintinie de Douala. Etaient inclus tout nouveau-né symptomatique avec ou sans critère anamnestique et tout nouveau-né asymptomatique, présentant au moins un risque infectieux et ayant au moins une culture positive ou une anomalie de la numération formule sanguine ou une protéine C réactive positive.RésultatsDes 310 nouveau-nés admis, 300 ont été retenus pour infection néonatale, soit une incidence de 96,8%. Nous avons réalisé 104 cultures dont 25 positives, soit une incidence de l'infection néonatale confirmée de 24%. Les facteurs associés à l'infection étaient la prématurité inexpliquée <35 semaines d'aménorrhée(45,1%) et la réanimation néonatale (34,8%). La fièvre (56%) et les troubles neurologiques (48,8%) étaient les manifestations cliniques les plus fréquentes. Les Gram négatifs étaient les germes les plus fréquents (56%). L'imipenème (95%) et l'amikacine (66,7%) étaient les antibiotiques les plusefficaces. L’évolution était favorable dans 66,4% des cas et le taux de décès était de 33,6%.ConclusionCette étude révèle une forte prévalence de l'infection dans cet hôpital. L’écologie bactérienne est dominée par les Gram négatifs, on note une importante résistance aux antibiotiques usuels et une mortalité assez élevée.

Background Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is an important cause of hospitalization and death in young children. The majority of deaths (99%) occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). Vaccines against RSV infection are underway. To obtain access to RSV interventions, LMICs depend on support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. To identify future vaccine target populations, information on children with severe RSV infection is required. However, there is a lack of individual patient-level clinical data on instances of life-threatening RSV infection in LMICs. The RSV GOLD III—ICU Network study aims to describe clinical, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of children with life-threatening RSV infection in Gavi-eligible countries. Methods The RSV GOLD-III—ICU Network study is an international, prospective, observational multicenter study and will be conducted in 10 Gavi-eligible countries at pediatric intensive care units and high-dependency units (PICUs/HDUs) during local viral respiratory seasons for 2 years. Children younger than 2 years of age with respiratory symptoms fulfilling the World Health Organization (WHO) “extended severe acute respiratory infection (SARI)” case definition will be tested for RSV using a molecular point-of-care (POC) diagnostic device. Patient characteristics will be collected through a questionnaire. Mortality rates of children admitted to the PICU and/or HDU will be calculated. Discussion This multicenter descriptive study will provide a better understanding of the characteristics and mortality rates of children younger than 2 years with RSV infection admitted to the PICU/HDU in LMICs. These results will contribute to knowledge on global disease burden and awareness of RSV and will directly guide decision makers in their efforts to implement future RSV prevention strategies. Trial registration number: NL9519, May 27, 2021

Background: Neonatal mortality remains a major public health problem in low income countries. The survival within the first 28 days of life remains a challenge in such countries. Many strategies have been implemented to reduce deaths in children under five especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Laquintinie Douala Hospital benefits from some of these measures including a perinatal network and an emergency voucher. We aimed to describe the main causes of neonatal deaths at Laquintinie Douala Hospital. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study including files of all deceased neonates in the neonatal unit during a 24 months period from January 1 st , 2017 to December 31 st , 2018. Data collection included socio-demographic characteristics of the mothers and the newborns, clinical and therapeutic data and the evolution of the newborn. We used SPSS 20 software for data analysis with a p-value less than 0.05. Results: We included 270 files with an overall mortality rate of 13.1% and a sex ratio of 1.2. The main causes of death included prematurity (37.8%), neonatal infection (34.1%) and neonatal asphyxia (24.4%). The main factors associated with deaths included informal sector (OR = 5.49; 95% CI 0.86 -34.77; p = 0.07) and a primary level of education for mothers, malaria during pregnancy (OR 2.28; 95% CI, 1.44 -3.12; p = 0.0001), very preterm babies (OR 6.45; 95% CI 4.68 -8.89; p < 0.001

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