The novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that started in December 2019 has affected over 95 million people and killed over 2 million people as of January 19, 2021. While more studies are published to help us understand the virus, there is a dearth of studies on the clinical characteristics and associated outcomes of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 on the African continent. We evaluated evidence from previous studies in Africa available in six databases between January 1 and October 6, 2020. Metaanalysis was then performed using Open-Meta Analyst and Jamovi software. A total of seven studies, including 4499 COVID-19 patients, were included. The result of the meta-analysis showed that 68.8% of infected patients were male.Common symptoms presented (with their incidences) were fever (42.8%), cough (33.3%), headache (11.3%), and breathing problems (16.8%). Other minor occurring symptoms included diarrhea (7.5%) and rhinorrhea (9.4%). Fatality rate was 5.6%. There was no publication bias in the study. This study presents the first description and analysis of the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients in Africa. The most common symptoms are fever, cough, and breathing problems.

Among gram-negative bacteria, Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the most common causes of healthcare-related infection. Bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae are notorious for being difficult to treat due to resistance to commonly used antimicrobials. Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from bloodstream infections are becoming increasingly resistant to carbapenems. In the fight against carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, colistin [polymyxin E] is the antimicrobial of choice and is thus widely used. Objective: This study aimed to determine the global prevalence of colistin resistance amongst Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from bloodstream infections. Methods: PubMed, Medline, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched for published articles without restricting the search period. Studies meeting the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria were included, and quality was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist. We used a statistical random effect model to analyze data with substantial heterogeneity (I2 > 50%) in the meta-analysis. Results: A total of 10 studies out of 2873 search results that met the inclusion criteria were included in the final synthesis for this study. A pooled prevalence of colistin resistance was 3.1%, 95%CI (1.5%–4.7%). The highest colistin resistance pooled prevalence was recorded in isolates studied in 2020 and beyond 12.90% (4/31), while Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates studied in 2015 and before and in 2016–2019 showed a pooled colistin resistance rate of 2.89% (48/1661) and 2.95% (28/948), respectively. The highest colistin resistance was found in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from Thailand (19.2%), while the least pooled resistance was in Klebsiella pneumoniae from South Korea (0.8%). The pooled prevalence of the multidrug-resistant (MDR) of Klebsiella pneumoniae from bloodstream infection ranged from 80.1% 95%CI (65.0%–95.2%), and the resistance prevalence of other antibiotics by Klebsiella pneumoniae from bloodstream infections were as follows; ciprofloxacin (45.3%), ertapenem (44.4%), meropenem (36.1%), imipenem (35.2%), gentamicin (33.3%), amikacin (25.4%) and tigecycline (5.1%). Klebsiella pneumoniae recovered from the intensive care unit (ICU) showed higher colistin resistance, 11.5% (9/781%), while non-ICU patients showed 3.03% (80/2604) pooled colistin resistance. Conclusion: This study showed low colistin resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from global bloodstream infections. However, significant colistin resistance was observed in isolates collected from 2020 and beyond. Significant colistin resistance was also observed in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in bloodstream infections from the intensive care unit (ICU) compared to those from non-ICUs. As a result, there is a need to institute colistin administration stewardship in the ICU in clinical settings.

Background The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 aims at reducing neonatal and under-5 mortality to below 12 per 1000 and 25 per 1000 live births, respectively, globally by 2030. Studies have found that initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth and continuous breastfeeding for over 12 months can positively impact neonatal and infant health. However, there is evidence that the sex of a child may influence the breastfeeding practices of a mother. Thus, we examined sex inequality in early breastfeeding initiation in sub-Saharan Africa. Materials and methods Data from Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 24 sub-Saharan African countries between January 2010 and December 2019 were pooled and analysed. A total of 137,677 women of reproductive age (15–49 years) were considered in this study. Bivariate and multivariable regression analyses were performed, and the results were presented using crude odds ratio (cOR) and adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with statistical significance at a p-value less than 0.05. Results The highest inequality in early initiation of breastfeeding was reported in Togo with a difference of 5.21% between the female and male children, while the lowest inequality was reported in Guinea with 0.48% difference between the female and male children. A higher odds of breastfeeding within 1 hour was observed among female children [cOR = 1.05; 95%(CI = 1.02–1.09)] compared to male children, and this persisted after controlling for the confounders included in this study [aOR = 1.05; 95%(CI = 1.02–1.08)]. Conclusion We found higher odds for early breastfeeding initiation of female children compared to male children in sub-Saharan Africa. To reduce breastfeeding initiation inequalities, programmes that educate and encourage early initiation of breastfeeding irrespective of the child sex should be promoted among mothers.