Poliovirus immunity among adults in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a cross-sectional serosurvey

Abstract Background Vaccination efforts to eradicate polio currently focus on children under 5 years of age, among whom most cases of poliomyelitis still occur. However, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an outbreak of wild poliovirus type 1 occurred in 2010–2011 in which 16% of cases occurred among adults; in a related outbreak in the neighboring Republic of Congo, 75% of cases occurred among the same adult age-group. Given that infected adults may transmit poliovirus, this study was designed to assess adult immunity against polioviruses. Methods We assessed poliovirus seroprevalence using dried blood spots from 5,526 adults aged 15–59 years from the 2013–2014 Demographic and Health Survey in the DRC. Results Among adults in the DRC, 74%, 72%, and 57% were seropositive for neutralizing antibodies for poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3, respectively. For all three serotypes, seroprevalence tended to be higher among older age groups, those living in households with more children, and among women. Conclusions Protection against poliovirus is generally low among adults in the DRC, particularly for type 3 poliovirus. The lack of acquired immunity in adults suggests a potentially limited poliovirus circulation over the lifetime of those surveyed (spanning 1954 through 2014) and transmission of vaccine-derived poliovirus in this age group while underscoring the risk of these outbreaks among adults in the DRC.

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Epidemiological profile of Ascariasis in Provincial General Reference Hospital of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Britain International of Exact Sciences (BIoEx) Journal ◽

10.33258/bioex.v2i2.230 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 541-546

Author(s):

Motuta Amisi Christian ◽

Djolu Djoza Ruphin ◽

Masengo Ashande Colette ◽

Gbolo Zoawe Benjamin ◽

Bongo Ngiala Gédéon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Records ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Age Group ◽

General Reference ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Reference Hospital ◽

Republic Of The Congo ◽

Epidemiological Profile ◽

The Brain

A cross sectional study was carried out on intestinal ascariasis, which is a helminth of fecal peril that colonizes the digestive tract with the possibility of complications in organs such as the intestines, liver, lungs and even the brain. The study was carried out at the General Reference Hospital of Kinshasa where medical records were used to collect data and the study period was from January 2016 and December 2017. The findings show females (61.19%) are predominant than males (38.80%), and the gender sex ratio (M/F) was 0.63. The incidence was high in June 2016 and November 2017 are the most affected months by Ascariasis in our study with 7 cases or 18.98% and 6 cases or 20% for each year. The age group between 31 - 40 years of age predominated by the attack of this parasitic affection with the extreme ages of 8 months and 75 years. The incidence varied with a peak in June with 7 cases or 18.98%. A variable incidence with a peak in November with 6 cases or 20%.

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Household prevalence of P. falciparum, P. vivax, and P. ovale in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2013-2014

Clinical Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/cid/ciaa1772 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Cedar L Mitchell ◽

Hillary M Topazian ◽

Nicholas F Brazeau ◽

Molly Deutsch-Feldman ◽

Jeremie Muwonga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Plasmodium Falciparum ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Molecular Study ◽

Age Group ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Republic Of Congo ◽

Republic Of The Congo

Abstract In a cross-sectional molecular study in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 78% of households had at least one member infected with Plasmodium falciparum, vivax, and/or ovale spp. 47% of children and 33% of adults tested positive for at least one species. Risk factors varied by species and age group.

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Analytical Performance of the Exacto Test HIV Self-Test: A Cross-Sectional Field Study in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofaa554 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (12) ◽

Author(s):

Serge Tonen-Wolyec ◽

Jérémie Muwonga Masidi ◽

Luc Ferdinand Kamanga Lukusa ◽

Gaetan Nsiku Dikumbwa ◽

Angèle Sarassoro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Field Study ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Analytical Performance ◽

Viable Option ◽

Excellent Performance ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Performance Sensitivity ◽

Self Testing ◽

Republic Of The Congo ◽

Self Test

Abstract The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has begun implementing HIV self-testing to boost the first “95” of the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets by 2025. This study aims to assess the performance and usability of the Exacto Test HIV (Biosynex, Strasbourg, France) self-test in the lab and in the field. The Exacto Test HIV self-test demonstrated high virological performance (sensitivity, 99.6%; specificity, 100%) in the lab and in the field in the hand of untrained users (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 98.9%). Taken together, the excellent performance and usability characteristics of the Exacto Test HIV (Biosynex) self-test make the kit a viable option for HIV self-testing in the DRC.

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Ten-year trends of hypertension treatment and control rate in Korea

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-86199-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kwang-il Kim ◽

Eunjeong Ji ◽

Jung-yeon Choi ◽

Sun-wook Kim ◽

Soyeon Ahn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Age Groups ◽

Favorable Effect ◽

Age Group ◽

Hypertension Treatment ◽

Treatment Rate ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Past ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Multistage Sampling ◽

And Control

AbstractWe analyzed the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) database to determine the trends of hypertension treatment and control rate in Korea over the past 10 years. In addition, we tried to investigate the effect of chronic medical conditions on hypertension management. We investigated the hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rate from 2008 to 2017. KNHANES, which uses a stratified multistage sampling design, is a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey conducted by the Korean government. A total of 59,282 adults (≥ 20 years) were included, which was representative of the total population of around 40 million Koreans per year. The mean age was 50.7 ± 16.4 years and 42.6% were male. The prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and obesity significantly increased over the 10 years. During this period, the hypertension treatment and control rate significantly improved. Hypertension treatment rate was significantly lower in the younger age group compared to the older age group, but the control rate among the treated patients was not significantly different between age groups. The treatment and control rates of hypertension were higher in patients with multimorbidity, which implies that it has a favorable effect on the treatment and control of hypertension. Hypertension treatment and control rate have improved over the past 10 years. The higher treatment and control rate in patients with multimorbidity suggest that the more aggressive surveillance might be associated with the improvement of hypertension treatment and control rate in Korea.

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Comparison of platforms for testing antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis antigens in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Togo

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-86639-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Gwyn ◽

Marcel S. Awoussi ◽

Ana Bakhtiari ◽

Rachel N. Bronzan ◽

Kathryn Crowley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Seroconversion Rate ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Dried Blood Spots ◽

Ocular Infection ◽

Republic Of The Congo ◽

Lateral Flow Assays ◽

Serological Data ◽

Multiplex Bead

AbstractTrachoma, caused by repeated ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct), is targeted for elimination as a public health problem. Serological testing for antibodies is promising for surveillance; determining useful thresholds will require collection of serological data from settings with different prevalence of the indicator trachomatous inflammation—follicular (TF). Dried blood spots were collected during trachoma mapping in two districts each of Togo and Democratic Republic of the Congo. Anti-Ct antibodies were detected by multiplex bead assay (MBA) and three different lateral flow assays (LFA) and seroprevalence and seroconversion rate (SCR) were determined. By most tests, the district with > 5% TF (the elimination threshold) had five–sixfold higher seroprevalence and tenfold higher SCR than districts with < 5% TF. The agreement between LFA and MBA was improved using a black latex developing reagent. These data show optimization of antibody tests against Ct to better differentiate districts above or below trachoma elimination thresholds.

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Comparison of Prevalence of Periodontitis with Different Indices in Population of District Ghaziabad

Dental Journal of Advance Studies ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1672041 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 04 (01) ◽

pp. 023-030

Author(s):

Vimal Kumar ◽

Pallak Arora ◽

Manish Khatri ◽

Shivani Sharma ◽

Sumit Malhotra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Periodontal Disease ◽

Total Population ◽

Age Groups ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sample Population ◽

Age Group ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Multi Stage ◽

Younger Age ◽

Study Population

Abstract Objective: To estimate the prevalence of periodontal disease with different indices. Methods & materials: The study population consisted of multistage stratified random sample of 1300 subjects from total population of district Ghaziabad. A cross-sectional study was conducted with multi stage stratified random sampling techniques to select the sample population. The subjects were divided into different age groups and the periodontal assessment was made on the basis of CPITN index and ESI Index. Results: The CPITN has shown to estimate incorrect periodontal disease prevalence because of its underestimation of the disease severity. A huge difference was noticed in the prevalence rate of periodontitis when subjects were examined with ESI index. Conclusion Periodontal disease was found to be highly prevalent in the study population and severity of disease increased with age. More number of subjects in younger age group were found to be healthy.

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Revisiting Konzo Risk Factors in Three Areas Differently Affected by Spastic Paraparesis in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo Discloses a Prominent Role of the Nutritional Status—A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13082628 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 2628

Author(s):

Marius Baguma ◽

Espoir Bwenge Malembaka ◽

Esto Bahizire ◽

Germain Zabaday Mudumbi ◽

Dieudonné Bahati Shamamba ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cyanide Poisoning ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Republic Of The Congo

This comparative cross-sectional study aimed to better understand the respective contributions of protein malnutrition and cassava-derived cyanide poisoning in the development of konzo. We compared data on nutritional status and cyanide exposure of school-age adolescent konzo-diseased patients to those of non-konzo subjects of similar age from three areas in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our results show that konzo patients had a high prevalence of both wasting (54.5%) and stunting (72.7%), as well as of cyanide poisoning (81.8%). Controls from Burhinyi and those from Idjwi showed a similar profile with a low prevalence of wasting (3.3% and 6.5%, respectively) and intermediate prevalence of stunting (26.7% and 23.9%, respectively). They both had a high prevalence of cyanide poisoning (50.0% and 63.0%, respectively), similar to konzo-patients. On the other hand, controls from Bukavu showed the lowest prevalence of both risk factors, namely chronic malnutrition (12.1%) and cyanide poisoning (27.6%). In conclusion, cassava-derived cyanide poisoning does not necessarily coexist with konzo outbreaks. The only factor differentiating konzo patients from healthy individuals exposed to cyanide poisoning appeared to be their worse nutritional status. This further suggests that, besides the known role of cyanide poisoning in the pathogenesis of konzo, malnutrition may be a key factor for the disease occurrence.

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The effect of gender norms on the association between violence and hope among girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Global Mental Health ◽

10.1017/gmh.2016.31 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

L. Stark ◽

K. Asghar ◽

S. Meyer ◽

G. Yu ◽

T. Bakemore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Violence Exposure ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Future Orientation ◽

Gender Norms ◽

Exposure To Violence ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Republic Of The Congo

Background.Girls at early stages of adolescence are vulnerable to violence victimization in humanitarian contexts, but few studies examine factors that affect girls’ hope in these settings. We assessed attitudes toward traditional gender norms as an effect modifier of the relationship between violence exposure and future orientation in displaced girls.Methods.Secondary analysis, using multivariable regression of cross-sectional data from girls ages 10–14 in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Key variables of interest were attitudes toward intimate partner violence (IPV), Children's Hope Scale (CHS) score, and exposure to physical, emotional, and sexual violence within the last 12 months. Additional covariates included age, educational status, and territory.Results.The interaction of exposure to violence and attitudes toward IPV magnified the association between violence exposure and lower CHS score for physical violence (β = −0.09, p = 0.040) and unwanted sexual touching (β = −0.20, p = 0.003) among girls age 10–14, when adjusting for other covariates. The interaction of exposure to violence and attitudes toward IPV magnified the association between violence exposure and lower CHS score for forced sex (β = −0.22, p = 0.016) among girls age 13–14, when adjusting for covariates. Findings for emotional violence, any form of sexual violence, and coerced sex trended toward lower CHS scores for girls who reported higher acceptance of IPV, but did not reach significance.Conclusions.Findings support the utility of gender norms-transformative programming in increasing resilience of girls who have experienced sexual violence in humanitarian contexts.

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Study on factors affecting fertility of Bangladeshi women

Z H Sikder Women’s Medical College Journal ◽

10.47648/zhswmcj.2020.v0102.02 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (Number 2) ◽

pp. 6-10

Author(s):

Monowar Ahmad Tarafdar ◽

Nadia Begum ◽

Shila Rani Das ◽

Sultana Begum ◽

Mehruba Afrin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle Class ◽

Rural Area ◽

Age Groups ◽

Wealth Index ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Age Group ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Lower Middle Class ◽

Factors Affecting

This is a cross sectional study conducted among Currently Married Women of Reproductive Age (CMWRA) with a sample size of 476 selected purposively using a semi-structured questionnaire in 2018 at Moulvibazar Sadar to explore the factors affecting fertility. The result shows that 55.26% respondents were within 35 years age whereas only 4.28% from age group 46-49 years age group, 33% of the respondents got married at <16 years of age and 18.70% were illiterate, 47.90% had primary education. It is evident that 76% of the respondents were from rural area; 88% were Muslims, 29.41% from lower middle class followed by upper middle class (25.42%) and poorest comprised only 7.56%. The result explored that 73.91% of the respondents were from age group 41-45 got married before 16 years of age followed by 36-40 years (68.24%), 46-49 years (66%), 20-25 and 26-30 years age groups 52.38% and 52.75% respectively; 73.33% of respondents from rural area got married at <16 years of age, 68.42% of the Muslim at <16 years. The study explored that 96.39% from poorer section and 83.33% from poorest section got married at <16 years of age. Current study revealed that 82.91% of the respondents having secondary education got married before 16 years of age followed by illiterate (82.02%). It is explored that the age at marriage is statistically associated with residence, education, wealth index and religion (p= 0.001, 0.03, 0.001, 0.001 respectively). We conclude that the sociodemographic condition contributes mostly to fertility differentials in Bangladesh.

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Study of Cervical Length in Bangladeshi Cadaver

Community Based Medical Journal ◽

10.3329/cbmj.v5i2.53927 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 26-28

Author(s):

Zubaida Gulshan Ara ◽

ASM Shafiqul Islam ◽

Umme Kulsum Sharmin Zaman ◽

Anjuman Ara ◽

Reeva Aireen Busreea

Keyword(s):

Uterine Cervix ◽

Anatomical Variation ◽

Age Groups ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Descriptive Study ◽

Cervical Length ◽

Age Group ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical College ◽

Female Genital

This cross sectional descriptive study was done to see the length of the cervix in Bangladeshi cadaver to find out the anatomical variation and to compare it with other study findings. 60 post mortem specimens containing female genital organs particularly uterine cervix were collected by purposive sampling technique from cadavers of different age groups. All the collected specimens were fixed in 10% formalin solution. This study was carried out in the department of Anatomy, Mymensingh Medical College from July 2006 to June 2007. Both gross and fine dissections were performed to measure the length of the uterine cervix. We compare our study findings with that of the references. Maximum mean length of the cervix was found in the 13-45 years age group. It was 2.89 cm. CBMJ 2016 July: Vol. 05 No. 02 P: 26-28

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