Publications by authors named "Alpha O Diallo"

Unlabelled: We report the case of a 75-year-old woman admitted to the emergency department for confusion, gait disturbances and mutism associated with an inflammatory syndrome occurring 3 weeks after acute carbon monoxide intoxication. The main hypothesis upon arrival was infectious meningoencephalitis, and the patient was put on acyclovir and antibiotics in meningeal doses. After a short stay in intensive care, the patient's condition did not improve, and the revaluation of her case history and imaging studies led to the diagnosis of post-interval syndrome secondary to carbon monoxide intoxication after a 3-week asymptomatic period.

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Purpose: The Democratic Republic of Congo has one of the highest burdens of malaria in the world, accounting for 12.3% of malaria cases and 11.6% of malaria deaths.

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  • A global outbreak of clade II mpox has been primarily affecting gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) since May 2022, with limited understanding of transmission routes.
  • A study analyzed 457 case-patients and 1,030 control patients (aged 18-49) to estimate the odds of mpox transmission based on different types of close contact; results showed that those engaging in condomless receptive anal sex had a 5.4 times higher odds of contracting mpox.
  • Despite the effectiveness of the mpox vaccine, vaccination rates are low, highlighting the need for a comprehensive prevention strategy that includes vaccination promotion and safer sex practices.
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Background: Monovalent rotavirus vaccine substantially reduced rotavirus disease burden after introduction (May 2014) in Madagascar. We examined the effectiveness and long-term impact on acute watery diarrhea and rotavirus-related hospitalizations among children <5 years old at two hospitals in Antananarivo, Madagascar (2010-2022).

Methods: We used a test-negative case-control design to estimate monovalent rotavirus vaccine effectiveness (VE) against laboratory-confirmed rotavirus hospitalizations among children age 6-23 months with documented vaccination status adjusted for year of symptom onset, rotavirus season, age group, nutritional status, and clinical severity.

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  • Rotavirus was a major cause of gastroenteritis in US children until the introduction of vaccines in 2006, which led to significant reductions in severe cases.
  • A study from 2009 to 2022 analyzed vaccine effectiveness (VE) using data from children with acute gastroenteritis, revealing a 78% effectiveness rate against severe rotavirus-related medical visits.
  • The effectiveness varied by severity of disease, showing 94% effectiveness against very severe cases, with younger children benefiting the most from vaccination.
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  • - Individuals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have a high prevalence of multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, particularly hypertension and diabetes, which were examined using data from 55 population-based surveys from 2009-2019.
  • - The study included nearly 119,000 non-pregnant adults aged 40-69, revealing that those with both hypertension and diabetes had higher awareness of their diagnosis (64.1%) compared to those with just one condition (47.4% for hypertension and 46.7% for diabetes).
  • - Despite higher awareness and treatment for those with concurrent conditions, only 7% of individuals effectively managed both hypertension and diabetes simultaneously, highlighting significant gaps
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Background: Viruses are the leading etiology of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children. However, there is limited knowledge on drivers of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases involving viruses. We aimed to identify factors associated with severity and prolonged hospitalization of viral SARI among children < 5 years in Burkina Faso.

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Background: Trachoma control programs use multiple approaches to identify individuals with trachomatous trichiasis (TT). Evidence is limited regarding which approaches are most effective and cost-efficient.

Methods: We evaluated the effectiveness of two TT case-identification approaches in Ethiopia: community mobilization to encourage self-referral for centralized screening and house-to-house screenings conducted by case finders.

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Background: The global burden of diabetes is rising rapidly, yet there is little evidence on individual-level diabetes prevention activities undertaken by health systems in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Here we describe the population at high risk of developing diabetes, estimate diabetes prevention activities, and explore sociodemographic variation in these activities across LMICs.

Methods: We performed a pooled, cross-sectional analysis of individual-level data from nationally representative, population-based surveys conducted in 44 LMICs between October, 2009, and May, 2019.

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  • A 76-year-old patient with a complex medical history, including Type 2 diabetes, heart failure, and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, was admitted for bronchopneumopathy after previously undergoing pacemaker lead replacement.
  • The patient's condition worsened rapidly after admission, leading to hypercalcemia, which required intensive hydration and hemodialysis before further tests were conducted.
  • Imaging studies revealed peritoneal carcinosis and lymphadenopathy, and a biopsy confirmed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; unfortunately, treatment was not successful, resulting in the patient's death.
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  • Malaria control programs use various diagnostic methods like RDTs, microscopy, PCR, and BBA to assess malaria prevalence, but data comparing these methods, especially in high-burden areas like the DRC, is scarce.
  • The study analyzed samples from 1,431 participants in Kinshasa Province, revealing significant differences in Plasmodium falciparum prevalence rates across health areas, with BBA and PCR showing the highest sensitivity based on prevalence intensity.
  • RDTs demonstrated consistent specificity across all regions, but overall prevalence estimates varied significantly depending on the diagnostic method used, indicating the need for careful selection of diagnostic tools in malaria monitoring.
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  • Over 30,000 monkeypox cases were reported in the U.S. by March 31, 2023, with the outbreak mainly affecting gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
  • The FDA approved the JYNNEOS vaccine in 2019 for smallpox and monkeypox prevention, and in August 2022, allowed a new injection method to increase vaccine access.
  • A study showed that JYNNEOS vaccine effectiveness was 75.2% for partial vaccination and 85.9% for full vaccination among men who have sex with men and transgender individuals aged 18-49.
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A 60-year-old man with chronic alcoholism for 30 years was admitted to the hospital for an acute alcoholic syndrome with global confusional state, cognitive disorders, and ataxia. MRI detected bilateral mamillary bodies T 2 hypersignal related to Wernicke encephalopathy. It was treated by oral thiamine supplementation with clinical improvement.

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Background: Improving hypertension control is an important global health priority yet, to our knowledge, there is no direct evidence on the blood pressure (BP)-mortality relationship in sub-Saharan Africa. We investigate the BP-mortality relationship in South Africa and assess the comparative effectiveness of different care targets for clinical care and population-wide hypertension management efforts.

Methods: We use country-wide population-based longitudinal data from five waves (2008 - 2017) of the South African National Income Dynamics Study (N = 4,993).

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Introduction Noise or noise pollution is a phenomenon that causes an auditory sensation considered unpleasant, undesirable, and annoying, which may present a danger to health in general and the auditory system in particular. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of noise pollution among workers in a brewery in the city of Conakry. Patient and methods This is a prospective descriptive study, of two months' duration (November 11, 2019, to January 10, 2020) carried out in the industrial unit of the Limited Company of Breweries of Guinea (SOBRAGUI).

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Background: In March 2017, Burkina Faso introduced meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine (MACV) into the Expanded Programme on Immunization. MACV is administered to children aged 15-18 months, concomitantly with the second dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV2). One year after MACV introduction, we assessed the sources and content of immunization information available to caregivers and explored motivations and barriers that influence their decision to seek MACV for their children.

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Since 2010, the introduction of an effective serogroup A meningococcal conjugate vaccine has led to the near-elimination of invasive Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A disease in Africa's meningitis belt. However, a significant burden of disease and epidemics due to other bacterial meningitis pathogens remain in the region. High-quality surveillance data with laboratory confirmation is important to monitor circulating bacterial meningitis pathogens and design appropriate interventions, but complete testing of all reported cases is often infeasible.

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Post-vaccine olfactory and gustatory disorders are very rare and were reported in patients who received influenza vaccines. In this article, we report 6 cases of post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine olfactory and gustatory disorders in patients with negative nasal swabs. Precisely, olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions were reported in 5 and 1 patients, respectively.

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Background: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains one of the countries most impacted by malaria despite decades of control efforts, including multiple mass insecticide treated net (ITN) distribution campaigns. The multi-scalar and complex nature of malaria necessitates an understanding of malaria risk factors over time and at multiple levels (e.g.

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Background: Meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine (MACV) was introduced in 2017 into the routine childhood immunization schedule (at 15-18 months of age) in Burkina Faso to help reduce meningococcal meningitis burden. MACV was scheduled to be co-administered with the second dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV2), a vaccine already in the national schedule. One year following the introduction of MACV, an assessment was conducted to qualitatively examine health workers' perceptions of MACV introduction, identify barriers to uptake, and explore opportunities to improve coverage.

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Meningococcal meningitis remains a significant public health threat, especially in the African meningitis belt where Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A historically caused large-scale epidemics. With the rollout of a novel meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine (MACV) in the belt, the World Health Organization recommended case-based meningitis surveillance to monitor MACV impact and meningitis epidemiology. In 2014, the MenAfriNet consortium was established to support strategic implementation of case-based meningitis surveillance in 5 key countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Togo.

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Background: The MenAfriNet consortium was established in 2014 to support implementation of case-based meningitis surveillance in 5 countries in the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Togo. Assessing surveillance performance is critical for interpretation of the collected data and implementation of future surveillance-strengthening initiatives.

Methods: Detailed epidemiologic and laboratory data were collected on suspected meningitis cases through case-based meningitis surveillance in participating districts in 5 countries.

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Background: Meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine (MACV) was introduced in Chad during 2011-2012. Meningitis surveillance has been conducted nationwide since 2003, with case-based surveillance (CBS) in select districts from 2012. In 2016, the MenAfriNet consortium supported Chad to implement CBS in 4 additional districts and real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) at the national reference laboratory (NRL) to improve pathogen detection.

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Nationwide case-based meningitis surveillance was established in Burkina Faso following the introduction of meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine in 2010. However, timely tracking and arrival of cerebrospinal fluid specimens for confirmation at national reference laboratories remained suboptimal. To better understand this gap and identify bottlenecks, the Burkina Faso Ministry of Health, along with key partners, developed and implemented a cloud-based System for Tracking Epidemiological Data and Laboratory Specimens (STELAB), allowing for timely nationwide data reporting and specimen tracking using barcodes.

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