%0 Journal Article
%T Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Severe Childhood Malaria at the University Hospital of Brazzaville
%A Moyen Engoba
%A Arquevia Nature Ofamalekou Gnakingue
%A Ben Borgea Nianga
%A Carel Ervane Goma
%A Armel Landry Batchi-Bouyou
%A Annie Rachelle Okoko
%A Georges Marius Moyen
%J Open Journal of Pediatrics
%P 301-312
%@ 2160-8776
%D 2021
%I Scientific Research Publishing
%R 10.4236/ojped.2021.112028
%X <strong>Introduction:</strong><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> Malaria management has been a source of concern for health systems since
the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. </span><b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Objective:</span></b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> To assess the impact of the
Covid-19 pandemic on severe childhood malaria in Brazzaville. </span><b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Material and Method:</span></b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> A quasi-experimental intervention/non-intervention study was carried out between
March and October 2020 in the pediatric departments of the Brazzaville University
Hospital. Children aged three months to 15 years hospitalized were the target population.
Two groups were formed: the </span></span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">¡°</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">intervention</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">¡±</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> group, that of children hospitalized
between March and October 2020 and the </span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">¡°</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">control</span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">¡±</span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> group that of those hospitalized between January and August 2015. The study
variables were epidemiological, clinical, biological and therapeutic. Chi-square
and T-Student tests were used. The impact of the intervention was assessed by the
absolute risk difference. </span><b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">Results:</span></b><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> Of 1392 children hospitalized, 199 (14.6%)
had severe malaria with an average age of 6.94 years. These were children under
5 years old n = 95 (47.7%) of low socioeconomic level n = 145 (72.9%) seen on average
after 4.6 +/</span></span><span style=\"font-family:&quot;\"><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\">?</span><span><span style=\"font-family:Verdana;\"> 2.4 days. Repeated convulsions (56.8%) and anemia
(20.1%) were the main reasons for hospitalization. These were isolated forms (n
= 146; 73.4%) of which n = 84 (42.2%) neurological and n = 62 (31.2%) anemic. The
lethality was 13.1%. Delayed consultation, fever, repeated convulsions, pallor,
respiratory distress, sickle cell anemia, thrombocytopenia and hypoglycemia are
associated with death. The risk difference for signs of severity between the two
periods was 16.6 for repeated convulsions; 14.3 for severe anemia. The relative
risk between the two studies was 1.8.
%K Impact
%K Covid-19
%K Severe Malaria
%K Children
%K Brazzaville
%U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=110046