Case Management of Imported Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Senegal, July 2023.

We report an imported Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever case in Senegal. The patient received PCR confirmation of virus infection 10 days after symptom onset. We identified 46 patient contacts in Senegal; 87.7% were healthcare professionals. Strengthening border crossing and community surveillance systems can help reduce the risks of infectious disease transmission.

Importation and Circulation of Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Serotype 2, Senegal, 2020-2021.

Environmental surveillance for poliovirus is increasingly used in poliovirus eradication efforts as a supplement to acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance. Environmental surveillance was officially established in 2017 in Senegal, where no poliovirus had been detected since 2010. We tested sewage samples from 2 sites in Dakar monthly for polioviruses. We identified a vaccine-derived poliovirus serotype 2 on January 19, 2021, from a sample collected on December 24, 2020; by December 31, 2021, we had detected 70 vaccine-derived poliovirus serotype 2 isolates circulating in 7 of 14 regions in Senegal. Sources included 18 AFP cases, 20 direct contacts, 17 contacts in the community, and 15 sewage samples. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the circulation of 2 clusters and provided evidence on the virus introduction from Guinea. Because novel oral polio vaccine serotype 2 was used for response activities throughout Senegal, we recommend expanding environmental surveillance into other regions.

Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Senegal: a national population-based cross-sectional survey, between October and November 2020.

Objectives: A nationwide cross-sectional epidemiological survey was conducted to capture the true extent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exposure in Senegal. Methods: Multi-stage random cluster sampling of households was performed between October and November 2020, at the end of the first wave of COVID-19 transmission. Anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies were screened using three distinct ELISA assays. Adjusted prevalence rates for the survey design were calculated for each test separately, and thereafter combined. Crude and adjusted prevalence rates based on test performance were estimated to assess the seroprevalence. As some samples were collected in high malaria endemic areas, the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 seroreactivity and antimalarial humoral immunity was also investigated. Results: Of the 1463 participants included in this study, 58.8% were female and 41.2% were male; their mean age was 29.2 years (range 0.20-84.8.0 years). The national seroprevalence was estimated at 28.4% (95% confidence interval 26.1-30.8%). There was substantial regional variability. All age groups were impacted, and the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was comparable in the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. An estimated 4 744 392 (95% confidence interval 4 360 164-5 145 327) were potentially infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Senegal, while 16 089 COVID-19 RT-PCR laboratory-confirmed cases were reported by the national surveillance. No correlation was found between SARS-CoV-2 and Plasmodium seroreactivity. Conclusions: These results provide a better estimate of SARS-CoV-2 dissemination in the Senegalese population. Preventive and control measures need to be reinforced in the country and especially in the south border regions.

Childhood mortality and probable causes of death using verbal autopsy in Niakhar, Senegal, 1989-2000.

BACKGROUND: In African rural settings, medically certified information on causes of death is largely lacking. The authors applied the verbal autopsy to identify causes of death before 15 years old in a rural area of Senegal where a demographic surveillance system is operating. METHODS: Between 1989 and 2000, a postmortem interview was conducted using a standardized questionnaire which was independently reviewed by two physicians who assigned the probable underlying cause of death. Discordant diagnoses were discussed by a panel of physicians. Causes of death were grouped into a few categories; cause-specific mortality rates and fractions were generated. RESULTS: Between 1989 and 1997, all-cause mortality fluctuated. Diarrhoeal diseases, malaria and acute respiratory infections explained between 30% and 70% of the mortality before 10 years of age. In children 1-9 years old, malaria death rate increased between 1989 and 1994 and thereafter did not change. The 1998-2000 years were marked by a peak in mortality, attributed to a meningitis outbreak in children more than one year old paralleled by an increase in death rate from fever of unknown origin, diarrhoeal diseases, and acute respiratory infections in children under 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Verbal autopsy provided useful information on the mortality structure responsible for the 1998-2000 peak in mortality. It underlined that, outside outbreak situations, malaria was a leading cause of death for 1-9 year old children and that diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, or fever from unknown origin accounted for up to 50% of the deaths among the children under 5 years.