SARS-CoV 2 Infection (Covid-19) and Cardiovascular Disease in Africa: Health Care and Socio-Economic Implications.

The current pandemic of SARS-COV 2 infection (Covid-19) is challenging health systems and communities worldwide. At the individual level, the main biological system involved in Covid-19 is the respiratory system. Respiratory complications range from mild flu-like illness symptoms to a fatal respiratory distress syndrome or a severe and fulminant pneumonia. Critically, the presence of a pre-existing cardiovascular disease or its risk factors, such as hypertension or type II diabetes mellitus, increases the chance of having severe complications (including death) if infected by the virus. In addition, the infection can worsen an existing cardiovascular disease or precipitate new ones. This paper presents a contemporary review of cardiovascular complications of Covid-19. It also specifically examines the impact of the disease on those already vulnerable and on the poorly resourced health systems of Africa as well as the potential broader consequences on the socio-economic health of this region.

Especificaciones técnicas de dispositivos médicos para la gestión de casos de COVID-19 en los servicios de salud. Recomendaciones interinas, 3 marzo 2020 / Technical specifications of medical devices for the case management of COVID-19 in healthcare settings. Interim recommendations, 3 March 2020

En diciembre de 2019 , un nuevo coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) fue identificado como el agente etiológico de neumonía (COVID-19) en personas expuestas a un mercado de mariscos en Wuhan, China.* • Existen varias incertidumbres respecto a la historia natural de la enfermedad por el 2019-nCoV, incluyendo fuente(s), los mecanismos de transmisión, la capacidad de diseminación del virus, y la persistencia del virus en el ambiente y fómites. El 17 de febrero de 2020, el Centro para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades de China publicó un estudio con 72,314 casos registrados, de los cuales 44,672 (62%) fueron confirmados para SARS-CoV-2. Entre los casos confirmados, el 31,2% tenía más de 60 años y representaba 81% del total de las muertes. La tasa global de letalidad fue del 2,3%. Las comorbilidades más prevalentes fueron hipertensión, diabetes y enfermedades cardiovasculares. El espectro de la enfermedad se distribuyó en 81% de casos leves (casos de no-neumonía y neumonía leve), 14% de casos graves (disnea, frecuencia respiratoria mayor que 30/min, saturación de oxígeno en sangre menor a 93%, relación PaO2/FiO2 menor a 300, y/o infiltrados pulmonares mayor que 50% en un plazo de 24­48 horas), y 5% de pacientes en estado crítico, con insuficiencia respiratoria, shock séptico y/o disfunción o fallo multiorgánico.† • La implementación de terapias de apoyo oportunas, eficaces y seguras (oxígeno, antibióticos, hidratación y alivio de la fiebre/dolor) es la piedra angular de la terapia para los pacientes que desarrollan manifestaciones graves de COVID-19.‡ • Hasta el momento, no existe un tratamiento específico como antivirales para COVID-19. Han habido informes anecdóticos sobre el uso de estos agentes; sin embargo, su eficacia y seguridad aún no se han determinado.

• In December 2019 a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the causative agent of pneumonia (COVID-19) among people exposed to a seafood market in Wuhan, China. • There are gaps in the knowledge about the natural history of COVID-19, including viral shedding, reservoirs and patterns of transmission. On February 17, 2020, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention published a study with 72,314 recorded cases, of which 44,672 (62%) were confirmed for COVID-19. Among the confirmed cases, 31.2% were over 60 years of age and accounted for 81% of the total deaths. The overall case-fatality rate was 2.3%. The most prevalent comorbid conditions were hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The spectrum of disease included 81% of mild cases (non-pneumonia and mild pneumonia cases), 14% severe (dyspnea, respiratory frequency higher than ≥) 30/min, blood oxygen saturation lesser than ≤ 93%, PaO2/FiO2 ratio lesser than ≤ 300, and/or lung infiltrates > 50% within 24­48 hours), and 5% of critically ill patients, with respiratory failure, septic shock, and/or multiple organ dysfunction or failure. • The implementation of timely, effective, and safe supportive therapies (oxygen, antibiotics, hydration & fever/pain relief) is the cornerstone of therapy for patients that develop severe manifestations of COVID-19.• At the moment, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19, such as antivirals. There have been anecdotal reports on the use of these agents; however, its efficacy and safety are yet to be determined. The medical devices listed in this document provide minimum standards and technical description and specifications of medical devices for supportive treatment of COVID-19. • These medical devices are not limited, and to be adaptable to all countries in the region irrespective of their different health care systems and socioeconomic disparities. In addition, they are recommended for: o Early supportive therapy and monitoring of severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) when COVID-19 infection is suspected; o Management of hypoxemic respiratory failure and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 patients; o Management of septic shock in COVID-19 patients.

Determining the Provincial and National Burden of Influenza-Associated Severe Acute Respiratory Illness in South Africa Using a Rapid Assessment Methodology.

Local disease burden data are necessary to set national influenza vaccination policy. In 2010 the population of South Africa was 50 million and the HIV prevalence was 11%. We used a previously developed methodology to determine severe influenza burden in South Africa. Hospitalized severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) incidence was calculated, stratified by HIV status, for four age groups using data from population-based surveillance in one site situated in Gauteng Province for 2009-2011. These rates were adjusted for each of the remaining 8 provinces based on their prevalence of risk factors for pneumonia and healthcare-seeking behavior. We estimated non-hospitalized influenza-associated SARI from healthcare utilization surveys at two sites and used the percent of SARI cases positive for influenza from sentinel surveillance to derive the influenza-associated SARI rate. We applied rates of hospitalized and non-hospitalized influenza-associated SARI to census data to calculate the national number of cases. The percent of SARI cases that tested positive for influenza ranged from 7-17% depending on age group, year, province and HIV status. In 2010, there were an estimated 21,555 total severe influenza cases in HIV-uninfected individuals and 13,876 in HIV-infected individuals. In 2011, there were an estimated 29,892 total severe influenza cases in HIV-uninfected individuals and 17,289 in HIV-infected individuals. The incidence of influenza-associated SARI was highest in children <5 years and was higher in HIV-infected than HIV-uninfected persons in all age groups. Influenza virus was associated with a substantial amount of severe disease, especially in young children and HIV-infected populations in South Africa.

Long-term psychiatric morbidities among SARS survivors.

OBJECTIVE: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was the first massive infectious disease outbreak of the 21st century. However, it is unlikely that this outbreak will be the last. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term psychiatric morbidities in survivors of SARS. METHOD: This is a cohort study designed to investigate psychiatric complications among SARS survivors treated in the United Christian Hospital 30 months after the SARS outbreak. Psychiatric morbidities were assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Impact of Events Scale-Revised and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Functional outcomes were assessed by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. RESULTS: Ninety subjects were recruited, yielding a response rate of 96.8%. Post-SARS cumulative incidence of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders was 58.9%. Current prevalence for any psychiatric disorder at 30 months post-SARS was 33.3%. One-fourth of the patients had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 15.6% had depressive disorders. CONCLUSION: The outbreak of SARS can be regarded as a mental health catastrophe. PTSD was the most prevalent long-term psychiatric condition, followed by depressive disorders. Our results highlight the need to enhance preparedness and competence of health care professionals in detecting and managing the psychological sequelae of future comparable infectious disease outbreaks.

Are the World Health Organisation case definitions for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome sufficient at initial assessment?

INTRODUCTION: On March 13, 2003, Singapore doctors were alerted about an outbreak of atypical pneumonia that became known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). We now describe a series of patients that did not fit World Health Organisation (WHO) case definitions for SARS at initial assessment. METHODS: The Ministry of Health, Singapore centralised SARS cases in the study hospital and its emergency department (ED) became the national screening centre. A screening questionnaire and a set of admission criteria based on WHO case definitions were applied. Patients discharged from ED were tracked via telephone surveillance and recalled if necessary. A retrospective review was done of patients who did not fit WHO definitions initially, were discharged and had re-attended. RESULTS: During the outbreak, 11,461 people were screened for SARS. Among 10,075 (87.9 percent) discharged from the ED, there were 28 re-attendees diagnosed to have SARS later, giving an undertriage rate of 0.3 percent. Among the 28, six (21.4 percent) did not complain of fever and 22 (78.6 percent) had temperatures less than 38.0 degrees Celsius during their first ED visit. One patient was screened to have all three criteria but during consultation, the contact history was found to be unrelated to the known "hot spots". The initial mean temperature was 37.6 degrees Celsius (standard deviation [SD] 0.8), which increased significantly (p-value equals 0.04) to 38.0 degrees Celsius (SD 0.8) during their subsequent visit. Chest radiographs with infective changes increased significantly (p-value equals 0.009) from 16 percent to 52.4 percent over the two ED visits. CONCLUSION: The WHO case definitions were helpful in evaluating majority of SARS patients initially. However under-triage at ED is inevitable, with a 0.3 percent under-triage in our study population. In this group and asymptomatic individuals who came for screening, a tracking and recall system helped to ensure their timely return to the ED.

An assessment of World Health Organization criteria for severe acute respiratory syndrome in patients with cancer.

BACKGROUND: The differential diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in patients with cancer can be challenging. Although diagnostic criteria for SARS have been issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), simple adoption of the established criteria may lead to overdiagnosis in patients with cancer or to an increase in the risk of spreading SARS within cancer hospitals. METHODS: The authors report their experience with the exclusion and quarantine of patients with cancer during the peak of the SARS epidemic in Beijing, China. The patients included 4 males and 7 females with a median age of 66 years (range, 39-73 years). RESULTS: All 11 patients met the WHO diagnostic criteria for probable SARS. Among those 11 patients with probable SARS, only 1 had confirmed SARS; for the other 10 patients, the possibility of SARS infection was ruled out. CONCLUSIONS: Special attention must be paid to patients with cancer who have symptoms similar to those seen in SARS. Although the WHO diagnostic criteria for SARS should be widely accepted, they are not definite or practical in certain populations.