Risk factors for death among children with severe malaria, Ivukula sub-county, Namutumba district, Eastern Uganda, september 2021-february 2022.

BACKGROUND: In February 2022, the Ministry of Health received reports of more than 100 child deaths from a 'strange disease' in Namutumba District over a period of 6 months from politicians through the media. Preliminary investigations by the district rapid response team confirmed the strange disease to be severe malaria. The scope of severe malaria deaths was investigated, associated factors identified, and recommendations made for control measures to inform early malaria treatment strategies in Namutumba District. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in March 2022 in the most affected subcounty (Ivukula Subcounty) involving cases and controls. A case was defined as a death with a positive malaria test, fever and any of the following: convulsions, difficulty breathing, yellowing of eyes or palms, tea-coloured urine, anaemia (evidenced by pale eyes or palms, or clinically-identified in medical records), loss of consciousness, or reduced urine output (very little or no urine in a day) in a child ≤ 12 years from September 2021 to February 2022 in Ivukula Subcounty, Namutumba District. Controls were survivors with the same signs and symptoms, recruited in a 2:1 ratio with cases. Cases and controls were actively searched using a door-to-door approach with the help of community health workers. Caretakers were interviewed to obtain data on signs and symptoms, socio-demographic information, health-seeking behaviours and health system risk factors. Drugs and bloodstock status information was obtained from health workers using an interview guide. Factors associated with death were identified using multivariate logistic regression and thematic analysis for qualitative data. RESULTS: Among 46 cases, 29 (63%) were < 5 years, and 23 (50%) were female. Death among children with severe malaria was significantly associated with treatment non-completion (aOR = 9.7, 95%CI 1.8-53) and inability to receive blood transfusion for anaemic patients (aOR = 7.1, (95%CI 1.4-36). Healthcare workers reported that inability to reach referral sites due to transport costs, stockouts of anti-malarials and blood products at health facilities, and absence of integrated community case management of childhood illnesses (iCCM) contributed to deaths among children with severe malaria. CONCLUSION: Lack of access to anti-malarial treatment and to blood transfusions among anaemic patients due to stockouts were associated with severe malaria deaths among children ≤ 12 years in Ivukula Subcounty. Recommendations made were: accurate quantification of anti-malarials for health facilities, offering transport support to severe patients referred to higher-level facilities, and increasing access to blood products. Activation of iCCM could facilitate public health efforts against severe malaria in the district.

Sudan virus disease super-spreading, Uganda, 2022.

BACKGROUND: On 20 September 2022, Uganda declared its fifth Sudan virus disease (SVD) outbreak, culminating in 142 confirmed and 22 probable cases. The reproductive rate (R) of this outbreak was 1.25. We described persons who were exposed to the virus, became infected, and they led to the infection of an unusually high number of cases during the outbreak. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we defined a super-spreader person (SSP) as any person with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed SVD linked to the infection of ≥ 13 other persons (10-fold the outbreak R). We reviewed illness narratives for SSPs collected through interviews. Whole-genome sequencing was used to support epidemiologic linkages between cases. RESULTS: Two SSPs (Patient A, a 33-year-old male, and Patient B, a 26-year-old male) were identified, and linked to the infection of one probable and 50 confirmed secondary cases. Both SSPs lived in the same parish and were likely infected by a single ill healthcare worker in early October while receiving healthcare. Both sought treatment at multiple health facilities, but neither was ever isolated at an Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU). In total, 18 secondary cases (17 confirmed, one probable), including three deaths (17%), were linked to Patient A; 33 secondary cases (all confirmed), including 14 (42%) deaths, were linked to Patient B. Secondary cases linked to Patient A included family members, neighbours, and contacts at health facilities, including healthcare workers. Those linked to Patient B included healthcare workers, friends, and family members who interacted with him throughout his illness, prayed over him while he was nearing death, or exhumed his body. Intensive community engagement and awareness-building were initiated based on narratives collected about patients A and B; 49 (96%) of the secondary cases were isolated in an ETU, a median of three days after onset. Only nine tertiary cases were linked to the 51 secondary cases. Sequencing suggested plausible direct transmission from the SSPs to 37 of 39 secondary cases with sequence data. CONCLUSION: Extended time in the community while ill, social interactions, cross-district travel for treatment, and religious practices contributed to SVD super-spreading. Intensive community engagement and awareness may have reduced the number of tertiary infections. Intensive follow-up of contacts of case-patients may help reduce the impact of super-spreading events.

Isoniazid Preventive Therapy for Tuberculosis in People Living with HIV: A Cross Sectional Study in Butebo, Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Despite evidence that isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) can reduce the risk of tuberculosis (TB) disease among People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLHIV), uptake of IPT is low in many resource-limited settings. This study determined the level of IPT uptake and its associated factors amongst PLHIV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective quantitative study amongst PLHIV who do not have active TB and enrolled in 2019 - 2020 for anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in Butebo district, Uganda. Data related to demographic factors (age, sex, religion, marital status, employment status, education level, area of residence, household density), health facility factors (pre-IPT counseling), community factors [distance from Health Center (H/C), incurred costs to reach H/C], and IPT drug-related factors [frequency of Isoniazid (INH) refill, INH stock-outs] were collected from four health facilities using a checklist. The data was analyzed into descriptive statistics and relationships determined using Chi-square tests. RESULTS: Among eligible PLHIV (272), 34.2% achieved IPT uptake. The mean duration between HIV diagnosis and the start of IPT was 4.31 years, with IPT Uptake among males (37.0%), females (32.8%), married (39.5%), and Christians (35.4%). Factors that affect the rate of IPT uptake include employment, education, residence, costs to reach H/C, and pre-IPT counseling. The IPT completion rate was 97.8%. All the cases who had regular INH refill completed IPT compared to 60.0% with the irregular refill, while 97.8% did not experience INH stock-outs and completed IPT. CONCLUSION: Pre-IPT counseling was the most significant contributing factor for IPT uptake. IPT uptake may be scaled up by integrating IPT services in routine HIV care, enhancing counseling for IPT and supervision and monitoring, training of health workers, and improving logistical supplies at the health centers.