[An experience of hepatitis B control in a rural area in Far North Cameroon]. / Une expérience de lutte contre l'hépatite B en zone rurale à l'extrême nord du Cameroun.

Experience of four years of control of the transmission of hepatitis B in a rural area in Far North Cameroon is presented: (i) prevention of mother to child transmission, (ii) HBsAg screening before blood transfusion, (iii) detection of HIV/HBV co-infections, (iv) protection of healthcare workers. The prevalence of HBsAg is very high in the four populations studied: 18.2% of pregnant women, 16.9% of candidate for blood donation, 14.4% of people living with HIV and 18 % of healthcare workers. Despite limited resources, effective actions are possible. Prevention of mother to child transmission of HBV with vaccination at birth has been set up, with bottlenecks - similar to those observed in HIV - but decreasing over the study. The screening of all potential blood donors has been reached over the years for HIV, HBsAg and HCV, which has led to the eviction of one out of five potential blood donors. Screening of healthcare workers reminded us that adult protection is based on a very early vaccination and not when hiring, even if it is possible to diagnose rare adults eligible for vaccination by research of anti-HBc antibody. A program of hepatitis B control, essential in Africa, appears feasible in rural areas in a framework of an overall improvement in care delivery.

[Viral markers of hepatitis B, C and D and HB vaccination status of a health care team in a rural district of Cameroon]. / Marqueurs d'infection par virus des hépatites B, C et D et vaccination contre l'hépatite B chez des personnels de santé d'un district rural du Cameroun.

UNLABELLED: Ninety-three health care workers (HCW) in the Tokombere sahelian district volunteered to participate in a trial to investigate viral markers of hepatitis B, C, and D and HB vaccination status. METHODS: . Sera were tested using the Vikia HBsAg kit followed by CMIA for detection of HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc, and anti-HCV. HBsAg-positive HCW were tested for HBV-DNA, anti-HDV, and, if positive for anti-HDV, HDV-RNA. RESULTS: Analysis of anti-HBc positivity indicated that 91% of HCW had been infected by HBV, regardless of vaccination history. Vikia HBsAg results were confirmed by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) in all HCW and were positive in 17 HCW with virus load >2000 IU/mL in 6 and HDV co-infection in 6. Anti-HCV was found in 6 HCW. Among the 55 HCW that had not been vaccinated, only 3 needed vaccination because of anti-HBc negativity. Among HCW considered for HBV treatment, one patient presenting HBV/HDV co-infection was excluded after diagnosis of hepatocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: Systematic HB vaccination of new HCW appears unnecessary in this rural region of Africa. Anti-HBc screening is cost-effective for identifying HCW requiring vaccination. Vikia HBsAg is effective for point-of-care screening. We underline the need for universal early (preferably neonatal) HB vaccination and for availability of anti-HBV drug in limited-resource countries.

[Measure of effectiveness and adherence to antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients in Cameroon]. / Mesure de l'efficacité et de l'observance du traitement antirétroviral chez des patients infectés par le VIH au Cameroun.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to identify the most useful clinical criteria to measure effectiveness and adherence to antiretroviral treatment in a rural area of Cameroon. PATIENTS AND METHOD: All patients under antiretroviral therapy followed for at least 3 months at the Tokombéré UPEC hospital were eligible. Therapeutic failure was defined according to clinical criteria including weight, Karnofsky's index, or occurrence of WHO stage IV conditions. The criteria for drug adherence were based on patient statement (drugs taken over the last 4 days) and pharmacy-controlled drug delivery. Patient sociodemographic characteristics were collected via a questionnaire. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients were included, most of whom were at AIDS stage on treatment initiation. The mean duration of antiretroviral therapy was 1 year. 21, 10, and 19% of patients were in therapeutic failure according to "weight", "Karnofsky's index", and "WHO stage IV", respectively. Non-adherence was reported in 5% of patients according to the declarative method and 20% according to pharmacy controlled drug delivery. Weight modification during treatment was significantly correlated with the evolution of Karnofsky's index (p=0.03). A significant correlation between therapeutic failure and non-observance was only found when using the weight criterion and the declarative method (p=0.004). CONCLUSION: The effectiveness and adherence to antiretroviral therapy can be evaluated by simple clinical criteria. Using these criteria can be recommended in rural areas until access to biological follow-up becomes available in developing countries.

[Pediatric activity in a rural hospital in Tokombéré (Cameroon). Description and qualitative approach during a one year period]. / Activité pédiatrique d'un hôpital rural en zone sahélienne à Tokombéré (Cameroun). Description et approche qualitative sur une période de 1 an.

AIM: To describe pediatric care in a North Cameroon rural hospital, the Health Promotion Centre of Tokombéré, and its coherence in a global project of development. POPULATION AND METHODS: This prospective and descriptive study concerned all the children admitted from October 1993 to October 1994. Analysis of data from a questionnaire has been conducted with EPI-INFO. RESULTS: Six hundred and thirty-one children were admitted. The average age was 3.9 years, the sex ratio was 1.45; the percentage of children coming from the Tokombéré health area was 75%. The predominant pathology involved infections, essentially respiratory and digestive. There were 13% of deaths, two out of three occurring before the 48th hour following admission: diarrhea, malaria and lung infections were the main causes of death. The laboratory tests contributed very little to therapeutic decisions, which were based more on symptomatology and its evolution, than on diagnostic certainties. Drug associations and therapeutic excess were within acceptable limits, but possibly improvable. For one-third of the diseases, simple care at home was possible, yet only performed in 50% of cases. CONCLUSION: This study points out some deficiencies in management of hospitalized children and suggests improvements without more cost: reorganization of the laboratory, emergency therapeutic protocols, and activities in the villages.