Individual and household risk factors for Ebola disease among household contacts in Mubende and Kassanda districts, Uganda, 2022.

BACKGROUND: In 2022, an Ebola disease outbreak caused by Sudan virus (SUDV) occurred in Uganda, primarily affecting Mubende and Kassanda districts. We determined risk factors for SUDV infection among household members (HHM) of cases. METHODS: We conducted a case-control and retrospective cohort study in January 2023. Cases were RT-PCR-confirmed SUDV infection in residents of Mubende or Kassanda districts during the outbreak. Case-households housed a symptomatic, primary case-patient for ≥ 24 h and had ≥ 1 secondary case-patient with onset < 2 weeks after their last exposure to the primary case-patient. Control households housed a case-patient and other HHM but no secondary cases. A risk factor questionnaire was administered to the primary case-patient or another adult who lived at home while the primary case-patient was ill. We conducted a retrospective cohort study among case-household members and categorized their interactions with primary case-patients during their illnesses as none, minimal, indirect, and direct contact. We conducted logistic regression to explore associations between exposures and case-household status, and Poisson regression to identify risk factors for SUDV infection among HHM. RESULTS: Case- and control-households had similar median sizes. Among 19 case-households and 51 control households, primary case-patient death (adjusted odds ratio [ORadj] = 7.6, 95% CI 1.4-41) and ≥ 2 household bedrooms (ORadj=0.19, 95% CI 0.056-0.71) were associated with case-household status. In the cohort of 76 case-HHM, 44 (58%) were tested for SUDV < 2 weeks from their last contact with the primary case-patient; 29 (38%) were positive. Being aged ≥ 18 years (adjusted risk ratio [aRRadj] = 1.9, 95%CI: 1.01-3.7) and having direct or indirect contact with the primary case-patient (aRRadj=3.2, 95%CI: 1.1-9.7) compared to minimal or no contact increased risk of Sudan virus disease (SVD). Access to a handwashing facility decreased risk (aRRadj=0.52, 95%CI: 0.31-0.88). CONCLUSION: Direct contact, particularly providing nursing care for and sharing sleeping space with SVD patients, increased infection risk among HHM. Risk assessments during contact tracing may provide evidence to justify closer monitoring of some HHM. Health messaging should highlight the risk of sharing sleeping spaces and providing nursing care for persons with Ebola disease symptoms and emphasize hand hygiene to aid early case identification and reduce transmission.

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.

Malaria diagnostic and treatment practices for febrile children under 5 years at two general hospitals in Karamoja, a high transmission setting in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Malaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children under 5 years of age in Uganda. Although Karamoja sub-region has the highest prevalence of malaria, and one of the highest case fatality rates in children under 5 years, information on malaria case management for the sub-region is scarce. The study evaluated the malaria diagnostic and treatment practices, as well as the factors associated with inappropriate care for children under 5 years of age presenting with fever in two public hospitals within the sub-region. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 857 children under 5 years of age who presented with fever at Abim and Kaabong general hospitals between February and March 2020. A questionnaire was administered to the primary caregiver during exit/bedside interviews to collect socio-demographic information. The participant clinical notes were reviewed to capture information on laboratory tests conducted, diagnosis given, and treatment prescribed. In addition, a health facility assessment was conducted and information on healthcare workers was collected. The healthcare worker and facility data was linked to the participant's hospital visit. Main outcome measures were malaria diagnostic and treatment practices. RESULTS: Of the 857 children enrolled, 820 (95.7%) had a malaria diagnostic test done and 623 (76.0%) tested positive for malaria. All test positive children received anti-malarial treatment, however, only 424/623 (68.1%) received the recommended anti-malarial drug and 376/424 (88.7%) received the right dose of the treatment. Inappropriate diagnosis/treatment was in 321 (37.5%) of the enrolled participants. Factors associated with inappropriate diagnosis/treatment included: lack of recommended anti-malarials on the day of the visit (Prevalence Ratio [PR] = 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.8-2.4), hospital where care was sought (PR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.3-0.5), being managed by a recently supervised health worker (PR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.2-0.9), and health worker cadre (PR = 0.8, 95% CI 0.7-0.9). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of inappropriate malaria diagnosis and treatment in the Karamoja sub-region was high with approximately one in every three children receiving inappropriate care. This was majorly influenced by health system factors, which if improved upon may reduce malaria-related mortalities in the sub-region a vital step in meeting the country's target of zero deaths from malaria by 2030.

Investigation of COVID-19 outbreak at a refugee transit centre, Kisoro District, Uganda, June-July 2022.

Due to conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), approximately 34,000 persons arrived at Nyakabande Transit Centre (NTC) between March and June 2022. On June 12, 2022, Kisoro District reported >330 cases of COVID-19 among NTC residents. We investigated the outbreak to assess its magnitude, identify risk factors, and recommend control measures. We defined a confirmed case as a positive SARS-CoV-2 antigen test in an NTC resident during March 1-June 30, 2022. We generated a line list through medical record reviews and interviews with residents and health workers. We assessed the setting to understand possible infection mechanisms. In a case-control study, we compared exposures between cases (persons staying ≥5 days at NTC between June 26 and July 16, 2022, with a negative COVID-19 test at NTC entry and a positive test at exit) and unmatched controls (persons with a negative COVID-19 test at both entry and exit who stayed ≥5 days at NTC during the same period). We used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with contracting COVID-19. Among 380 case-persons, 206 (54.2%) were male, with a mean age of 19.3 years (SD = 12.6); none died. The attack rate was higher among exiting persons (3.8%) than entering persons (0.6%) (p<0.01). Among 42 cases and 127 controls, close contact with symptomatic persons (aOR = 9.6; 95%CI = 3.1-30) increased the odds of infection; using a facemask (aOR = 0.06; 95% CI = 0.02-0.17) was protective. We observed overcrowding in shelters, poor ventilation, and most refugees not wearing face masks. The COVID-19 outbreak at NTC was facilitated by overcrowding and suboptimal use of facemasks. Enforcing facemask use and expanding shelter space could reduce the risk of future outbreaks. The collaborative efforts resulted in successful health sensitization and expanding the distribution of facemasks and shelter space. Promoting facemask use through refugee-led efforts is a viable strategy.

Performance and impact of contact tracing in the Sudan virus outbreak in Uganda, September 2022-January 2023.

BACKGROUND: Contact tracing (CT) is critical for ebolavirus outbreak response. Ideally, all new cases after the index case should be previously-known contacts (PKC) before their onset, and spend minimal time ill in the community. We assessed the impact of CT during the 2022 Sudan Virus Disease (SVD) outbreak in Uganda. METHODS: We collated anonymized data from the SVD case and contacts database to obtain and analyze data on CT performance indicators, comparing confirmed cases that were PKC and were not PKC (NPKC) before onset. We assessed the effect of being PKC on the number of people infected using Poisson regression. RESULTS: There were 3844 contacts of 142 confirmed cases (mean: 22 contacts/case). Forty-seven (33%) confirmed cases were PKC. PKCs had fewer median days from onset to isolation (4 vs 6; P<0.007) and laboratory confirmation (4 vs 7; P<0.001) than NPKC. Being a PKC vs NPKC reduced risk of transmitting infection by 84% (IRR=0.16, 95% CI 0.08-0.32). CONCLUSION: Contact identification was sub-optimal during the outbreak. However, CT reduced the time SVD cases spent in the community before isolation and the number of persons infected in Uganda. Approaches to improve contact tracing, especially contact listing, may improve control in future outbreaks.

Mortality rate and associated factors among patients co-infected with drug resistant tuberculosis/HIV at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda, a retrospective cohort study.

Drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB)/HIV co-infection remains a growing threat to public health and threatens global TB and HIV prevention and care programs. HIV is likely to worsen the outcomes of DR-TB and DR-TB is likely to worsen the outcomes of HIV despite the scale up of TB and HIV services and advances in treatment and diagnosis. This study determined the mortality rate and factors associated with mortality among persons on treatment co-infected with drug resistant TB and HIV at Mulago National Referral Hospital. We retrospectively reviewed data of 390 persons on treatment that had a DR-TB/HIV co-infection in Mulago National Referral Hospital from January 2014 to December 2019.Modified poisson regression with robust standard errors was used to determine relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variable (mortality) at bivariate and multivariate analysis. Of the 390 participants enrolled, 201(53.9%) were males with a mean age of 34.6 (±10.6) and 129 (33.2%,95% CI = 28.7-38.1%) died. Antiretroviral therapy(ART) initiation (aIRR 0.74, 95% CI = 0.69-0.79), having a body mass index (BMI)≥18.5Kg/m2 (aIRR 1.01, 95% CI = 1.03-1.17), having a documented client phone contact (aIRR 0.85, 95% CI = 0.76-0.97), having a mid-upper arm circumference,(MUAC) ≥18.5cm (aIRR 0.90, 95% CI = 0.82-0.99), being on first and second line ART regimen (aIRR 0.83, 95% CI = 0.77-0.89),having a known viral load (aIRR 1.09, 95% CI = 1.00-1.21) and having an adverse event during the course of treatment (aIRR 0.88, 95% CI = 0.83-0.93) were protective against mortality. There was a significantly high mortality rate due to DR-TB/HIV co-infection. These results suggest that initiation of all persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) with DR-TB on ART and frequent monitoring of adverse drug events highly reduces mortality.

Optimal utilization of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services among adolescents under group versus focused antenatal care in Eastern Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Group antenatal care (G-ANC), an alternative to focused ANC (F-ANC), involves grouping mothers by gestational and maternal age. In high-income countries, G-ANC has been associated with improved utilization of health care services like Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV services. Some low-resource countries with poor utilization of health care services have piloted G-ANC. However, there is limited evidence of its efficiency. We, therefore, compared G-ANC versus F-ANC with regards to optimal utilization of PMTCT of HIV services and assessed associated factors thereof among adolescent mothers in eastern Uganda. We defined optimal utilization of PMTCT of HIV services as the adolescent being up to date with HIV counseling and testing. If found HIV negative, subsequent timely re-testing. If found HIV positive, initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) under option B plus for the mother. While for the infant, it entailed safe delivery, testing, feeding, and appropriate HIV chemotherapy. METHODS: From February to April 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional study among 528 adolescent mothers in four sites in eastern Uganda. We assessed the optimal utilization of PMTCT of HIV services among adolescent mothers that had attended G-ANC versus F-ANC at the post-natal care or immunization clinics. We also assessed the factors associated with optimal utilization of PMTCT of HIV services among these mothers. RESULTS: Optimal utilization of PMTCT was higher among those in G-ANC than in F-ANC (74.7% vs 41.2, p-0.0162). There was a statistically significant association between having attended G-ANC and optimal utilization of PMTCT [PR = 1.080, 95%CI (1.067-1.093)]. Other factors independently associated with optimal utilization were; having a partner that tested for HIV [PR = 1.075, 95%CI (1.048-1.103)], trimester of first ANC visit: second trimester [PR = 0.929, 95%CI (0.902-0.957)] and third trimester [PR = 0.725, 95%CI (0.616-0.853)], and the health facility attended: Bugembe HCIV [PR = 1.126, 95%CI (1.113-1.139)] and Jinja regional referral hospital [PR = 0.851, 95%CI (0.841-0.861]. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent mothers under G-ANC had significantly higher optimal utilization of PMTCT of HIV services compared to those under F-ANC. We recommend that the Ministry of Health considers widely implementing G-ANC, especially for adolescent mothers.