Safety and efficacy of malaria vaccine candidate R21/Matrix-M in African children: a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, phase 3 trial.

Background: Recently, we found that a new malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, had over 75% efficacy against clinical malaria with seasonal administration in a phase 2b trial in Burkina Faso. Here, we report on safety and efficacy of the vaccine in a phase 3 trial enrolling over 4800 children across four countries followed for up to 18 months at seasonal sites and 12 months at standard sites.

Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, phase 3 trial of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine across five sites in four African countries with differing malaria transmission intensities and seasonality.

Impact and operational feasibility of adding malaria infection screening using an ultrasensitive RDT for placental and fetal outcomes in an area of high IPTP-SP coverage in Burkina Faso: the ASSER MALARIA pilot study protocol.

Background: Malaria infection during pregnancy (MIP) is not only deleterious to the woman, but it also puts her fetus at increased risk of adverse outcomes, such as preterm delivery, low birth weight, and intrauterine growth retardation. Additionally, all-cause mortality during the first year of life in babies born to women with malaria during pregnancy is also increased. Many interventions such as IPTp-SP and long-lasting insecticidal nets have proven to be efficient at reducing malaria in pregnancy burden but adherence to recommended policies remains poor.

Development and evaluation of an electronic algorithm using a combination of a two-step malaria RDT and other rapid diagnostic tools for the management of febrile illness in children under 5 attending outpatient facilities in Burkina Faso.

Background: In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), febrile illnesses remain a major public health problem in children. However, the persistence of hrp2 antigen and the low sensitivity of pLDH RDT negatively affect antimalarials and antibiotics prescription practices. These limitations lead to poor management of febrile diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Plasmodium falciparum sexual conversion rates can be affected by artemisinin-based treatment in naturally infected malaria patients.

Background: Artemisinins (ART) are the key component of the frontline antimalarial treatment, but their impact on Plasmodium falciparum sexual conversion rates in natural malaria infections remains unknown. This is an important knowledge gap because sexual conversion rates determine the relative parasite investment between maintaining infection in the same human host and transmission to mosquitoes.

Methods: The primary outcome of this study was to assess the impact of ART-based treatment on sexual conversion rates by comparing the relative transcript levels of pfap2-g and other sexual ring biomarkers (SRBs) before and after treatment.

Patterns of child mortality in rural area of Burkina Faso: evidence from the Nanoro health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS).

Background: Half of global child deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding child mortality patterns and risk factors will help inform interventions to reduce this heavy toll. The Nanoro Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS), Burkina Faso was described previously, but patterns and potential drivers of heterogeneity in child mortality in the district had not been studied.

Antibiotic susceptibility profile of bacterial isolates from febrile children under 5 years of age in Nanoro, Burkina Faso.

Objectives: Antibiotics efficacy is severely threatened due to emerging resistance worldwide, but there is a paucity of antibiotics efficacy data for the West African region in general. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile of bacterial isolated from febrile children under 5 years of age in Nanoro (Burkina Faso).

Methods: Blood, stool and urine samples were collected from 1099 febrile children attending peripheral health facilities and the referral hospital in Nanoro Health district.

Assessment of a combined strategy of seasonal malaria chemoprevention and supplementation with vitamin A, zinc and Plumpy'Doz™ to prevent malaria and malnutrition in children under 5 years old in Burkina Faso: a randomized open-label trial (SMC-NUT).

Background: Malaria and malnutrition represent major public health concerns worldwide especially in Sub-Sahara Africa. Despite implementation of seasonal malaria chemoprophylaxis (SMC), an intervention aimed at reducing malaria incidence among children aged 3-59 months, the burden of malaria and associated mortality among children below age 5 years remains high in Burkina Faso. Malnutrition, in particular micronutrient deficiency, appears to be one of the potential factors that can negatively affect the effectiveness of SMC.

Antibiotic Susceptibility of and Isolates from the Nasopharynx of Febrile Children under 5 Years in Nanoro, Burkina Faso.

(1) Background: nasopharynx colonization by resistant and can lead to serious diseases. Emerging resistance to antibiotics commonly used to treat infections due to these pathogens poses a serious threat to the health system. The present study aimed to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of and isolates from the febrile children's nasopharynx under 5 years in Nanoro (Burkina Faso).

Long-term immunogenicity and immune memory response to the hepatitis B antigen in the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine in African children: a randomized trial.

RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine contains the hepatitis B virus surface antigen and may thus serve as a potential hepatitis B vaccine. To evaluate the impact of RTS,S/AS01 when implemented in the Expanded Program of Immunization, infants 8-12 weeks old were randomized to receive either RTS,S/AS01 or a licensed hepatitis B control vaccine (HepB), both co-administered with various combinations of the following childhood vaccines: diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis- type b, trivalent oral poliovirus, pneumococcal non-typeable protein D conjugate and human rotavirus vaccine. Long-term persistence of antibodies against the circumsporozoite (CS) protein and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were assessed, together with the immune memory response to the HB antigen following a booster dose of HepB vaccine.

The effect of malaria rapid diagnostic tests results on antimicrobial prescription practices of health care workers in Burkina Faso.

Background: Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) are widely used in endemic areas in order to comply with the recommendation that malaria treatment should only be given after the clinical diagnosis has been confirmed by RDT or microscopy. However, the overestimation of malaria infection with the use of PfHRP2 based RDT, makes the management of febrile illnesses more challenging. This study aimed to assess the effect of the use of malaria RDT on antimicrobial prescription practices.

Genomic and environmental risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in Africa: methods used for Phase 1 of the AWI-Gen population cross-sectional study.

There is an alarming tide of cardiovascular and metabolic disease (CMD) sweeping across Africa. This may be a result of an increasingly urbanized lifestyle characterized by the growing consumption of processed and calorie-dense food, combined with physical inactivity and more sedentary behaviour. While the link between lifestyle and public health has been extensively studied in Caucasian and African American populations, few studies have been conducted in Africa.

Treatable causes of fever among children under five years in a seasonal malaria transmission area in Burkina Faso.

Background: Fever remains a major public health problem. In Burkina Faso, more than half of febrile children are considered not to be infected by malaria. This study prospectively assessed probable (treatable) causes of fever in Burkinabe children.