Publications by authors named "Chacon-Cruz E"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to investigate the epidemiology and outcomes of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) across 16 Latin American countries from August 2020 to June 2022.
  • Out of 1239 children with MIS-C, the majority were previously healthy, with common symptoms including abdominal pain and conjunctival injection, and nearly half required intensive care.
  • The overall death rate was 4.88%, notably higher for those not initially diagnosed with MIS-C, emphasizing the need for improved awareness and early detection of the syndrome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Unrecognized Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) can lead to multiple chains of transmissions if the first caretakers are not trained and prepared. This study aimed to assess healthcare workers (HCWs) preparedness in private hospitals located in Kampala, to detect, respond and prevent EVD.

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among HCWs in direct clinical care provision in four private hospitals, and in one Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) using a self-administered questionnaire from March to June 2020.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) related to COVID-19 shows varied severity, with a lower mortality rate in wealthier countries, highlighting differences in outcomes across regions.
  • In a study of 1,239 children across 16 Latin American countries, the majority were previously healthy, but nearly half required admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), where they experienced more severe symptoms like myocardial dysfunction.
  • Key risk factors for PICU admission included being over six years old, experiencing shock or seizures, having low platelet counts, elevated inflammatory markers, and abnormalities on chest X-rays, with an overall mortality rate of 4.8%, which is notably higher than in high-income countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Influenza in pregnancy is associated with elevated morbidity and mortality. Influenza vaccines are safe and effective in pregnancy. There are no Mexican surveys of physicians on knowledge, beliefs, and practices towards influenza and influenza immunization during pregnancy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Meningococcal disease (MD) is a potentially lethal condition. Typically, following infection, MD manifests with high fever, with signs and symptoms of severe septicemia with or without purpura, and in more than half of cases with meningitis. Acute otitis media (AOM) caused by has scarcely been reported, mostly without severe MD, and there are no reports of meningococcal paranasal sinusitis (PS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Mpox is a zoonotic disease due to the Mpox virus, which was first noted outside its typical regions in Central and West Africa on May 21, 2022.
  • A study involving 647 patients across 16 countries found the majority of cases were young males, mostly homosexual-bisexual, with symptoms like rashes, fever, and lymphadenopathy.
  • The findings highlight the need for increased awareness and swift public health responses to manage Mpox’s spread beyond endemic regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Based on previous studies (regional and national), Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico (across the border from San Diego, California, USA), has been shown to have the highest rate of meningococcal meningitis (MeM) in the country. However, the reason for this high incidence has not yet been established. To explain this regional/endemic public health problem, we aimed to evaluate whether there is a climatic association with MeM in the region.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To describe the clinical presentation, management, and outcomes of Kawasaki disease (KD) in Latin America and to evaluate early prognostic indicators of coronary artery aneurysm (CAA).

Study Design: An observational KD registry-based study was conducted in 64 participating pediatric centers across 19 Latin American countries retrospectively between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2013, and prospectively from June 1, 2014, to May 31, 2017. Demographic and initial clinical and laboratory data were collected.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Although universal biometrics have been broadly called for, and there are many validated technologies to recognize adults, these technologies have been ineffective in newborns and young children. The present work describes the development and clinical testing of a fingerprint capture system for longitudinal biometric recognition of newborns and young children to support vaccination and clinical follow-up. The reader consists of a high-resolution monochromatic imaging system with an ergonomic industrial design to comfortably support and align infant fingers for imaging without a platen.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

After emergency authorization, different COVID-19 vaccines were administered across Mexico in 2021, including mRNA, viral vector, and inactivated platform vaccines. In the state of Baja-California, 3,516,394 doses were administered, and 2285 adverse events (AE) were registered in the epidemiological surveillance system in 2021. Incidence rates per 100,000 doses were calculated for total, mild (local and systemic), and severe AE for each vaccine.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is an uncommon but serious and potentially fatal condition mainly affecting children and adolescents. Active surveillance between 2005 and 2016 at Tijuana General Hospital, Mexico, indicated that the incidence of IMD in Tijuana was higher than previously thought, at 2.69 per 100,000 population aged <16 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a severe infection caused by , with mortality rates ranging from 10% to 40%. IMD has been confirmed to be an endemic disease in Tijuana, Mexico, right across the border from San Diego, California. To date, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the most severe pandemic, causing more than 5.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Universal varicella vaccination has proven to be cost-effective (CE) in countries where implemented. However, this has not been evaluated for Mexico.

Methods: The yearly disease burden (varicella cases/deaths, outpatient visits, and hospitalizations) was derived from Mexican seroprevalence data adjusted to the 2020 population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction The effectiveness of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) on sepsis, meningitis, pneumonia, and even acute otitis media has been proved in many studies. Nonetheless, the impact of PCV13 on otomastoiditis (OM) in children has barely been reviewed. In the past, we published a 13 years pneumococcal OM study from our hospital.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) local scar inflammatory reactions have been mostly associated with Kawasaki disease in children and less commonly with other viral infections (i.e., measles).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study analyzed 1,418 Kawasaki disease (KD) patients from Latin America treated between 2009 and 2017, comparing those who received only IVIG with those who received adjunctive therapies.
  • Most patients were male and hospitalized early, with steroid use being the most common adjunctive treatment for IVIG-resistance, followed by extra doses of IVIG, while biologics like infliximab were rarely used.
  • The findings indicate that children receiving adjunctive therapies often had worse indicators, like lower platelet and albumin levels, and highlight the need for further research on treatment barriers in this region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Recent studies show that hoarseness can occur in children with Kawasaki disease (KD), a condition that affects the heart and blood vessels.
  • In a study involving 865 KD patients in Latin America, 11.6% were found to have hoarseness, particularly in younger children with lower blood counts.
  • The findings suggest that hoarseness is a common symptom in acute KD and may signal underlying inflammation or anemia in affected individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite years of effort, reliable biometric identification of newborns and young children has remained elusive. In this paper, we review the importance of trusted identification methods, the biometric landscape for infants and adults, barriers and success stories, and we discuss specific failure modes particular to young children. We then describe our approach to infant identification using non-contact optical imaging of fingerprints.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Previous publications have proved the effectiveness of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) on pneumococcal pleural empyema (PnPE) in children, with little emergence of other pathogens. We searched the literature to establish whether PCV13 reduces PnPE, and to identify other pathogens causing pleural empyemas (PEs).

Material And Methods: From October 2005 to January 2018 (12.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pediatric mycotic infections in the eye are uncommon. However, ophthalmic infections by several fungal species have been described in immunocompetent subjects. Mycotic keratitis with or without conjunctivitis (MK) may account for more than 50% of all cases, particularly in tropical and sub-tropical areas.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: In Mexico, is considered to be a rare cause of bacterial meningitis (BM), however, one national publication using active surveillance has suggested the opposite. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is also considered to be infrequent in young infants as a cause of BM in central Mexico. vaccination using the 13-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV13) started in our region in May 2012.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Vaccination against tuberculosis with live-attenuated Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is widely used even though its effectiveness is controversial. BCG-lymphadenitis (BCG-LA) is its most common complication. Some studies have proposed that BCG-LA can be associated with primary immunodeficiencies (PIs).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF