Publications by authors named "Dini Mawela"
Background: Surveillance systems for monitoring and reporting adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) and adverse events of special interest (AESI) are vital in understanding safety profiles of post-marketed vaccines. Evaluation of surveillance systems is necessary for systems strengthening. We conducted the first evaluation of the South African AEFI surveillance system in its current form, established in 2018.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Hospitalized neonates are vulnerable to infection and have high rates of antibiotic utilization.
Methods: Fourteen South African neonatal units (seven public, seven private sector) assembled multidisciplinary teams involving neonatologists, microbiologists, pharmacists, and nurses to implement prospective audit and feedback neonatal antimicrobial stewardship (NeoAMS) interventions. The teams attended seven online training sessions.
Article Synopsis
- South Africa experienced a significant rise in COVID-19 cases, starting in mid-November 2021, primarily due to the omicron variant, leading to a notable increase in hospitalizations among children in the Tshwane District.
- The Tshwane Maternal-Child COVID-19 study analyzed pediatric COVID-19 patients aged 19 and younger admitted to hospitals during the early fourth wave, using multiple data sources to assess their clinical outcomes.
- From October 31 to December 11, 2021, 6287 pediatric cases were reported, with 462 hospitalizations (18% of total), predominantly affecting younger children (0-4 years), and most viral samples indicated they were infected with the omicron variant.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on the epidemiology of candidemia, a yeast infection in the bloodstream, among children in South Africa from 2012 to 2017, with a significant number of cases in neonates (49%).
- The most common types of Candida identified were C. parapsilosis (42%) and C. albicans (36%), with notable fluconazole resistance in C. parapsilosis (55%).
- Despite high overall mortality rates (38%), infection with C. parapsilosis in neonates was associated with lower mortality compared to other species, indicating a complex relationship between the type of Candida and patient outcomes.
Candidemia is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections. We describe a large outbreak of Candida krusei bloodstream infections among infants in Gauteng Province, South Africa, during a 4-month period; a series of candidemia and bacteremia outbreaks in the neonatal unit followed. We detected cases by using enhanced laboratory surveillance and audited hospital wards by environmental sampling and epidemiologic studies.
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