Publications by authors named "E A Hunsperger"
Article Synopsis
- Refugee settings, like the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya, faced increased risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection and death, highlighting a gap in data on pandemic responses in these populations.
- During the pandemic from March 2020 to December 2022, the study found that 72.6% of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases were among refugees, with significantly higher attack rates (AR) compared to the national average, leading to a concerning case fatality rate (CFR) of 7.4% for refugees.
- Despite effective mitigation measures, including health promotion and movement restrictions, the high CFR among refugees reveals their vulnerability and the necessity for tailored interventions in future epidemic responses.
Article Synopsis
- Researchers conducted surveillance for avian influenza viruses in domestic and wild birds near Lake Victoria, Kenya, due to nearby outbreaks in other countries.
- They tested over 14,000 specimens and found that 3.9% of poultry samples and 0.2% of wild bird fecal samples were positive for the virus, with most poultry infections being H9N2.
- Despite not detecting highly pathogenic H5N8, the study emphasizes the risk of HPAI virus introduction and establishment in the region, particularly through live bird markets.
Article Synopsis
- Acute febrile illness (AFI) is frequently misattributed to malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa, but a variety of pathogens can cause fever, emphasizing the need for better understanding and management of AFI.
- A study across four sites in Kenya from June 2017 to March 2019 enrolled over 3,200 AFI cases, primarily among children under 5, finding that 4.3% resulted in hospital fatalities and that many cases had undetermined causes.
- Identification of pathogens revealed malaria (Plasmodium) as the most common, while HIV and chikungunya were also detected; the results highlight the importance of improved diagnostics to address both malaria and non-malarial fever causes effectively.
Article Synopsis
- Kenya introduced the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Synflorix™, in 2011, and early surveys indicated a decline in vaccine-type pneumococcal colonization among children but there was limited information on its long-term effectiveness.
- A 2017 cross-sectional survey in Kibera and Asembo involved 504 children under 5, showing a significant reduction in overall pneumococcal colonization compared to 2013, with over 90% of participants having received three doses of the vaccine.
- Despite the decrease in overall colonization, the prevalence of PCV10-GSK serotypes remained relatively stable, indicating a plateau effect in vaccine-type carriage six years after the vaccine's
We examined the association between serum aflatoxin B1-lysine adduct (AFB1-lys) levels in pregnant women and adverse pregnancy outcomes (low birthweight, miscarriage and stillbirth) through a nested matched case-control study of pregnant women enroled at ≤28 weeks' gestation in Mombasa, Kenya, from 2017 to 2019. Cases comprised women with an adverse birth outcome, defined as either delivery of a singleton infant weighing <2500 g, or a miscarriage, or a stillbirth, while controls were women who delivered a singleton live infant with a birthweight of ≥2500 g. Cases were matched to controls at a ratio of 1:2 based on maternal age at enrolment, gestational age at enrolment and study site.
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