Publications by authors named "Hunsperger E"
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.
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- 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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- Understanding SARS-CoV-2 infection in vulnerable populations, like those in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, is essential for controlling the disease.
- From March 2020 to December 2021, data showed that out of 18,864 tests, there were 1,024 positive cases among refugees and the host community, with calculated attack rates and case fatality ratios (CFR) for both groups.
- While refugees had a lower attack rate of 325.0/100,000 but a higher CFR of 2.9% compared to the host community, this highlights the urgent need for targeted COVID-19 prevention strategies, especially vaccination efforts.
Women infected during pregnancy with TORCH (Toxoplasmosis, Other, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, and Herpes simplex viruses) pathogens have a higher risk of adverse birth outcomes including stillbirth / miscarriage because of mother-to-child transmission. To investigate these risks in pregnant women in Kenya, we analyzed serum specimens from a pregnancy cohort study at three healthcare facilities. A sample of 481 participants was selected for TORCH pathogen antibody testing to determine seroprevalence.
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- The study investigates SARS-CoV-2 exposure in two distinct populations in Kenya—one urban (Kibera) and one rural (Asembo)—by measuring seroprevalence at two different times in 2021.
- Results showed an increase in seroprevalence from March to June/July 2021, with urban Kibera reaching 63.9% and rural Asembo 48.7%, highlighting significant geographical disparities.
- The low vaccination rates at the time (only 1.2% and 1.6%) indicate a need for strengthened public health measures to combat further spread of the virus.
Typhoid fever burden can vary over time. Long-term data can inform prevention strategies; however, such data are lacking in many African settings. We reexamined typhoid fever incidence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) over a 10-year period in Kibera, a densely populated urban informal settlement where a high burden has been previously described.
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- Zika virus (ZIKV), first identified in 1947, is spread by insects and has been linked to outbreaks, with nonhuman primates (NHPs) possibly acting as a reservoir.
- Researchers examined 212 archived serum samples from NHPs in Kenya, collected between 1992 and 2017, to check for ZIKV antibodies using a microneutralization test.
- The study found ZIKV antibodies in 38 samples (17.9%), indicating that NHPs in Kenya may play a role in ZIKV transmission and maintenance in the environment.
Background: To address knowledge gaps regarding diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) in Africa, we assessed the clinical and epidemiological features of enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and Shiga toxin-producing E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is a common cause of gastroenteritis in young children, with limited data on NTS serovars and antimicrobial resistance in Africa.
Methods: We determined the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and frequency of antimicrobial resistance among serovars identified in stools of 0-59 month-old children with moderate-to-severe diarrhea (MSD) and controls enrolled in the Vaccine Impact on Diarrhea in Africa (VIDA) Study in The Gambia, Mali, and Kenya in 2015-2018, and compared with data from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS; 2007-2010) and the GEMS-1A study (2011).
First cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and secondary transmission in Kisumu, Kenya.
PLOS Glob Public Health
September 2022
We investigated the first 152 laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases (125 primary and 27 secondary) and their 248 close contacts in Kisumu County, Kenya. Conducted June 10-October 8, 2020, this study included interviews and sample collection at enrolment and 14-21 days later. Median age was 35 years (IQR 28-44); 69.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Identifying factors that may influence aflatoxin exposure in children under 5 years of age living in farming households in western Kenya.
Design: We used a mixed methods design. The quantitative component entailed serial cross-sectional interviews in 250 farming households to examine crop processing and conservation practices, household food storage and consumption and local understandings of aflatoxins.
Article Synopsis
- * A study in Kenya evaluated the performance of the Panbio™ Ag RDT against rRT-PCR in 2,245 individuals, revealing overall sensitivity of 46.6% and specificity of 98.5%, with better sensitivity in symptomatic individuals compared to asymptomatic ones.
- * The findings showed that although the specificity of the Ag RDT was satisfactory, its sensitivity was significantly lower than anticipated, suggesting limited effectiveness in detecting infections, especially after several days of symptoms.
Article Synopsis
- Existing acute febrile illness (AFI) surveillance systems can be adapted to identify new diseases like COVID-19 by testing patients who show symptoms.
- The CDC worked with health ministries in five countries (Belize, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, and Peru) to integrate COVID-19 testing into their AFI systems from March 2020 to October 2021, enrolling over 5,500 patients.
- Testing results showed varying positivity rates for SARS-CoV-2 across countries, demonstrating that AFI surveillance can effectively enhance monitoring and response to emerging infectious diseases.
Article Synopsis
- Kenya's Ministry of Health and the US CDC Kenya have collaborated for 40 years to address various disease threats, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Together, they implemented joint activities to reduce COVID-19's impact on Kenya's population, including establishing emergency operations centers and enhancing surveillance and training programs.
- The pandemic prompted the Kenyan government to launch a national public health institute in January 2022 to strengthen public health efforts against current and future health threats.
The range of nonhuman primate (NHP) species involved in Zika virus (ZIKV) sylvatic transmission is not known. We tested 97 NHP archived sera, collected from 2006 to 2016 in Rwandan National Parks, for neutralizing antibodies to ZIKV. Serum from one olive baboon (Papio anubis) was positive for ZIKV antibodies.
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- * Conducted from October 2017 to July 2019, the research involved monitoring 2,312 pregnant women and collecting various health data, including blood samples for Zika virus testing and measuring newborns' head circumferences for microcephaly.
- * Findings revealed that 7.2% of participants tested positive for Zika virus antibodies, with 11 newborns (0.9%) diagnosed with microcephaly, suggesting a possible link between ZIKV exposure during pregnancy and adverse fetal outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- A study of over 3 million camels in Kenya found that many have antibodies against MERS-CoV, although human infections in Africa are quite rare.
- Researchers followed 243 camels from 33 homesteads for two years, testing nasal swabs for the virus and documenting illnesses, primarily respiratory issues among the camels.
- Out of the camels tested, a small percentage showed positive results for MERS-CoV, and there was evidence of sporadic transmission to humans, particularly during outbreaks.
A high burden of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) bacteremia has been reported from urban informal settlements in sub-Saharan Africa, yet little is known about the introduction of these strains to the region. Understanding regional differences in the predominant strains of S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrban informal settlements may be disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to overcrowding and other socioeconomic challenges that make adoption and implementation of public health mitigation measures difficult. We conducted a seroprevalence survey in the Kibera informal settlement, Nairobi, Kenya, to determine the extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Members of randomly selected households from an existing population-based infectious disease surveillance (PBIDS) provided blood specimens between 27 November and 5 December 2020.
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- A study in Kenya assessed the effects of HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART) on pregnancy outcomes among women, focusing on pregnancy loss, premature birth, and low birth weight.
- Out of 2113 pregnant women, 15% were HIV-positive on ART, with similar rates of pregnancy loss (5%) and prematurity (10%) compared to HIV-negative women, showing no significant adverse effects from treated HIV.
- Factors linked to being HIV-positive included older age, food insecurity, lower education, and other health issues, indicating that while treated HIV itself didn't worsen outcomes, associated factors may affect overall pregnancy health.
An Escherichia coli strain (sequence type 636) was isolated from an adult residing in an urban informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, and was sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform. The draft genome was 5,075,726 bp, with a Col(BS512) plasmid plus , , and genes, which encode kanamycin, ampicillin, and trimethoprim resistance proteins, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We used postmortem minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) to assess the effect of time since death on molecular detection of pathogens among respiratory illness-associated deaths.
Methods: Samples were collected from 20 deceased children (aged 1-59 months) hospitalized with respiratory illness from May 2018 through February 2019. Serial lung and/or liver and blood samples were collected using MITS starting soon after death and every 6 hours thereafter for up to 72 hours.