A New Conceptual Framework for Enhancing Vaccine Efficacy in Malnourished Children.

Background: Malnourished children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often exhibit reduced vaccine efficacy, particularly for oral vaccines like polio and rotavirus, due to impaired immune responses. Nutritional deficiencies, such as in vitamin A and zinc, along with environmental factors like poor sanitation, exacerbate this issue. Existing research has explored the individual impacts of malnutrition on vaccine outcomes, but a comprehensive framework that integrates nutritional, immune, and environmental factors has been lacking.

Nutritional Status Link with Polioseronegativity Among Children from Poliomyelitis Transmission High-Risk Area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Background: Malnutrition is identified as a risk-factor for insufficient polioseroconversion in the context of a vaccine-derived polio virus (VDPV) outbreak prone region. To assess the prevalence of malnutrition and its link to poliovirus insufficient immunity, a cross-sectional household survey was conducted in the regions of Haut- Lomami and Tanganyika, DRC.

Methods: In March 2018, we included 968 healthy children aged 6 to 59 months from eight out of 27 districts.

Prediction Model with Validation for Polioseronegativity in Malnourished Children from Poliomyelitis Transmission High-Risk Area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Background: Malnutrition is identified as a risk factor for insufficient polio seroconversion in the context of a vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) outbreak-prone region. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), underweight decreased from 31% (in 2001) to 26% (in 2018). Since 2004, VDPV serotype 2 outbreaks (cVDPV2) have been documented and were geographically limited around the Haut-Lomami and Tanganyika Provinces.

Financial costs of pediatric cancer management in Africa: systematic review.

Unlabelled: The high costs of cancer treatment and the lack of investment in health care are significant barriers to public health on the African continent. The objective of this study was to investigate the financial cost of children cancer treating in sub-Saharan Africa. We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar to identify relevant studies between March 2000 and December 2022.

[HemoTypeSC screening for sickle cell disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): a case from the city of Kindu].

Early detection of sickle cell disease is crucial to improve people's survival. Both financial and geographic accessibility to sickle cell disease tools are barriers to universal screening in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the hospital prevalence of sickle cell disease and to assess the reliability of a rapid diagnostic tool, HemoTypeSC, in a resource-limited environment.

Occupational COVID-19 Prevention among Congolese Healthcare Workers: Knowledge, Practices, PPE Compliance, and Safety Imperatives.

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the functionality of health systems and world affairs. We assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 23 referral hospitals located in three towns of the DRC (Lubumbashi, Kamina, Mbuji-Mayi).

Predictors of Non-Adherence to Public Health Instructions During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background: Adherence to public health instructions for the COVID-19 is important for controlling the transmission and the pandemic's health and economic impacts. The aim of this study was to determine the associated factors of non-adherence to public health and social measures instructions.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 1913 participants in two provinces of DRC, Mbuji-Mayi, and Kamina.

Local perspectives on Ebola during its tenth outbreak in DR Congo: A nationwide qualitative study.

Background: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) struggled to end the tenth outbreak of Ebola virus disease (Ebola), which appeared in North Kivu in 2018. It was reported that rumors were hampering the response effort. We sought to identify any rumors that could have influenced outbreak containment and affected prevention in unaffected areas of DR Congo.

[Serum iron concentration in malnourished children from an urban and rural area in Democratic Republic of the Congo].

Introduction: malnutrition (protein energy malnutrition, vitamin deficiency) contributes to anemia. At the same time, iron-deficiency anemia is one of the most common nutritional disorders in the world, especially in developing countries. This study aims to determine iron concentrations in malnourished children aged 6 -59 months and factors associated with variation in iron levels.

Environmental and sociodemographic factors associated with household malaria burden in the Congo.

Background: Malaria is one of the most severe public health issues that result in massive morbidity and mortality in most countries of the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study aimed to determine the scope of household, accessibility to malaria care and factors associated with household malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted in an urban and a rural sites in which 152 households participated, including 82 urban and 70 rural households (1029 members in total).

Sustainability of artisanal mining of cobalt in DR Congo.

The sustainability of cobalt is an important emerging issue because this critical base metal is an essential component of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. More than half the world's cobalt mine production comes from the Katanga Copperbelt in DR Congo, with a substantial proportion (estimated at 15-20%) being extracted by artisanal miners. Here we show, in a case study performed in the town of Kolwezi, that people living in a neighbourhood that had been transformed into an artisanal cobalt mine, had much higher levels of cobalt in urine and blood than people living in a nearby control area.

Respiratory health of dust-exposed Congolese coltan miners.

Purpose: In Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), informal coltan mining has been expanding amidst increased insecurity due to armed conflicts. We investigated the impact of occupational dust-exposure on the respiratory health of Congolese coltan miners.

Methods: In total, 441 Congolese workers participated in this study, including 199 informal coltan miners and 242 office workers (controls).

[Type I diabetes mellitus in children less than 5 years: case study conducted at the university clinics of Lubumbashi and review of the literature].

Worldwide trends in type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are changing. It is increasingly affecting children of less than 5 years. The smaller the child, the greater the complexity of patient management.

[Asymptomatic Parasitemia in under five, school age children and households self-medication, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo].

Introduction: Long neglected, asymptomatic malaria is currently recognized as a potential threat and obstacle to malaria control. In DR Congo, the prevalence of this parasite is poorly documented. This study aims to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic parasitaemia in children less than 5 years of age as well as in those aged over five years for what concerns ongoing mass control interventions (LLINs).

[The problem of the use of Long-Lasting Insecticide Impregnated Mosquito Nets (LLIN) in children less than five years of age in Democratic Republic of Congo].

Introduction: Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by parasites, which represents a major public health problem in tropical countries, especially Sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to identify the level of LLIN use in children less than 5 years in Mumbunda health zone.

Methods: The crosscutting study was conducted from 25 to 27 October 2013 and involved a random sample of 410 households with at least a child under 5 years.

Visual inspection with acetic acid and Lugol's iodine in cervical cancer screening at the general referral hospital Kayembe in Mbuji-Mayi, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality of women from cancer in the developing World. It is the primary cause of reduced life expectancy in Sub-Saharan countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo. The aim of this work was to determinate the socio-demographic profile of women with precancerous and cancerous lesions of the cervix, to determinate the frequency of VIA and VILI positive cases and to show the challenges that can be faced in managing patients with abnormalities in the city of Mbuji-Mayi in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

[Factors associated with road accidents in the city of Lubumbashi].

Introduction: We conducted a retrospective non-comparative cross-sectional study in Lubumbashi on factors associated with road accidents.

Objective: To contribute to the reduction of morbidity and mortality related to road accidents based on a better understanding of this phenomenon in the city of Lubumbashi, to assess the frequency and the growth of road accidents in the city of Lubumbashi and to determine the factors predisposing to these accidents.

Methods: This non-controlled retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study covered the period from 1st January to 31st December 2008, and included all cases of vehicles registered by the police department after an accident.

Pathways of human exposure to cobalt in Katanga, a mining area of the D.R. Congo.

Human exposure biomonitoring in the African Copperbelt (Katanga, southern D.R. Congo) revealed elevated cobalt (Co) exposure in the general population.