Publications by authors named "Placide K Mbala"
Zero-dose children remain highly vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases and can sustain transmission even in highly vaccinated populations. The WHO Immunization Agenda 2030 has prioritised reaching out to these children. We assessed the spatial distribution of zero-dose children together with the associated risk factors in a provincial capital in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA contemporary review of clade-specific virological differences in monkeypox viruses.
Clin Microbiol Infect
December 2023
Background: Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is an emerging zoonotic virus that has had on-going public health impacts in endemic regions of Central and West Africa for over a half-century. Historically, the MPXV clade endemic in regions of Central Africa is associated with higher morbidity and mortality as compared with the clade endemic in West Africa.
Objectives: Here, we review the virological characteristics of MPXV and discuss potential relationships between virulence factors and clade- (and subclade-) specific differences in virulence and transmission patterns.
Article Synopsis
- A lot of money has been spent on studying the COVID-19 virus in Africa, leading to over 100,000 virus samples being analyzed to understand the spread of the disease.
- *More countries in Africa are now able to do these studies themselves, which helps them get results faster and keep a close watch on the virus.
- *To keep fighting COVID and other diseases, more funding and support for testing and research in Africa is really important for the future.
Background: In symptomatic patients, the diagnostic approach of COVID-19 should be holistic. We aimed to evaluate the concordance between RT-PCR and serological tests (IgM/IgG), and identify the factors that best predict mortality (clinical stages or viral load).
Methods: The study included 242 patients referred to the University hospital of Kinshasa for suspected COVID-19, dyspnea or ARDS between June 1st, 2020 and August 02, 2020.
Article Synopsis
- The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Africa has varied significantly across countries, and its overall impact remains unclear.
- An analysis of 8,746 genomes from 33 African countries indicated that most outbreaks originated from Europe before international travel restrictions took effect.
- As the pandemic continued, increased movement and local transmission led to the emergence of several variants within Africa, emphasizing the need for a strong pandemic response on the continent to prevent becoming a source of new variants.
High Prevalence of Anti-Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (Anti-SARS-CoV-2) Antibodies After the First Wave of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Results of a Cross-sectional Household-Based Survey.
Clin Infect Dis
March 2022
Article Synopsis
- In October 2020, a study in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, aimed to determine the true prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the general population, revealing a much higher level of infection than the officially reported cases.
- The serosurvey involved 1233 participants and found a weighted, age-standardized seroprevalence of 16.6%, with the majority being women and a mean age of 32.4 years.
- The study highlighted an infection-to-case ratio of 292:1, emphasizing the need for ongoing serosurveys to inform public health policies regarding COVID-19 response measures.
The arrival of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the African continent resulted in a range of lockdown measures that curtailed the spread of the infection but caused economic hardship. African countries now face difficult choices regarding easing of lockdowns and sustaining effective public health control measures and surveillance. Pandemic control will require efficient community screening, testing, and contact tracing; behavioral change interventions; adequate resources; and well-supported, community-based teams of trained, protected personnel.
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- * Out of four pregnant women studied between 2007 and 2011, one had a healthy baby, two experienced first-trimester miscarriages, and one had a stillbirth.
- * The stillborn fetus displayed distinct skin lesions all over its body, including on the palms and soles, indicating severe complications related to the monkeypox infection.
In 2014, Ebola virus (EBOV) was identified as the etiological agent of a large and still expanding outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa and a much more confined EVD outbreak in Middle Africa. Epidemiological and evolutionary analyses confirmed that all cases of both outbreaks are connected to a single introduction each of EBOV into human populations and that both outbreaks are not directly connected. Coding-complete genomic sequence analyses of isolates revealed that the two outbreaks were caused by two novel EBOV variants, and initial clinical observations suggest that neither of them should be considered strains.
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