High prevalence of hepatitis B and HIV among women survivors of sexual violence in South Kivu province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Introduction: Limited data are available on the prevalence rates of hepatitis B and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among women survivors of sexual violence (WSSV) in South Kivu province, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where armed conflicts persist. Here, we aimed to assess the prevalence of these two infections in this vulnerable local population.

Methods: A total of 1002 WSSV, aged from 18 to 70 years old were enrolled from May 2018 to May 2020 at three healthcare facilities (Panzi, Mulamba and Bulenga hospitals), which are called "The One-Stop Centre Care Model" for the management of sexual violence in South Kivu.

Whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 reveals diverse mutations in circulating Alpha and Delta variants during the first, second, and third waves of COVID-19 in South Kivu, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Objectives: We used whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 to identify variants circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and obtain molecular information useful for diagnosis, improving treatment, and general pandemic control strategies.

Methods: A total of 74 SARS-CoV-2 isolates were sequenced using Oxford Nanopore platforms. Generated reads were processed to obtain consensus genome sequences.

Molecular Evidence of Coinfection with Acute Respiratory Viruses and High Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among Patients Presenting Flu-Like Illness in Bukavu City, Democratic Republic of Congo.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), with clinical manifestation cases that are almost similar to those of common respiratory viral infections. This study determined the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and other acute respiratory viruses among patients with flu-like symptoms in Bukavu city, Democratic Republic of Congo. We screened 1352 individuals with flu-like illnesses seeking treatment in 10 health facilities.

Bacteria and viruses in the upper respiratory tract of Congolese children with radiologically confirmed pneumonia.

Background: Acute pneumonia remains a leading cause of death among children below 5 years of age in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), despite introduction of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 2013. Potential pathogens in the nasopharynx of hospitalised children with pneumonia have not been studied previously in DR Congo. Here we compare clinical characteristics, risk factors and nasopharyngeal occurrence of bacteria and viruses between children with severe and non-severe pneumonia.

[Assessment of virological quality of transfused blood in the town of Bukavu, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo].

Introduction: In Bukavu, transfused blood is selected using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). These tests are easily performed without specialized equipments. This study aims to evaluate the virological quality of transfused blood assessed using rapid diagnostic tests.

High rate of antibiotic resistance among pneumococci carried by healthy children in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have been introduced in the infant immunisation programmes in many countries to reduce the rate of fatal pneumococcal infections. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) a 13-valent vaccine (PCV13) was introduced in 2013. Data on the burden of circulating pneumococci among children after this introduction are lacking.

Field accuracy of HIV rapid diagnostic tests for blood donors screening, Bukavu, Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Introduction: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are widely used for point-of-care. point-of-care diagnosis of HIV infection in resource-limited settings. However, there are no data about their field diagnostic performance in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially in the context of blood banks screening for transfusion safety purpose.

[Antibiotic resistance of Salmonella spp strains isolated from blood cultures in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo].

Introduction: Typhoid fever is a major public health problem in developing countries because of the obsolescence of health infrastructure and of an almost non-existent water distribution network. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in general, and in Bukavu, in particular, blood culture is inaccessible to the majority of patients. This study aimed to assess the sensitivity of Salmonella spp to antibiotics commonly used for the tratment of typhoid fever in Bukavu.

Performance of SD Bioline Malaria Ag Pf/Pan rapid test in the diagnosis of malaria in South-Kivu, DR Congo.

Introduction: Use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) has improved the management of this disease. We evaluated the validity of the SD-Bioline Malaria-Ag-Pf/Pan™ (Batch 60952) RDT supplied by the Malaria Control Program of the DRCongo.

Methods: cChildren (n = 460) aged below 5 years seen in curative care (CC) for suspected malaria and in pre-school consultation (PSC) in two rural centers underwent clinical evaluation and capillary blood collection for microscopic reading of thick smear (TS) and thin film (BF), and for RDT.