TITLE:
Bacterial Meningitis of Infants and Children under Five Years Old in Brazzaville-Congo
AUTHORS:
E. Moyen, S. S. J. Dinga Boudjoumba, J. Kambourou, A. P. G. Oko, A. R. Okoko, G. Moyen
KEYWORDS:
Bacterial Meningitis, Children, Brazzaville-Congo
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.7 No.4,
December
5,
2017
ABSTRACT: Objective: to determine the epidemiological characteristics
and outcomes of bacterial meningitis of infants and the children in Brazzaville
after the introduction of Haemophilus influenzae type b and
Pneumococcal vaccines. Patients and Methods: files of
children aged from 1 to 59 months, hospitalized for bacterial meningitis
between January, 2004 and December, 2013 in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit
of the Teaching Hospital of Brazzaville were reviewed. Studied variables
included: age, gender, place of residence, immunization status, motive of
hospitalization, laboratory analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid, and the
outcome. Results: Overall 219 cases were included out of 22,148 admitted children, thus a frequency of 0.99%. Of
the 219 children, 144 (65.8%) did not receive any dose of the Haemophilus influenzae b vaccine, 15
(6.8%) were incompletely vaccinated, and 60
(2.4%) were up-to-date. Concerning the Pneumococcal
vaccine, 213 (97.2%) were not vaccinated, three (1.4%) were incompletely
vaccinated, and the other three (1.4%) were up-to-date. Meningitis was severe
in 139 cases (63.3%). The main isolated germs were: the Streptococcus pneumoniae with 46 cases (41.0%), and Haemophilus influenzae b with 16 cases (14.3%). Ninety-five
children (43.4%) died in the course of the disease. The mortality rate was 7.1% before the introduction of the Haemophilus influenzae b vaccine,
and 9.9% after its introduction, 8.5% after the introduction of the Pneumococcal
vaccine. The lethality was 37% before and 45.1% after the introduction of the Haemophilus influenzae b vaccine and
52.8% after the introduction of the Pneumococcal
vaccine. Conclusions: The high frequency and mortality rate due
to meningitis necessitates the strengthening of the Expanded Program on
Immunization.