TITLE:
Epidemiological, Clinical and Prognostic Profiles of Measles in Children in the Pediatric Ward of the University Hospital of Conakry
AUTHORS:
Salématou Hassimiou Camara, Kaba Bangoura, Ouo Ouo Kolié, Aissata Barry, Fatoumata Binta Diallo, Mohamed Lamine Diallo, Emmanuel Camara
KEYWORDS:
Measles, Child, Conakry University Hospital
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.14 No.6,
October
31,
2024
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Measles is a highly contagious viral infectious disease. It is one of the major causes of infant morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The general objective was to study the epidemiological, clinical and prognostic aspects of measles in the paediatric department of Conakry University Hospital. Methods: This was a prospective descriptive study lasting six months, from 01 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, in the paediatric wards of Conakry University Hospital. It included all patients aged between 0 and 15 years, received in consultation and/or hospitalised for measles and whose parents agreed to participate in the study. Results: Out of 3916 cases of paediatric pathology, we collected 380 cases of measles, i.e., 9.7%. The 0 - 4 age group was the most affected, accounting for 60.8%, with an average age of 26.6 ± 18.8 months and extremes of 3 months and 150 months. Females predominated in 53.2% of cases, with a sex ratio of 0.9. Non-vaccinated children accounted for 226 cases (59.5%). Fever was the most common clinical sign in the study (97.11%), followed by oculonasal catarrh (83.9%) and maculopapular lesions (82.1%). A notion of contagion was noted in 254 patients, i.e., a rate of 66.8%. The main complications were ocular in 229 cases (60.3%), pulmonary in 139 cases (36.6%) and digestive in 124 cases (32.6%). Malnutrition was noted in only 15 patients (3.93%). Treatment was symptomatic. The outcome was favourable in 92.3% of cases. We recorded 20 cases of death (5.3%) and 9 cases of escape (2.4%). Conclusion: Despite progress in the control and management of measles, much remains to be done to improve vaccination coverage with the aim of eradicating this disease.