(Source: US National Library of Medicine, full page: (LINK). Abstract, edited.)
Eur J Pediatr. 2017 Apr 25. doi: 10.1007/s00431-017-2914-z. (Epub ahead of print)
Ebola virus disease in children during the 2014-2015 epidemic in Guinea: a nationwide cohort study.
Chérif MS1,2, Koonrungsesomboon N3,4, Kassé D5, Cissé SD5, Diallo SB5, Chérif F6, Camara F5, Koné A5, Avenido EF3, Diakité M5, Diallo MP5, Le Gall E5,7, Cissé M5, Karbwang J3, Hirayama K8.
Author information: 1 Faculty of Medicine, Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry, Conakry, Guinea. [email protected]. 2 Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan. [email protected]. 3 Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan. 4 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 5 Faculty of Medicine, Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry, Conakry, Guinea. 6 Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, Conakry, Guinea. 7 Pôle Régional de Cancérologie Bretagne, Rennes, France. 8 Institute of Tropical Medicine (NEKKEN), Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan. [email protected].
Abstract
The most recent epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) has resulted in more than 11,000 deaths in West Africa. It has threatened child health in the affected countries, including Guinea. This nationwide retrospective cohort study included all children under 20 years of age with laboratory-confirmed EVD in Guinea during the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak for analysis. Of 8,448 children with probable or suspected EVD, 695 cases were laboratory-confirmed EVD. The overall case fatality rate (CFR) was 62.9%. Pediatric patients with younger age had a significantly higher rate of death (adjusted OR = 0.995; 95%CI = 0.990-1.000; p = 0.046), with the highest CFR of 82.9% in children aged less than 5 years. Fever (91%), fatigue (87%), and gastrointestinal signs and symptoms (70%) were common clinical features on admission of the pediatric patients, while bleeding signs were not occurring often (24%). None of clinical features and epidemiologic risk factors for Ebola were associated with mortality outcome in our cohort study.
CONCLUSION:
EVD is a major threat to child health, especially among children under 5 years of age. To date, none of demographic and clinical features, except younger age, have been consistently shown to affect mortality outcome in children infected with Ebola virus.
What is Known:
What is New:
KEYWORDS: Child; Ebola virus disease; Ebola virus infection; Epidemics; Guinea; Pediatrics
PMID: 28444452 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-017-2914-z
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Keywords: Ebola; Ebola-Makona; Guinea.
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