Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients admitted in Intensive care units of the Bilda University Hospital, in Algeria: Caractéristiques épidémiologiques et cliniques des patients atteints de COVID-19 admis dans les unités de soins intensifs de l’hôpital universitaire de Blida- Algérie

Context and objective. First cases of COVID-19 were reported in March 2020 in Blida, the epicentre of the epidemic in the country. The present study aimed to describe the clinical features of COVID-19 patients in this setting. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study including COVID-19 patients admitted for treatment of in Blida University Hospital from March 12th to May 9th, 2020. Parameters of interest were epidemiological, clinical and paraclinical (radiological and virological). Results. A total of 560 patients (348 from ICU, 62.1%) were enrolled Most of the patients (62%) were male, median age was 65 years [IQR 52.7-74.2]. More than half presented with comorbidity (55.4%). Main symptoms were dyspnea (78.8%), cough (78.0%) and fever (77.9%). Global mortality rate was 46.8%, with 70.4% in ICU patients. Conclusion. Male gender and advanced age with comorbidities were the main determinants of ICU admission and mortality, highlighting the need for targeted surveillance strategies. Contexte et objectif. En mars 2020, la nouvelle maladie à coronavirus (COVID-19) est apparue à Blida, l’épicentre de l’épidémie dans le pays. L’objectif de l’étude était de décrire les caractéristiques cliniques des patients COVID-19. Méthodes. Il s’agissait d’une étude transversale portant sur des patients COVID-19 admis aux soins intensifs ou en Réanimation au Centre hospitalier universitaire de Blida, entre les 12 mars et 9 mai 2020. Les paramètres d’intérêts comprenaient les données épidémiologiques, cliniques et paracliniques (radiologiques, virologiques). Résultats. Au total, 560 patients étaient inclus (348 cas aux soins intensifs, soit 62,1 %). La plupart des patients (62 %) étaient de sexe masculin avec un âge médian de 65 ans [IQR 52,7-74,2]. Plus de la moitié présentaient une comorbidité (55,4 %). Les caractéristiques cliniques les plus signalées étaient la dyspnée (78,8 %), la toux (78,0 %) et la fièvre (77,9 %). Le taux de mortalité était de 46,8 % (dont 70,4 % aux soins intensifs). Conclusion. les patients à risque d’être hospitalisés dans les unités de soins intensifs sont des sujets âgés, de sexe masculin, présentant des comorbidités avec un risque élevé de mortalité dans les unités de soins intensifs, ce qui met l’accent sur la nécessité de limiter l’exposition de cette population vulnérable, leur prise en charge précoce et la surveillance vigilante pendant leur hospitalisation

A regionally based precision medicine implementation initiative in North Africa:The PerMediNA consortium

International audiencePrecision Medicine is being increasingly used in the developed world to improve health care. While several Precision Medicine (PM) initiatives have been launched worldwide, their implementations have proven to be more challenging particularly in low- and middle-income countries. To address this issue, the “Personalized Medicine in North Africa” initiative (PerMediNA) was launched in three North African countries namely Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. PerMediNA is coordinated by Institut Pasteur de Tunis together with the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with the support of Institut Pasteur in France. The project is carried out along with Institut Pasteur d’Algérie and Institut Pasteur du Maroc in collaboration with national and international leading institutions in the field of PM including Institut Gustave Roussy in Paris. PerMediNA aims to assess the readiness level of PM implementation in North Africa, to strengthen PM infrastructure, to provide workforce training, to generate genomic data on North African populations, to implement cost effective, affordable and sustainable genetic testing for cancer patients and to inform policy makers on how to translate research knowledge into health products and services. Gender equity and involvement of young scientists in this implementation process are other key goals of the PerMediNA project.In this paper, we are describing PerMediNA as the first PM implementation initiative in North Africa. Such initiatives contribute significantly in shortening existing health disparities and inequities between developed and developing countries and accelerate access to innovative treatments for global health