Central Nervous System Disease Associated with Major Viral Haemmorhagic Fever Viruses of Public Health Importance: Challenges in Patient Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management in Resource-Limited Settings

Viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) viruses cause infectious diseases that are of public health importance. Billions of people from all over the world are at risk of exposure to infection from these viruses with epidemics or outbreaks occurring in both endemic and non-endemic areas. The VHF viruses are largely neglected but are re-emerging as real threats to global health. While the more dramatic clinical presentations (such as bleeding and vascular collapse) are well known, the contribution of features that involve the central nervous system (CNS) to mortality and morbidity are not fully recognised. The diagnosis of VHF in febrile patients with CNS-related features, but who do not present with characteristic bleeding, may be missed or delayed because of a low index of suspicion. The proper evaluation of such patients with CNS disease is hampered by the dearth of neurologists and investigational tools, and weak health systems in resource-limited settings where most of the VHF viruses are endemic. Addressing these constraints would require investment in capacity building and infrastructural development in the affected countries

Acute Lassa Virus Encephalitis with Lassa Virus in the Cerebrospinal Fluid but Absent in the Blood: A Case Report with a Positive Outcome

It is rare both to have the central nervous system (CNS) as the main focus in the acute phase of Lassa fever infection without associated bleeding, and to find Lassa virus (LAV) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) but not in the serum. We report the case of a 38-year-old Nigerian woman with mainly CNS manifestation of Lassa fever. She was admitted twice within 11 days because of persistent fever. A clinical diagnosis of acute LAV encephalitis was made because of a high index of suspicion and CNS involvement confirmed by positive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for LAV in the CSF, while her blood was repeatedly negative for LAV by RT-PCR test. She recovered fully following supportive care coupled with treatment with an 18-day course of ribavirin, and suffered no long-term neurological complication or relapse. Post-treatment CSF examination by RT-PCR did not detect LAV

A year of genomic surveillance reveals how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic unfolded in Africa.

The progression of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in Africa has so far been heterogeneous, and the full impact is not yet well understood. In this study, we describe the genomic epidemiology using a dataset of 8746 genomes from 33 African countries and two overseas territories. We show that the epidemics in most countries were initiated by importations predominantly from Europe, which diminished after the early introduction of international travel restrictions. As the pandemic progressed, ongoing transmission in many countries and increasing mobility led to the emergence and spread within the continent of many variants of concern and interest, such as B.1.351, B.1.525, A.23.1, and C.1.1. Although distorted by low sampling numbers and blind spots, the findings highlight that Africa must not be left behind in the global pandemic response, otherwise it could become a source for new variants

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Characteristics, risk factors and case fatality rate of stroke in hospitalized patients in semi-urban South–South Nigeria

Background: Stroke causes death and disability worldwide. Hypertension is the most prevalent risk factor. In Nigeria, studies on outcome and risk factors of stroke are from urban-based hospitals. This study aims to look at stroke outcome and the major modifiable risk factors of hospitalized stroke patients in semi-urban Nigeria. Methods: The medical records of stroke patients admitted between March 2008 and February 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. The relevant demographic, clinical and laboratory data of each patient were retrieved. Results: A total of 99 cases of stroke made up of 51 males and 48 females were reviewed. Mean age of the subjects was 66.22 ± 12.67 years. Mean systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure at presentation were 171.41 ± 39.10 mmHg and 100.44 ± 21 mmHg, respectively. About 61.6% were known hypertensives, while 31.3%, not previously known to be hypertensive, had SBP ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg. Overall, 85.9% of the subjects had SBP ≥ 140 mmHg and/or DBP ≥ 90 mmHg. In all, 46.5% had SBP ≥ 180 mmHg, and 63% of this number had SBP ≥ 200 mmHg; 42.4% had DBP ≥ 110 mmHg. Other major risk factors were hypercholesterolaemia (34.4%), diabetes mellitus (16.6%), previous cerebrovascular accident (15.2%) and smoking (9.4%). In all, 31.3% had two or more modifiable stroke risk factors. 36.4% of the subjects were comatose. Overall case fatality rate was 45.8%, 75% of the subjects with coma died, compared to 27.6% without coma ( p < 0.01). Conclusion: Mortality in our stroke patients is high. Hypertension is the commonest modifiable risk factor, and the presence of coma at presentation is associated with poor prognosis

Effect of roasting on the aflatoxin contents of Nigerian peanut seeds

Peanut seeds were prepared with variations in roasting conditions. Positive correlations were obtained between loss of aflatoxins in the products and the roasting conditions. Seeds dry- roasted at 140° for 40 min resulted in 58.8% and 64.5% reductions in AFB1 and AFG1, those roasted at 150°C for 25 minutes resulted in 68.5% and 73.3% reductions in AFB1 and AFG1, respectively. Roasting at150°C for 30mins led to 70.0% and 79.8% reductions in AFB1 and AFG1 respectively

Aseptic Meningitis Caused by Lassa Virus: Case Series Report

The Lassa virus is known to cause disease in different organ systems of the human body, with varying clinical manifestations. The features of severe clinical disease may include bleeding and/or central nervous system manifestations. Whereas Lassa fever encephalopathy and encephalitis are well described in the literature, there is paucity of data on Lassa virus meningitis. We present the clinical description, laboratory diagnosis, and management of 4 consecutive cases of aseptic meningitis associated with Lassa virus infection without bleeding seen in a region of Nigeria known to be endemic for both the reservoir rodent and Lassa fever. The 4 patients recovered fully following intravenous ribavirin treatment and suffered no neurologic complications