Biomedical subjects

Kalisa-Ruti

Publications and source records attributed to Kalisa-Ruti.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1988

Response of children with Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine and development of a national malaria treatment policy in Zaire.

In vivo sensitivity of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine was evaluated in 4 of 9 regions of Zaire in 1985 to develop a national strategy for treatment of malaria. Children less than 5 years of age were treated with either a single dose of chloroquine base, 10 mg/kg, or a dose of 25 mg/kg given over 3 d. A modified 7-day World Health Organization in vivo test was used with follow-up 2, 3 and 7 d after the start of treatment. 339 children were studied. In Bwamanda 92% of children were aparasitaemic 7 days after chloroquine, 10 mg/kg, but in Kinshasa only 44% were free of parasites after 25 mg/kg chloroquine. The mean drop in parasite density among those who did not clear parasites by day 7 was greater than 98% of the initial value. Although the parasite density decreased markedly, the failure of most subjects to become aparasitaemic indicated a marked decrease in parasite sensitivity since 1983. Only one child of 51 who were initially febrile remained febrile, although 14 (28%) of these had resistant parasites. The decrease in parasitaemia and temperature, even among children with resistant strains, led the Ministry of Health to recommend 25 mg/kg chloroquine as first line treatment for fever/malaria in their national malaria control plan. The plan includes drug sensitivity surveillance and a referral system for patients who do not respond to chloroquine treatment.

Animals↗

PubMed1980

Human monkeypox, 1970-79.

Increasing attention has been given to human monkeypox since the achievement of global smallpox eradication. Monkeypox, which was first described in Central Africa in 1970, resembles smallpox clinically but differs from it epidemiologically. Forty-seven cases of human monkeypox have occurred since 1970 in 5 Central and West African countries; 38 of these cases have been reported from Zaire. The evolution of the illness and the sequelae of monkeypox and smallpox are the same; monkeypox has a case-fatality rate of about 17%. Children below 10 years of age comprise 83% of the cases. All cases have occurred in tropical rainforest areas and clustering of cases has been observed in certain zones within countries and within families. Person-to-person spread may have occurred in 4 cases; the secondary attack rate among susceptible, very close family members was 7.5% (3 cases/40 contacts) and among all susceptible contacts was 3.3% (4 cases/123 contacts)-much lower than the 25-40% secondary attack rate that occurs with smallpox. Although the low transmission rate and the low frequency of disease indicate that monkeypox is not a public health problem, more data are needed.Whilst many animals near human monkeypox cases have been demonstrated to have orthopoxvirus antibodies, the natural reservoir(s) and the vector(s) of monkeypox virus are unknown. Studies are in progress to identify the natural cycle of monkeypox virus and to define better the clinical and epidemiological features of this disease.

Adolescent↗