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Buruli ulcer recurrence, Benin.

Martine Debacker·Julia Aguiar·Christian Steunou·Claude Zinsou·Wayne M Meyers·Françoise Portaels
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Abstract

Buruli ulcer is a recognized public health problem in West Africa. In Benin, from 1989 to 2001, the Centre Sanitaire et Nutritionnel Gbemoten (CSNG) treated >2,500 Buruli ulcer patients. From March 2000 to February 2001, field trips were conducted in the Zou and Atlantique regions. The choice of the 2 regions was based on the distance from CSNG and on villages with the highest number of patients treated at CSNG. A total of 66 (44.0%) of 150 former patients treated at CSNG were located in the visited villages. The recurrence rate of CSNG-treated patients after a follow-up period of up to 7 years was low (6.1%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.0-15.6). We attribute this low rate to the high quality of Buruli ulcer treatment at an accessible regional center (CSNG). The World Health Organization definition of a Buruli ulcer recurrent case should be revised to include a follow-up period >1 year.

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Anti-Bacterial AgentsBeninEndemic DiseasesFollow-Up StudiesHumansMycobacterium Infections, NontuberculousMycobacterium ulceransRecurrenceRifampinSkin Diseases, BacterialStreptomycinJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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Martine Debacker, Julia Aguiar, Christian Steunou, Claude Zinsou, Wayne M Meyers, Françoise Portaels. 2005. Buruli ulcer recurrence, Benin.. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1104.041000

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