SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Burundi”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1988

Ministerial Ordinance No. 650/231/88 concerning the regulation of the employment of foreigners in Burundi, 29 July 1988.

This Ordinance sets forth rules on the employment of foreigners in Burundi. It requires foreigners working in Burundi to have a work permit, applied for by the foreigner, if the foreigner is a resident of Burundi, and by the foreigner's employer, if the foreigner is not a resident. The permit is valid for one year and may be renewed. Foreigners who have been recognized as refugees or who have resided in Burundi for 15 years may obtain permits valid for five years, and the spouses of Burundi citizens and persons living in Burundi descended from a foreign father married to a Burundi citizen may obtain permanent permits. In addition, an employer desirous of hiring a foreigner must first receive authorization from the relevant Ministry. Such authorization is also valid for one year and renewable. Foreigners may not work in positions higher than those for which they were authorized unless they have acquired higher qualifications than they had when given a work permit and unless no Burundi citizen with the same ability for advancement exists. Foreign investors or their representatives need not receive authorization to work.

Africa↗

PubMed1998

Outbreak of epidemic typhus associated with trench fever in Burundi.

BACKGROUND: After a 12-year absence, epidemic typhus has re-emerged among the displaced population of Burundi. Following the outbreak of civil war in 1993, over 760000 people now inhabit refugee camps, under appalling conditions. A typhus outbreak occurred among prisoners in a jail in N'Gozi in 1995. At the time, the disease was not recognised, and was referred to as sutama. Reports of sutama among the civilian population date back to late 1995 and, in association with body-louse infestation, the disease has subsequently swept across the higher and colder regions of the country. METHODS: During a field study in February, 1997, 102 refugees with sutama underwent clinical examination and interview. Serum samples were collected and infesting body lice removed. Microbiological analysis included antibody estimations and specific PCRs aimed at diagnosis of Rickettsia prowezekii, Bartonella quintana, and Borrelia recurrentis. Between January and September, 1997, nationwide epidemiological data on the prevalence and distribution of sutama was obtained through liaison with local health services. A second field study in March, 1997, entailed the collection of further serum samples from suspected cases of sutama in different regions of Burundi. FINDINGS: Most of the 102 patients with sutama during initial assessment presented with manifestations similar to those previously described for typhus in Africa, though skin eruptions occurred in only 25 (25%) cases. Microbiological testing revealed evidence of R prowazeki infection in 76 (75%) patients, confirming that most cases of clinically-diagnosed sutama were epidemic typhus, and supporting the reliability of clinical diagnosis as a basis for the nationwide surveillance of the disease. Up to September, 1997, 45558 typhus cases were clinically diagnosed, most of which occurred in regions at an altitude of over 1500 m. Serological testing of 232 individuals from different regions of Burundi provided microbiological evidence to support clinical diagnoses in seven provinces, confirming the widespread nature of the outbreak. Serum from 13 of the original 102 patients and 19 (8%) of the 232 suspected cases had raised antibody titres against B quintana. A fatality rate of 15% among jail inmates fell to 0.5% after administration of a single dose of 200 mg doxycycline to suspected cases. INTERPRETATION: A gigantic outbreak of R prowazekii-induced typhus and B quintana-induced trench fever is continuing in Burundi. Transmission of both diseases to such a large number of people has followed a widespread epidemic of body-louse infestation. Diagnosis of typhus could be reliably made by means of clinical criteria, and the disease could be efficiently and easily treated by antibiotics. This epidemic highlights the appalling conditions in central-African refugee camps and the failure of public-health programmes to serve their inhabitants. Louse-associated disease remains a major health threat in this and other war-torn regions of the world.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Kaposi's sarcoma in Burundi and the Central African Republic in the framework of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)].

The authors carried out in 1985 a survey in two French speaking States in Central Africa, namely Burundi and Central African Republic (C.A.R.), in order to study the links between Kaposi sarcoma (K.S.) and A.I.D.S. In Burundi the prospective study conducted in Bujumbura, lead to collect in one year 25 cases of K.S. out of them 24 linked to A.I.D.S. No group at risk has been identified. The 24 K.S. linked to A.I.D.S. present a stage IV (cutaneous and visceral form) in 21 cases. 20 of them got an associated affection, 5 being tuberculosis bacteriologically confirmed. All of them present a cellular immunity deficiency. Evolution was fatal in 22 cases out of 24, average presumption of survival was 10 months. In C.A.R., retrospective survey conducted in Bangui made possible to find out 24 cases in 4 years, of which 20 having had a L.A.V. antibodies research, were considered. 9 of them were linked to A.I.D.S. No group at risk. 7 patients presented a sporadic form, 6 an African endemic form, 7 an epidemic form with associated infection. Out of 9 LAV positive patients, 5 deceased. Out of 11 LAV negative patients, 3 deceased with a A.I.D.S. clinical aspect. This survey carried out in Burundi and in C.A.R. demonstrates that K.S. is significantly in increase in these two countries. In Burundi it is significantly linked to A.I.D.S. In C.A.R., classical African K.S. do exist (sporadic, endemic), as well as K.S. linked to A.I.D.S., as underlined recently in Bayley's publications in Zambia. Since A.I.D.S. has been detected, it does exist an outbreak and a new clinical form of K.S. in Central Africa.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2000

Indoor exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in traditional houses in Burundi.

OBJECTIVES: Wood combustion is used as a major energy source in African countries and could result in indoor, pollution-related health problems. This exploratory study was undertaken to estimate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and carbon monoxide exposure in individuals living in traditional rural houses in Burundi. METHODS: Standard methods were used to determine indoor air concentrations of 12 PAHs, and carbon monoxide. The urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) was measured in occupants of traditional houses, and compared with that of individuals living in the town of Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. RESULTS: Mean airborne concentration of four volatile PAHs, naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene and acenaphthene, exceeded 1 microg/m3, and that of benzo(a)pyrene was 0.07 microg/m3. Naphthalene was by far the main PAH contaminant, with a mean concentration (+/- standard deviation) of 28.7+/-23.4 microg/m3, representing on average 60-70% of total PAH concentration. Carbon monoxide mean concentration (+/- standard deviation) was 42+/-31 mg/m3, and correlated with total PAH concentration. Geometric mean urinary 1-OHP excretion (range) in people living in traditional houses was 1.50 (0.26-15.62) micromol/mol creatinine, a value which is on average 30 times higher than that of people living in the capital (0.05 (0.009-0.17) micromol/mol creatinine). CONCLUSIONS: It appears that the substantially high concentrations of the studied contaminants constitute a potential health hazard to the rural population of Burundi.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1987

Field trials of praziquantel and oxamniquine for the treatment of schistosomiasis mansoni in Burundi.

Praziquantel and oxamniquine were evaluated under operational conditions for use in mass-treatment campaigns in the Rusizi Plain, Burundi. After 6 weeks, the cure rates for oxamniquine at 20, 30 and 40 mg/kg in children (less than 20 years) were respectively 47%, 67% and 86%; in adults they were 86%, 97% and 97%. The egg reduction rates were over 98% in all groups. For praziquantel at 20, 30 and 40 mg/kg the cure rates in children were respectively 58%, 63% and 78%; in adults, 55%, 87% and 91%. The egg reduction rates were respectively 92%, 96%, 98% and 91%, 98%, 98%. These results were largely confirmed by a follow-up 3 months after treatment. Oxamniquine frequently caused important dizziness and drowsiness, and in 2 cases epileptiform seizures. The side effects of praziquantel were mainly mild transient colics and diarrhoea. The cost of oxamniquine (in Burundi) was twice to three times the cost of praziquantel. Because of its better acceptability and its lower cost, with only slightly less good parasitological results, praziquantel, at 40 mg/kg in a single dose, has been selected as the drug of choice for mass-treatment campaigns in Burundi.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Response of uncomplicated falciparum malaria to oral chloroquine and quinine in Burundi highlands.

The in vivo response of falciparum malaria to oral chloroquine and quinine was evaluated in two identical hospital-based, comparative open trials carried out 2 years apart in the same seasonal period at a hospital located in the highlands of Northern Burundi. Children aged 0-14 with uncomplicated falciparum malaria were administered either chloroquine, at 25 mg/kg over 3 days, or quinine, at 10 mg/kg per 8 hourly for 5 days (alternate allocation) and treatment response was evaluated by the WHO 7-day test. In the first study (1992/1993) 472 patients qualified for analyses (211 in the chloroquine and 261 in the quinine group), as compared to 249 subjects in the second study (1994/1995). In each study, the response to quinine was significantly higher than that to chloroquine (P = 0.004 and < 0.001, respectively). While the response to quinine showed insignificant changes over time (95.8 vs. 92.9%), chloroquine was found to be significantly less effective in the second study as compared to the first (77.8 vs. 63.1%; OR (95% CI) 2.04 (1.21-3.43)). Such decline in chloroquine efficacy was attributable to the age group < 5 years of age, where response to chloroquine decreased from 72.9% in 1992/93 to 56% in 1994/1995. Uncontrolled chloroquine use, which spread after the onset in late 1993 of the still ongoing ethnic fighting, appears to be the most likely reason for such a decrease in chloroquine efficacy. Chloroquine resistance has long been known to be present in the hyperendemic lowlands of Burundi, but no data have so far been reported on the response to antimalarials in the highlands of the country. These findings should be considered when deciding on drug policies for the treatment of falciparum malaria in Burundi.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed1997

Measuring excess risk of child mortality: an exploration of DHS I for Burundi, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

This paper proposes a new method of measuring excess risk of child mortality in cross-sectional surveys, which is applied to DHS I data for Burundi, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The expected child mortality experience is estimated for each mother on the basis of child's age, mother's age at child's birth and her parity, and compared with her observed experience. Mothers who exceed their expected child mortality experience and also had more than one child die are considered to have excess child mortality. Zimbabwe had the greatest concentration of child deaths as measured by a simple ratio of mothers to deaths, but when observed experience was compared with expected it had less than half as many excess deaths as Uganda and Burundi. In all three countries mother's education had a strong negative association with the risk of excess child mortality, and in Zimbabwe and Burundi there were significant regional differences.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Genetic analysis of hiv type 1 strains in bujumbura (burundi): predominance of subtype c variant.

In order to characterize the HIV-1 strains circulating in Burundi, 18 blood samples from nontreated patients were collected in Bujumbura and viral DNA and RNA were sequenced in the env and pol genes, respectively. The phylogenetic analysis of the V3 coding region of HIV-1 gp120 revealed that 83% (15/18) of the isolates belonged to the C subtype. The RT and protease coding regions of the pol gene also clustered with subtype C. A potential A/C recombinant between the protease (subtype A) and the RT and V3 coding regions (both subtype C) was identified. Drug resistance mutations were not detected in the RT gene. However, mutation M36I, associated with resistance to ritonavir and nelfinavir, was found in 17 of 18 Burundi isolates. In conclusion, this first characterization of HIV-1 strains circulating in Burundi confirms the dramatic emergence of subtype C in East Africa.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Representing refugees: the role of elites in Burundi refugee society.

Among Burundi refugees in Tanzania, men who have a university education and know English or French are most likely to represent their concerns to officials, particularly those from UNHCR. Officials consequently learn about the perspectives of refugees from these men. Based upon findings from two years of field research in Tanzania, the history of relations between ethnic Hutu elites and the peasantry in Burundi is outlined and it is explained why education has assumed such pronounced significance in Burundi refugee society. The use of ethnicity as a political tool for elite refugees is also described. It is concluded that elite refugees may not, as is often claimed, represent the refugee majority.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Burundi launches campaign against AIDS.

The conflict-ridden central African state of Burundi launched a campaign against AIDS as the health minister said 160,000 children were orphans as a result of the disease. "This day can be considered the real beginning of the war against AIDS in our country," said Leonce Ngendakumana National Assembly President. He was opening a workshop designed to develop strategies to combat the spread of HIV, which was attended by UN agencies, aid organizations, and members of the government. Health Minister Juma Kariburyo said 30,000 people had died of AIDS in 2 years in Burundi, which has a population of around 6 million. "We had less than 1% of infection in 1983, but today the urban area figures are more than 20%, and more than 14% in the rural areas," he added. But Jeanne Gapiya, president of a Burundian association for people who are HIV positive, said she feared the true figures could be far higher. Gapiya is HIV positive and has lost her husband, child, brother and sister to AIDS. Minister of Defense Colonel Alfred Nkurunziza told the workshop the disease was rampant within the army. Burundi's Tutsi-dominated army is fighting a bitter civil war against ethnic Hutu rebels. The conflict has caused large refugee movements, which has exacerbated the spread of infectious diseases.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1994

Health status of displaced persons following Civil War--Burundi, December 1993-January 1994.

In Burundi (1990 population: 5.7 million), located in central-east Africa, seasonal epidemics of dysentery caused by Shigella dysenteriae type 1 (Sd1) have been documented each year since 1980. The assassination of the president of Burundi on October 21, 1993, resulted in widespread violence involving major tribal groups. By December, an estimated 130,000 persons had become displaced within the country, and approximately 683,000 persons had fled to Rwanda, Tanzania, or Zaire. Many displaced persons fled from rural areas to villages and towns; sanitation in these areas became inadequate as a result of the rapid influx of many persons. Because the civil war disrupted government services, the national routine disease surveillance system ceased to function in November. To assess the health status of displaced persons, rapid surveillance systems were established at sentinel sites throughout Burundi and in refugee camps in Rwanda. This report summarizes findings from these surveillance activities during December 1993-January 1994.

Burundi↗

PubMed1996

Morbidity and mortality surveillance in Rwandan refugees--Burundi and Zaire, 1994.

In April 1994, resumption of a longstanding conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis--the two major ethnic groups in the central African countries of Burundi and Zaire--resulted in civil war and mass genocide in Rwanda. An estimated 63,000 (primarily Tutsi) refugees subsequently moved from Rwanda into northern Burundi, and 500,000 refugees fled to Tanzania (Figure 1). In early July 1994, as armed strife subsided, many Tutsis returned home to Rwanda, and an estimated 1 million Rwandan Hutus fled to Zaire, and 170,000 fled to Burundi. To monitor the health status of the refugees, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working in refugee camps in both countries established systems for rapid surveillance of morbidity and mortality. This report presents the findings of these systems during May-September 1994 (the period of the most intensive population migration) and indicates that mortality was high among refugees in camps in both countries.

Burundi↗

PubMed1988

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus infection in Bujumbura, Burundi.

In the first seroepidemiological survey in Burundi in 1984, only 59 acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases were recognized. We report here clinical surveillance of AIDS cases in the 4 hospitals in Bujumbura during a 4-month period in 1986. The project was combined with a seroprevalence study of pregnant women in the 6 dispensaries in Bujumbura. 258 AIDS patients were recorded. 16% of the 925 pregnant women were seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The clinical characteristics of 120 adult AIDS patients were similar to those reported in Kinshasa or Kigali. From demographic findings we presume that the major mode of HIV transmission in Bujumbura is by sexual contact. The results of this study formed the starting point of prevention activities against AIDS in Burundi.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemic typhus in a prison in Burundi.

The International Committee of the Red Cross investigated an outbreak of fever of unknown origin in Ngozi prison, Burundi, which resulted in a crude mortality rate of 2.61% in January 1996. A definite diagnosis of epidemic typhus caused by Rickettsia prowazekii was established by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using specific antigens. Control measures included complete cleansing of the prison with cyfluthrine, shaving and dusting all prisoners with permethrin 0.5% dusting powder, and replacement of all mattresses and clothes. All prisoners and guards received a single dose of doxycyline (100 mg) simultaneously. The crude mortality rate dropped abruptly to 1.27% in February 1996 and remained at or below 0.5% from March onwards. Health authorities and medical agencies working in Burundi need to consider epidemic typhus in the differential diagnosis of fever of unknown origin in order to be able to take appropriate control measures in time.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed1996

Use of DNA restriction fragment typing in the differentiation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates from animals and humans in Burundi.

SETTING: Bubanza Hospital and Veterinary Laboratory in Bujumbura, Burundi. OBJECTIVE: To monitor the rate of Mycobacterium bovis infections among tuberculosis (TB) patients and among slaughtered cattle, and to analyse the polymorphism among deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprints of the M. tuberculosis complex isolates. DESIGN: 135 lymph node biopsies and 35 sputum specimens from human patients, together with specimens from 46 healthy animals and 36 animals suspected for bovine tuberculosis (BTB), were cultured. Isolates were identified phenotypically and DNA fingerprints were obtained by IS6110 based restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: 119 M. tuberculosis complex isolates were obtained from 170 human specimens. M. bovis was not identified in any human sample. One out of 46 healthy animals and 14 out of 36 BTB suspected animals yielded M. bovis isolates. DNA fingerprinting revealed four to eight copies of IS6110 for all M. bovis isolates with some degree of polymorphism, and some clustering for human TB isolates. No relationship was observed between human and bovine isolates. CONCLUSION: At present M. bovis seems to play a minor role in human TB in Burundi, despite the high prevalence of both human immunodeficiency virus infection in humans and M. bovis in cattle. DNA fingerprinting is able to differentiate between bovine isolates.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Cysticercosis as a major risk factor for epilepsy in Burundi, east Africa.

PURPOSE: Human cysticercosis is a direct consequence of infection by Taenia solium larvae (Cysticercus cellulosae). Results of studies on the impact of neurocysticercosis on epilepsy in Africa are inconsistent. The objective was to evaluate the role of cysticercosis in epilepsy in Burundi. METHODS: A prevalent matched case-control design was used in the Kiremba area, Burundi, between March and April 2001. One case with epilepsy was matched to two control subjects, according to their age. Cases were subjects who had shown at least two unprovoked epileptic seizures within a 24-h time range and who lived in the Kiremba area. The control subjects also lived in Kiremba and had neither neurologic illness nor kinship with the people with epilepsy. Seropositivity for cysticercosis was the exposure variable. Three hundred twenty-four prevalent cases, with onset of epilepsy between 1950 and 2000, and 648 age-matched controls were included. RESULTS: This study found a link between cysticercosis infestation and the occurrence of epilepsy (odds ratio, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 2.5-5.1). CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted the importance of cysticercosis in the area of Kiremba, as 31.5% of the control subjects screened positive for this parasite. The attributable risk for cysticercosis was 50% (95% confidence interval, 42-57) in this population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

A 'post-honeymoon period' measles outbreak in Muyinga sector, Burundi.

In Muyinga sector, Burundi, an area with good vaccination levels against measles and recent low incidence of measles, a major outbreak of measles in 1988 raised questions about the efficacy of the immunization programme. To help answer these questions, we 1) reviewed programme data on doses of measles vaccine administered, vaccine coverage, and measles incidence, and 2) conducted a census of the affected area to examine vaccine efficacy and measles mortality. We found that between 1980 and 1988 in Burundi, 1) measles vaccine coverage by age 1 had increased from 0% to 55%, 2) the incidence of reported measles cases declined from 12.1/1000 to 6.2/1000, 3) reported measles mortality dropped from 0.18/1000 to 0.08/1000, and 4) the interepidemic period had increased from 25 to 35 months. In the census, the best estimate of measles vaccine efficacy administered at 9 months of age was 73%. Measles increased the risk of death by 2.5-fold with the effect limited to the first month after measles. This outbreak demonstrated the 'post-honeymoon period' epidemic predicted by mathematical models in which outbreaks occur among accumulated susceptibles in a partially immunized population. Understanding this phenomenon is important in providing a basis for improved strategies of measles control. Such outbreaks present new challenges to newly maturing immunization programmes in improving skills in surveillance, outbreak investigation, and public relations.

Burundi↗

PubMed1999

The management of severe malnutrition in Burundi: an NGO's perspective of the practical constraints to effective emergency and medium-term programmes.

The NGO, Action contre la Faim (ACF), has been operating in Burundi since 1994, where the situation has dramatically hampered humanitarian programmes. These include poor security resulting in an inability to maintain 24-hour care for the severely malnourished and poor access to the beneficiaries, all within a politically and economically unstable context. However, ACF has been able to capitalise on lessons learnt and reflect on ways to move forward, which have included the improvement of their capacities in the treatment of severe malnutrition and the integration within broader disciplines and national structures. The protocols for the treatment of severe malnutrition currently used in Burundi have been developed as a result of the research of ACF over the past five years. Other aspects of the nutrition programme remain to be further developed. These include, for example, an improved capacity to care for severely malnourished adolescents and adults; and also a better knowledge of the beneficiaries to allow for stronger links between the provision of treatment and support for their longer-term food security.

Altruism↗