From reverse innovation to global innovation in animal health: A review

Reverse innovation refers to learning from or diffusion of innovations developed in low income settings and further translated to industrialized countries. There is lack of consensus regarding terminology, but the idea that innovations in low-income countries are promising for adoption in high-income contexts is not new. However, in healthcare literature globally, the vast majority of publications referring to 'disruptive innovation' were published in the last ten years. To assess the potential of innovative developments and technologies for improving animal health, we initiated a literature review in 2020. We used a combined approach, incorporating targeted searching in PubMed using a key word algorithm with a snowball technique, to identify 120 relevant publications and extract data for qualitative coding. Heterogeneity of articles precluded meta-analysis, quality scoring and risk of bias analysis. We can distinguish technical innovations like new digital devices, diagnostic tests and procedures, and social innovations of intersectoral cooperation. We profile two case studies to describe potential global innovations: an integrated surveillance and response system in Somali Regional State, Ethiopia and a blockchain secured One Health intervention to optimally provide post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies exposed people in West Africa. Innovation follows no borders and can also occur in low-income settings, under constraints of cost, lack of services and infrastructure. Lower administrative and legal barriers may contribute to produce innovations that would not be possible under conditions of high density of regulation. We recommend using the term global innovation, which highlights those emanating from international partnership to solve problems of global implications.

Obstacles socioculturels liés à l’utilisation de la contraception moderne en Côte d’Ivoire

INTRODUCTION

In Côte d’Ivoire, national modern contraceptive prevalence remains low, at 21% in 2017.Purpose of research: The objective of this study was to identify socio-cultural obstacles related to the use of modern contraception among women of reproductive age.

METHODS

We conducted a descriptive and qualitative study in Dallas, in the Adjamé commune, located in the center of Abidjan. The survey took place from 9th June to 7th July 2018. In addition, we conducted four focus groups with men over 20 years old, women of reproductive age between 15 and 49 years old, and two religious leaders recruited according to a reasoned sampling. Group discussion guides and individual interview guides were used as data collection tools. Moreover, we analyzed data after recording and transcribing, following a thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

We interviewed thirty participants including 14 men, 14 women, and two religious leaders. The main obstacles described were the lack of reliable and adequate information, misconceptions about contraception, fear of side effects, illiteracy, male decision-making power, religious prohibitions, and the socio-cultural contradictions. To circumvent these obstacles, women secretly used contraceptives, thereby exposing themselves to social risks.

CONCLUSION

Our study highlighted the persistence of socio-cultural practices. For that reason, taking into account people’s perceptions is necessary to improve the use of modern contraception at the community level.

Human rabies in Côte d'Ivoire 2014-2016: Results following reinforcements to rabies surveillance

In Côte d'Ivoire, rabies is endemic and remains largely uncontrolled. The numbers of human exposures and rabies cases are unknown and are probably much higher than reported. Data on human rabies cases are collected by the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) Anti-rabies Center in Abidjan through a network of 28 NIPH local units, which cover the population of the entire country. During 2014, the NIPH initiated a program to reinforce the human rabies surveillance system in those 28 NIPH local units, with specific goals of improving the infrastructure, training, communication, and government involvement. Here, we report the progress and findings during 2014-2016. The reinforced system recorded 50 cases of human rabies (15-18 cases/year; annual incidence = 0.06-0.08 per 100,000) and more than 30,000 animal exposures (annual incidence = 41.8-48.0 per 100,000). Almost one-half of the human rabies cases were in children ≤15 years old. All were fatal and dog bites were the most common route by which rabies virus was transmitted. In the 32 cases where samples of sufficient quality for analysis were available, rabies was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR. Post-exposure prophylaxis with rabies vaccine was administered to all animal exposure victims presenting at the NIPH local units, although only about 57% completed the full immunization schedule. All available reports were provided by the NIPH local units, indicating effective communication between them and the NIPH Anti-rabies Center. These findings indicate that the reinforcements resulted in highly specific detection of human rabies, provided detailed epidemiological data about these cases, and improved estimates of animal exposure numbers. These represent substantial advances, but further improvements to the surveillance system are needed to increase disease awareness and capture cases that are currently missed by the system. In the future, better communication between local health centers and the NIPH units, surveillance at the local health center level, and increased veterinarian engagement will help provide a more complete picture of the rabies burden in Côte d'Ivoire.

Factors associated with the abandonment of postexposure prophylaxis at the antirabies center in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

The main objective of this work is to analyze the factors associated with patients dropping out of postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) at the antirabies center of Abidjan (ARC). This descriptive, analytic cross-sectional study took place at the ARC of Abidjan from September 2014 through May 2015. Data were collected in two stages: first, all patients were interviewed at their first consultation. Exposed patients who failed to return were interviewed by telephone three days later. We recorded 441 subjects (59.3%) who had dropped out of their PEP. After multivariate analysis of social and demographic factors, the dropout rate was low in the groups aged 40-49 years (aOR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.2, 0.8), 50-59 years (aOR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.21; 0.82), and 60 years and older (aOR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.09; 0.76), while it was elevated in retired persons (aOR = 10.07, 95% CI = [1.11, 91 , 7]). Moreover, the choice of protocol influenced PEP adherence, with subjects who chose the 5-dose protocol dropping out more frequently (P≤0.001). The main reason given by the subjects exposed to a suspect animal to explain dropping out of PEP was the lack of financial resources (41.5%). To alleviate this dropout problem, the ARC should strengthen public awareness of human rabies and the Ivorian government must implement universal health coverage to help the poor or make the vaccine available for free to all.

Characteristics and epidemiological profile of Buruli ulcer in the district of Tiassalé, south Côte d'Ivoire

Buruli ulcer (BU) is a cutaneous infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. It is the third most common mycobacterial disease in the world in the immunocompetent patient and second in Côte d'Ivoire after tuberculosis. This study aimed to assess the characteristics and epidemiological profile of BU in the district of Tiassalé, an important focus of the disease in south Côte d'Ivoire, in order to better direct actions for prevention and control. Retrospective clinical data of BU cases in the period 2005-2010 from all 19 district health centres were collected and linked with geographical and environmental survey data. A total of 1145 cases of BU were recorded between 2005 and 2010 in the district of Tiassalé. Children under the age of 15 years were the most affected (53.0%) with a higher prevalence among males compared to females (54.7% versus 45.3%). Among individuals aged 15-49 years, females had a higher prevalence than males (54.2% versus 45.8%). The villages of Ahondo, Léléblé and Taabo, located in close proximity to the man-made Lake Taabo that was constructed in the late 1970s by damming the Bandama River, and the village of Sokrogbo located downstream of the dam, showed the highest BU rates in the sub-prefecture of Taabo. In the sub-prefecture of Tiassalé, the villages of Affikro, Morokro and N'Zianouan, located near N'Zi River, a tributary of the Bandama River, were the most affected. The distribution of BU is associated with environmental patterns (i.e. distance between village and Lake Taabo or Bandama River and its tributary N'Zi River). Awareness campaigns, coupled with early diagnosis and improved clinical management of BU, have been implemented in the district of Tiassalé and the incidence of BU has declined.

Effects of climatological parameters in modeling and forecasting seasonal influenza transmission in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire

Background

In temperate regions, influenza epidemics occur in the winter and correlate with certain climatological parameters. In African tropical regions, the effects of climatological parameters on influenza epidemics are not well defined. This study aims to identify and model the effects of climatological parameters on seasonal influenza activity in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Methods

We studied the effects of weekly rainfall, humidity, and temperature on laboratory-confirmed influenza cases in Abidjan from 2007 to 2010. We used the Box-Jenkins method with the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) process to create models using data from 2007–2010 and to assess the predictive value of best model on data from 2011 to 2012.

Results

The weekly number of influenza cases showed significant cross-correlation with certain prior weeks for both rainfall, and relative humidity. The best fitting multivariate model (ARIMAX (2,0,0) _RF) included the number of influenza cases during 1-week and 2-weeks prior, and the rainfall during the current week and 5-weeks prior. The performance of this model showed an increase of >3 % for Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and 2.5 % for Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) compared to the reference univariate ARIMA (2,0,0). The prediction of the weekly number of influenza cases during 2011–2012 with the best fitting multivariate model (ARIMAX (2,0,0) _RF), showed that the observed values were within the 95 % confidence interval of the predicted values during 97 of 104 weeks.

Conclusion

Including rainfall increases the performances of fitted and predicted models. The timing of influenza in Abidjan can be partially explained by rainfall influence, in a setting with little change in temperature throughout the year. These findings can help clinicians to anticipate influenza cases during the rainy season by implementing preventive measures.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3503-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

[Assessment of measles diagnostic from gingival fluid in Côte d'Ivoire]

After the adoption of the Global Initiative for Measles Elimination in 2001, Côte d'Ivoire has created monitoring case by case. Thus, the diagnosis of measles from the gingival fluid was implemented, through a pilot project. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of this diagnostic test. We conducted a cross-sectional survey, in four health districts of Abidjan, during a period from July 2010 to December 2012. The study consisted in collecting gingival fluid and serum samples in all suspected measles children. These samples were analyzed by ELISA test at Pasteur Institute of Côte d'Ivoire. Standard formulas were used to calculate sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of oral fluid compared to serum taken as the "gold standard" and confidence intervals were estimated with error alpha risk (α =0.05). The concordance of kappa coefficient (k) was used to estimate agreement level between the results of oral fluid analysis and those of serum. The sensitivity and specificity of the test were 98% and 82% respectively while the positive predictive value and the negative predictive value were 84% and 98%. The comparison of oral fluid with the reference test showed high agreement, between 0.61 and 0.80. The diagnostic test on gingival fluid is acceptable because its sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value had high level. Therefore it can be extended to all sanitary districts.

[Quality of immunization data in children aged 0 to 11 months in Côte d’Ivoire]

INTRODUCTION

In order to guide the decisions of programme managers, an immunization Data Quality Self-Assessment was performed in Côte d’Ivoire in 2012. This study was designed to assess the accuracy of immunization data and the quality of the immunization tracking system with this tool.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 88 randomly selected immunization facilities from 30 health districts. These structures were included in the study based on the number of children aged 0-11 months who received three doses of vaccine against Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hepatitis B Viral and Haemophilus Influenzae b on the one hand and measles vaccine coverage on the other. This assessment focused on two criteria in particular: accuracy of immunization data measured by the verification factor (VF) and the quality of the immunization tracking system.

RESULTS

The accuracy of immunization data was satisfactory at the district level (VF=95%), but not for the health centre level (VF=81%), as 73% of health districts and health centres obtained a satisfactory factor (≥95%).The number of children aged 0-11 months vaccinated differed from one level of the health system to another and from one document to another.The mean quality index was not satisfactory for both the district and health centre levels (64% vs 50%). Only one health district and one health centre obtained a quality index greater than 80%. Furthermore, 93% of health districts and 50% of health centres obtained quality indices ranging from 50% and 80%, respectively.The weakest components at both levels were “supervision and monitoring” and “analysis and use of data”.

CONCLUSION

The deficiencies in data reporting and the quality of the immunization monitoring system need to be improved by supportive supervision.

[Description of sexual practices of women who have sex with other women to HIV / AIDS in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire)]

The response to HIV must be based on all situations of risk and vulnerability related to sexual behavior. Sexual practices of women who have sex with other women to HIV described in his study come within this framework. This transversal and descriptive study on the sexual practices of 150 women who have sex with other women to HIV was conducted from July to September 2010 in Abidjan. Mean age of the respondents was 26.6 years. Among them, 21.3% was illiterate, 41.4% had no earned income and 57.3% was Christians. At the time of data collection, the majority (70.7%) did not know their HIV status. The analysis of sexual practices has found 13.3% of lesbians, bisexual, 36% and 50.7% of women who say they are lesbian even if they have had sex with men. Women who have sex with other women had sexual risk behavior. It was mostly the non-systematic use of the condom during sexual relation (60%). Among the 26.7% of respondents who had lesbian practices with penetration, 40% took no precaution to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Taking into account these results could help to develop specific strategies to promote responsible sexual practices among women who have sex with other women.

[Knowledge, attitudes and practices of household heads regarding rabies in the Abobo district (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire) in 2008]

INTRODUCTION

In order to investigate the factors predisposing to human rabies in Abobo, we conducted a study to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of household heads in this district.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted from 13 September to 13 December 2008 and consisted of interviewing, by means of a questionnaire, household heads or their representatives at home. We randomly selected 53 households in each sub-district, with a total of 702 households for the 13 sub-districts. Informed consent was obtained from each participant prior to the interview. Data were analysed using Epi-Info 2000.

RESULTS

Of the total of 152 households, 22% had a pet; 109 (71.7%) households had a dog, that was not vaccinated in 38% of cases. Furthermore, 577 (82.19%) of household heads knew about rabies and school was the source of information for 511 households (88.6%). Five hundred fifty five household heads (96.18%) did not know that the wound should be washed with soap and water immediately after exposure and 118 household heads (20.45%) reported that nothing should be done after a bite. After exposure, only 30.70% of household heads would attend a health centre 50 kilometres from home.

CONCLUSION

This study shows a good level of knowledge of household heads concerning rabies. However, harmful health practices persist. Public awareness of rabies therefore needs to be reinforced.

[Seroprevalence of HIV infection in the context of a mobile counseling and voluntary testing strategy in rural areas of Côte d'Ivoire]

INTRODUCTION

In Côte d'Ivoire, HIV testing and counselling has been identified as a priority in the National 2006-2010 AIDS Strategic Plan, which is designed to evaluate the prevalence of HIV in rural areas measured by means of a mobile strategy.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study from 1st April, 2007 to 31st March 2008 in six rural areas of Côte d'Ivoire: Dabou, San Pedro, Abengourou, Tanda, Daloa, and Soubré*. The study population consisted of subjects attending the mobile voluntary counselling and testing units.

RESULTS

The mean prevalence of HIV infection in this study was 5.30%. The mean prevalence rate in men was 5.26%, with a peak of 7.55% in the 30-34 years age-group. The mean prevalence rate in women was 5.35%, with a peak of 6.59% in the same age-group. Type HIV-1 was predominant (84.2% of the total). The most affected area was Dabou, with a rate three times higher (15.83%) than the average rate observed during the study. More educated people (university level) presented 3.5-fold (for men) or 6-fold (for women) higher infection rates than illiterate people. Although 100% of people who tested positive received a medical or community referral according to their specific needs, only 62.1% were first-line referred for medical care.

CONCLUSION

In the light of the results of this study, we believe that community mobilization must be redirected to the most severely affected populations to facilitate earlier diagnosis. Actions such as training and prevention based on communication to encourage changes of behaviour should therefore be priorities in the national counselling and testing programme.

[The quality of immunization services in community centers in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire]

In addition to health care centers, other institutions such as community centers are also involved in providing immunization services, the purpose being to address the inadequate provision of services in this area. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of immunization services provided by non-medical staff. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted over the course of two months in the 15 public community centers providing immunization services in Abidjan. Data collection was performed by two physicians using three questionnaires (one for center managers, one for vaccinators and one for vaccine recipients) and two observation checklists (to assess vaccination equipment and to observe the behaviors and practices of vaccinators). The study found that none of the centers had a generator. One community center had no refrigerator. Refrigerators were not placed in a ventilated area in 14.3 % of the centers and were not exclusively used for the storage of vaccines in 26.7 % of the centers. None of the centers had an incinerator. 21.1 % of staff did not know the correct storage temperature. In 88.9 % of cases, the swab used to stop bleeding was also used to clean the injection site. The injection site was not sterilized in 10.8 % of cases. 73.9 % of the recipients did not know what vaccine they had been administered, while 95 % of the recipients did not know the date of their next vaccination appointment. The results indicate that immunization services in public community centers have many shortcomings. To address these issues, it is necessary to implement a training policy and to provide appropriate equipment and supervision.

[The epidemiological profile of subjects exposed to rabies in Abidjan, Ivory Coast]

The purpose of this study is to describe the epidemiological profile of subjects exposed to rabies in the anti-rabies center of Abidjan in Ivory Coast. The paper is based on a cross-sectional study conducted among all people exposed to the risk of rabies and followed in the anti-rabies center from January to December 2008. During the study period, 2,673 subjects were exposed, i.e. 5 exposures for every 10,000 persons. 1,534 patients (57.4%) were male. The most exposed age groups were the 0-9 and 10-19 age groups (22.4% and 29.5% respectively). In Abidjan, 608 individuals (22.7%) were exposed in Cocody, 471 individuals (17.6%) in Abobo, and 310 individuals (11.6%) in Yopougon. Exposure occurred in 76.9% of cases (2,055 subjects) at home and exclusively concerned visitors of the family. Exposures by animal bites represented 88.1% (2,354 subjects) of all cases, while 23.2% (620 subjects) of exposures were category III. The average period between exposure and consultation was 10 days. Subjects were exposed as a result of contact with a dog in 92.1 % of cases (2,462 subjects). The animal was found alive in 74.9% (2,002 cases) and was not immunized in 87.2% of cases (2,331). Post-exposure prophylaxis was given up by 1,470 persons (55.2%). 13 subjects were received at the stage of clinical rabies. Increased knowledge of the epidemiological profile of rabies exposure will contribute to improving the management of the disease in Ivory Coast.

[Impact of armed conflict on the health care system of a sanitary district in Cote d'Ivoire]

Since September 2002, Côte d'Ivoire has been in the throes of armed conflict that has split the country in two. In the government-controlled area, access to health care services has continued. In the area under the control of the "New Forces", access to health care services decreased dramatically due to departure of qualified health personnel and subsequent shutdown of sanitary facilities. The purpose of this transversal descriptive survey was to measure the impact of this crisis on the health care system in the Séguéla sanitary district that is located in the war zone. Findings showed that 60.7% of sanitary facilities are no longer operational, that 77.7% of qualified personnel have left their workstation, and that 46.2% of sanitary structures have been damaged. A few reference hospitals and sanitary facilitates have been able to remain open thanks to the support of the humanitarian organisations. As a result of declining access to health care services, a recrudescence of measles and IST has been observed and gastritis and traumatology have appeared among the top 10 causes of morbidity. Access to effective health care in the Séguéla sanitary district cannot be envisioned without the return of qualified health care personnel and the renovation of the sanitary facilities.

[Socio-economic impact at the household level of the health consequences of toxic waste discharge in Abidjan in 2006]

In August 2006, toxic wastes were discharged in the district of Abidjan, causing important health consequences in many households in the area. In order to appreciate the socio-economic impact of the consequences of toxic waste discharge on the households and of the measures taken by the authorities to deal with this catastrophe, and to appreciate the spatial extent of the pollution, we undertook a multidisciplinary transversal investigation at the sites of discharge of oxic waste, from October the 19th to December the 8th, 2006, using a transect sampling methodology. This paper presents the results related to the socio-economic aspects of the survey while the environmental and epidemiological results are presented in two other published papers. The socioeconomics investigation, conducted using a questionnaire, concerned 809 households across the various sites of discharge of toxic waste. More than 62% of households had at least one person who had been affected by toxic waste (affected households). 62.47% of these households were in Cocody district (with 2 sites and 4 points of discharge), 30.14% in Abobo district (with 2 sites and 3 points) and 7.39% in Koumassi district (with 1 site and 1 point). To escape the bad smell and the nuisance, 22.75% of the 501 "affected" households had left their houses. To face the health consequences generated by the toxic waste, 30.54% of the "affected" households engaged expenses. Those were on average of 92 450 FCFA (€141), with a minimum of 1 000 FCFA (€1.5) and a maximum of 1500000 FCFA (€2.287), in spite of the advertisement of the exemption from payment treatment fees made by the government. The decision of destroying cultures and farms near the points of discharge of the toxic products in a radius of 200 meters, taken by the authorities, touched 2.22% of the households. For these households, it did nothing but worsen their state of poverty, since the zone of influence of the toxic waste went well beyond the 200 meters prescribed by the authorities as the limit of the operations of destruction.

[Evaluation of the quality of prenatal consultations in the health district of Grand Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire]

Maternal mortality constitutes a major public health problem in Côte d'Ivoire. Better management of pregnant patients and improved quality of pre-natal consultations could contribute to solving this problem. But what is the current situation of these a pre-natal consultations in the medical district of Grand-Bassam? To answer to this question, a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out between August 26th and September 30th, 2002 in three medical establishments in charge of pre-natal consultations in that District. It was noted that the privacy and the confidentiality during the examination were respected; yet on the other hand, the structures were sometimes unsuited and were insufficiently equipped. The health care professionals were not very accessible or friendly, and they had poor interpersonal communication skill. Recommendations were made to remedy these insufficiencies.

[Chronic malnutrition among children under five years of age in the northern part of Côte d'Ivoire]

The malnutrition of children under five years of age constitutes a major public health problem in most developing countries. A cross-section study was carried in 2003 in the northern part of Côte d'Ivoire to determine the prevalence of chronic malnutrition and to identify risk factors among children under five years of age living in urban and rural areas of the northern part of Côte d'Ivoire. A total of 292 and 268 children under five years of age residing respectively in urban and rural areas were included in the study. Their median age was 24 months. Chronic malnutrition was more frequent in children from rural areas (39.9%) than in those living in urban areas (16.7%). Malnutrition was significantly associated with the type of food consumed by children under two years of age in urban areas, and it was strongly linked to emaciation of the mother and presence of childhood fever in rural areas. In light of these results, we advocate a healthy diet and adequate health status for the mother and child to improve the nutritional status of children. Moreover, these results need to be completed and complemented by further studies for more detailed information to contribute to a better definition of actions to fight efficiently against malnutrition among children of the northern part of Côte d'Ivoire.

[Epidemiologic monitoring of human rabies in an endemic canine rabies area in the Ivory Coast]

AIM

The objective of this study was to analyze the epidemiologic monitoring of human rabies in the rabies medical center of Abidjan.

PATIENT

A cross-sectional study was undertaken based on files of patients having consulted in the rabies center after exposure and suspicion of human rabies between January 2001 and June 2009.

RESULTS

Twenty-six cases of human rabies were reported in 10,706,136 inhabitants (annual incidence of 0.028 cases per 100,000). The number of detected cases increased considerably after reinforcing the monitoring of the disease. Most cases occurred in an urban environment and concerned both sexes. The most concerned age range was under 31 years. The patients' were mostly school children and housewives. In all cases, the rabid animal was a dog and the type of exposure was a bite. Fifty-six percent of the victims had not received any local treatment and almost all no post-exposure prophylaxis. The mean delay before the first symptoms was 49.5 days after exposure and for death, 4 days after the onset of symptoms. Virological diagnosis was made in four cases.

CONCLUSION

In spite of the increase of cases observed since 2006, certainly due to reinforcement of the monitoring network, improvement is needed to assess the real incidence of rabies in the Ivory Coast.

[Adherence to rabies vaccine treatment for people exposed to rabies in Abidjan (Côte d' Ivoire)]

This descriptive retrospective study ran from August 2003 to December 2003 at the Rabies Center of the National Institute of Public Health in Abidjan. It covers subjects at risk of rabies transmission during 2004. Identification of participants in the study was made via a census of patients consulting the rabies clinic: a total of 533 subjects were included, predominantly male (54.6%), without gainful employment (57%), with an average age of 26.7 years. Those who lived outside the city of Abidjan accounted for 21.6%. In 88.2% of cases, they were exposed due to a bite. Dogs (90.8%) represented the main species responsible for this kind of exposure. Only 3.2% of these animals had a current valid rabies vaccine. The owner of the animal was not known in 71% of cases. The observance of the recommended immunization schedule for 4 doses was 53.1%. Of the 533 patients registered in the study, 46.9% had stopped treatment vaccine. Some factors have been identified as adversely affecting adherence, such as the vaccination treatment plan of 5 doses, exposure outside the city of Abidjan, unemployment, incurrence of superficial injuries, exposure from an animal bite and lack of immunization of the animal. The results show that the strategies against rabies must focus increasingly on the importance of adherence to treatment and education of the population vis-à-vis the risk of rabies.

[Five years of cholera surveillance in Ivory Coast during social and political crisis, 2001 to 2005]

For an efficient struggle against infectious diseases with epidemic potential, the Cdte d'Ivoire set up a precocious alert system in 2001 with a main objective: to detect epidemics of cholera, measles, yellow fever and meningitis and to provide necessary information for their control and their prevention. During the 2001 to 2005 period, the country was marked by military and political crisis which occurred in 2002; the country had to face up to a reappearance of cholera. How did it evolve in such a context? The question was to describe the performances of the system and the evolution of cholera from weekly data collected by the centers of epidemiological monitoring in health districts. The cases and declared deaths were compiled and the indicators of morbidity and mortality were then studied according to time site and individual features on the period of 2001 to 2005. From 2001 to 2005, 11,874 cases were notified with 564 deaths and a lethal rate of 4.7%. In 2001, from the initial source of infection, the civil jail, the epidemic of cholera disseminated itself through visitors in the whole city of Abidjan where 3250 cases were notified. Out of city, 20 outbreaks have been declared with a total of 3010 cases. The yearly highest impact, 37 living cases/100,000 inhabitants recorded in 2001, decreased regularly until 2005 with 0.2 living cases/100,000. After 2002, outbreaks were located mainly in the half south of the country which welcomed displaced populations from the north, preferably in transition or settling zones near the front line. The lethal rate in Abidjan (2.3%) was less important than that of other health districts (8.6%). The lethal rate globally increased as the impact decreased. Vibrio cholerae was responsible for the epidemics. The group of 15 years old and over was the most affected (12.69 living cases/100,000) whereas the highest lethal rate appeared in the group under 5 years old (6.6%). The reappearance and constant cholera epidemics in Côte d'Ivoire are due to bad general hygiene conditions, insufficient supply of drinking water from wells or packaged, concentration of populations in the south of the country due to war and uncontrolled development of the poor and unsanitary precarious boroughs. Outburst during the dry season is a warning signal of an important epidemic during the raining season especially in poor urban areas. The precocious alert system has permitted to detect the epidemics, to follow up their evolution and to orientate the struggle against cholera in Côte d'Ivoire.

[Compliance with veterinary surveillance orders at the rabies control center in Abijan, Ivory Coast]

Rabies remains a major health public health problem in many developing countries. This is particularly the case in the Ivory Coast. Surveillance orders play an important role in patient management. The purpose of this transverse study conducted at Abidjan Rabies Control Center from July 1 to September 30, 2003 was to assess compliance with veterinary surveillance orders by owners of animals that have bitten or scratched persons. Persons reporting to the rabies control center after exposure to the risk of rabies infection and owners of the animals that had bitten, scratched, or licked these persons were included in this study. Most animals involved in these cases (94.8%) were dogs including 69.5% that had been vaccinated. Most persons (71.7 %) at risk reported within two days following exposure and 31.3% provided all three veterinary certificates. The mean time required to provide the first certificate was 4.2 days. The gender of the persona at risk and the vaccination status of the animal involved were correlated with compliance with veterinary surveillance orders. Four main difficulties were cited as hindrances for compliance with veterinary surveillance, i.e., cost (373%), distance (28.4%), time (9.9%), and veterinary clinic accessibility (2.5%). These findings indicate that stricter laws and a national prevention program are needed.

Fighting rabies in Africa: the Africa Rabies Expert Bureau (AfroREB)

Rabies experts from 14 francophone African countries met in Grand Bassam (Côte d'Ivoire), 10-13 March 2008. They presented the situation in their respective countries, acknowledging the lack of rabies awareness among the population, health care workers and health authorities. They recognized that infrastructure for the management of rabies exposure is scarce, modern vaccines are in limited quantity and immunoglobulins are lacking in most of their countries. They defined as a priority the need to have reliable figures on the disease burden, which is necessary for informed decision making and priority setting, and for applying for aid in controlling the disease. This meeting sealed the establishment of the Africa Rabies Expert Bureau (AfroREB).