tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Pan Afr Med J
. 2023 Dec 28:46:120.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2023.46.120.39511. eCollection 2023. Five successive waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Central African Republic: a prospective observational study from 2020-2022
Clotaire Donatien Rafaï[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Luc Salva Heredeibona[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ernest Lango-Yaya[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Roseline Darnicka Belizaire[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Oscar Senzongo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Placide Mbala[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Maurel Ouoko Fa-Ti-Gbia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Javan Allon Bengba[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Simon Pounguinza[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jephté Estimé Kaleb Kandou[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Daniel Yvon Gonessa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wilfried Koyaweda[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ulrich Vickos[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ginette Claude Kalla[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Wilfried Sylvain Nambei[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Pierre Somse[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Laurent Bélec[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Gérard Grésenguet[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Boniface Koffi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], François-Xavier Mbopi-Keou[SUP] 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Introduction: the National Laboratory of Clinical Biology and Public Health (NLBPH) in Bangui in the Central African Republic (CAR) carries out the vast majority of molecular screening tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection nationwide. This study aimed to show the contribution of molecular diagnosis and genomic surveillance in monitoring the evolution of longitudinal variations of the SARS-CoV-2 infection epidemic in CAR between 2020 and the end of 2022.
Methods: this is an observational study on the variations in the prevalence of detection of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR at the NLCBPH from nasopharyngeal samples taken prospectively over a period of 3 years since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic. A subgroup of SARS-CoV-2 positive samples was selected for molecular sequencing performed by Illumina® and MinIon® at the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Results: from March 2020 to December 31[SUP]th[/SUP], 2022, 88,442 RT-PCR tests were carried out (4/5 of the country) and detected 9,156 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in 5 successive waves. The average age of the patients was 39.8 years (extremes ranging from to 92 years). Age(P=0.001), sex(P=0.001) and symptom presentation(P=0.001) were significantly associated with RT-PCR test positivity. Among the different variants identified during successive waves, the Omicron variant predominated during the last two waves.
Conclusion: this prospective study over a period of 3 years, marked by 5 successive waves, made it possible to report that age, sex and the presence of clinical symptoms are associated with RT-PCR positivity. Among the different variants identified during successive waves, the Omicron variant predominated during the last two waves.
Keywords: COVID-19; Central African Republic; SARS-CoV-2.
. 2023 Dec 28:46:120.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2023.46.120.39511. eCollection 2023. Five successive waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Central African Republic: a prospective observational study from 2020-2022
Clotaire Donatien Rafaï[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Luc Salva Heredeibona[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ernest Lango-Yaya[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Roseline Darnicka Belizaire[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Oscar Senzongo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Placide Mbala[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Maurel Ouoko Fa-Ti-Gbia[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Javan Allon Bengba[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Simon Pounguinza[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jephté Estimé Kaleb Kandou[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Daniel Yvon Gonessa[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wilfried Koyaweda[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ulrich Vickos[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ginette Claude Kalla[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Wilfried Sylvain Nambei[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Pierre Somse[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Laurent Bélec[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Gérard Grésenguet[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Boniface Koffi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], François-Xavier Mbopi-Keou[SUP] 7 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 38465007
- PMCID: PMC10924610
- DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2023.46.120.39511
Introduction: the National Laboratory of Clinical Biology and Public Health (NLBPH) in Bangui in the Central African Republic (CAR) carries out the vast majority of molecular screening tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection nationwide. This study aimed to show the contribution of molecular diagnosis and genomic surveillance in monitoring the evolution of longitudinal variations of the SARS-CoV-2 infection epidemic in CAR between 2020 and the end of 2022.
Methods: this is an observational study on the variations in the prevalence of detection of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR at the NLCBPH from nasopharyngeal samples taken prospectively over a period of 3 years since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic. A subgroup of SARS-CoV-2 positive samples was selected for molecular sequencing performed by Illumina® and MinIon® at the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Results: from March 2020 to December 31[SUP]th[/SUP], 2022, 88,442 RT-PCR tests were carried out (4/5 of the country) and detected 9,156 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in 5 successive waves. The average age of the patients was 39.8 years (extremes ranging from to 92 years). Age(P=0.001), sex(P=0.001) and symptom presentation(P=0.001) were significantly associated with RT-PCR test positivity. Among the different variants identified during successive waves, the Omicron variant predominated during the last two waves.
Conclusion: this prospective study over a period of 3 years, marked by 5 successive waves, made it possible to report that age, sex and the presence of clinical symptoms are associated with RT-PCR positivity. Among the different variants identified during successive waves, the Omicron variant predominated during the last two waves.
Keywords: COVID-19; Central African Republic; SARS-CoV-2.