Background WHO strategy to end Tuberculosis (TB) calls for drug susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) for all patients, in high TB burden settings. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the MTB drug resistance profiles and related risk factors among patients presenting to the Antituberculosis Center of Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out from July 2022 to August 2023 involving 1,121 presumptive pulmonary tuberculosis patients enrolled to the Antituberculosis Center of Brazzaville. Sputum samples were collected from all the study participants for the diagnosis of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance, using the Xpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid, USA) assay. Samples positive for MTB with drug resistance to RIF were further tested for the second line anti-MTB drug susceptibility using the 10-color Xpert MTB/XDR assay. Result Out of 1,121 presumptive TB patients tested, 302/1,121 (26.9%) were MTB positive. Among these, 18/302 (6.0%) had received previous TB treatment and 15/302 (5.0%) were HIV co-infected. The mean age of the study population was 34 years, with a higher prevalence in males (69.2%). Of the MTB isolates, 25/302 (8.3%) were Rifampicin-resistant, with 24/25 (96%) further confirmed as multi-resistant strains, including 6/24 (25%) pre-XDR. Risk factors for MDR-TB included a history of TB treatment (AOR = 8.96, p = 0.002) and chronic cough (AOR = 7.14, p = 0.003). Conclusions This study reveals a high level of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Brazzaville, with previous TB treatment being a significant risk factor. The findings underscore the need to strengthen molecular surveillance and TB management and control measures in the Republic of Congo.
Introduction: Still with this aim of extending this approach to other health centers, UNICEF supported "optimized care" on the maternity wards of the health centers of the Defense and Security Forces (FDS). As part of the implementation of optimized care in the mother-child services of the FDS, it was necessary to carry out an initial assessment in order to train staff on good practices. The main objective of this study was to assess the quality of maternal -child health care in the health centers of the FDS. Materials and Methods: It was devoted to training investigators on data collection techniques and tools. The training was led by a team of trainers from the Beninese Armed Forces (gynecologist, pediatrician) supported by UNICEF resource persons and national facilitators. Data collection was carried out by investigators in the four (04) health centers in the northern zone and three (03) in the southern zone with the supervision of the FABs supported by UNICEF resource persons and national facilitators. The data collection tools were made available by UNICEF BENIN and included interview questionnaires, observation sheets, and counting sheets. Data analysis was done in an EXCEL data mask designed and made available by UNICEF BENIN. Results : These indicators are identified: Proportion of newborns who benefited from early breastfeeding within the first hour of birth: 89% ; Proportion of newborns receiving cord care during the first 48 hours with chlorhexidine gel: 33% ; Availability of resuscitation equipment and standard newborn care supplies : 62% ; Rate of use of CPN 4 by qualified personnel : 75% ; Percentage of SONUB functions offered by the center: 86% ; Percentage of SONUB functions correctly implemented by the center: 60%. Conclusion: At the end of this preliminary study, it is important to set up an improvement plan based on the identified defects. This will contribute to improving the quality of care provided there.
Introduction: Viral hepatitis B is a public health problem worldwide.The objective of this study was to determine the epidemiological and diagnostic profile of chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus seen for gastroenterology consultations in Parakou, Republic of Benin.Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study with retrospective data collection.Patients seen for gastroenterology consultations from January 1, 2017 to June 30, 2021 at the Regional Teaching Hospital of Borgou/Alibori (CHUD-B/A) and having been diagnosed as chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus were included.A minimum initial assessment was required to be included.The minimum sample size was calculated with Schwartz formula.The variable of interest was the detection of HBsAg twice and at least 6 months apart.The other variables studied were sociodemographic, clinical and paraclinical data.The data collected were analyzed using SPSS 17 software.Results: A total of 2786 patients were seen for gastroenterology consultations, including 1126 (40.4%)HBsAg-positive patients.Among them, 417 patients met the inclusion criteria and were the subject of the present study.The average age of the patients was 34.8 ± 10.5 years.Two hundred and forty-seven patients (65.7%) were male, representing a sex ratio of 1.9.The discovery of positive HBsAg status was made during systematic screening in 231 patients (55.4%).Scarifications were noted in 373 patients (89.4%).Asthenia was reported in 184 patients (44.1%).Co-infections with human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C and D viruses were 0% (0 in 92), 2.8% (4 in 146) and 14.3% (2 in 146), respectively.During the initial assessment, 274 patients (65.7%) were se-
Background: The aim of this study was to find out about staff motivational related factors at Ouidah’s district hospital in southern Benin. Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study involving 108 agents randomly selected with proportional allocation by department. Motivation was measured, as were the intrinsic and extrinsic factors associated with it, using a questionnaire based on a Likert scale. Factors associated with motivation were investigated using the following tests: t-student, ANOVA, post hoc, and logistic regression. Results: The median age of those surveyed was 39 (33.50; 47.50) years, predominantly female (58.30%). Of the staff surveyed, 30.6% had an insufficient level of general motivation. Women were much more motivated by "collaboration" than men (p=0.004). The "achievement" factor was more motivating for staff with university-level education than for those with primary-level education (p=0.001). Those aged between 35 and 50 were less motivated than those under 35 [OR=0.19; 95% CI (0.04; 0.88)]. The opportunity to develop skills at work (p=0.018) and participation in decision-making (p=0.019) were associated with the general level of staff motivation. Reasons for demotivation were dominated by insufficient work materials (24.24%). Conclusions: Staff motivation can be improved through interventions that take into account identified factors.
The importance of slope stability in civil engineering cannot be underestimated, as failure of these structures can result in significant damage to downstream infrastructure and property.In this study, we used the Bishop slice method, combining both an analytical approach and a numerical approach using the SLOPE/W module of the Geostudio 2018 R2 software.The results obtained from these two methods showed that increasing soil cohesion helps to improve slope stability.The safety coefficients obtained by the analytical method vary between 0.621 and 1.422, while those obtained by the numerical method vary between 0.622 and 1.447, for cohesion values ranging from 4 kPa to 20 kPa.The results obtained by these two methods show a linear relationship between the safety coefficients and soil cohesion.The equation of the analytical method is y = 0.0496x + 0.4407, while that of the numerical method is y = 0.0512x + 0.4357.The results of the analytical approach indicate that a safety coefficient of 1.5 is reached when the cohesion reaches a value of 22 kPa, while the numerical approach shows a safety coefficient of 1.5 reached at a cohesion of 21 kPa.The difference between these two cohesion values can be explained by the number of slices used, which is smaller in the analytical method.However, the equation derived from the analytical method can be used as a general guide to assess the evolution of the safety coefficient of an overloaded slope in long-term behaviour with an increase in cohesion.However, it is important to stress the importance of verification using specialised software based on the finite element method.
