Nosocomial Respiratory Infections in a Rural Zambian Hospital

Overview

Journal Am J Trop Med Hyg

Specialty Tropical Medicine

Date 2021 Jul 19

PMID 34280144

Authors

Gideon Loevinsohn

Justin Hardick

Thomas Mehoke

Pamela Sinywimaanzi

Mutinta Hamahuwa

Katherine Z J Fenstermacher

Kathryn Shaw-Saliba

Peter Thielen

Jared Evans

Kenneth Bowden

Kristina Zudock

Lauren M Sauer

Mwaka Monze

Charlotte A Gaydos

Richard E Rothman

Andrew Pekosz

Philip E Thuma

Catherine G Sutcliffe

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The burden of nosocomial respiratory infections in rural southern Africa is poorly understood. We established a surveillance program at a rural Zambian hospital to detect influenza-like illness (ILI) and respiratory infections among hospitalized patients and a cohort of healthcare workers (HCWs). Nasopharyngeal specimens from symptomatic patients and HCWs underwent broadly multiplexed molecular testing to detect viruses and atypical bacteria. During 1 year of surveillance, 15 patients (1.7% of admissions) developed ILI more than 48 hours after admission. Among 44 HCWs, 19 (43%) experienced at least one ILI episode, with a total of 31 ILI episodes detected. Respiratory viruses were detected in 45% of patient and 55% of HCW specimens. The cumulative incidence of influenza infection among HCWs over 1 year was 9%. Overall, respiratory viruses were commonly found among patients and HCWs in a rural Zambian hospital with limited infection control infrastructure.

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