Visceral Leishmaniasis Outbreak in Kenyan Refugees
Author Information
Author(s): Gunter Boussery, Marleen Boelaert, Joke Van Peteghem, Philip Ejikon, Koen Henckaerts
Primary Institution: Medecins sans Frontieres, Brussels, Belgium; Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; and Medecins sans Frontieres, Nairobi, Kenya
Hypothesis
Is there an outbreak of visceral leishmaniasis among Somali refugees and Kenyan shepherds in Kenya?
Conclusion
The study identified a significant outbreak of visceral leishmaniasis with a high case-fatality rate among the affected population.
Supporting Evidence
- 26 probable visceral leishmaniasis cases were observed and 8 were confirmed parasitologically.
- The case-fatality rate was 29.4% among the patients.
- Most patients had a significant delay between symptom onset and diagnosis.
Takeaway
There was a big outbreak of a disease called visceral leishmaniasis in some refugee camps in Kenya, and many people got very sick.
Methodology
The study involved surveillance data review, patient interviews, and diagnostic tests including direct agglutination test and splenic aspirates.
Limitations
The validity of the diagnostic tests used is uncertain, and local transmission cannot be excluded.
Participant Demographics
The median age of patients was 15 years, with 25% being female; 6 were Kenyan citizens and the rest were Somali refugees.
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