The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in China and transmission to more than 80 territories worldwide, including nine countries in Africa, presents a delicate situation for low-resource settings. Countries in Eastern and Central Africa have been on high alert since mid-2018 in anticipation of regional spread of the Ebola virus from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Significant investment has been made to support enhanced surveillance at point of entry and hospitals, infection control practices, clinical case management, and clinical research. With a new threat on the horizon, African countries have an opportunity to leverage the existing capacities for Ebola preparedness to brace for the imminent threat.
Background
Transverse colon volvulus is an uncommon cause of intestinal obstruction. It is a surgical emergency that can lead to bowel infarction, peritonitis, and death.
Case presentation
We report a case of transverse colon volvulus in a 35-year-old Congolese immigrant man who had a rare presentation with features of intestinal obstruction associated with right lung collapse and left mediastinal shift.
Conclusion
This case is unusual because it presented with respiratory features that mimicked a pneumothorax in addition to features of intestinal obstruction. The use of point-of-care lung ultrasound was helpful in ruling out a pneumothorax, and this could help avoid situations such as unintentional chest drain insertions by other professionals who may encounter a similar case. Because transverse colon volvulus is rare, a high level of suspicion and awareness is required to make an accurate diagnosis.
Helminths are an important cause of worm infestation in low-income countries.The majority spread with soil to skin contact. In unusual patients presenting below 1 year, treatment can be challenging. The disease can be self-limiting; however, treatment is believed to reduce progression to more serious disease. Here, we present a case of a 3-month-old with cutaneous larva migrans.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.