Objective: Despite the presence of hand washing material and the training given to medical staff regarding hygiene measures and health care procedures in October 2015, the prevalence of nosocomial infections in the neonatal unit of the National University Teaching Hospital of Cotonou (CNHU-Cotonou) was estimated at 8% in January 2016. To determine the factors that contribute to these infections, this study assessed medical staff compliance with hand hygiene measures and procedures. Method: This research was a cross-sectional and observational study conducted from February 15 to March 31, 2016 through direct and cautious observation of 47 members of the medical and paramedical staff. The study variables were hand washing before entering the neonatal unit and before entering each treatment room, hand washing before and after seeing each patient, compliance with hand washing steps, the use of hydroalcoholic solutions and adhering to the ban on mobile phone use inside the treatment room. Results: Only 15% of the medical staff followed all of the rules and measures governing hand hygiene. The result showed that 76.6% of them did not wash their hands before entering the unit; 32% washed their hands before each care session; 95.7% washed their hands after each care session; and 85% did not comply with the hand washing steps. Only 21.3% of the personnel used hydroalcoholic solution, and only 85% of the personnel adhered to the ban on mobile phone use within the treatment room. Conclusion: Compliance with hand hygiene measures is insufficient. These low compliance rates

The survival of preterm infants depends on the health development level of each country and those who survive need a closer follow-up after the discharge. The objective of this study was to evaluate morbidity, mortality and post-natal growth of preterm infants in the first six-month of life in a low income country. This was a longitudinal study from May 2015 to June 2016 in the pediatrics department of the Mother and Child Teaching Hospital of N’Djamena. It involved all preterm infants hospitalized during six months of inclusion period and followed in this structure. The morbidity rate was 26.9% in the first month of follow-up. The more frequent pathologies were acute respiratory infections (37%), functional digestive troubles (33%) followed by anemia and malaria (15%). Eight infants (11.9%) had been hospitalized again with 3 deaths recorded (4.5%). The growth was regular but the measures were mostly less than -2 Z score. Average weight was 6165.6 g at 6 months; average height: 60.72 cm and average head circumference: 41.62 cm. Adjustment of cranial circumference was earliest with 53 and 87% of normal value at 3 and 6 months respectively. The improvement of care of preterm infants would need the development of perinatalogy and follow-up network.

No abstract

In Africa, sickle cell disease is still a public health issue. In Chad, a high prevalence area, it may represent a silent disease. To study the quality of care provided to children with sickle cell disease within the framework of a hospital initiative launched in 2011 and in the absence of a national program in Chad, we conducted this research in the pediatric sickle cell disease center of the Mother and Child Hospital of N'Djamena. This was a cross-sectional study, involving 364 children with sickle cell disease out of 12,500 children followed up from May 2011 to December 2014 (3.9%). The sex ratio was 1.3. The average age at diagnosis was 17 months, often in the context of vaso-occlusive crisis (34.6%). The follow-up protocol included monthly appointments following diagnosis of disease. We observed 80% non-compliance among cases; characteristics associated with non-compliance included families with several children, inaccessible anti-pneumococcal prophylaxis based on Penicillin V and very low anti-pneumococcal vaccine coverage (4.4%). These results suggest that there is a need to rapidly implement a national sickle cell disease program including preventive and curative care in Chad.

Introduction: Psychomotor development (PMD) reflects the cerebral maturation through sensory, motor and psychological acquisitions of an individual. Its evaluation allows an early diagnosis of delays in order to take care of them. The objective of this study was to determine the profile and explanatory factors of PMD of infants in N'Djamena. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the “Notre Dame des Apôtres” Hospital in N'Djamena. It involved 428 infants aged 1 to 24 months received in preventive consultation between October 2017 and June 2018. The Denver II scale was used for the assessment of PMD. Data were analyzed with SPSS 21.0 software. Results: the sex ratio was 1.06. The most represented age group was under 3 months (35.5%). The items of gross motor skills were 95% completed, fine motor skills 93.8%, language 84.6% and sociability 68.8% at the 90th percentile. Development was advanced in 56.8% normal in 32.1% and delayed in 2.1%. Statistically significant differences in PMD were observed according to age group (p= 0.000), vaccination status (p= 0.002), feeding mode (p= 0.000), maternal exchange (p= 0.000) and pregnancy follow-up (p= 0.03). Conclusion: The psychomotor development of N'Djamenese infants is similar to that of other African children, although some variations are noted. It is influenced by certain factors related to the infant and the mother.