Decrease in Hospitalizations and Increase in Deaths during the Covid-19 Epidemic in a Pediatric Hospital, Yaounde-Cameroon and Prediction for the Coming Months

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic reached Cameroon in March, 2020. The aim of this study was to unveil the consequences of this pandemic on hospitalizations and on mortality in a pediatric hospital. Methods: A descriptive and retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out using hospitalization and death statistics collected from a pediatric hospital. We compared the data before and after the pandemic and made predictions for the next 12 months. Results: A drastic drop in hospitalizations was noted coinciding with the partial lockdown in Cameroon. Paradoxically, at the same time, the number of deaths per month doubled though the causes remained the same as in the past. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic was marked by drop in hospitalizations and paradoxically, an increase in child mortality. These deaths were probably due not to SARS-Cov-2 infection, but rather due to the usual illnesses whose management was delayed, a probable consequence of the confinement.

Impact of lockdown and school closure on children’s health and well-being during the first wave of COVID-19: a narrative review

“… 35 A study from Cameroon showed a drastic drop in hospitalisations, and child mortality rates doubled comparing with the previous year. 36 …”

“…Outcome measures Five studies addressed mental health, [19][20][21][22][23] three studies analysed physical activity and obesity, 18 24 25 three studies examined diabetes mellitus, [26][27][28] eight studies approached changes in the access and use of healthcare services, [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] while three studies analysed data regarding child abuse and violence. [37][38][39] Mental health One Australian study showed a significant increase in depressive symptoms and anxiety and a significant decrease in life satisfaction during school closure and lockdown, mainly in girls (table 1).…”

“…35 A study from Cameroon showed a drastic drop in hospitalisations, and child mortality rates doubled comparing with the previous year. 36 Violence, abuse against children Routinely collected clinical data on Child Protection Medical Examinations (CPME) from Birmingham (UK) showed a significant drop of 39% (95% CI 14% to 57%) in CPME referrals during 2020 compared with previous years, mainly associated with decreased school staff referrals. 37 A study from the US found an increase in the Open access number of children with physical child abuse trauma, 38 and the Florida child abuse allegation data showed a decrease in 27% (n=15 000) in the number of allegations of child abuse and neglect comparing with the same 2 months of 2019 (table 5).…”

Epidemics, Lockdown Measures and Vulnerable Populations: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review of the Evidence of Impacts on Mother and Child Health in Low-and Lower-Middle-Income Countries

“…Siekmans et al, 60 Plucinski et al, 46 Parpia et al, 47 Chandir et al, 59 Sun et al, 62 Salama et al, 63 Takahashi et al, 64 Abbas et al, 65 Wagenaar et al 48 Saleem et al, 66 Chelo et al, 67 Roberton et al, 45 Delamou et al, 68 Kc et al, 69 14 Domestic violence Hamadani et al, 70 Sediri et al 42 2…”

COVID-19 pandemic global impact on children´s health in Cameroon

“…In Cameroon, a survey among pediatricians showed that pediatric outpatient consultations dropped significantly from 60.4% of pediatricians seeing more than 30 patients per week before the pandemic to 9.9% during the pandemic (p < 0.000) [ 3 ]. Another study showed that mortality doubled during the months of April and May 2020 with 9.9% and 11.2% of hospital deaths respectively, compared to 4.9% (p < 0.0008) and 5.1% (p < 0.0001) during the same period of the previous year [ 4 ]. This drop in attendance has led to delays in emergency and follow-up consultations and therefore in the care of children with acute and chronic conditions resulting in increased mortality and morbidity.…”