West Afr J Med. 2023 Apr 28;40(4):428-434.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Yellow fever has become a re-emerging disease of public health importance, especially in endemic areas like Nigeria and South America. Since 2017, Nigeria has been riddled with yearly outbreaks of the disease despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine which was introduced into the country’s Expanded Programme on Immunization in 2004. We aim to describe the presentation pattern of patients with the disease who were managed in the 2020 outbreak that occurred in Delta State.
METHODS: Data were collected from the case notes of 27 patients managed for the disease using a proforma to describe their symptoms, signs, treatment measures, and outcomes. This was a facility-based retrospective cross-sectional record review carried out in the hospital’s isolation ward. Data were analyzed with IBM Statistical Product and Service Solutions version 21 and presented as percentages, mean, and standard deviation.
RESULTS: Most patients were male 20 (74.1%) and the mean age of patients was 26.4 ± 13 years. The most common presenting symptoms recorded among patients were generalized weakness 27 (100%), closely followed by fever 25 (92.6%), vomiting 20 (74.1%), and jaundice 18 (66.7%). Eleven (40.7%) had blood transfusion while only 2 (7.4%) had oxygen therapy.
CONCLUSION: Young adults and males were most affected, and the most common presentation was generalized weakness closely followed by fever. A high index of suspicion of yellow fever infection by healthcare workers will aid in the presumptive diagnosis and care of patients.
PMID:37120797
