Sunday Afegenui Blaise, Nyasa Raymond Babila, Mokake Martin
Department of Public Health and Hygiene, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2023 Apr 26;3(4):e0001854. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001854. eCollection 2023.
Typhoidal salmonellosis and amoebiasis are prevalent in the Buea Health District (BHD) and it is evident that hand hygiene can reduce the transmissibility of these diseases. The barrier measures enforced by the government, in the wake of the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to behavioural changes which may have had an influence on the positivity rate of these diseases. This study seeks to determine the influence of COVID-19 barrier measures and the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination on the positivity rate of typhoidal salmonellosis and amoebiasis in the BHD. A retrospective study, with purposive and random sampling methods were used to select health facilities in BHD, whose laboratory records were reviewed using a data extraction form to obtain health information of patients who tested for typhoidal salmonella and/or Entamoeba histolytica from June 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021. Chi-square test was used to compare the positivity rate in the pre-and-COVID-19 and in the pre-and-vaccination era. The positivity rate of typhoidal salmonellosis and amoebiasis dropped from 57.8% and 2.7% in the pre-COVID-19 era to 34% and 1.8% in the COVID-19 era respectively, which were significant (χ2 = 945.8; P<0.001 and χ2 = 11.8; P = 0.001 respectively). Within the COVID-19 era, the positivity rate of salmonellosis and amoebiasis decreased from 39% and 2.6% before the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination to 27.7% and 0.8% respectively in the COVID-19 vaccination era and these differences were significant (χ2 = 149.1; P<0.001 and χ2 = 33.8; P<0.001 respectively). However, the positivity rate of salmonellosis between the rainy (43.5%) and the dry (42.8%) seasons and amoebiasis between the rainy (2.2%) and the dry (2%) seasons were not significantly different (χ2 = 0.6; P = 0.429 and χ2 = 0.54; P = 0.463 respectively). A significant decline in the positivity rate of typhoidal salmonellosis and amoebiasis was observed after the implementation of COVID-19 barrier measures and vaccination.
伤寒型沙门氏菌病和阿米巴病在布埃亚健康区（BHD）很普遍，显然手部卫生可以降低这些疾病的传播性。2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行后，政府实施的防护措施导致了行为改变，这可能对这些疾病的阳性率产生了影响。本研究旨在确定COVID-19防护措施及COVID-19疫苗接种的实施对BHD伤寒型沙门氏菌病和阿米巴病阳性率的影响。采用回顾性研究，并使用目的抽样和随机抽样方法选择BHD的医疗机构，通过数据提取表审查其实验室记录，以获取2018年6月1日至2021年12月31日期间检测伤寒沙门氏菌和/或溶组织内阿米巴的患者的健康信息。使用卡方检验比较COVID-19之前和期间以及疫苗接种之前和期间的阳性率。伤寒型沙门氏菌病和阿米巴病的阳性率分别从COVID-19之前的57.8%和2.7%降至COVID-19期间的34%和1.8%，差异具有统计学意义（χ2 = 945.8；P<0.001和χ2 = 11.8；P = 0.001）。在COVID-19期间，沙门氏菌病和阿米巴病的阳性率从COVID-19疫苗接种实施前的39%和2.6%分别降至COVID-19疫苗接种期间的27.7%和0.8%，这些差异具有统计学意义（χ2 = 149.1；P<0.001和χ2 = 33.8；P<0.001）。然而，沙门氏菌病在雨季（43.5%）和旱季（42.8%）的阳性率以及阿米巴病在雨季（2.2%）和旱季（2%）的阳性率差异不显著（χ2 = 0.6；P = 0.429和χ2 = 0.54；P = 0.463）。在实施COVID-19防护措施和疫苗接种后，观察到伤寒型沙门氏菌病和阿米巴病的阳性率显著下降。
