Study on the Knowledge of Mothers or Guardians of Girls Aged 9 - 14 from the Langue de Barbarie in Saint-Louis, Senegal about Cervical Cancer and Its Relationship to HPV Vaccination in 2024

Introduction: The relationship between knowledge of HPV and vaccination has been established. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge of mothers or guardians of girls aged 9 - 14 about cervical cancer and their attitudes to HPV vaccination. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. The sample size was calculated using the Schwartz formula and distributed proportionally to the size of the neighbourhood population. Data was collected between 2nd to 19th January 2024 using anonymous questionnaires configured on tablets with Survey 123 software and analysed using R software. Results: A total of 799 people were interviewed. The average age of the respondents was 35.67 years, with a standard deviation of 7.08 and a range of 17 and 49 years. The information channels for cervical cancer were the media (82.8%), health facilities (47.7%) and community intermediaries (23.3%). Only 53.7% had information about the vaccine and 25.5% about the vaccination strategy. The main reason for accepting the vaccine was awareness of the seriousness of cervical cancer (55.1%). Conclusion: It is essential to take stock of knowledge about cervical cancer and attitudes to vaccination to assess the impact of interventions and redirect strategies to improve vaccination coverage. .

Factors Associated with HPV Vaccine Uptake among Girls Aged 9 - 14 in the Langue de Barbarie Area of Saint-Louis, Senegal in 2024

Introduction: The HPV vaccine was included in the Expanded Programme on Immunisation in Senegal in 2018. However, vaccination coverage is still low among targeted girls. The aim of this research was to study the factors associated with vaccine uptake among girls aged 9 - 14 years in the Langue de Barbarie area of Saint-Louis, Senegal. Methodology: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study. The sample size was calculated using the Schwartz formula and distributed proportionally to the size of the population in the neighborhoods. Data were collected from 2nd to 19th January 2024 from mothers or guardians of girls aged 9 to 14 using anonymous questionnaires configured on tablets with Survey 123 software and analysed using R software. Results: A total of 799 people were interviewed. The average age of the respondents was 35.67 years, with a standard deviation of 7.08 and a range of 17 and 49 years. Reported vaccination coverage was 41.9%. Factors positively correlated with vaccination included: attendance at primary school or daara (OR = 2.50 [CI: 1.43 - 4.48] and OR = 2.05 [CI: 1.09 - 3.94]), information about vaccination (OR = 6.64 [CI: 4.59 - 9.72]), history of cervical cancer screening among mothers or guardians (OR = 6.64 [CI: 4.59 - 9.72]). Conclusion: Identifying the factors associated with HPV vaccination is necessary to assess and improve the vaccination strategy in order to improve vaccination coverage among targeted girls.

Eating Habits of High School Students in the District of Bamako in the Context of Nutritional Transition

Introduction: Eating habits are consolidated in early childhood and continue throughout life. Adolescence is a stage of rapid growth linked to puberty affected by the nutritional transition. This study aimed to evaluate the eating habits of high school students in the district of Bamako. Methodology: The cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted from June 15 to July 4, 2023. The sample size was calculated with the StatCalc program of the Epi 7.2 software. Data was collected using a questionnaire on KoboCollect. Analyses were performed using SPSS 26 software. Results: A total of 2400 high school students were surveyed. The average age of high school students was 16.9 years ± 1.4. The median age was 17, with extremes of 14 and 19. Of the high school students, 53.3% were boys. The sex ratio (M/F) was 1.14. About 89.4% of high school students had a Smartphone. Among high school students, 51.1% did not engage in physical activity outside of high school. Rice was the cereal most consumed by high school students (99.2%). Consumption of fish and seafood was very low (25.5%). Soft drinks were consumed on average 4.2 days/week. In addition, 60.8% of high school students consumed energy drinks. Certain eating behaviors were found in this study, such as nibbling (38.5%), eating in front of screens (79.0%), and skipping meals (46.1%). Conclusion: The most consumed cereal by high school students was rice. The consumption of ultra-processed products and sedentary leisure are habits to be monitored in the context of the prevention of food-related non-communicable diseases among high school students in the district of Bamako.

Postoperative Analgesia for Abdominal Laparoscopic Surgery: Tap Block vs Peri-Orificial Infiltrations

Introduction/Purpose: The “transverse abdominal plane block” or TAP block was described by Rafi in 2001. It describes an approach to the neurofascial plane of the transverse abdominal muscle via the Jean-Louis Petit triangle and provides analgesia of the entire homolateral hemi abdomen. The aim of our study was to compare post-operative analgesia and post-operative morphine requirements between transverse abdominal plane block (TAP) and peri-orificial infiltration during laparoscopic abdominal surgery. Material and method: Prospective, randomized study conducted over a 2-year period. The study was conducted in the operating theatre of the Saint Louis Regional Hospital in Senegal. All adult patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery were included. Clinical aspects, pain scales and morphine consumption were analyzed. Results: A total of 60 patients were enrolled: 30 patients in the TAP group and 30 patients in the infiltration group. The average age was 32.9 years. The indications for laparoscopy were acute appendicitis in 50% of cases, gallbladder stones in 16% and inguinal hernia in 8%. For the TAP group, the mean numerical pain scale was 3.9 at 6 hours post-operatively and 2.1 at 24 hours post-operatively. For the infiltration group, the mean numerical pain scale was 4.3 at 6 hours post-op and 3 at 24 hours post-op. Morphine consumption at 6 hours post-op was on average 0.4 mg/patient for the TAP group and 0.9 mg/patient for the infiltration group. Discussion/conclusion: Analgesia provided by ultrasound-guided TAP block for laparoscopic abdominal surgery appears to be identical to periorificial infiltration. However, the simplicity and reproducibility of ultrasound-guided TAP block gives it a definite advantage.

Hepatitis B Vaccination Coverage among University Students in Sub-Saharan Africa: Systematic Review and Meta Analysis

Introduction: Hepatitis B is an infectious disease that remains a real public health problem in Africa. Students represent a group at risk for this disease. The objective of this study was to estimate the hepatitis B vaccination coverage rate among students in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: A systematic search of databases (PubMed, AJOL) and a manual search of Google Scholar was conducted to retrieve all published studies reporting hepatitis B vaccination coverage among students in sub-Saharan Africa. The pooled coverage rate was estimated with a 95% confidence interval (CI) in a random-effects meta-analysis. Results: A total of 35 studies were included and included 20,520 students. The mean age was 22.1 ± 5.1 years with a predominance of female sex (sex ratio F/M = 1.05). The vaccination coverage rate was 28.8% [95% CI: 22.9% - 34.7%]. Disaggregation allowed to estimate coverage rates of 29.8% [95% CI: 22.9% - 36.7%], 23.4% [95% CI: 9.4% - 37.4%] and 17.0% [95% CI: 14.4% - 19.5%] respectively in West Africa, East Africa and Central Africa. Conclusion: Less than a third of students in sub-Saharan Africa are protected against hepatitis B. However, the majority of this target group is at risk of infection. It would be relevant to screen and, if necessary, vaccinate all new students.