Rabies in Children: Report of 24 Cases at the Yalgado Ouedraogo University Hospital Center of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Introduction/Objectives: Rabies is responsible for more than annual 55000 deaths in the world including 24000 in Africa. This study aims to study the epidemiological and clinical aspects of rabies in children at the University Hospital Center Yalgado Ouedraogo on 11 years. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study of rabies cases in children who were received at CHUYO (University Hospital Center Yalgado Ouedraogo) from 1st January 2003 to 31 December 2014. The diagnosis was clinical, associated with a notion of suspect animal bite; data were collected from medical files and analyzed with Epi Info version 6. Results: During the study period, 60 rabies cases were reported, including 24 children. Children average age was 08.5 ± 4 years with a sex ratio of 07. In 47.6% of cases, children were referred from other provinces of the country and 58.3% case lived in rural areas. In all cases, the animal aggressor was a dog, and in 62.5% of cases, it was a stray dog. Upper limbs were the most common site followed by the lower limbs; nevertheless, the head represented 12.5% of the reported injuries. The main clinical signs were agitation (70.8%), hydrophobia (58.3%), and fever (50%). In 30% of cases, the parents left the hospital with their child without or against medical opinion. Conclusion: Rabies frequency is significant in children and is probably under-diagnosed because of clinical signs most often confused with other diseases. Pre-exposure prevention through vaccination is the best way to fight against rabies in children.