Characteristics of Haemophilus influenzae Meningitis Cases in Children Aged 0 to 15 Years in Burkina Faso from 2008 to 2018

Introduction: Bacterial meningitis done represent a major public health concern especially within the meningitis belt. In 2019, Hemophilus influenzae (Hi) was responsible for 8% of meningitis cases in the ECOWAS zone. In Burkina Faso, the vaccine against type b Hi was introduced in the broad vaccine program since 2006. The purpose of this study was to study the characteristics of Hi meningitis from 2008 to 2018 in Burkina Faso.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional repetitive study between June and December 2020. We collected all cases of bacterial meningitis due to Hi that were confirmed through culture, Gram coloration, PCR, or latex agglutination, and were recorded in the database of the epidemiologic surveillance from January 2008 to December 2018 in Burkina Faso.

Results: An overall number of 177 cases of Hi meningitis was recorded; Hi (4.04%), was the third cause of meningitis after pneumococcus (59.85%) and meningococcus (35.01%). The number of Hi meningitis cases declined through the years but still remained high despite a vaccine coverage that almost reaches 100%. The disease is present throughout the year with an outburst during the dry season. The children from 3 months to three years were mostly affected (55.93%) and the “Boucle du Mouhoun” was the region that reported the highest number of cases (18.08%). The stereotypes that were identified included Hib (55.38%) and non b Hi (14.69%). The disease prognosis was unfavorable in the absence of treatment in 33.39% of cases.

Conclusion: Despite the good vaccine coverage, there is a persistence of Hi meningitis cases with a number of regions more affected than others. It appears useful to supervise vaccine campaign and conduct immunologic studies on vaccine efficacy on this fragile population that carries the burden of other diseases such as malaria, besides Hi meningitis.