Hernando Pinzón-Redondo

Risk Factors for Severity of Chikungunya in Children: A Prospective Assessment.

Chikungunya appeared during the second half of 2014 in Colombia. A prospective cohort study was carried to detect differences and severity between neonates and older children. Of 54 children with chikungunya, neonates had a higher viral load and greater frequency of severe laboratory and clinical findings.

High frequency of Panton-Valentine leukocidin in Staphylococcus aureus causing pediatric infections in the city of Cartagena-Colombia

Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) is a pore-forming toxin that has been epidemiologically associated with CA-MRSA infections. However, its role in the pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus is still unclear. We evaluated the prevalence of PVL-coding genes in methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) isolates that cause infections in pediatric patients in the city of Cartagena, Colombia. We obtained S. aureus isolates from patients at the Napoleon Franco Pareja Childrens Hospital in Cartagena. Then, we evaluated the presence of the nuc, mecA, and PVL genes in these isolates by multiplex PCR and determined the antibiotic susceptibility profiles using CLSI standards. We further correlated methicillin susceptibility and the presence of PVL genes with clinical variables. Overall PVL prevalence in S. aureus isolates was 73.91%, with a frequency of 80.92% among MRSA isolates and 67.59% among MSSA. We found a correlation between erythromycin resistance and lack of PVL and found that PVL+ cases were more common in older patients. We found a high PVL prevalence in both MRSA and MSSA isolates, in concordance with previous regional reports.

Economic Costs of Chikungunya Virus in Colombia

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to estimate the economic impact of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection in Colombia from a societal perspective. METHODS We conducted a retrospective, bottom-up cost-of-illness study in clinically confirmed cases during the first chikungunya (CHIK) outbreak in Colombia in 2014. Direct and indirect costs were estimated per patient. Economic costs were calculated by the addition of direct costs (direct medical costs and out-of-pocket heath expenditures) and indirect cost as a result of loss of productivity. RESULTS A total of 126 patients (67 children and 59 adults) with CHIK were included. The median of the direct medical cost in children was US

Economic Impact of Infections and Antibiotics

257.9 (interquartile range [IQR] 121.7-563.8), and US

Features of Dengue and Chikungunya Infections of Colombian Children under 24 Months of Age Admitted to the Emergency Department

66.6 (IQR 26.5-317.3) for adults. The productivity loss median expenditures reached US

Estimating costs associated with a community outbreak of meningococcal disease in a colombian Caribbean city.

81.3 (IQR 72.2-203.2) per adult patient. The median economic cost in adults as a result of CHIK was US

Medical care costs of Chikungunya Virus infection in a Pediatric Population in Colombia

152.9 (IQR 101.0-539.6), of which 53.2% was a result of indirect costs. Out-of-pocket expenditures comprised 3.3% of all economic costs. CONCLUSIONS Our study can help health decision makers to properly assess the burden of disease caused by CHIK in Colombia, an endemic tropical country. We recommend to strength the health information systems and to continue investing in public health measures to prevent CHIK.

Performance of two World Health Organization Dengue classifications in a Pediatric Cohort from Colombia

In this chapter, we review several aspects with respect to the burden of infectious diseases, its impact in morbidity and mortality, and its economic burden. Furthermore, we referenced the actual situation with relation to the use of antimicrobial, the resistance problem and misuse of antibiotic, and the economic impact in the health systems.

Guía de atención médica de la enfermedad de Kawasaki

We aimed to assess clinical and laboratory differences between dengue and chikungunya in children <24 months of age in a comparative study. We collected retrospective clinical and laboratory data confirmed by NS1/IgM for dengue for 19 months (1 January 2013 to 17 August 2014). Prospective data for chikungunya confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction were collected for 4 months (22 September 2014-14 December 2014). Sensitivity and specificity [with 95% confidence interval (CI)] were reported for each disease diagnosis. A platelet count <150 000 cells/ml at emergency admission best characterized dengue, with a sensitivity of 67% (95% CI, 53-79) and specificity of 95% (95% CI, 82-99). The algorithm developed with classification and regression tree analysis showed a sensitivity of 93% (95% CI, 68-100) and specificity of 38% (95% CI, 9-76) to diagnose dengue. Our study provides potential differential characteristics between chikungunya and dengue in young children, especially low platelet counts.