International Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Acute mosquito-borne febrile illnesses pose a major threat to children in sub-Saharan Africa. Every year, 437,000 children die from malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum.

Unfortunately, not only malaria, but also a wide range of bacterial and viral pathogens are responsible for acute febrile illnesses. Arboviruses such as the dengue or chikungunya virus have caused major epidemic outbreaks worldwide. It must be assumed that these viruses circulate endemically in the sub-Saharan region, but the extent of the spread cannot be quantified due to a lack of reliable epidemiological data.

The unknown prevalence situation is ultimately partly responsible for incorrect diagnoses followed by inadequate treatment approaches with serious financial, logistical and health consequences in the affected societies.

The Paediatric Infectiology Working Group would like to support the Bugando Medical Center (BMC) in Tanzania in these issues with the aim of using the epidemiological knowledge gained here about the relevant pathogens to improve the care of paediatric patients.

Since March 2019, there has been a clinical partnership between the UMM and Dhulikhel Hospital in Nepal. The aim of the partnership, which is funded by the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation, is the exchange of knowledge and expertise between doctors and scientists in Mainz and Kathmandu.

Project goals:

Clarification of the causes of cases of persistent, therapy-resistant eosinophilia in children at Dhulikhel Hospital. The identification of potential causes requires the application and integration of various methods such as serological and DNA-based sequencing studies.

• The close co-operation between the staff of the two partner institutions results in synergies in research and hospital activities that benefit the patient. 

Climate change and the potential emergence and re-emergence of infectious agents emphasize the urgent need to collaborate on solutions for the most affected communities in tropical and subtropical countries like Colombia. Fever syndrome, characterized by fever and non-specific symptoms, is a common medical issue in pediatrics, making it challenging to determine the underlying cause. Infectious agents are suspected as a primary cause of febrile syndrome; however, current diagnostic methods are limited in detecting a comprehensive range of causative agents, and access to specialized diagnostics is both complex and costly. Thus, the study we are working on aims to adapt multiple alternative diagnostic tests for tropical diseases in children and adolescents experiencing unexplained fever in two endemic regions of Colombia and known the most common infectious causes of febrile syndrome.

This project will receive support from healthcare institutions in the Amazonas and Choco departments of Colombia, as well as collaboration from the Malaria, Centauro, and the Epidemiology Groups of the University of Antioquia, along with the Center of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at the University Medical Center in Mainz, Germany.