District and sub-district analysis of cryptococcal antigenaemia prevalence and specimen positivity in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
African Journal of Laboratory Medicine
| Field | Value | |
| Title | District and sub-district analysis of cryptococcal antigenaemia prevalence and specimen positivity in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa | |
| Creator | Cassim, Naseem Coetzee, Lindi M. Govender, Nelesh P. Glencross, Deborah K. | |
| Description | Background: Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is a leading cause of mortality among HIV-positive South Africans. Reflex cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) testing of remnant plasma was offered as a pilot prior to implementation in October 2016 in KwaZulu-Natal province. The national reflex CrAg positivity was 5.4% compared to 7.3% for KwaZulu-Natal.Objectives: The aim of this study was to interrogate CrAg positivity by health levels to identify hotspots.Method: Data for the period October 2016 to June 2017 were analysed. Health district CrAg positivity and prevalence were calculated, with the latter using de-duplicated patient data. The district CrAg positivity and the number of CrAg-positive specimens per health facility were mapped using ArcGIS. For districts with the highest CrAg positivity, a sub-district CrAg positivity analysis was conducted.Results: The provincial CrAg positivity was 7.6%. District CrAg positivity ranged from 5.7% (Ugu) to 9.6% (Umkhanyakude) with prevalence ranging from 5.5% (Ugu) to 9.7% (Umkhanyakude). The highest CrAg positivity was reported for the Umkhanyakude (9.6%) and King Cetswayo (9.5%) districts. In these two districts, CrAg positivity of 10% was noted in the Umhlabuyalingana (10.0%), Jozini (10.2%), uMhlathuze (10.5%) and Nkandla (10.8%) subdistricts. In these subdistricts, 135 CrAg-positive samples were reported for the Ngwelezane hospital followed by 41 and 43 at the Hlabisa and Manguzi hospitals respectively.Conclusion: Cryptococcal antigen positivity was not uniformly distributed at either the district or sub-district levels, with identified facility hotspots in the Umkhanyakude and King Cetswayo districts. This study demonstrates the value of laboratory data to identify hotspots for planning programmatic interventions. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2018-10-11 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/ajlm.v7i1.757 | |
| Source | African Journal of Laboratory Medicine; Vol 7, No 1 (2018); 8 pages 2225-2010 2225-2002 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://ajlmonline.org/index.php/ajlm/article/view/757/1059
https://ajlmonline.org/index.php/ajlm/article/view/757/1058
https://ajlmonline.org/index.php/ajlm/article/view/757/1060
https://ajlmonline.org/index.php/ajlm/article/view/757/1057
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