| meningitis dipstick rapid test: evaluating diagnostic performance during an urban neisseria meningitidis serogroup a outbreak, burkina faso, 2007. | meningococcal meningitis outbreaks occur every year during the dry season in the "meningitis belt" of sub-saharan africa. identification of the causative strain is crucial before launching mass vaccination campaigns, to assure use of the correct vaccine. rapid agglutination (latex) tests are most commonly available in district-level laboratories at the beginning of the epidemic season; limitations include a short shelf-life and the need for refrigeration and good technical skills. recently, a ne ... | 2010 | 20552035 |
| the outbreak of meningitis due to neisseria meningitidis w135 in 2003 in burkina faso and the national response: main lessons learnt. | among the countries situated in the african meningitis belt, burkina faso is usually the one which pays the highest toll to this disease in terms of morbidity and mortality. until 2002, the causal agent of the epidemic was usually neisseria meningitidis serogroup a. at the onset of the 2002 epidemic, n. meningitidis w135 was identified as the predominant serogroup by the national reference hospital and the who, and this was confirmed by the who collaborating centre on meningitis in oslo, norway. ... | 2007 | 17630052 |