Abstract

Introduction/Mission: In Burkina Faso, tetanus remains a public health problem. The aim of the study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical and evolutionary profile of tetanus at the Yalgado University Hospital Center in Ouagadougou.
Patients and methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of tetanus cases admitted in the department of infectious diseases from January 2000 to June 2014. The data were collected from the clinical records of hospitalized patients.
Results: The frequency of tetanus in the hospital was 2.6% and the average admission was 10.2 cases per year. Of the 92 cases of tetanus reported, the mean age was 29.2 ± 18.8 years. The group age of 15-45 accounted for 62% of the patients. Farmers (36.5%), unemployed (28.5%) and informal sector workers (21.5%) were the most represented occupations. The patients were mostly unvaccinated against tetanus (97.8%). The main points of entry were integumentary (68%) and surgical (16.5%). Complications were mostly infectious (14%) and the lethality was 35.5%.
Conclusion: Tetanus is endemic in Burkina Faso and affects the active layer of the population. Sensitization of populations on the interest of anti-tetanus prophylaxis is essential.

Keywords: Tetanus; Endemic; Farmers; Complication; Burkina Faso