Yangon

Researchers are studying febrile illness in rural communities across South and Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. This extensive study aims to understand how common febrile illness is, what causes it, and what effects it has on people living in these areas. The research is funded by the UK Wellcome Trust and seeks to gather information on febrile illness on a scale never before attempted in these regions. The study focuses on Work Package A (WP-A), which operates at the community level by involving village health workers and small health centers. Patients who show signs of fever are recruited and assessed for symptoms. Since collecting specimens for diagnosis is challenging in these rural settings, the study uses finger-prick blood tests similar to existing rapid diagnostic tests, while also collecting dried blood spots for further testing. This approach helps identify various pathogens causing the febrile illness. Participants will be observed over time to track the incidence and outcomes of febrile illness. Researchers will measure how often febrile illness occurs locally and overall during the two-year period, as well as mortality and morbidity within one month after the patient first presents to a health worker or facility. The study involves clinical assessments and specimen collection to help improve future diagnosis and treatment of febrile illnesses in these communities.

Prolonged convulsive seizures in children are serious neurological emergencies that require prompt treatment to prevent lasting brain damage. This research evaluates two second-line treatments, intravenous levetiracetam and intravenous phenobarbital, for children whose seizures do not respond to initial benzodiazepine therapy. The study aims to determine which medication is safer and more effective for rapid seizure control in pediatric patients at Yangon Children's Hospital. Children aged 1 month to 12 years with benzodiazepine-unresponsive prolonged seizures will be randomly assigned to receive either intravenous levetiracetam at 40 mg/kg over 15 minutes or intravenous phenobarbital at 20 mg/kg over 20 minutes. Both drugs will be diluted with 5% dextrose water before infusion. If seizures stop five minutes after infusion, maintenance doses of the same medication will be given; if seizures persist or serious side effects occur, alternative treatments will be provided. Monitoring of vital signs and adverse effects will be conducted before, during, and several hours after drug administration. Participants will have detailed histories and physical exams, including assessments for seizure type and possible causes. Routine blood tests and supportive care will be provided as needed. The primary outcome is seizure control five minutes after infusion completion. Secondary outcomes include seizure recurrence within 12 hours, need for additional seizure medications, and occurrence of treatment-related side effects. Data will be analyzed to compare the effectiveness and safety of the two medications over the study period.