49th Annual Meeting of the AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery Archive-Postinfectious Hydrocephalus as an Infectious Disease Epidemic

Postinfectious Hydrocephalus as an Infectious Disease Epidemic - Steven J. Schiff, MD, PhD, FAANS

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The video discusses post-infectious hydrocephalus in Africa as an infectious disease epidemic. The presenter mentions the basic principles of how susceptible and infected people interact in epidemics, using a plot from 1927 to model deaths from plague in Bombay. However, post-infectious hydrocephalus is different as it is not believed to be contagious among infants. The presenter explains that there is a steady level of infection with variations during rainy seasons, and it is characterized as an endemic. The study focuses on infected infants under three months old with calcified abscesses, caused by a novel virulent strain of bacteria resembling a soil bug. The region where these cases occur is a swampy plateau near Lake Choga and Lake Victoria. The presenter introduces an extension of the susceptible, infectious, and recovered model to include hydrocephalus and discusses how incorporating demographics into the modeling framework produces sensible steady-state levels. They also mention using optimal control engineering to allocate resources for prevention and treatment. The research is a collaborative effort between physicians and scientists from Africa, Europe, and the U.S.

Keywords

post-infectious hydrocephalus

infectious disease epidemic

susceptible and infected people

endemic

calcified abscesses