Abstract:
Abstract: Mozambique is a sub-Saharan African country with limited information on the burden
of fungal disease. We estimated the burden of serious fungal infections for the general healthy
population and for those at risk, including those infected with HIV, patients with asthma, as well as
those under intensive care. We consulted the Mozambican National Institute of Statistics Population
and Housing Census report to obtain denominators for different age groups. We use modelling
and HIV data to estimate the burdens of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP), cryptococcal
meningitis (CM) and candidiasis. Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and tuberculosis
data were used to estimate the burden of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) and chronic
pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA). In 2016, the Mozambique population was 26.4 million with 1.8 million
people reported to be HIV-infected. Estimated annual incidence of fungal infections was: 33,380 PCP,
18,640 CM and 260,025 oral and oesophageal candidiasis cases. Following pulmonary tuberculosis,
estimated numbers of people having chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (prevalence) and allergic
bronchopulmonary aspergillosis complicating asthma are 18,475 and 15,626, respectively. Tinea capitis
is common in children with over 1.1 million probably affected. We also highlight from studies in progress
of high incidences of histoplasmosis, CM and Pneumocystis jirovecii in adult HIV-infected patients.
Prospective epidemiology studies with sensitive diagnostics are required to validate these estimates.
