Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Worldwide, more than 10 million children die annually before their fifth birthday. Most of these deaths occur in resource poor countries and are preventable. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG), signed by all countries, including Canada, commit to reducing child mortality in the under five age-group by two thirds before the year 2015. Most child deaths in the under-five age group are due to complications related to sepsis, a syndrome arising from severe infections. Previously published literature has shown that among children admitted to the hospital with sepsis, more children die within the two month period following discharge than during hospitalization. While extensive literature exists regarding hospital-based interventions to reduce child mortality due to sepsis, no studies have been conducted to investigate predictors of death in the critical two month period following discharge. Research into the clinical, laboratory and demographic predictors of hospital re-admission and death following discharge is essential before further interventions can be implemented to reduce disease burden. Our research aims to identify a cohort of children under age five hospitalized for sepsis at the Mbarara University Hospital (Uganda) and to follow them for a period of three months following discharge. Through this research we hope to determine the predictors of readmission and death following hospital discharge. This will serve as a fundamental foundation for future research aimed at the development of outpatient interventions to reduce death due to sepsis.