Trends and Factors Associated with Neonatal Sepsis at Ruhengeri Referral Hospital, Rwanda

Neonatal sepsis is estimated to cause 26% of all neonatal mortality globally including Africa with 17% neonatal deaths. Early diagnosis and management can considerably decrease the risk of neonatal sepsis, and improve the outcome. This study aimed to determine trends and the risk factors associated with neonatal sepsis at Ruhengeri Referral Hospital from 2018 to 2019. A total of 1220 neonates’ medical files were reviewed. Data were recorded and analyzed by using SPSS. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate factors associated with neonatal sepsis, 5% was considered as significance level. Results showed that the majority of neonates 57.4% were females, 53.9% of neonates had 0-7 days while 46.1% had more than 7 days of birth. The total cases of neonatal sepsis from January to December 2018 were found to be 207 with an average of 17 cases per month whereas there were 165 cases from January to December 2019 with an average of 14 cases per month. Research findings revealed that rupture of membranes (AOR=3.6; 95% CI: (1.34-4.76); p<0.001) and prolonged labour (AOR=1.5; 95% CI: (1.12-2.43); p<0.001) were associated with neonatal sepsis. Vaginal delivery and no history of urinary tract infection were protective factors to neonatal sepsis occurrence. The study also observed that the majority of the neonates had early onset of sepsis (<7 days). Hence, encouraging mothers to use antenatal care services might help identify the risk factors and possible interventions to reduce the risk factors of adverse birth outcomes including neonatal sepsis.