ABSTRACT Background: Tuberculosis (TB) affects persons mostly in their productive lives. Ghana relies on passive case finding strategy to detect TB which has resulted in low case detection. Female rural urban migrants (“Kayayei”) have poor health care seeking habits and prevalence of TB among them is unknown. Kayayei may lack basic knowledge about TB which could contribute to their healthcare seeking behavior resulting in low TB case detection. Objective: To determine PTB prevalence r...
ABSTRACT Background Fasciolosis is one of the most important helminth infection of ruminant livestock and caused by Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica. Clinically, disease is usually characterized by weight loss, anaemia and hypoproteinaemia. Fascioliasis has also been recognized as re-emerging and widespread zoonotic disease affecting millions of people worldwide and many more are at the risk of infestation. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2015 to Ma...
ABSTRACT Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a challenge to the health of the populace. Food producing animals (FPA) are major reservoirs for food-borne pathogens, which may be resistant to critically needed antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine. Contamination of raw meat with Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains may occur during slaughter and sale. The presence of E. coli that have the ability to produce extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL), affect treatment outcomes ...
ABSTRACT Introduction Labour and delivery are the shortest and most critical period during pregnancy and childbirth because most maternal deaths arise from complications during delivery. In subSaharan Africa skilled delivery coverage is about 46.5%. In Ghana skilled delivery was 45.6% in 2009 and 73 % in 2014 and that of Upper West Region was 53% in 2011 and 63.7% in 2014. This study assessed the factors that account for the low utilization of skilled delivery by pregnant women in the Wa Muni...
ABSTRACT Background Stillbirths are more common than the death of a baby after birth and remained a serious public health issue in the developing world. Although stillbirths are preventable, there has been a sharp increase in the rate of stillbirths in the Tamale Metropolitan area of Northern Ghana in the last couple of years. Majority of the causes and risk factors remained unknown. This study was conducted to assess the sociodemographic, obstetric and maternal medical related determinants o...
ABSTRACT Introduction An increased number of survivors have emerged from the 2014 West African Ebola Virus Disease outbreak. Fifty percent of survivors have reported a combination of physical and psychological symptoms termed Post-Ebola Syndrome. However, these physical and psychological symptoms reported by survivors during convalescence is not well understood. This is due to the high case fatality rates of previous outbreaks, fewer patients surviving and the existence of limited literatur...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Malaria remains a major public health preventable and treatable mosquitoborne ailment. A test-based case management of malaria and targeted use of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) for treatment has proven to reduce over-diagnosis and over treatment and therefore recommended as the main control strategy. But compliance by prescribers is still low. Most districts still manage malaria presumptively with treatment of negative test results with ACT. This study ...
ABSTRACT Background Information-Yaws is an important public health problem and an obstacle to socio-economic development. The disease causes gross destruction of the skin, bones and joints especially in children below 15 years. The study was carried out to determine factors associated with the disease among children less than 15 years of age in the Ga west district. Method - A total of 120 cases and 120 age matched controls were included in the study. Data were collected on sex, hygienic prac...
ABSTRACT Introduction Lymphatic filariasis (LF), usually called elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease caused by thread –like parasitic worms called filarial worms (Wucheria bancrofti, Brugia malayi and Brugia timori). Wuchereria bancrofti is the most prevalent specie. It is transmitted by mosquitoes belonging to the genera Aedes, Anopheles, Culex, and Mansonia. Majority of infected people are asymptomatic, but 40% have kidney damage, with proteinuria and haematuria. LF is a public ...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Avian influenza (AI) is an infectious disease of birds caused by influenza type A viruses. Migratory waterfowl - most notably wild water fowls are the natural reservoir of all influenza A viruses. There are 16 subtypes of influenza A viruses, of which H5 and H7 subtypes are the most pathogenic In April 2007, the first outbreak of HPAI was reported in Ghana in a small scale poultry farm at Kakasunanka, near Michel Camp in the Tema Metropolis. There were subsequent outbreaks...
ABSTRACT Background: Neonatal Hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection is a public health concern worldwide. Prevalence of chronic HBV infection in Ghana is in excess of 8.0 %, and was 2.3 per 100,000 in Sekondi Takoradi in 2017. The purpose of the study was to determine maternal factors associated with transmission of Hepatitis B to newborn babies. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving pregnant women was carried out at antenatal units of selected hospitals in the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolis. H...
ABSTRACT Background: It is estimated that 224,488 persons made up of 189,931 adults and 34,557 children (15%) are living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Ghana (Ghana AIDS Commission, 2013). Disclosure to sexual partner (s) is one of the key strategies in HIV prevention as it may promote safer sex practices, prevents new infections to partner (s), reduces the risk of mother-to child transmission, increases social support and reduces depression. Studies in Africa on HI...
ABSTRACT Background: Vaccination is one of the most cost effective public health interventions. Real or perceived adverse events following immunization (AEFI) can however undermine the credibility of a vaccine and an immunization programme. Ghana rolled out a measles-rubella combined vaccine in a mass immunization campaign in September, 2013. We assessed the AEFI associated with the vaccine in Jirapa District to obtain baseline data and appropriately respond to public concerns on safety iss...
ABSTRACT Introduction:Home-based Management of Malaria (HMM) is a strategy to increase access to malaria treatment in Africa. In 2006, the strategy was launched in the Upper West Region (UWR) of Ghana. Community Based Agents (CBAs) were trained and equipped to provide home-based treatment to children aged 6-59 months with malaria. HMM was expected to reduce the number of children seen in health facilities with malaria. However, there has been a consistent increase in the burden of malaria ...
ABSTRACT Background Perinatal mortality rate (PNMR)in developing countries, particularly sub-saharan Africa and Ghana is unacceptably high. Most perinatal mortalities (PNM) occur among women referred for obstetric complication. Maternity referral system (MRS) challenges limit access to emergency obstetric care (EmOC) needed to prevent maternal and perinatal mortalities. Despite the importance of MRSs, they have been understudies and under researched. This study thus sought to find factors ass...