Longitudinal analysis of the prevalence of minor spp. in the reservoir of asymptomatic infections through sequential interventions in Northern Sahelian Ghana.

Current interventions targeting malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are focused on , the most prevalent species infecting humans. Despite renewed efforts for malaria elimination in SSA, little attention has been paid to the neglected parasites and spp. and the impact of interventions like long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), indoor residual spraying (IRS) with non-pyrethroid insecticides, and/or seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) on these minor spp.

Th role of counselling to reduce parental fears and anxiety about newborn screening for sickle cell disease in Northern Ghana.

Introduction: In Ghana, about 15,000 newborn children are diagnosed to have sickle cell disease (SCD) annually. Previous studies have demonstrated that while neonatal screening coupled with early intervention reduces SCD-related morbidity and mortality, only 50-70% of screened-positive children have been successfully followed-up to receive healthcare. Gazelle point-of-care testing (POCT) device with high specificity and sensitivity may be more easily integrated into existing immunization programs in rural settings, to improve follow-up rates.

Experiences and perceptions about vaccines and reporting of adverse events following immunisation: a qualitative study among mothers in Northern Ghana.

Background: Immunisation is an essential and cost-effective way of preventing infectious diseases. The emergence of new diseases, including COVID-19, along with advancements in malaria vaccines, has potentially led to an increase in vaccinations, particularly among children under 5 years old in Africa. However, concerns about vaccine safety have led to a decline in trust and greater vaccine hesitancy, as evidenced by the low uptake of newly introduced vaccines like the pneumococcal vaccine-13 in Ghana.

Factors influencing attrition of health professionals in the Upper East Region of Northern Ghana.

Introduction: Despite the high healthcare needs in rural regions in Ghana, it is a challenge for health managers to attract and retain healthcare professionals in these regions including the Upper East Region, which negatively affects health service delivery. This study investigated factors contributing to attrition of health professionals in the Upper East Region of Northern Ghana.

Methodology: The study used a qualitative research approach where 92 in-depth interviews were conducted with participants between June and August, 2023.

Variations in haematological and inflammatory biomarkers and their association with Plasmodium falciparum malaria: a cross-sectional comparative study at a clinic in Ghana.

Background: Malaria remains a significant public health challenge in Ghana, with haematological alterations being a common feature of infection. Understanding these changes is crucial for improving disease management, particularly in endemic regions where resource limitations may affect diagnostic capabilities. This study aimed to evaluate variations in haematological and inflammatory biomarkers and their association with Plasmodium falciparum malaria in a Ghanaian setting.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all-cause mortality and life expectancy in northern Ghana: findings from the Navrongo Health and Demographic Surveillance System.

Background: Measurement of excess mortality attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic is essential for quantifying the direct and indirect effects on mortality and informing future public health control strategies. This study assessed the impact of COVID-19 on excess mortality and life expectancy at birth in rural northern Ghana.

Methods: Data was obtained from the Navrongo Health and Demographic Surveillance System (NHDSS) in Ghana.

Metagenomic analysis reveals extreme complexity of spp. infections in high transmission in West Africa.

Mixed-species, mixed-strain infections are known to occur in humans in malaria endemic areas. To date, the true extent of this complexity has not been explored in high-burden countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Here we take a metagenomic lens to infections obtained by sampling variable blood volumes from residents living in high, seasonal transmission in northern Ghana.

Incidence rates of malaria, meningitis, and mortality in children younger than 5 years: a prospective cohort study in Ghana and Kenya before the roll-out of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine from 2016 to 2022.

Background: The RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine was introduced in selected communities of Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi in 2019 under a WHO-coordinated pilot programme. The scarcity of background disease incidence rates might hamper the assessment of vaccine safety and effectiveness. We aimed to determine the incidence rates of malaria, meningitis, and death, and health outcomes leading to hospital admission in children younger than 5 years enrolled before RTS,S/AS01 implementation.

Safety of RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine up to 1 year after the third dose in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi (EPI-MAL-003): a phase 4 cohort event monitoring study.

Background: RTS,S/AS01 has been successfully administered to over two million children since 2019 through the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP). In this Article, we report the safety results of a study evaluating RTS,S/AS01 safety and effectiveness in real-world settings.

Methods: EPI-MAL-003 is an ongoing phase 4 disease surveillance study with prospective cohort event monitoring and hospital-based surveillance, done in the setting of routine health-care practice in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi and fully embedded in the MVIP.

Evaluation of seasonal malaria chemoprevention implementation in the Upper East region of Northern Ghana.

Background: Ghana adopted the WHO-recommended Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) in 2016 following a pilot study as a vital strategy for malaria control. SMC is the intermittent administration of a preventive and curative dose of anti-malarial medicine (Sulfadoxine-Pyrimetamine + Amodiaquine) during four months of the malaria season. This study monitored the implementation of SMC to ensure the intervention is achieving its target.

Strategies to build trust in the conduct of clinical trials: Stakeholders' views in a qualitative study in Ghana.

While clinical trials have evolved and improved over time producing significant advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases, there are equally key challenges such as feasibility of some clinical trials and most importantly the issue of trust in the conduct of clinical trials. Thus, this study provides scientific evidence to address challenges associated with clinical trials conduct as well as a framework describing appropriate trust building strategies to guide the conduct of future clinical trial studies in Ghana and beyond. The study used qualitative research approach where 48 in-depth and Key informant interviews were conducted with participants between June and August, 2019.

Barriers and strategies to improve vaccine adverse events reporting: views from health workers and managers in Northern Ghana.

Background: The increasing incidence of novel vaccine-preventable diseases, such as COVID-19, has led to an increase in the development of vaccines globally. Vaccine hesitancy has risen due to fears of vaccines causing harm. African health systems have generally relied on spontaneous reporting of adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs) to monitor vaccine safety.

Obesity phenotypes and dyslipidemia in adults from four African countries: An H3Africa AWI-Gen study.

Introduction: The contribution of obesity phenotypes to dyslipidaemia in middle-aged adults from four sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries at different stages of the epidemiological transition has not been reported. We characterized lipid levels and investigated their relation with the growing burden of obesity in SSA countries.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.

Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset.

Science is integral to society because it can inform individual, government, corporate, and civil society decision-making on issues such as public health, new technologies or climate change. Yet, public distrust and populist sentiment challenge the relationship between science and society. To help researchers analyse the science-society nexus across different geographical and cultural contexts, we undertook a cross-sectional population survey resulting in a dataset of 71,922 participants in 68 countries.

Effect of maternal migration on under-five mortality in the Navrongo HDSS area.

Introduction: Mortality under five years is an important indicator and a significant index for assessing the health and general wellbeing of a country. Even though global efforts to reduce under-five mortality have yielded some positive results, the rates are still high in most low- and middle-income countries. There is general consensus that migration and its associated remittances alleviate poverty at the rural places of origin.

Hypertension and diabetes control: faith-based centres offer a promise for expanding screening services and linkage to care in Ghana.

Background: Hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are important contributors to noncommunicable disease related morbidity and mortality. Health systems could benefit from exploring the use of Faith-Based Centres (FBC) to screen and link suspected cases for further care in order to help achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3. The study investigated the role of faith-based screening for T2DM and hypertension and the linkage of cases to the healthcare system and examined the care cascade in the Kassena Nankana Districts of Northern Ghana.

Hypertension knowledge, attitudes and perceptions among adults in the Navrongo Health and Demographic Surveillance Site: a mixed methods analysis.

Background: This study assessed knowledge, behaviors, and perceptions towards hypertension following community dissemination on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk within the Navrongo Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in Northern Ghana.

Methods: A cross-sectional mixed methods study was conducted among middle aged men and women following education on CVD and their risk factors. Knowledge and attitudes of participants regarding hypertension were measured in 310 participants using a survey tool and the resultant data was analyzed with descriptive statistics.

Barriers and facilitators to community acceptability of integrating point-of-care testing to screen for sickle cell disease in children in primary healthcare settings in rural Upper East Region of Northern Ghana.

Introduction: Sickle cell disease (SCD) remains a public health problem especially in sub-Saharan Africa including Ghana. While pilot initiatives in Africa have demonstrated that neonatal screening coupled with early intervention reduces SCD-related morbidity and mortality, only 50-70% of screen-positive babies have been successfully retrieved to benefit from these interventions. Point-of-care testing (POCT) with high specificity and sensitivity for SCD screening can be integrated into existing immunization programs in Africa to improve retrieval rates.

A retrospective data analysis on prevalence and risk factors for hypothermia among sick neonates at presentation to the neonatal intensive care unit of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

Neonatal hypothermia, defined as an axillary temperature of <36.5C in a neonate, is common in neonatal intensive care units and is almost universal across all geographic and climatic regions of the world. This is even though environmental temperature is a known risk factor for its occurrence.

Early life ambient air pollution, household fuel use, and under-5 mortality in Ghana.

Introduction: Environmental exposures, such as ambient air pollution and household fuel use affect health and under-5 mortality (U5M) but there is a paucity of data in the Global South. This study examined early-life exposure to ambient particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 µm or less (PM), alongside household characteristics (including self-reported household fuel use), and their relationship with U5M in the Navrongo Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (HDSS) in northern Ghana.

Effect of national immunisation campaigns with oral polio vaccine on all-cause mortality in children in rural northern Ghana: 20 years of demographic surveillance cohort data.

Background: Studies from Guinea-Bissau and Bangladesh have shown that campaigns with oral polio vaccine (C-OPV) may be associated with 25-31% lower child mortality. Between 1996 and 2015, Ghana had 50 national C-OPVs and numerous campaigns with vitamin A supplementation (VAS), and measles vaccine (MV). We investigated whether C-OPVs had beneficial non-specific effects (NSEs) on child survival in northern Ghana.

Documenting capacity and existing gaps in reporting adverse events following immunisation in Northern Ghana: a quantitative cross-sectional survey of healthcare workers.

Background: Immunisation remains an indispensable tool in preventing infectious diseases. A robust pharmacovigilance system assures the public of vaccine safety, particularly in countries like Ghana where there is relatively low reporting of adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs). We explored the experiences of health workers in Ghana to ascertain the existing capacity for data collection and information reporting flows for health events associated with vaccination in the country.