Epidemiology of influenza in Ghana, 2011 to 2019.

Influenza virus is an important contributor to acute respiratory illnesses and is estimated to cause up to 650,000 respiratory deaths each year. Ghana recorded influenza viruses as far back as 1918 when the Spanish influenza pandemic led to the death of >100,000 people in a population of 4 million at the time. An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) among poultry in Ghana in 2007, led to the establishment of virological surveillance for influenza-like illness (ILI) by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR).

Comparison of the AmpFire and MA-6000 polymerase chain reaction platforms for high-risk human papillomavirus testing in cervical precancer screening.

High-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) testing for primary cervical precancer screening offers an opportunity to improve screening in low-middle income countries (LMICs). This study aimed to compare the analytic performances of the AmpFire and MA-6000 platforms for hr-HPV DNA testing in three groups of women screened for hr-HPV types in Ghana: group 1 with 33 GeneXpert-archived ThinPrep/liquid-based samples subjected to both tests, group 2 with 50 AmpFire-archived dry brush samples subjected to MA-6000 testing, and group 3 involving 143 cotton swab samples simultaneously subjected to both tests without archiving. The overall agreement rates were 73 %, 92 %, and 84 %, for groups 1-3, respectively, and 84 % (95 % CI, 78.

Phylogenetic and genetic characterization of influenza A H9N2 viruses isolated from backyard poultry in selected farms in Ghana.

Introduction: Avian influenza viruses (AIV) cause significant economic losses to poultry farmers worldwide. These viruses have the ability to spread rapidly, infect entire poultry flocks, and can pose a threat to human health. The National Influenza Centre (NIC) at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in collaboration with the Ghana Armed forces (GAF) and the U.