Factors that influence modern contraceptive use among women aged 35 to 49 years and their male partners in Gomoa West District, Ghana: a qualitative study.

Background: Fertility declines with age, but it remains important to protect women from unplanned pregnancies throughout their reproductive lives. The objective of this study was to describe factors that influence modern contraceptive use among women aged 35 to 49 years and their male partners in Gomoa West District of Ghana.

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted remotely for 22 women, 15 male partners of the women interviewed and seven family planning (FP) providers.

Post introduction evaluation of the malaria vaccine implementation programme in Ghana, 2021.

Background: Malaria remains a public health challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa with the region contributing to more than 90% of global cases in 2020. In Ghana, the malaria vaccine was piloted to assess the feasibility, safety, and its impact in the context of routine use alongside the existing recommended malaria control measures. To obtain context-specific evidence that could inform future strategies of introducing new vaccines, a standardized post-introduction evaluation (PIE) of the successes and challenges of the malaria vaccine implementation programme (MVIP) was conducted.

An 11-year trend of rubella incidence cases reported in the measles case-based surveillance system, Ghana.

Introduction: rubella is vaccine-preventable and vaccination is the most cost-effective approach to control the disease and avoid the management of congenital rubella syndrome cases. Ghana introduced the rubella vaccine into the routine immunization program in 2013. Since then there have not been any evaluation of the epidemiology of rubella.

Community-based surveillance advances the Global Health Security Agenda in Ghana.

Ghana Health Service (GHS) has strengthened community-based surveillance (CBS) to facilitate early detection and rapid reporting of health events of all origins. Since June 2017, GHS has employed an event-based surveillance approach at the community level in a phased manner. CBS coverage has broadened from 2 to 30 districts across Ghana.

Incidence of medically attended influenza among residents of Shai-Osudoku and Ningo-Prampram Districts, Ghana, May 2013 - April 2015.

Background: Influenza vaccination is recommended by the World Health Organization for high risk groups, yet few data exist on influenza disease burden in West Africa.

Methods: We estimated medically attended influenza-associated illness rates among residents of Shai-Osudoku and Ningo Pram-Pram Districts (SONPD), Ghana. From May 2013 to April 2015, we conducted prospective surveillance for severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) and influenza-like illness (ILI) in 17 health facilities.

Molecular Epidemiology and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Vibrio cholerae Associated with a Large Cholera Outbreak in Ghana in 2014.

Background: Ghana is affected by regular cholera epidemics and an annual average of 3,066 cases since 2000. In 2014, Ghana experienced one of its largest cholera outbreaks within a decade with more than 20,000 notified infections. In order to attribute this rise in cases to a newly emerging strain or to multiple simultaneous outbreaks involving multi-clonal strains, outbreak isolates were characterized, subtyped and compared to previous epidemics in 2011 and 2012.

Molecular confirmation of Lassa fever imported into Ghana.

Background: Recent reports have shown an expansion of Lassa virus from the area where it was first isolated in Nigeria to other areas of West Africa. Two Ghanaian soldiers on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia were taken ill with viral haemorrhagic fever syndrome following the death of a sick colleague and were referred to a military hospital in Accra, Ghana, in May 2013. Blood samples from the soldiers and five asymptomatic close contacts were subjected to laboratory investigations.

Evaluation of AFP surveillance indicators in polio-free Ghana, 2009-2013.

Background: Ghana recorded the last case of indigenous wild poliovirus in 1999 but suffered two more outbreaks in 2003 and 2008. Following the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, transmission was interrupted through high routine immunisation coverage with live-attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV), effective acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance and supplementary immunisation activities (SIA). This article describes the results of a five-year surveillance of AFP in polio-free Ghana, evaluate the surveillance indicators and identify areas that need improvement.

Influenza surveillance in 15 countries in Africa, 2006-2010.

Background: In response to the potential threat of an influenza pandemic, several international institutions and governments, in partnership with African countries, invested in the development of epidemiologic and laboratory influenza surveillance capacity in Africa and the African Network of Influenza Surveillance and Epidemiology (ANISE) was formed.

Methods: We used a standardized form to collect information on influenza surveillance system characteristics, the number and percent of influenza-positive patients with influenza-like illness (ILI), or severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and virologic data from countries participating in ANISE.

Results: Between 2006 and 2010, the number of ILI and SARI sites in 15 African countries increased from 21 to 127 and from 2 to 98, respectively.

Virological surveillance of influenza-like illness among children in Ghana, 2008-2010.

Background: The global annual attack rate for influenza is estimated to be 10%-20% in children, although limited information exists for Africa. In 2007, Ghana initiated influenza surveillance by routine monitoring of acute respiratory illness to obtain data on circulating strains. We describe influenza surveillance in children <11 years old who had influenza-like illness (ILI) from January 2008 to December 2010.