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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Lymphatic filariasis in Ghana: entomological investigation of transmission dynamics and intensity in communities served by irrigation systems in the Upper East Region of Ghana.

We conducted an entomological study to document the effect of irrigation on the vectors and transmission dynamics of lymphatic filariasis in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Mosquitoes were collected by indoor spraying of houses in a cluster of communities located around irrigation projects (Tono and Vea) and others without reservoirs (Azoka). Anopheles gambiae s.s. was the dominant species and major vector, followed by An. funestus. Anopheles arabiensis constituted 9--14% of the An. gambiae complex but none were infective. Culex quinquefasciatus was also not infective in these communities. Chromosomal examinations showed that >60% (n=280--386) of the An. gambiae s.s. in irrigated communities were Mopti forms whilst 73% (n=224) in the non-irrigated area were Savannah forms. Infectivity rates (2.3--2.8 vs. 0.25), worm load (1.62--2.04 vs. 1.0), annual bites per person (6.50--8.83 vs. 0.47) and annual transmission potential (13.26--14.30 vs. 0.47) were significantly higher in irrigated communities.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Vitamin A supplementation in northern Ghana: effects on clinic attendances, hospital admissions, and child mortality. Ghana VAST Study Team.

Although most studies on the effect of vitamin A supplementation have reported reductions in childhood mortality, the effects on morbidity are less clear. We have carried out two double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trials of vitamin A supplementation in adjacent populations in northern Ghana to assess the impact on childhood morbidity and mortality. The Survival Study included 21,906 children aged 6-90 months in 185 geographical clusters, who were followed for up to 26 months. The Health Study included 1455 children aged 6-59 months, who were monitored weekly for a year. Children were randomly assigned either 200,000 IU retinol equivalent (100,000 IU under 12 months) or placebo every 4 months; randomisation was by individual in the Health Study and by cluster in the Survival Study. There were no significant differences in the Health Study between the vitamin A and placebo groups in the prevalence of diarrhoea or acute respiratory infections; of the symptoms and conditions specifically asked about, only vomiting and anorexia were significantly less frequent in the supplemented children. Vitamin-A-supplemented children had significantly fewer attendances at clinics (rate ratio 0.88 [95% CI 0.81-0.95], p = 0.001), hospital admissions (0.62 [0.42-0.93], p = 0.02), and deaths (0.81 [0.68-0.98], p = 0.03) than children who received placebo. The extent of the effect on morbidity and mortality did not vary significantly with age or sex. However, the mortality rate due to acute gastroenteritis was lower in vitamin-A-supplemented than in placebo clusters (0.66 [0.47-0.92], p = 0.02); mortality rates for all other causes except acute lower respiratory infections and malaria were also lower in vitamin A clusters, but not significantly so. Improving the vitamin A intake of young children in populations where xerophthalmia exists, even at relatively low prevalence, should be a high priority for health and agricultural services in Africa and elsewhere.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed2001

Skin diseases in Ghana and the UK.

BACKGROUND: Although diseases of the skin have been studied in some African countries, the provision of dermatology services is as yet a relatively underdeveloped aspect of medicine in sub-Saharan Africa. OBJECTIVE: To determine the pattern of skin diseases seen in a sub-Saharan community and to compare it with that seen in a European community. METHODS: The diagnoses of the principal presenting complaint of 2254 consecutive new patients seen at the dermatology clinic of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana, are presented and compared with those of 3383 consecutive new patients seen at the dermatology clinic of The William Harvey Hospital (WHH), Ashford, Kent, UK. RESULTS: The most common conditions in Ghana were infections (46.3%; UK, 12%). In the UK, the most common conditions were malignant and premalignant diseases of the skin (22.2%; Ghana, 0.5%) and benign tumors (16.8%; Ghana, 0.5%). Dermatitis was common in both countries (Ghana, 18.4%; UK, 16.0%). Psoriasis was more common in the UK (6.2%) than in Ghana (0.4%). In Ghana, fixed drug eruption, mainly due to cotrimoxazole (Septrin), was not rare (27 cases), and complications from cosmetic skin lightening creams were a frequent problem among women (86 cases). No cases of rosacea were found in Ghana, but it was not uncommon in the UK (1.6%). CONCLUSIONS: The patterns of skin diseases are different in the two countries. It is hoped that this study may help to catalyze the further development of dermatology services in Ghana.

Cosmetics↗
PubMed1999

The cost of large-scale school health programmes which deliver anthelmintics to children in Ghana and Tanzania. The Partnership for Child Development.

It has been argued that the delivery of anthelmintics to school-children through existing education infrastructure can be one of the most cost-effective approaches to controlling parasitic worm infection. This paper examines the actual costs of a combination of mass and selective treatment for schistosomiasis using praziquantel and mass treatment for intestinal nematodes using albendazole, as an integral part of school health programmes reaching 80442 pupils in 577 schools in Volta Region, Ghana, and reaching 109099 pupils in 350 schools in Tanga Region, Tanzania. The analysis shows that financial delivery costs per child treated using praziquantel, which involved a dose related to body mass and a prior screening at the school level, were US$ 0.67 in Ghana and US$ 0.21 in Tanzania, while the delivery costs for albendazole, which was given as a fixed dose to all children, were US$ 0.04 in Ghana and US$ 0.03 in Tanzania. The higher unit costs in Ghana reflect the epidemiology of infection; overall, fixed costs were similar in both countries, but fewer children required treatment in Ghana. Analysis of economic costs-which includes the cost of unpaid days of labour--indicates that the financial costs are increased in Ghana by 78% and in Tanzania by 44%. It is these additional costs which are avoided by integration into an existing infrastructure. It is concluded that: the base cost of delivering a universal, standard, school-based health intervention can be as low as US$ 0.03 per child treated; that even a slight increase in the complexity of delivery can have a significant impact on the cost of intervention; and that the use of the education infrastructure does indeed offer significant savings in delivery costs.

Albendazole↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ghana: defining the African challenge.

In 1957, Ghana became the first African nation to achieve independence from its colonial ruler. But since then Ghana has suffered mixed political and economic fortunes. The health of Ghana's people and the country's progress in modernising its health-care system have fluctuated according to peaks and troughs in West African history. Some critics see Ghana's course since independence as a promise unfulfilled. Others view Ghana as a model for North-South cooperation, which could be rolled out across the whole of Africa. In November, 2001, I visited hospitals and health centres in both rural and urban settings to investigate the present state of Ghanaian medicine. The picture I saw was one of a country clear about what it wants to do but divided about how it should achieve its goals. If Ghana is to be a model for Africa, it is more a model of problems to be faced than solutions discovered.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2006

Prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and syphilis among prison inmates and officers at Nsawam and Accra, Ghana.

Although the high prevalence of blood-borne viral infections and syphilis in correctional facilities has been well documented globally, such data are sparse from Africa, and there has been no such data from Ghana. This study sought to estimate the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and syphilis among prison inmates and officers at prisons in Nsawan and Accra, Ghana. Prisoners and officers in 3 of the 46 prisons in Ghana were surveyed from May 2004 to May 2005. Subjects voluntarily completed a risk-factor questionnaire and provided blood specimens for unlinked anonymous testing for the presence of antibodies to HIV, HCV and Treponema pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis, and the surface antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBsAg). Almost 16% (3770) of the total of 23,980 prison inmates in Ghana were eligible, and 281 (7.5%) of those eligible took part, whilst almost 23% (1120) of the total of 4910 prison officers were eligible, and 82 (7.3%) of those eligible took part. For the 281 inmates tested, HIV seroprevalence was 19.2%, 17.4% had HBsAg, HCV seroprevalence was 19.2% and reactive syphilis serology was noted in 11%. For the 82 officers tested, HIV seroprevalence was 8.5%, 3.7% had HBsAg, HCV seroprevalence was 23.2% and reactive syphilis serology was noted in 4.9%. The data indicate a higher prevalence of HIV and HCV in correctional facilities (both prison inmates and officers) than in the general population in Ghana, suggesting their probable transmission in prisons in Ghana through intravenous drug use, unsafe sexual behaviour and tattooing as pertains to prisons worldwide.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

"Ghana faces ecological disaster".

The rate of deforestation in Ghana is alarming and urgent steps need to be taken to reverse the trend, Robert D. Mann, a British tropical agriculturist, has warned. He says, "There will be further disintegration of the local climate, deterioration of soil fertility and reduced food-crop production, if the present trend of denudation by felling trees and uncontrolled bush fires is not halted and reversed." Mann, who has conducted research on "deforestation, drought and famine in Africa" was in Ghana recently to speak on the "role of the Church in West Africa in stimulating action to combat desertification". Representatives of protestant churches in Ghana, Togo, Liberia, Gambia, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone attended the 3-day conference which was organized by the Overseas Department of the British Methodist Church. It was to enable participants to share perspectives on the nature, scale and seriousness of the deforestation problem. Participants also exchanged experiences on village-based projects for promoting tree planting and agro-forestry, and developed strategies for the rural development programs. Robert Mann noted that Ghana was not only affected by its proximity to the Sahel, but also by its own deforestation. The situation in Ghana, once renowned for her extensive forests and woodland, has now drastically changed. By 1980/81 the area of closed forest had been reduced to 17,000 sq km from 47,9000 sq km in 1937/38. He said in 1939 the volume of wood exported from Ghana was 42,450 cubic meters but it rose to 1,471,600 cubic meters by 1987. Such activities, Mann said, put severe strain on the environment and affected both the economy and sociocultural basis of the country.

Africa↗
PubMed2004

Destigmatising abortion: expanding community awareness of abortion as a reproductive health issue in Ghana.

Traditional and cultural values, social perceptions, religious teachings and criminalisation have facilitated stigmatisation of abortion in Ghana. Abortion is illegal in Ghana except in three instances. Though the law allows for performance of abortion in three circumstances, the Ghana reproductive health service policy did not have any induced legal abortion services component to cover the three exceptions until it was revised in 2003. The policy only had 'unsafe and post-abortion' care components, and abortions performed in health facilities operated by the Ghana Health Service were performed under this component. Though the policy has been revised, women and girls who need abortion services in Ghana more often resort to the backstreet dangerous methods and procedures. Criminalisation of abortion and those who perform abortions has contributed to unsafe abortion, the second leading cause of maternal deaths in Ghana. Most of these are performed outside the formal health service structures. Traditionally, abortion is perceived as a shameful act and the community may shun and give a woman who has caused anabortion derogatory names. Would provision of legal abortion services be culturally acceptable within a Ghanaian community? Yes, if they are made aware of the reproductive health benefits of providing safe abortion services. Three major strategies that would help to destigmatise abortion in the community are (1) the liberal interpretation of the three exceptions to the law on abortion; (2) expanding community awareness of its reproductive health benefits; and (3) improving and increasing access to legal abortion services within the formal health facilities.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed2002

Perception of university students in Ghana about emergency contraception.

Emergency contraception (EC) refers to methods that women can use to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse, method failure, or incorrect use. There is growing worldwide acceptance and promotion of EC as a measure to reduce the level of unwanted pregnancies and, hence, unsafe abortions. The potential effect of EC in this regard could be most evident in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, the Ministry of Health has since 1996 included EC in its reproductive health service policy and standards. The Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana is the only agency involved in the promotion of EC in the country. Very little is known about societal perception of EC. We undertook a study to assess knowledge and attitude toward EC among a sample of students at the University of Ghana. We used a two-page, self-administered questionnaire in a cross-sectional study among students chosen by random sampling. The aspects of EC assessed included level of knowledge, extent of use, common traditional methods of emergency contraception, as well as socially and culturally acceptable ways to promote EC in Ghana. We also assessed how the availability of EC could influence the use of condoms among male respondents. Less than half (43.2%) of the 194 respondents (88 males and 106 females) had heard of modern emergency contraceptive methods. Postinor-2, a dedicated emergency contraceptive product, which was already on the Ghanaian market, was known to 1.5% of respondents. Only 11.3% of respondents indicated correctly the recommended time within which emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) are to be taken after unprotected sex. Taking concentrated sugar solutions, having an enema, and douching were commonly used traditional methods of EC. More than half (55.0%) of the male respondents indicated that they would either "certainly" or "probably" reduce how often they used condoms once they knew that EC was available. Almost all (97.4%) the respondents wanted to learn more about EC. The indications from this study are that the promotion of EC in Ghana is desired and must be encouraged. The fact that EC does not offer protection against sexually transmitted infections should always be emphasized.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

White, red and black: colour classification and illness management in Northern Ghana.

Health care facilities in Northern Ghana are not only too few, ill-equipped and under-supplied, they are also underutilized. Health care personnel have often noted the irony in the fact that the sick do not make use of the health care facilities when they most need them. Rural peoples often wait until the illness has become so serious that even with emergency measures there is little hope of survival. The author maintains that the causes of this are not simply the lack of community education, the lack of warmth and friendliness on the part of poorly paid health workers, their perceived inefficiency, the great distances to be travelled and the constant shortages of medication. More constraining than all of these are the conflicting cultures of illness management. In a time of otherwise rapid social and cultural change, peoples of Northern Ghana have not often responded to Western medical systems in ways judged appropriate to such systems and have strongly resisted education or coercion to adapt to them. The author maintains that the classificatory systems controlling illness management among the Anufo of Northern Ghana and among others of that locale are colour-coded. This coding of "white", "red" and "black" is not simply a convenient way to classify types and stages of illness, or other aspects of life, but it orders and prescribes social roles and responsibilities vis-à-vis the sick person and the illness itself. In such systems, illness is thought to progress from a "white" stage to the "red" to the "black" or return to the "white". At the onset of the illness, the white stage of individual action, innovative self-help measures are encouraged. But once the illness becomes serious it enters the red stage and innovative measures cease as the more conservative, traditional machinery for problem-solving takes over. The whole community becomes involved. Their roles and functions are strictly prescribed and stringently adhered to. Deviations are thought to exacerbate the problem. When all of the standard social obligations required in this system of illness management have been fulfilled and the person either becomes better or moribund (i.e. the situation is reclassified to either "white" or "black"), once again there is room for individual experimentation, and other forms can be tried. In Northern Ghana traditional structures of illness management block Western biomedical therapy at the exact moment when innovations would be most effective and encourage the inappropriate use of biomedical drugs and therapy at other times. The author maintains that in Northern Ghana and possibly in other rural areas of Africa an emic understanding of the roles and functions that are rigidly adhered to at the emergency "red" stage can help the Western medical systems to be more flexible in adapting to traditional systems of illness management.

Color↗
PubMed2001

Pet allergen levels in homes in Ghana and the United Kingdom.

The frequency of cat and/or dog ownership in Ghana is comparable to that in the United Kingdom (approximately 50%). However, in Ghanaian communities pets are predominantly kept outdoors. Levels of pet allergens (Fel d 1 and Can f 1) in 100 Ghanaian homes (49 without pets) were compared with levels in 410 homes in the United Kingdom (258 without pets). Homes with pets in the United Kingdom contained much higher allergen levels than homes with pets in Ghana (for Fel d 1: mean difference, 275-fold; 95% CI, 129-fold to 594-fold; P <.0001; for Can f 1: mean difference, 75-fold; 95% CI, 33-fold to 169-fold; P <.0001). Homes without cats in the United Kingdom contained significantly higher levels of Fel d 1 than homes with cats in Ghana (mean difference, 3.7-fold; 95% CI, 2.0-fold to 7.2-fold; P <.0001). In the United Kingdom, homes with dogs contained 75-fold (95% CI, 47-fold to 139-fold) more Can f 1 than homes without dogs, whereas in Ghana, homes with dogs contained 3.1-fold (95% CI, 1.5-fold to 6.1-fold; P =.003) more Can f 1 than homes without dogs. In the United Kingdom, homes with cats contained 77-fold more Fel d 1 (95% CI, 46-fold to 129-fold; P <.0001) than homes without cats; there was no difference in cat allergen levels between homes with cats and homes without cats in Ghana. In conclusion, levels of pet allergens in Ghanaian homes with pets were (1) between 75-fold (dog) and 275-fold (cat) lower than levels in homes with pets in the United Kingdom and (2) lower than or comparable to levels in homes without pets in the United Kingdom.

Allergens↗
PubMed2003

Ghana postgraduate obstetrics/gynecology collaborative residency training program: success story and model for Africa.

OBJECTIVE: We describe a residency program in Ghana that was developed to train obstetrics/gynecologist specialists for Ghana and the subregion to promote and manage the reproductive health of women and to reduce a high maternal mortality rate. STUDY DESIGN: The Carnegie-supported program, begun in 1989, is a 5-year residency in the two medical schools in Ghana, but with one central coordinating office. It has features that equip the graduate resident to practice in his/her environment. The fourth year of the program is unique: the resident attends a hospital management course for 3 months, goes for a clinical rotation in the United States or United Kingdom for 3 months, and moves to live and work in a rural district hospital for 6 months. RESULTS: The success rate of the Ghanaian residents in the examination of the West African College of Surgeons has been three to four times higher than the overall pass rate. As of October 2002, the program had produced 26 specialists, all of whom are practicing in Ghana. In contrast, of 30 specialists who were trained abroad between 1960 and 1980, only 3 specialist had returned home by the end of the 1980s. The current chairpersons of the two medical schools are graduates of the program. Carnegie financial support for the program came to an end in January 2000, but the Ghana Ministry of Health has increased its support enthusiastically. The program is being sustained. Maternal mortality and morbidity rates are falling slowly in the two teaching hospitals; case fatality rates have been reduced markedly. New residents are entering the program and are progressing to completion. CONCLUSION: The program has been an unqualified success and merits replication.

Education, Medical, Graduate↗
PubMed2004

An updated list of the ticks of Ghana and an assessment of the distribution of the ticks of Ghanaian wild mammals in different vegetation zones.

Twenty one species of ticks belonging to five genera of the family Ixodidae (Order Acari, sub-order Ixodida) - Amblyomma, Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma, Ixodes and Rhipicephalus (including the sub-genus Rhipicephalus (Boophilus)) - were collected from 1260 mammals, representing 29 species, 14 families and 6 orders, in four vegetation zones in Ghana during the period 1971-1978. Four other species were collected from humans in 1977. In all, eight species appeared to be new records for Ghana: Amblyomma tholloni Neumann; Dermacentor circumguttatus Neumann; Haemaphysalis houyi Nuttall & Warburton; Ixodes loveridgei Arthur; Ixodes oldi Nuttall; Ixodes vanidicus Schultze; Rhipicephalus complanatus Neumann; Rhipicephalus cuspidatus Neumann. The updated list of tick species in Ghana given here includes 41 species of ixodid ticks and four species of argasid ticks. Most species have been found in neighbouring regions of West Africa but 56 of the 121 different combinations of ixodid tick species and host species found in the collection described here have not apparently been reported before. The new combinations recorded here bring the total number of different combinations of ixodid tick species and mammalian host species now reported in Ghana to 151. The tick species found on wild mammals in Ghana mostly differed from those reported from domestic stock by other authors. The data showed that different tick species occurred in different vegetation zones and that most species displayed a pronounced preference for certain groups of related host species. Some tick species were found in the savanna feeding mainly on large bovids and/or suids; others were found in forests feeding mainly on small bovids, large rodents or small carnivores.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Costs of near-miss obstetric complications for women and their families in Benin and Ghana.

This paper estimates the total cost to women and their families associated with a spontaneous vaginal delivery and five types of 'near-miss' obstetric complication in Benin and Ghana, and assesses affordability in relation to household cash expenditure. A retrospective evaluation of costs was carried out among 121 mothers in three hospitals in Ghana. A prospective evaluation of costs was undertaken among 420 pregnant women in two hospitals in Benin. Information was collected on the cost of travel to the facilities and of direct medical and non-medical costs incurred during their stay in hospital. In Benin, costs ranged from an average of 15 US dollars for a spontaneous delivery to 256 US dollars for a near-miss complication caused by dystocia. In Ghana, average costs ranged from 18 US dollars for a spontaneous vaginal delivery to 115 US dollars for a near-miss complication caused by haemorrhage. Medical costs accounted for the largest share of total costs, mainly drugs and medical supplies in Ghana and costs of the delivery and any surgical intervention in Benin. Payments associated with a spontaneous vaginal delivery amounted to at least 2% of annual household cash expenditure in both countries. In the case of severe obstetric complications, costs incurred reached a high of 34% of annual household cash expenditure in Benin. The economic burden of hospital-based delivery care in Ghana and Benin is likely to deter or delay women's use of health services. Should a woman develop severe obstetric complications while in labour, the relatively high costs of hospital care could have a potentially catastrophic impact on the household budget.

Benin↗
PubMed2006

Nurses and nursing education in Ghana: creating collaborative opportunities.

AIM: This is a story intended to motivate the reader to become immersed in 'verbal snapshots' depicting the reality of nursing in Ghana as experienced by the writer. Its purpose is to encourage dialogue and creative collaboration between nurse educators in radically different settings, which would serve to enrich all those involved. BACKGROUND: During the summer of 2003, a faculty member from the School of Nursing at Georgia Southern University (GSU) travelled to Africa to establish a relationship between GSU and a nursing school in Ghana, West Africa. This paper is based on the daily journal kept by that faculty member who engaged in clinical practice experiences as well as discussions with nursing educators in Ghana. Integrated in this subjective account are health data specific to Ghana. These serve to underscore health issues and situations of urgent concern in Ghana as well as to the global community, and which will assist in highlighting the potential contribution of such collaboration to strengthening the health system of the country. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of the relationship established during this visit was intended to be a meaningful interchange of resources and experiences for both faculty and students at the two schools. It was successful in that regard. Funding is now being sought to enable further collaboration.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Cancer mortality patterns in Ghana: a 10-year review of autopsies and hospital mortality.

BACKGROUND: Cancer mortality pattern in Ghana has not been reviewed since 1953, and there are no population-based data available for cancer morbidity and mortality patterns in Ghana due to the absence of a population-based cancer registry anywhere in the country. METHODS: A retrospective review of autopsy records of Department of Pathology, and medical certificate of cause of death books from all the wards of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Accra, Ghana during the 10-year period 1991-2000 was done. RESULTS: The present study reviews 3659 cancer deaths at the KBTH over the 10-year period. The male-to-female ratio was 1.2:1. The mean age for females was 46.5 [Standard Deviation (SD), 20.8] years, whilst that of males was 47.8 (SD, 22.2) years. The median age was 48 years for females and 50 years for males. Both sexes showed a first peak in childhood, a drop in adolescence and young adulthood, and a second peak in the middle ages followed by a fall in the elderly, with the second peak occurring a decade earlier in females than in males. The commonest cause of cancer death in females was malignancies of the breast [Age-Standardized Cancer Ratio (ASCAR), 17.24%], followed closely by haematopoietic organs (14.69%), liver (10.97%) and cervix (8.47%). Whilst in males, the highest mortality was from the liver (21.15%), followed by prostate (17.35%), haematopoietic organs (15.57%), and stomach (7.26%). CONCLUSION: Considering the little information available on cancer patterns in Ghana, this combined autopsy and death certification data from the largest tertiary hospital is of considerable value in providing reliable information on the cancer patterns in Ghana.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2025

A systematic review and meta-analysis on antibiotic resistance genes in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a complex challenge, primarily because of the limited understanding of bacterial antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs)&#xa0;and the spread of these genes across different domains. To bridge this knowledge gap in Ghana, we undertook a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify and estimate the prevalence of circulating ARGs in bacteria isolated from human, animal, and environmental sources. METHODS: A thorough literature search was conducted across three major databases-Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus-to retrieve all relevant articles related to ARGs in Ghana from the inception of the databases to February 25, 2024. A risk-of-bias evaluation was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and the data analysis involved descriptive statistics and proportional meta-analysis. RESULTS: Of the 371 articles initially obtained, 38 met the inclusion criteria. These studies adequately covered Ghana geographically. The most prevalent ESBL gene identified was blaCTX-M, with a prevalence of 31.6% (95% CI: 17.6-45.7), followed by blaTEM (19.5% [95% CI: 9.7-29.3]), and blaSHV (3.5% [95% CI: 0.3-6.6]). The pooled prevalence of carbapenemase genes ranged from 17.2% (95% CI: 6.9-27.6) for blaNDM to 10.3% (95% CI: 1.9-18.7) for blaOXA. Additionally, other ARGs, including sul1, qnrS, gyrA, erm(B), and mecA, were detected, with prevalence ranging from 3.9% (95% CI: 0.0-8.5) to 16.4% (95% CI: 3.1-29.8). Several ARGs were shared across human, animal, and environmental sources. CONCLUSION: This review revealed that bacteria obtained from human, animal, and environmental samples in Ghana shared genes associated with AMR. This finding provides evidence on the interconnection of AMR across these three domains. Horizontal gene transfer, which enables the dissemination of ARGs between genetically diverse bacteria, can occur, necessitating a multidisciplinary approach to addressing antimicrobial resistance in Ghana.

Ghana↗
PubMed1999

[Present status of Buruli ulcer in Ghana, West Africa].

Recently, Buruli ulcer is emerging from the West and Central African countries. The disease come up with necrotizing and immno-suppressive type ulcer in the skin, subcutaneous tissue and bone, infected by Mycobacterium ulcerans, and shows indolent chronic course as mycobacterial infection, like tuberculosis and Hansen's disease. After the transmission to human, the lesion is usually single and begin as firm, painless, subcutaneous nodule and on any area of human body skin, though most frequently on lower limbs. In countries of West Africa, it is suspected that the disease should be spreading most widely in Ghana. During April and June 1999, Ghana Health Service pick up the new patients by nation-wide examination. The author visited Ghana twice at March and September 1999 and made on-the-spot inspections not only at a community and Ga district Health Service Center in Accra region but also at St. Martin's hospital in Agroyesum, Amanse west district, Ashanti region. At the time, the author did see the present state of Buruli ulcer, i.e. health and medical enlightenment. This report, includes the results due to undergoing nation-wide examination on Buruli ulcer at 2 District in Ghana (List 1 and 2), the present states of the patients and the enlightenment provided by the staffs of Ga district Health Service Center (Photografs 1-14). Staffs working for WHO and Ghana Health Service are tackling to Buruli ulcer problems, but conditions of the patients are very hard because these patients must live in tropical wetlands, poor health, poor medical and poor economic conditions.

Adolescent↗