Informing evidence-based policies for ageing and health in Ghana.

PROBLEM: Ghana's population is ageing. In 2011, the Government of Ghana requested technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO) to help revise national policies on ageing and health. APPROACH: We applied WHO's knowledge translation framework on ageing and health to assist evidence based policy-making in Ghana. First, we defined priority problems and health system responses by performing a country assessment of epidemiologic data, policy review, site visits and interviews of key informants. Second, we gathered evidence on effective health systems interventions in low- middle- and high-income countries. Third, key stakeholders were engaged in a policy dialogue. Fourth, policy briefs were developed and presented to the Ghana Health Services. LOCAL SETTING: Ghana has a well-structured health system that can adapt to meet the health care needs of older people. RELEVANT CHANGES: Six problems were selected as priorities, however after the policy dialogue, only five were agreed as priorities by the stakeholders. The key stakeholders drafted evidence-based policy recommendations that were used to develop policy briefs. The briefs were presented to the Ghana Health Service in 2014. LESSONS LEARNT: The framework can be used to build local capacity on evidence-informed policy-making. However, knowledge translation tools need further development to be used in low-income countries and in the field of ageing. The terms and language of the tools need to be adapted to local contexts. Evidence for health system interventions on ageing populations is very limited, particularly for low- and middle-income settings.

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. METHODS: Oropharyngeal swabs from pediatric outpatients with ILI attending any of 22 health facilities across the country were submitted. We tested swabs for influenza virus using molecular assays, virus isolation, and hemagglutination assays. RESULTS: Of the 2810 swabs, 636 (23%) were positive for influenza virus. The percentage of positives by gender was similar. The proportion of ILI cases positive for influenza increased with age from 11% (31/275) in infants (aged 0-1 years) to 31% (377/1219) among children aged 5-10 years (P < .001). The majority of cases were influenza A (90%), of which 60% were influenza A(H1N1)pdm09. In all 3 years, influenza activity appeared slightly higher during May through July. CONCLUSIONS: During the 3 years of influenza surveillance in Ghana, children aged <11 years bore a high burden of influenza-associated ILI.

The Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria--a success in peril.

The Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm) has put into place a bold financing plan for artemisinin-combination therapy in a pilot phase in seven countries covering half the population at risk of malaria in Africa. A report of the AMFm independent evaluation, conducted by ICF International and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, describes the success of the programme in the pilot sites: Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania (mainland and Zanzibar) and Uganda, comparing availability and affordability of high-quality artemisinin-combination therapies before and after AMFm launched. Proof of concept was achieved: AMFm increased availability and kept prices low, meeting its initial, ambitious benchmarks in most settings. Despite this overwhelming success, opposition to the programme and dwindling resources for malaria control conspire to cripple or kill AMFm.

Development and Implementation of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Checklist in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Co-Creation Consensus Approach.

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) initiatives promote the responsible use of antimicrobials in healthcare settings as a key measure to curb the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Defining the core elements of AMS is essential for developing and evaluating comprehensive AMS programmes. This project used co-creation and Delphi consensus procedures to adapt and extend the existing published international AMS checklist. The overall objective was to arrive at a contextualised checklist of core AMS elements and key behaviours for use within healthcare settings in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as to implement the checklist in health institutions in four African countries. The AMS checklist tool was developed using a modified Delphi approach to achieve local expert consensus on the items to be included on the checklist. Fourteen healthcare/public health professionals from Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Ghana and the UK were invited to review, score and comment on items from a published global AMS checklist. Following their feedback, 8 items were rephrased, and 25 new items were added to the checklist. The final AMS checklist tool was deployed across 19 healthcare sites and used to assess AMS programmes before and after an AMS intervention in 14 of the 19 sites. The final tool comprised 54 items. Across the 14 sites, the completed checklists consistently showed improvements for all the AMS components following the intervention. The greatest improvements observed were the presence of formal multidisciplinary AMS structures (79%) and the execution of a point-prevalence survey (72%). The elements with the least improvement were access to laboratory/imaging services (7%) and the presence of adequate financial support for AMS (14%). In addition to capturing the quantitative and qualitative changes associated with the AMS intervention, project evaluation suggested that administering the AMS checklist made unique contributions to ongoing AMS activities. Furthermore, 29 additional AMS activities were reported as a direct result of the prompting checklist questions. Contextualised, co-created AMS tools are necessary for managing antimicrobial use across healthcare settings and increasing local AMS ownership and commitment. This study led to the development of a new AMS checklist, which proved successful in capturing AMS improvements in Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, and Ghana. The tool also made unique contributions to furthering local AMS efforts. This study extends the existing AMS materials for low- and middle-income countries and provides empirical evidence for successful use in practice.

Integration of control of neglected tropical diseases into health-care systems: challenges and opportunities.

Although progress has been made in the fight against neglected tropical diseases, current financial resources and global political commitments are insufficient to reach the World Health Assembly's ambitious goals. Increased efforts are needed to expand global coverage. These efforts will involve national and international harmonisation and coordination of the activities of partnerships devoted to control or elimination of these diseases. Rational planning and integration into regular health systems is essential to scale up these interventions to achieve complete eradication of these diseases. Programmes with similar delivery strategies and interventions-such as those for onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, and soil-transmitted helminthiasis-could be managed on the same platform and together. Furthermore, better-resourced programmes-such as those for malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis-could work closely with those for neglected tropical diseases to their mutual benefit and the benefit of the entire health system.

Implementation of a Delayed Prescribing Model to Reduce Antibiotic Prescribing for Suspected Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in a Hospital Outpatient Department, Ghana.

Background: High levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Ghana require the exploration of new approaches to optimise antimicrobial prescribing. This study aims to establish the feasibility of implementation of different delayed/back-up prescribing models on antimicrobial prescribing for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). Methods: This study was part of a quality improvement project at LEKMA Hospital, Ghana, (Dec 2019-Feb 2020). Patients meeting inclusion criteria were assigned to one of four groups (Group 0: No prescription given; Group 1; Patient received post-dated antibiotic prescription; Group 2: Offer of a rapid reassessment of patient by a nurse practitioner after 3 days; and Group 3: Post-dated prescription forwarded to hospital pharmacy). Patients were contacted 10 days afterwards to ascertain wellbeing and actions taken, and patients were asked rate the service on a Likert scale. Post-study informal discussions were conducted with hospital staff. Results: In total, 142 patients met inclusion criteria. Groups 0, 1, 2 and 3 had 61, 16, 44 and 21 patients, respectively. Common diagnosis was sore throat (73%). Only one patient took antibiotics after 3 days. Nearly all (141/142) patients were successfully contacted on day 10, and of these, 102 (72%) rated their experiences as good or very good. Informal discussions with staff revealed improved knowledge of AMR. Conclusions: Delayed/back-up prescribing can reduce antibiotic consumption amongst outpatient department patients with suspected URTIs. Delayed/back-up prescribing can be implemented safely in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Risk factors for Buruli ulcer disease (Mycobacterium ulcerans Infection): results from a case-control study in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Morbidity due to Buruli ulcer disease (BUD), a cutaneous infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, has been increasingly recognized in rural West Africa. The source and mode of transmission remain unknown. METHODS: To identify BUD risk factors, we conducted a case-control study in 3 BUD-endemic districts in Ghana. We enrolled case patients with clinically diagnosed BUD and obtained skin biopsy specimens. M. ulcerans infection was confirmed by at least 1 of the following diagnostic methods: histopathologic analysis, culture, polymerase chain reaction, and Ziehl-Neelsen staining of a lesion smear. We compared characteristics of case patients with confirmed BUD with those of age- and community-matched control subjects using conditional logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Among 121 case patients with confirmed BUD, leg lesions (49%) or arm lesions (36%) were common. Male case patients were significantly more likely than female case patients to have lesions on the trunk (25% vs. 6%; P = .009). Multivariable modeling among 116 matched case-control pairs identified wading in a river as a risk factor for BUD (odds ratio [OR], 2.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-5.68; P = .0096). Wearing a shirt while farming (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.11-0.70; P = .0071), sharing indoor living space with livestock (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.15-0.86; P = .022), and bathing with toilet soap (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.19-0.90; P = .026) appeared to be protective. BUD was not significantly associated with penetrating injuries (P = .14), insect bites near water bodies (P = .84), bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination (P = .33), or human immunodeficiency virus infection (P = .99). CONCLUSIONS: BUD is an environmentally acquired infection strongly associated with exposure to river areas. Exposed skin may facilitate transmission. Until transmission is better defined, control strategies in BUD-endemic areas could include covering exposed skin.

Recommendations from a meeting on health implications of genetically modified organism (GMO).

The Ghana Public Health Association organized a scientific seminar to examine the introduction of genetically modified organisms into public use and the health consequences. The seminar was driven by current public debate on the subject. The seminar identified some of the advantages of GMOs and also the health concerns. It is clear that there is the need to enhance local capacity to research the introduction and use of GMOs; to put in place appropriate regulatory mechanisms including particularly the labeling of GMO products and post-marketing surveillance for possible negative health consequences in the long term. Furthermore the appropriate state agency should put in place advocacy strategies to keep the public informed about GMOs.

Travel time to maternity care and its effect on utilization in rural Ghana: a multilevel analysis.

Rates of neonatal and maternal mortality are high in Ghana. In-facility delivery and other maternal services could reduce this burden, yet utilization rates of key maternal services are relatively low, especially in rural areas. We tested a theoretical implication that travel time negatively affects the use of in-facility delivery and other maternal services. Empirically, we used geospatial techniques to estimate travel times between populations and health facilities. To account for uncertainty in Ghana Demographic and Health Survey cluster locations, we adopted a novel approach of treating the location selection as an imputation problem. We estimated a multilevel random-intercept logistic regression model. For rural households, we found that travel time had a significant effect on the likelihood of in-facility delivery and antenatal care visits, holding constant education, wealth, maternal age, facility capacity, female autonomy, and the season of birth. In contrast, a facility's capacity to provide sophisticated maternity care had no detectable effect on utilization. As the Ghanaian health network expands, our results suggest that increasing the availability of basic obstetric services and improving transport infrastructure may be important interventions.

One Health concept for strengthening public health surveillance and response through Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training in Ghana.

The lack of highly trained field epidemiologists in the public health system in Ghana has been known since the 1970s when the Planning Unit was established in the Ghana Ministry of Health. When the Public Health School was started in 1994, the decision was taken to develop a 1 academic-year general MPH course. The persisting need for well-trained epidemiologists to support the public health surveillance, outbreak investigation and response system made the development of the Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (FELTP) a national priority. The School of Public health and the Ministry of Health therefore requested the technical and financial assistance of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in organizing the Programme. The collaboration started by organizing short courses in disease outbreak investigations and response for serving Ghana Health Service staff. The success of the short courses led to development of the FELTP. By October 2007, the new FELTP curriculum for the award of a Masters of Philosophy in Applied Epidemiology and Disease Control was approved by the Academic Board of the University of Ghana and the programme started that academic year. Since then five cohorts of 37 residents have been enrolled in the two tracks of the programme. They consist of 12 physicians, 12 veterinarians and 13 laboratory scientists. The first two cohorts of 13 residents have graduated. The third cohort of seven has submitted dissertations and is awaiting the results. The fourth cohort has started the second year of field placement while the fifth cohort has just started the first semester. The field activities of the graduates have included disease outbreak investigations and response, evaluation of disease surveillance systems at the national level and analysis of datasets on diseases at the regional level. The residents have made a total of 25 oral presentations and 39 poster presentations at various regional and global scientific conferences. The Ghana FELTP (GFELTP) has promoted the introduction of the One Health concept into FELTP. It hosted the first USAID-supported workshop in West Africa to further integrate and strengthen collaboration of the animal and human health sectors in the FETP model. GFELTP has also taken the lead in hosting the first AFENET Center for Training in Public Health Leadership and Management, through which the short course on Management for Improving Public Health Interventions was developed for AFENET member countries. The GFELTP pre-tested the Integrated Avian Influenza Outbreak and Pandemic Influenza course in preparation for introducing the materials into the curriculum of other FELTP in the network. The leadership positions to which the graduates of the program have been appointed in the human and animal Public Health Services, improvement in disease surveillance, outbreak investigation and response along with the testimony of the health authorities about their appreciation of the outputs of the graduates at various fora, is a strong indication that the GFELTP is meeting its objectives.

Distributing insecticide-treated bednets during measles vaccination: a low-cost means of achieving high and equitable coverage.

OBJECTIVE: To achieve high and equitable coverage of insecticide-treated bednets by integrating their distribution into a measles vaccination campaign. METHODS: In December 2002 in the Lawra district in Ghana, a measles vaccination campaign lasting 1 week targeted all children aged 9 months-15 years. Families with one or more children less than five years old were targeted to receive a free insecticide-treated bednet. The Ghana Health Service, with support from the Ghana Red Cross and UNICEF, provided logistical support, volunteer workers and social mobilization during the campaign. Volunteers visited homes to inform caregivers about the campaign and encourage them to participate. We assessed pre-campaign coverage of bednets by interviewing caregivers leaving vaccination and distribution sites. Five months after distribution, a two-stage cluster survey using population-proportional sampling assessed bednet coverage, retention and use. Both the pre-campaign and post-campaign survey assessed household wealth using an asset inventory. FINDINGS: At the campaign exit interview 636/776 (82.0%) caregivers reported that they had received a home visit by a Red Cross volunteer before the campaign and that 32/776 (4.1%) of the youngest children in each household who were less than 5 years of age slept under an insecticide-treated bednet. Five months after distribution caregivers reported that 204/219 (93.2%) of children aged 9 months to 5 years had been vaccinated during the campaign; 234/248 (94.4%) of households were observed to have an insecticide-treated bednet; and 170/249 (68.3%) were observed to have a net hung over a bed. Altogether 222/248 (89.5%) caregivers reported receiving at least one insecticide-treated bednet during the campaign, and 153/254 (60.2%) said that on the previous night their youngest child had slept under a bednet received during the campaign. For households in the poorest quintile, post-campaign coverage of insecticide-treated bednets was 10 times higher than pre-campaign coverage of households in the wealthiest quintile (46/51 (90.2%) versus 14/156 (9.0%)). The marginal operational cost was 0.32 US dollars per insecticide-treated bednet delivered. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that linking bednet distribution to measles vaccination campaigns may provide an important opportunity for achieving high and equitable coverage of bednets.

Buruli ulcer in Ghana: results of a national case search.

A national search for cases of Buruli ulcer in Ghana identified 5,619 patients, with 6,332 clinical lesions at various stages. The overall crude national prevalence rate of active lesions was 20.7 per 100,000, but the rate was 150.8 per 100,000 in the most disease-endemic district. The case search demonstrated widespread disease and gross underreporting compared with the routine reporting system. The epidemiologic information gathered will contribute to the design of control programs for Buruli ulcer.