Knowledge, attitudes and practice towards yellow fever among nomadic populations: A cross-sectional study in yellow fever outbreak communities in Ghana.

Despite the government and global health initiatives toward yellow fever epidemic control in Ghana, the country continues to witness sporadic outbreaks of yellow fever mostly among the unvaccinated population and suspected migrates(nomadic) who enter the country. Little is known about nomadic knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding this communicable disease in Ghana. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey in 22 yellow fever outbreak communities to assess nomadic household heads' knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding yellow fever after an outbreak in November 2021 outbreak. Our study results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate logistics regression with dichotomous outcomes. Significant statistics were obtained from multivariate analysis. About 90% of the nomadic had poor knowledge of the signs and symptoms of yellow with only 16% knowing the vector that transmits yellow fever. The most common source of information on yellow fever was the health campaign. Over 80% of household heads surveyed had positive attitudes regarding yellow fever with about 84% worried about the disease outbreak in their community. In a multivariate logistic regression model, age group(AOR = 2.79; 95% CI: 1.31, 5.98, p = 0.008)., gender ideology(AOR = 2.27; 95% CI: 1.14-4.51, p = 0.019), occupation(AOR = 15.65; 95% CI: 7.02, 34.87, p<0.001), source of health information(AOR = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.96, p = 0.043), duration of stay in the community(AOR = 1.11; 95% CI: 1.31, 5.98, p = 0.008) and nationality (AOR = 0.22; 95% CI:0.47, 0.47, p<0.001) were associated with positive attitudes towards yellow fever. Close to 74% have a positive practice, with 97.3% controlling mosquitoes in their household. Nationality (AOR = 3.85; 95% CI: 2.26, 6.56, p<0.001), duration of stay in the community (AOR = 1.06; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.10, p = 0.001), and age group(AOR = 040; 95% CI: 0.22, 0.73, p = 0.003) were associated with positive practices. Our findings show that yellow fever KAP was variable with clear knowledge gaps. Regular locally-tailored education and health promotion campaigns should be considered to improve knowledge and preventive practices against this infectious disease.

Adverse events reported after first dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in the Northern Region of Ghana.

AIM: The study examined the associated adverse events following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination among healthcare workers during the first dose of the vaccine in the Northern Region of Ghana. DESIGN: The study was a cross-sectional survey involving 463 healthcare workers. METHOD: The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The data were analysed descriptively, and binary logistics was performed using SPSS version 25. RESULTS: The mean age was 33.4 ± 9.7 years, the majority (43.6%) being ≤30 years and males (57.2%). The self-reported prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine adverse events was 75.5%. Common systemic adverse events comprised headache (47.5%), dizziness (18.4%) and local adverse events included generalized body pains (44.0%) and abscess around the injection sites (11.2%). The study found a high prevalence of self-reported SARS-CoV-2 vaccine adverse events involving both systemic and local adverse events. Our study gives useful information that can be used for public health-targeted interventions to boost public confidence in SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

Influence of Sociodemographic Factors and Obstetric History on Choice of Place of Delivery: A Retrospective Study Among Post-Natal Women in Ghana.

Background and Objectives: Even though Ghana has recorded an appreciable level of facility delivery compared to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the country still has a lot of regional and community variations in facility delivery where professional maternal health care is guaranteed. This study assessed the main factors associated with facility delivery in the Sagnarigu Municipal Assembly of the Northern Region of Ghana. Methods: Using a simple random sampling method, a retrospective community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 12, 2021 to October 17, 2021, among 306 postnatal women within 15 to 49 years who had delivered within the last six months. We conducted descriptive analyses, and the Pearson chi-square test of association between the sociodemographic factors and obstetrics history with the outcome variable, choice of place of birth. Lastly, significant variables in the chi-square test were entered into adjusted multivariate logistics regression to determine their association with the place of delivery. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version-25, with statistical significance set at a p-value of 0.05. Results: The study reported a facility delivery rate of 82%, which is slightly higher than the national target (80%). We observed that age group [AOR 2.34 (1.07-5.14)], marital status [AOR 0.31 (0.12-0.81)], ethnicity [AOR 3.78 (1.18-12.13)], and couple's occupation [AOR 24.74 (2.51-243.91)] were the significant sociodemographic factors influencing facility delivery. The number of antenatal care (ANC) attendance [AOR 8.73 (3.41 - 22.2)] and previous pregnancy complications [AOR 2.4 (1.11 - 5.7)] were the significant obstetrics factors influencing facility delivery. Conclusion and Global Health Implications: We found that specific sociodemographic and obstetric factors significantly influence the choice of place of delivery in the study area. To address this, the study recommends targeted interventions that focus on providing support and resources for women from different age groups, marital statuses, ethnicities, and occupational backgrounds to access facility delivery services. Additionally, improving ANC attendance and effectively managing pregnancy complications were highlighted as important measures to encourage facility-based deliveries.