Browsing by Author "Tetteh, C."
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Item Emergency vaccination against epidemic meningitis in Ghana: Implications for the control of meningococcal disease in West Africa(Lancet, 2000) Woods, C.W.; Amstrong, G.; Sackey, S.O.; Tetteh, C.; Bugri, S.; Perkins, B.A.; Rosenstein, N.E.Background. Recurrent epidemics of meningococcal disease have been reported throughout the African meningitis belt since description of the disease in 1912. Meningooccal polysaccharide vaccines can effectively prevent disease but the optimum strategy for their use in this setting has been controversial. We used data from an outbreak of meningococcal disease in northern Ghana in 1997 to assess the potential effect of different vaccination strategies. Methods. We identified all reported cases of meningococcal meningitis and estimated the number of cases and deaths that could have been prevented by vaccination through use of a simple mathematical model. We then assessed the potential effect of different vaccination strategies and the burden of these strategies on the public-health system. Findings. In the three affected regions in northern Ghana there were 18,703 cases and 1356 deaths reported between November, 1996, and May, 1997. Vaccination began in the third week of February and continued to April, reaching 72 of the at-risk population and preventing an estimated 23 of cases and 18 of deaths. A strategy of routine childhood and adult immunisation would have prevented 61 of cases had this same rate of vaccine coverage been achieved and maintained before the epidemic. If vaccination had started after the onset of the epidemic in January, as currently advocated by WHO guidelines, a similar proportion (61) of cases could have been prevented. Interpretation. Prevention of epidemics of meningococal disease in west Africa will be difficult until long-lasting conjugate vaccines capable of interrupting transmission of Neisseria meningitidis can be incorporated into routine infant-immunisation schedules. Until then, the strategy of surveillance and response advocated by WHO is as effective and more practical than a strategy of routine childhood and adult vaccination with currently available polysaccharide vaccines. This study assessed the potential effects of different vaccination strategies using data from the 1997 meningococcal outbreak in northern Ghana. Since the description of the disease in 1912, recurrent epidemics of meningococcal disease have been reported throughout the African meningitis belt. The use of meningococcal polysaccharide vaccines has been proven to effectively prevent the disease, although the method of vaccine distribution was disputable. Using a simple mathematical model, meningococcal meningitis cases and deaths, which could have been forestalled by vaccination, were identified, and the effect of developed vaccination strategies on the public health system was analyzed. About 18,703 cases and 1356 deaths were reported in 3 regions of northern Ghana between November 1996 and May 1997. Vaccination was conducted between February and April, which covered 72% of the high-risk population and prevented approximately 23% of cases and 18% of deaths. Routine childhood and adult immunization would have prevented 61% of cases had this same rate of vaccine coverage been achieved and maintained before the epidemic. This study suggests that the prevention of the meningococcal disease epidemic in West Africa would be difficult unless long-lasting conjugate vaccines are incorporated into routine infant immunization schedules. For now, the surveillance and response strategies advocated by the WHO serve as an effective and practical intervention.Item Exports and Economic Growth: The Case of Ghana(University Of Ghana, 2015-07) Tetteh, C.; Fosu, A. K; Codjoe, E.; University Of Ghana, College of Humanities, School of Social Sciences,Department of EconomicsThe study examined the impact of exports on economic growth in Ghana using annual data for the period 1980 to 2013. Applying popular time series econometric techniques of cointegration and vector error correction estimation, the study sought to explore long-run and short-run relationships between exports and gross domestic product (GDP). The Johansen‟s cointegration test revealed the existence of long-run relationships between real GDP, exports, gross capital formation and labour in Ghana. There was also evidence of bi-directional causality between exports and GDP growth using Granger causality test. The study found that in both the short-run and long-run, real exports and gross capital formation had positive impacts on real GDP. Labour had a negative effect on GDP in the long-run, but it was positively related to real GDP growth in its immediate past year of the short-run. All variables were statistically significant at the 5% significance level in the long-run. The speed of adjustment toward the long-run equilibrium was about 83.5 percent, suggesting that the adjustment is rather rapid. Based on the results, the study recommends that policy makers should focus on maintaining an open and export oriented policy in order to ensure growth in the economy and also to adequately promote economic growth for export expansion.Item Human Development and Net Migration: the Ghanaian Experience(Springer, 2021) Amoah, A.; Tetteh, C.; Korle, K.; Quartey, S.H.This study examines human development as a key economic driver of net migration in Ghana. The study uses annual time series data spanning the period of 1980–2020. An instrumental variable econometric approach is used for the analysis based on its strength in addressing identifcation challenges such as serial correlation and endogeneity issues commonly associated with time series data. Other econometric techniques are also used for robustness purposes. The study shows evidence of a negative and statistically signifcant relationship between human development and net migration in Ghana. This finding implies that improving human development negatively drives net migration in favour of emigration. The study recommends that efforts towards improving education, health and income should be strengthened to reduce emigration especially skilled and illegal migrants. This study concludes that human development is a key socio-economic driver of net migration in Ghana.Item Proactive Personality, Creativity and Political Skills As Predictors Of Entrepreneurial Intentions(University of Ghana, 2017-07) Tetteh, C.The study examined the extent to which proactive personality, political skills and creativity predicted entrepreneurial intentions among National Service Personnel in Accra. Using cross- sectional survey design, three hundred and twenty three (323) respondents were conveniently sampled for the study. Participants responded to a questionnaire comprising various demographic measures such as, gender, parental occupation, marital status, religion and role model as well as measures of proactive personality, creativity, political skills and entrepreneurial intentions. Hierarchical multiple regression, Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficient, moderated mediation analysis and independent t-test were used to analyse the hypotheses. The results indicate that there is a significant positive association between proactive personality and political skills. In addition, proactive personality accounts for more variance in predicting entrepreneurial intentions as compared to political skills and creativity. It was further observed that political skills partially mediate the association between proactive personality and entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, a low level of creativity had a stronger effect on the mediated relationship between proactive personality and entrepreneurial intentions through political skills. Moreover, there was no difference between males and females on entrepreneurial intentions. The implications of the findings were discussed against the backdrop of theory of planned behaviour, entrepreneurial event theory as well as other related studies and culturally relevant factors.Item Why High Dropout on Immunisation Programme in the Ashanti Akim North District(University of Ghana, 2000-09) Twene, R.; Quansah-Asare, G.; Tetteh, C.; University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, School of Public HealthExpanded Programme on Immunisation is one of the health intervention that holdout the prospect of reducing infant and childhood mortality in developing countries. In Ghana efforts are being made to folly immunise all children against the six childhood killer diseases. Unfortunately access to and utilisation of the services by the children remains poor in many districts. The Ashanti Akim North district for instance recorded dropout rate of 29% in 1999. This dropout rate is unacceptable at the time when the country has aimed at achieving a minimum of 75% coverage for DPT3/OPV3 by the year 2001. According to WHO, there is a problem whenever dropout rate exceeds 10%. The study looked into the reasons for such a high dropout rate in the Ashanti Akim North district. The Ashanti Akim North district is one of the 18 districts in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It has a population of 107,771. Konongo is the district capital, with the Agogo Presbyterian Hospital as its district hospital. The main objective of the study was to provide information to enable the District Health Directorate design and implement appropriate and relevant immunisation programme that will serve to enhance immunisation coverage and encourage mothers to folly immunize their children in the Ashanti Akim North District. The study was descriptive in nature and combined both quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings from the qualitative research (group discussions) were used to complement the information obtained from the sample survey questionnaire that was administered to mothers of children between 6 weeks to 24 months, who had dropout of the immunisation schedules. The sample size for the study was 170. The results of the study showed that the dropout rate in the district was 17.3% instead of the calculated rate of 29%. The overestimation was due to poor recording of the immunisation registers. For those who dropout out, several reasons were given as to why they could not comply with the immunisation schedules. Most of the reasons 62.1% were obstacles with lack of money as the most prominent. Lack of motivation resulted in 20.6% of the respondents postponing their visit until another time. The rest were mother being busy, traveling, fear of side effect and laziness. Lack of nice clothing was not a major reason why a mother would not attend or complete the schedule. The study revealed that the mothers prefer outreach clinic to any other immunisation strategy. The main recommendations were that; 1. Education at antenatal, postnatal and child welfare clinics should stress the total number of times mothers need to visit the clinic to complete the immunisation and when the measles vaccine needs to be taken. 2. The CHN should be trained on the need for the immunisation register and should be encouraged to do proper recording and follow up on defaulters. It is hoped that the recommendations will be critically considered to improve immunisation coverage in the Ashanti Akim North District.