Research Articles
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://197.255.125.131:4000/handle/123456789/22010
A research article reports the results of original research, assesses its contribution to the body of knowledge in a given area, and is published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. The faculty publications through published and on-going articles/researches are captured in this community
Browse
5 results
Search Results
Item Decreased Influenza Activity During The COVID-19 Pandemic In Ghana, 2020(Frontiers in Public Health, 2024) Asante, I.A.; Nyarko, S.O.; Awuku-Larbi, Y.; et al.Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect on influenza activity globally. In this study, we analyzed trends of influenza activity in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using active prospective influenza surveillance data from 29 sentinel sites. At the sentinel sites, we enrolled patients presenting with symptoms based on the WHO case definition for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI). Oro and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from patients and tested for the presence of of influenza viruses using specific primers and probes described by the US-CDC. The percentage of positivity for influenza between 2017–2019 and 2021 was compared to 2020. Using the test for proportions in STATA 17.0, we estimated the difference in influenza activities between two periods. Results and discussion: Influenza activity occurred in a single wave during the 2020 surveillance season into 2021, September 28 2020–March 7 2021 (week 40), 2020–week 9, 2021). Influenza activity in 2020 was significantly lower compared to previous years (2017–2019, 2021). Influenza A (H3) was more commonly detected during the early part of the year (December 30, 2019–March 8, 2020), while influenza B Victoria was more commonly detected toward the end of the year (September). 28–December 28). In Ghana, adherence to the community mitigation strategies introduced to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2, which affected the transmission of other infectious diseases, may have also impacted the transmission of influenza. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Ghana to describe the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on influenza activity. The continuation and strict adherence Non-pharmaceutical interventions at the community level can help reduce influenza transmission in subsequent seasons.Item Repurposing an integrated national influenza platform for genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Ghana: a molecular epidemiological analysis(Lancet Glob Health, 2023) Asante, I.A.; Hsu, S.N.; Boatemaa, L.; et al.Background Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and guiding public health decisions, but the capacity for SARS-CoV-2 testing and sequencing in Africa is low. We integrated SARS-CoV-2 surveillance into an existing influenza surveillance network with the aim of providing insights into SARS-CoV-2 transmission and genomics in Ghana. Methods In this molecular epidemiological analysis, which is part of a wider multifaceted prospective observational study, we collected national SARS-CoV-2 test data from 35 sites across 16 regions in Ghana from Sept 1, 2020, to Nov 30, 2021, via the Ghanaian integrated influenza and SARS-CoV-2 surveillance network. SARS-CoV-2-positive samples collected through this integrated national influenza surveillance network and from international travellers arriving in Accra were sequenced with Oxford Nanopore Technology sequencing and the ARTIC tiled amplicon method. The sequence lineages were typed with pangolin and the phylogenetic analysis was conducted with IQ-Tree2 and TreeTime. Findings During the study period, 5495 samples were submitted for diagnostic testing through the national influenza surveillance network (2121 [46·1%] of 4021 samples with complete demographic data were from female individuals and 2479 [53·9%] of 4021 samples were from male individuals). We also obtained 2289 samples from travellers who arrived in Accra and had a positive lateral flow test, of whom 1626 (71·0%, 95% CI 69·1–72·9) were confirmed to be SARS-CoV-2 positive. Co-circulation of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 in Ghana was detected, with increased cases of influenza in November, 2020, November, 2021, and January and June, 2021. In 4124 samples from individuals with influenza-like illness, SARS-CoV-2 was identified in 583 (14·1%, 95% CI 13·1–15·2) samples and influenza in 356 (8·6%, 7·8–9·5). Conversely, in 476 samples from individuals with of severe acute respiratory illness, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 58 (12·2%, 9·5–15·5) samples and influenza in 95 (19·9%, 16·5–23·9). We detected four waves of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Ghana; each wave was driven by a different variant: B.1 and B.1.1 were the most prevalent lineages in wave 1, alpha (B.1.1.7) was responsible for wave 2, delta (B.1.617.2) and its sublineages (closely related to delta genomes from India) were responsible for wave 3, and omicron variants were responsible for wave 4. We detected omicron variants among 47 (32%) of 145 samples from travellers during the start of the omicron spread in Ghana (wave 4). Interpretation This study shows the value of repurposing existing influenza surveillance platforms to monitor SARS-CoV-2. Influenza continued to circulate in Ghana in 2020 and 2021, and remained a major cause of severe acute respiratory illness. We detected importations of SARS-CoV-2 variants into Ghana, including those that did or did not lead to onward community transmission. Investment in strengthening national influenza surveillance platforms in low-income and middle-income countries has potential for ongoing monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 and future pandemicsItem Genomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 reveals local viral evolution in Ghana(2021) Ngoi, J.M.; Quashie, P.K.; Morang’a, C.M.; Bonney, J.H.K.; Amuzu, D.S.Y.; Kumordjie, S.; Asante, I.A.; Bonney, E.Y.; Eshun, M.; Boatemaa, L.; Magnusen, V.; Kotey, E.N.; Ndam, N.T.; Tei-Maya, F.; Arjarquah, A.K.; Obodai, E.; Otchere, I.D.; Bediako, Y.; Mutungi, J.K.; Amenga-Etego, L.N.; Odoom, J.K.; Anang, A.K.; Kyei, G.B.; Adu, B.; Ampofo, W.K.; Awandare, G.A.The confirmed case fatality rate for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Ghana has dropped from a peak of 2% in March to be consistently below 1% since May 2020. Globally, case fatality rates have been linked to the strains/clades of circulating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within a specific country. Here we present 46 whole genomes of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in Ghana, from two separate sequencing batches: 15 isolates from the early epidemic (March 12–April 1 2020) and 31 from later time-points ( 25–27 May 2020). Sequencing was carried out on an Illumina MiSeq system following an amplicon-based enrichment for SARS-CoV-2 cDNA. After genome assembly and quality control processes, phylogenetic analysis showed that the first batch of 15 genomes clustered into five clades: 19A, 19B, 20A, 20B, and 20C, whereas the second batch of 31 genomes clustered to only three clades 19B, 20A, and 20B. The imported cases (6/46) mapped to circulating viruses in their countries of origin, namely, India, Hungary, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. All genomes mapped to the original Wuhan strain with high similarity (99.5–99.8%). All imported strains mapped to the European superclade A, whereas 5/9 locally infected indi viduals harbored the B4 clade, from the East Asian superclade B. Ghana appears to have 19B and 20B as the two largest circulating clades based on our sequence analyses. In line with global reports, the D614G linked viruses seem to be predominating. Comparison of Ghanaian SARS-CoV-2 genomes with global genomes indicates that Ghanaian strains have not diverged significantly from circulating strains commonly imported into Africa. The low level of diversity in our genomes may indicate lower levels of transmission, even for D614G viruses, which is consistent with the relatively low levels of infection reported in Ghana.Item SARS-CoV-2 detection among international air travellers to Ghana during mandatory quarantine(Ghana Med J, 2021) Adu, B.; Bonney, J.K.H.; Odoom, J.K.; Bonney, E.Y.A.; Obodai, E.; Asante, I.A.; Aboagye, J.; Adusei-Poku, M.A.; Lartey, L.; Asiedu, E.K.; Ampofo, W.K.; Kyei, G.B.Objectives: To determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 detection among international travellers to Ghana during mandatory quarantine. Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting: Air travellers to Ghana on 21st and 22nd March 2020. Participants: On 21st and 22nd March 2020, a total of 1,030 returning international travellers were mandatorily quar antined in 15 different hotels in Accra and tested for SARS-CoV-2. All of these persons were included in the study. Main outcome measure: Positivity for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction. Results: The initial testing at the beginning of quarantine found 79 (7.7%) individuals to be positive for SARS-CoV 2. In the exit screening after 12 to 13 days of quarantine, it was discovered that 26 of those who tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 in the initial screening subsequently tested positive. Conclusions: Ghana likely averted an early community spread of COVID-19 through the proactive approach to quarantine international travellers during the early phase of the pandemicItem Data management during COVID-19 outbreak response in Ghana: a reference labor atory perspective on key issues and measures(Ghana Med J, 2021) Obodai, E.; Kyei, G.B.; Aboagye, J.; Bonney, E.Y.; Asante, I.A.; Bonney, J.K.H.; Adusei-Poku, M.; Lamptey, H.; Adu, B.; Kenu, E.; Koram, K.A.; Ampofo, W.K.; Odoom, J.K.The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 is an important subject for global health. Ghana experienced low moderate transmission of the disease when the first case was detected in March 12, 2020 until the middle of July when the number of cases begun to drop. By August 24, 2020, the country's total number of confirmed cases stood at 43,622, with 263 deaths. By the same time, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) of the University of Ghana, the primary testing centre for COVID-19, had tested 285,501 with 28,878 confirmed cases. Due to database gaps, there were initial challenges with timely reporting and feedback to stakeholders during the peak surveillance period. The gaps resulted from mismatches between samples and their accompanying case investigation forms, sam ples without case investigation forms and vice versa, huge data entry requirements, and delayed test results. However, a revamp in data management procedures, and systems helped to improve the turnaround time for reporting results to all interested parties and partners. Additionally, inconsistencies such as multiple entries and discrepant patient-sample information were resolved by introducing a barcoding electronic capture system. Here, we describe the main chal lenges with COVID-19 data management and analysis in the laboratory and recommend measures for improvement.