Central Ghana Research Articles

Revision of the genus Opisthozemius Kolbe, 1916, with description of a new species and designation of a new genus (Coleoptera: Brentidae, Cyphagoginae)

The Afrotropical genus Opisthozemius Kolbe, 1916 is revised. The genus now includes four species, one of which is described as new: Opisthozemius naamae sp. nov., from Tanzania and Zambia. Opisthozemius sulcithorax Damoiseau, 1967, from Java, is removed from the genus Opisthozemius and included in Euparagogus gen. nov. Opisthozemius honestus is placed in synonymy with Opisthozemius vittatus (new synonymy). A key for the identification of the species of Opisthozemius and some distributional data are also given. O. appendiculatus is quoted for the first time from Ghana; O. vittatus for the first time from Central African Republic, Ghana and Uganda.

The Political Ecology of Landscape Change, Malaria, and Cumulative Vulnerability in Central Ghana’s Gold Mining Country

Following the 2008 global financial crisis, small-scale gold mining operations proliferated worldwide. Along Ghana’s Offin River, the landscape has been radically transformed by mining, including disruptions to agriculture and surface hydrology, with adverse health outcomes. Yet, health research on small-scale mining tends to focus on miners’ mercury exposure. Further, studies on the relationships between disease and landscape change typically examine disease clustering and risk factor identification, rather than complex nature–society dynamics shaping infection and uneven vulnerability. Combining ethnographic, remote sensing, and quantitative methodological approaches, we detail how the socioecological outcomes of mining—from food insecurity and water-logged pits to profound anxiety and mercury contamination—combine to increase local malaria incidence. We argue that these changes interact with existing sociostructural conditions and Plasmodium falciparum’s unique biological capacities to render women and children most vulnerable to the disease. We suggest that mental health profoundly shapes malaria incidence and, countering individualized constructions of risk, family members’ health is deeply interconnected. This article contributes to current geographic debates in several ways. First, a cumulative vulnerability approach helps scholars conceptualize how biological, psychological, structural, and social conditions interrelate to shape humans’ conjunctural vulnerabilities along axes of difference, particularly in health contexts. We also highlight the importance of materiality in mediating vulnerability and malaria dynamics. Finally, we argue for more scholarly attention to familial relationships of care and mental health, heretofore unexplored topics in political ecologies of health.

Genetic Markers of Benzimidazole Resistance among Human Hookworms (Necator americanus) in Kintampo North Municipality, Ghana.

Hookworm infection causes anemia, malnutrition, and growth delay, especially in children living in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization recommends periodic mass drug administration (MDA) of anthelminthics to school-age children (SAC) as a means of reducing morbidity. Recently, questions have been raised about the effectiveness of MDA as a global control strategy for hookworms and other soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). Genomic DNA was extracted from Necator americanus hookworm eggs isolated from SAC enrolled in a cross-sectional study of STH epidemiology and deworming response in Kintampo North Municipality, Ghana. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was then used to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with benzimidazole resistance within the N. americanus β-tubulin gene. Both F167Y and F200Y resistance-associated SNPs were detected in hookworm samples from infected study subjects. Furthermore, the ratios of resistant to wild-type SNP at these two loci were increased in posttreatment samples from subjects who were not cured by albendazole, suggesting that deworming drug exposure may enrich resistance-associated mutations. A previously unreported association between F200Y and a third resistance-associated SNP, E198A, was identified by sequencing of F200Y amplicons. These data confirm that markers of benzimidazole resistance are circulating among hookworms in central Ghana, with unknown potential to impact the effectiveness and sustainability of chemotherapeutic approaches to disease transmission and control.

Determinants of risky sexual behaviours among adolescents in Central African Republic, Eswatini and Ghana: evidence from multi-indicator cluster surveys

Despite the declining HIV/AIDS prevalence globally, nearly half of all new HIV infections still occur among youth, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. While determinants of risky sexual behaviour have received copious attention in the literature, we still lack multi-country studies that track regional changes in sexual risk among youth in sub-Saharan Africa. This study seeks to fill part of this gap by identifying the determinants of risky sexual behaviours among adolescents in Ghana, Central African Republic (CAR) and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). We used nationally representative sample data from the Multi Indicator Cluster survey, round four (MICS4). Results of the descriptive analysis show that overall consistent condom use is still extremely low in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, only 8.5% of male youth and 7% of female youth consistently use condoms. In CAR this figure is 8% and 4% in male youth and female youth respectively. In Eswatini, with one of highest HIV prevalence in the world, the prevalence of consistent condom use is at 29% in males and 20% in females, higher than both in Ghana and CAR. Results of hierarchical models show that age at first sex does not predict risky sexual behaviour in Ghana, but it does predict risky sexual behaviour in CAR although only among young males. In Swaziland, age at first sex predicts risky sexual behaviour in both male and female youth but the relationship is not in the expected direction. Low socio-economic status predicts inconsistent condom use in all the three countries, but only among young females. This paper provides relevant policy lessons and recommendations.

Buchholzia coriacea: An African Plant with Pharmacological Importance

Capparidaceae family includes the evergreen shrub Buchholzia coriacea (Wonderful cola), which may be found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Nigeria, and Ghana, among other locations. Diarrhea, malaria, rheumatism, ulcers, worm infestation, asthma and cough, diabetes, hypertension, mental disorders, and impotence were among the diseases for which conventional medicine saw it as a viable alternative therapy. Some of its ethnomedicinal knowledge have been ethnopharmacologically validated and published in peer-reviewed journals. As a consequence, the focus of this research is on a current assessment of its confirmed ethnomedicinal activities, which will serve as a research horizon for present and future researchers

Daily Levels of the Harmattan Dust near the Gulf of Guinea over 15 Years: 1996-2011

The Saharan dust which is transported over many countries in West Africa near the Gulf of Guinea (5°N) during the northern winter, known as the Harmattan period, is presented. The Harmattan dust phenomenon has influence on the climate of the region. The dust has been studied over a 15-year period, between 1996 and 2011, using a location at Kumasi in central Ghana (6° 40′N, 1° 34′W). The suspended Saharan dust particles have been sampled in situ by an optical particle counter, and the particle size and concentrations within the particle size range, 0.5–25 μm were analysed. The highest daily average particle diameter, number and mass concentrations during January-February reached 3.17 μm in Harmattan 2005, 148 particles/cm3 in Harmattan 1997 and 6199 μg/m3 in Harmattan 2005 respectively. It was found that the daily mean size has increased from D=1.01 µm in the period, 1996-2000, to D=1.76 µm in 2001-2011. The mass concentration has also increased from M=370 µg/m3 over the period, 1996-2000 to M=1262 µg/m3 in the period, 2001-2011. The increased particle size and corresponding concentrations are likely due to increased stronger winds. The diurnal characteristics of the peak Harmattan which is a period of 4-13 consecutive days of highest concentration within January – February, were also anlaysed over the 15 years. This allows the study of the trends of the physical characteristics of the suspended dust.

Examining the social, physical and institutional determinants of pineapple farmers’ choice of production systems in Central Ghana

Various researchers have determined the different factors influencing farmers’ decisions to adopt certified organic production, without considering factors about the social and institutional environments of smallholder farmers in developing countries. In this paper, we examined the social, physical and institutional factors that affect farmers’ choice of production systems for pineapple in Ghana. A multinomial logit model was used to examine the factors influencing the pineapple farmers’ choice of a production system. Empirical findings indicate that apart from personal and attitudinal factors, the social, physical and institutional factors are also very important in individual farmer’s decisions to adopt certified organic production systems. Policy implications of these findings are that besides farmers’ personal and attitudinal characteristics, the social, physical and institutional features were also crucial in their decision to adopt certified organic production systems. The identified factors contribute to informing the government and other key players along the pineapple value chain on the elements to strive for when designing strategies and programmes to promote certified organic pineapple production. The study proposes that to encourage and sustain certified organic pineapple production systems, stakeholders in the pineapple sector should help farmers to consider the environmental sustainability in their production decision making and educate farmers on the potential cost and benefits of certifying their products organically. Effective policy and strategy design should, therefore, consider these factors to improve the adoption rate from conventional to certified organic production systems.

Impacts of lagoon opening and implications for coastal management: case study from Muni-Pomadze lagoon, Ghana

Lagoon-barrier systems are a dynamic coastal environment. When an ephemeral connection between a lagoon and the ocean develops, it has significant impact on hydrology, sedimentology and ecology. Increasingly, human actions and sea level rise also influence lagoons with the potential to increase their connectivity with the ocean. The Muni-Pomadze lagoon in central Ghana is a small lagoon-barrier system that is intermittently open to the ocean. Following opening in 2014 the lagoon was open to the ocean for more than two years. Causes for the unusually long period of lagoon opening are unclear although human intrevention has played a role. Field observation, digital mapping and GIS analysis of the shoreline during the two year period of lagoon opening has enabled an understanding of how the lagoon-ocean connection has impacted coastal morphology, erosion and sedimentation. Opening has resulted in rapid changes to the location of the barrier breaching (tidal inlet), erosion on the barrier and sedimentation in the lagoon. Such modifications have implications for local resources and ecosystem services that underpin the livelihood and wellbeing of local communities. Elucidating how a connection to the ocean impacts lagoons and the coastal communities they support are important to managing lagoons not only in Ghana but across West Africa.

Ghanaian Men Living with Sexual Transmitted Infections: Knowledge and Impact on Treatment Seeking Behaviour- A Qualitative Study.

The purpose of the study was to explore Ghanaian men's knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their treatment seeking behaviour. An exploratory descriptive design was used. The research site for this study was a STI clinic at a large government hospital in the Ashanti region in central Ghana. Purposive sampling was used to recruit men diagnosed with or previously infected with STI/HIV attending the clinic. Twelve participants were interviewed, and the data was thematically analysed. The findings were presented as themes: knowledge of STI, misconception, health seeking behaviour: visiting the hospital, buying drugs, using herbal treatment, visiting the traditional healer, and -shopping for health‖. Participants had good knowledge of the causes and/or mode of transmission of STIs/HIV. Their source of information was the radio, friends and education at the STIs/HIV unit of the hospital. Participants had little knowledge about the STIs/HIV treatment options before they received health education from the personnel at the STI/HIV unit. Participants had fallacies and believed they developed STIs/HIV infection because of a curse or someone who wanted them dead or bewitched them. The overarching reason for participants' choice of care was an expectation to recover from the infection. Seeking treatment at the hospital was one of the major choices for treatment. Participants tried various forms of treatment to find the most effective treatment. The research findings have several implications for health education, research, and practice in Ghana. There is the need to scale up health education by the various health institutions. Further research is needed on the general treatment seeking behaviour of men with an emphasis on the contextual and cultural differences that influence men's behavioural change. Gender based research is mostly focused on women and further studies are needed on the health and treatment seeking behaviour of men.

English

This research was conducted in the central region of Ghana to investigate the utilisation of ICT in hotels business operation. Primary data collections employed in the study were obtained from 200 respondents using well-structured questionnaires. Findings of the research study revealed that telephones, computers, internet, printers and fax machines were ICT applications in hotels business operation. Telephones were the most common ICT application used, and then followed by fax machines were the least ICT applications used in hotels business operation in the Central Region. Findings of the research study further revealed that the majority hotels in the region were using the internet as the latest developments in telecommunications. Hotels in the Central Region have benefited from the uses of ICT in their business operations through accessing hospitality information, improving customer service and increasing patronage. The main conclusion drawn from the research study is that there is still a need to promote ICT utilisation in hospitality industry in the Central Region and Ghana at large. Key words: Information communication and technology (ICT), internet, hotels, central region, Ghana.

Rheological evaluation of local clay samples in central region Ghana for oil well drilling fluid formulation

The superb rheological features of bentonites makes them an excellent candidate in drilling operations. Its capacity of bentonite to swell and extend to a few times its unique volume gives it the gelling and viscosity controlling quality. The execution of clay or specifical bentonite as a great consistency controlling operator in drilling fluids largely depends on the great extent of its rheological conduct. Ghana as of late found oil and it has tossed a test to research to explore the utilization of local materials in the oil and gas operations. A rheological study was conducted on local clay samples from Ajumako, Saltpond and Winneba in the Central district of Ghana as a viscosifier in drilling muds. This will help to improve the local content of Ghana's oil and gas industry. Drilling muds were prepared from the samples in addition to a control mud using imported non-treated bentonite. The local clay samples were subjected rheological test where the flow behavior of the muds was determined by measuring the gel strength, plastic viscosity, and the yield point. The experimental values were compared to the API standards. It was revealed that the local clay had some potential features of bentonite and could be utilized as controlling operators in drilling fluids provided the clays are beneficiated to enhance their rheological properties. This novel tend to improve the local content in oil and gas industry in Ghana through the deployment of the local materials in oil and gas operations in the nation.

Reactive vaccination as a control strategy for pneumococcal meningitis outbreaks in the African meningitis belt: Analysis of outbreak data from Ghana

Streptococcus pneumoniae is increasingly recognised as an important cause of bacterial meningitis in the African meningitis belt. The World Health Organization sets guidelines for response to outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis, but there are no current guidelines for outbreaks where S. pneumoniae is implicated. We aimed to evaluate the impact of using a similar response to target outbreaks of vaccine-preventable pneumococcal meningitis in the meningitis belt. Here, we adapt a previous model of reactive vaccination for meningococcal outbreaks to estimate the potential impact of reactive vaccination in a recent pneumococcal meningitis outbreak in the Brong-Ahafo region of central Ghana using weekly line list data on all suspected cases over a period of five months. We determine the sensitivity and specificity of various epidemic thresholds and model the cases and deaths averted by reactive vaccination. An epidemic threshold of 10 suspected cases per 100,000 population per week performed the best, predicting large outbreaks with 100% sensitivity and more than 85% specificity. In this outbreak, reactive vaccination would have prevented a lower number of cases per individual vaccinated (approximately 15,300 doses per case averted) than previously estimated for meningococcal outbreaks. Since the burden of death and disability from pneumococcal meningitis is higher than that from meningococcal meningitis, there may still be merit in considering reactive vaccination for outbreaks of pneumococcal meningitis. More outbreak data are needed to refine our model estimates. Whatever policy is followed, we emphasize the importance of timely laboratory confirmation of suspected cases to enable appropriate decisions about outbreak response.

Secular trends in admissions and mortality rates from diabetes mellitus in the central belt of Ghana: a 31-year review

Introduction : diabetes Mellitus is currently a leading cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where a significant proportion of diabetes cases are now found. Longitudinal profiling of in-patient admissions and mortality trends from diabetes provide useful insights into the magnitude of the burden of diabetes, serve as a sentinel on the state of out-patient diabetes care and provide effective tools for planning, delivering and evaluating the health care needs relating to the disease in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective was to evaluate the 31-year trend in diabetic admissions and mortality rates in central Ghana. Methods : this is a retrospective analysis of data on diabetes admissions and deaths at a tertiary referral hospital in central Ghana between 1983 and 2014. Rates of diabetes admissions or deaths were expressed as diabetes admissions or deaths divided by the total number of admissions or deaths respectively. Yearly crude fatality rates for diabetes were calculated. Trends were analysed for in patient diabetes admissions and mortality for the period. Predictors of diabetes mortality were determined using multiple logistic regressions. Results : a total of 11,414 diabetes patients were admitted over the period with a female predominance; female: male ratio of 1.3:1.0. Over the study period, diabetes admission rates increased significantly from 2.36 per 1000 admissions in 1983 to 14.94 per 1000 admissions in 2014 (p 80 years compared with Conclusion : diabetes admission and mortality rates have increased significantly over the past three decades in central Ghana. More intensive education on the risk factors for diabetes, acute diabetes care as well as instituting hospital guidelines for diabetes control and reduction of modifiable risk factors for diabetes are urgently needed to reduce the poor case fatality associated with diabetes in resource-limited settings.

Lessons learned in Central Ghana regarding the pandemic influenza a vaccine and how they could be used conserving new ebola virus vaccine

Lessons learned in Central Ghana regarding the pandemic influenza a vaccine and how they could be used conserving new ebola virus vaccine

Graves Disease in Central Ghana: Clinical Characteristics and Associated Factors.

BackgroundGraves disease (GD) has increased in prevalence over the past decade in Africa. Despite this, the condition is not well described, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.ObjectiveWe have described the clinical characteristics and associated factors of GD in a cohort of patients attending a resource-limited setting tertiary hospital.MethodsPatients were examined thoroughly and systematically tested for the degree of clinical and biochemical thyroid status. Thyroid volume, characteristics, and blood flow were assessed at presentation using ultrasonography. Factors associated with an inability to achieve clinical and biochemical thyroid remission were evaluated using multiple logistic regression analysis.ResultsOverall, 182 patients were studied, 152 (83.5%) were women with a female:male ratio of 5.1:1.0. The mean age at presentation was 39.9 ± 14.7 years with women significantly older than men. Thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) was observed in 56% of the participants and pretibial myxoedema in 6%. About 84% of the participants were hyperthyroid at presentation, 9% were euthyroid, 4% were hypothyroid, and 3% had subclinical hyperthyroidism. Inability to achieve biochemical and clinical remission at 24 months was associated with increased thyroid volume (odds ratio [OR]: 2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.85-2.52, P < .001), presence of TAO (OR: 2.15, 95% CI: 2.12-2.33, P < .001), increased FT3/FT4 ratio (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.24-2.56, P = .004), and missed clinic appointment (OR: 5.2, 95% CI: 4.55-7.89, P < .001).ConclusionsGraves disease among Ghanaians is associated with significant signs at presentation. Inability to achieve remission within the first 24 months is associated with increased thyroid volume, TAO, an increased FT3/FT4 ratio, as well as missed clinic appointment.

Secular trends in admissions and mortality rates from diabetes mellitus in the Central Belt of Ghana: a 31-year review

Introduction: diabetes mellitus is currently a leading cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where a significant proportion of diabetes cases are now found. Longitudinal profiling of in-patient admissions and mortality trends from diabetes provide useful insights into the magnitude of the burden of diabetes, serve as a sentinel on the state of out-patient diabetes care and provide effective tools for planning, delivering and evaluating the health care needs relating to the disease in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective was to evaluate the 31-year trend in diabetic admissions and mortality rates in central Ghana.

Flight Activity of Noack's Round-Leaf Bat (Hipposideros cf. ruber) at Two Caves in Central Ghana, West Africa

Noack's round-leaf bat Hipposideros cf. ruber is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, we present some aspects of its ecology from two caves in central Ghana. Our main objective was to assess the nightly and annual flight activity and to examine the influences of ambient temperature on flight activity. We tested the hypothesis that flight activity of the species is concentrated at certain periods of the night and the year using mist-netting data from 2,712 captured bats. We found no evidence for annual fluctuations in flight activity, probably due to no distinct seasonal limitation of food resources, no migration, and the lack of extreme environmental conditions in the study area. Our hypothesis of concentrated nightly flight activity was confirmed for one cave but not for the other. Flight activity was concentrated early in the night (20:00, 21:00 and 22:00 hours) at one cave, possibly to take advantage of locally available early active prey insects, while it was uniformly distributed throughout the night at the other. Lastly, we found a reduction in the flight activity of H. cf. ruber when there was a distinct drop in temperature over the night. We therefore suggest the reduction in flight activity may result from the direct effects of temperature on prey abundance as the bats responded by reducing activity to avoid excessive prey search costs.

Dynamics in multiplicity of Plasmodium falciparum infection among children with asymptomatic malaria in central Ghana

BackgroundThe determinants of malaria parasite virulence is not entirely known, but the outcome of malaria infection (asymptomatic or symptomatic) has been associated with carriage of distinct parasite genotypes. Alleles considered important for erythrocyte invasion and selected as candidate targets for malaria vaccine development are increasingly being shown to have distinct characteristics in infection outcomes. Any unique/distinct patterns or alleles linked to infection outcome should be reproducible for a given malaria-cohort regardless of location, time or intervention. This study compared merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2) genotypes from children with asymptomatic malaria at same geographical location, from two time periods.ResultsAs the prevalence and incidence of malaria (measured for other studies) significantly reduced between 2004 (time point one) and 2009 (time point two), MSP2 multiplicity of infections (MOI) also reduced significantly from 2.3 at time point (TP) one to 1.9 at TP two. IC/3D7 genotypes out-numbered FC27 genotypes at both time points. At TP2 however, FC27 allele diversity was more than the IC/3D7 allele diversity. A decrease in the IC/3D7:FC27 genotype proportions from 2:1 at TP1 to 1:1 at TP2, seemed to be driven mainly by a decrease in carriage of IC/3D7 alleles. MOI was higher in the dry season than in the subsequent wet season, but the decrease was not significant at TP2.ConclusionMSP2 MOI was higher in the dry season than in the subsequent wet season, while the carriage of IC/3D7 alleles decreased over this time period. It may be that decreases in transmission are related specifically to the IC/3D7 allelic family. The influence of transmission on MSP2 allele diversity needs to be clearly deciphered in studies which should include the use of sensitive methods for the detection of polymorphic parasite markers for both symptomatic and asymptomatic malaria. Such studies will enable better understanding of associations between allelic variants, MOI, transmission, malaria infection and disease.

Current trends in admissions and outcomes of cardiac diseases in Ghana.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) pose a major burden in Africa, but data on temporal trends in disease burden are lacking. We assessed trends in CVD admissions and outcomes in central Ghana using a retrospective analysis of data from January 2004 to December 2015 among patients admitted to the medical wards of a tertiary medical center in Kumasi, Ghana. Rates of admissions and mortality were expressed as CVD admissions and deaths divided by the total number of medical admissions and deaths, respectively. Case fatality rates per specific cardiac disease diagnosis were also computed. Over the period, there were 4226 CVD admissions, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.1 to 1. There was a progressive increase in percentage of CVD admissions from 4.6% to 8.2%, representing an 78% increase, between 2004 and 2014. Of the 2170 CVD cases whose data were available, the top 3 causes of CVD admissions were heart failure (HF; 88.3%), ischemic heart disease (IHD; 7.2%), and dysrhythmias (1.9%). Of all HF admissions, 52% were associated with hypertension. IHD prevalence rose by 250% between 2005 and 2015. There were 976 deaths (23%), with an increase in percentage of hospital deaths that were cardiovascular in nature from 3.6% to 7.3% between 2004 and 2014, representing a 102% increase. Cardiac disease admissions and mortality have increased progressively over the past decade, with HF as the most common cause of admission. Once rare, IHD is emerging as a significant contributor to the CVD burden in sub-Saharan Africa.

Geographic Distribution of the African Weaver Ant,Oecophylla longinoda

Abstract African weaver ants, Oecophylla longinoda (Latreille, 1802), are conspicuous arboreal ants, well known in the humid tropics of Africa. Weaver ants build large distinctive nest structures in trees by binding together clusters of leaves using a silk-like substance. Although many regard weaver ants as pests due to their bite, local people also use weaver ants for food, medicine, and as biological control agents. Here, I mapped the geographic distribution of O. longinoda based on >500 site records from 34 countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The documented range of O. longinoda is confined almost entirely within areas with Tropical (Group A) climates a...