scholarly journals COVID-19 Impact on Medical Practice in Sub-Saharan Africa; The Need to Guard Against Medical Negligence: A Case Report in a Health Care Facility in Kumasi, Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 2632010X2110253
Author(s):  
Paul Poku Sampene Ossei ◽  
William Gilbert Ayibor ◽  
John Taylor ◽  
Lawrence Agyemang ◽  
Kwabena Owusu Aninkora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facility ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Diagnostic Dilemma ◽  
Negative Results

With the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) still in pandemic mode, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the African continent has experienced continued growth in the total tally. According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus has spread to almost all 54 recognized African countries. Figures from the CDC indicate that the highly affected countries include South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco, and Ghana (with more than 55 000 cases and 400 deaths as of the time of writing). The WHO and the United Nations have projected the ongoing pandemic could push medical practitioners toward high rates of clinical misdiagnosis. So far, the coronavirus pandemic has been more devastating and life-threatening than the usual seasonal flu. As of the time of writing, here is presently no proven vaccine or treatment for the disease, with the vaccines still under development; hence, a timely and accurate diagnosis could prove critical. Patients can also receive supportive care earlier if they are diagnosed early. Considering the fact that the coronavirus infection mimics the signs and symptoms of normal flu and other respiratory infections, a problem now emerges, where these symptoms are treated as manifestations of the deadly virus. This has caused a diagnostic dilemma in the absence of laboratory tests with new cases adding to the pool daily. In Ghana, many patients on suspicion of flu-like symptoms are sometimes denied the care so deserved due to the stigma associated with the disease, often in cases where laboratory tests are absent. This study is a postmortem report of a client who died while on admission at a private medical facility. It was an unconfirmed case of COVID-19, and the client was left unattended to and died, having spent 8 days on the ward. His test report was not done initially, but the diagnosis was purely based on suspicion. Nasopharyngeal swabs conducted on the fifth day of admission proved negative. Results became available on the day of the client’s demise. Postmortem findings established the actual cause of death, and it was not COVID-19 related.

The Great Awakening - Digitalization in Dental Healthcare during the pandemic COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 380-384
Author(s):  
Priyanka Paul Madhu ◽  
Yojana Patil ◽  
Aishwarya Rajesh Shinde ◽  
Sangeeta Kumar ◽  
Pratik Phansopkar
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
World Health ◽  
Record System ◽  
The World

disease in 2019, also called COVID-19, which has been widely spread worldwide had given rise to a pandemic situation. The public health emergency of international concern declared the agent as the (SARS-CoV-2) the severe acute respiratory syndrome and the World Health Organization had activated significant surveillance to prevent the spread of this infection across the world. Taking into the account about the rigorousness of COVID-19, and in the spark of the enormous dedication of several dental associations, it is essential to be enlightened with the recommendations to supervise dental patients and prevent any of education to the dental graduates due to institutional closure. One of the approaching expertise that combines technology, communications and health care facilities are to refine patient care, it’s at the cutting edge of the present technological switch in medicine and applied sciences. Dentistry has been improved by cloud technology which has refined and implemented various methods to upgrade electronic health record system, educational projects, social network and patient communication. Technology has immensely saved the world. Economically and has created an institutional task force to uplift the health care service during the COVID 19 pandemic crisis. Hence, the pandemic has struck an awakening of the practice of informatics in a health care facility which should be implemented and updated at the highest priority.

scholarly journals Current practices of waste management in teaching hospitals and presence of incinerators in densely populated areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salma Khalid ◽  
Najibul Haq ◽  
Zia-ul-Ain Sabiha ◽  
Abdul Latif ◽  
Muhammad Amjad Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facility ◽  
Waste Incineration ◽  
World Health ◽  
Teaching Hospitals ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Hospital Waste ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Background Hospital waste management (HWM) practices are the core need to run a proper health care facility. This study encompasses the HWM practices in teaching hospitals of Peshawar, Pakistan and examine the enforcement of Pak HWM (2005) rules and risks through transmission of pathogens via blood fluids, air pollution during waste incineration and injuries occurring in conjunction with open burning and dumping. Methods A questionnaire based on World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations was used to survey the selected private and public teaching hospital (n = 16). Site visits and personnel observations were also included in the data. It was spatio-statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics, Krushkal-wallis and Fisher’s exact tests. Results The findings revealed that the lack of HWM practices in all surveyed hospitals (p > 0.05), besides statistical difference (p < 0.017) in waste generation/day. No proper segregation of waste from generation point to final disposal was practiced. However, the performance of private teaching hospitals (50%) was found better in terms of HWM personnel and practices. In surveyed hospitals, only nine hospitals (56.3%) were found with the incinerator facility while rest of the hospitals (43.7%) practiced open dumping. Moreover, operational parameters of the incinerators were not found satisfactory and located in densely populated areas and emitting hazardous gases. Conclusion Proper HWM practices are not being followed in the light of WHO guidelines. Hospital waste impose serious menace to healthcare workers and to nearby population. WHO issued documents for improving HWM practices but triggered no change in Pakistan. To improve the situation, insights in this context is need for enforcement of rules.

scholarly journals Individual, community and societal correlates of insecticide treated net use among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa: a multi-level analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Kwabena Ameyaw
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Maternal And Newborn Health ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The World ◽  
Itn Use ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract Background Malaria in pregnancy is a crucial public health concern due to the enormous risk it poses to maternal and newborn health. The World Health Organisation therefore recommends insecticide-treated net (ITN) for pregnant women. The world over, sub-Saharan Africa bears the highest prevalence of malaria and its associated complications. This study investigated the individual, community and society level factors associated with ITN use among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods The study was conducted with Demographic and Health Survey data of 21 sub-Saharan African countries. A total of 17,731 pregnant women who possessed ITN participated in the study. Descriptive computation of ITN use by survey country and socio-demographic characteristics was conducted. Further, five multi-level binary logistic regression models were fitted with MLwiN 3.05 package in STATA. The Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation procedure was used in estimating the parameters whilst the Bayesian Deviance Information Criterion was used for the model fitness test. Results On average, 74.2% pregnant women in SSA used ITN. The highest prevalence of ITN use occurred in Mali (83.7%) whilst the least usage occurred in Namibia (7%). Women aged 30–34 were more likely to use ITN compared with those aged 45–49 [aOR = 1.14; Crl = 1.07–1.50]. Poorest women were less probable to use ITN relative to richest women [aOR = 0.79; Crl = 0.70–0.89]. Compared to women who did not want their pregnancies at all, women who wanted their pregnancies [aOR = 1.06; Crl = 1.04–1.19] were more probable to use ITN. Women in male-headed households had higher likelihood of ITN use compared to those from female-headed households [aOR = 1.28; Crl = 1.19–1.39]. On the whole, 38.1% variation in ITN use was attributable to societal level factors whilst 20.9% variation was attributable to community level factors. Conclusion The study has revealed that in addition to individual level factors, community and society level factors affect ITN use in SSA. In as much as the study points towards the need to incorporate community and societal variations in ITN interventions, active involvement of men can yield better outcome for ITN utilisation interventions in SSA.

scholarly journals The Relationship Between the Global Burden of Influenza From 2017 to 2019 and COVID-19: Descriptive Epidemiological Assessment (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan David Baral ◽  
Katherine Blair Rucinski ◽  
Jean Olivier Twahirwa Rwema ◽  
Amrita Rao ◽  
Neia Prata Menezes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Modes Of Transmission ◽  
The World ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Health Organization

BACKGROUND SARS-CoV-2 and influenza are lipid-enveloped viruses with differential morbidity and mortality but shared modes of transmission. OBJECTIVE With a descriptive epidemiological framing, we assessed whether recent historical patterns of regional influenza burden are reflected in the observed heterogeneity in COVID-19 cases across regions of the world. METHODS Weekly surveillance data reported by the World Health Organization from January 2017 to December 2019 for influenza and from January 1, 2020 through October 31, 2020, for COVID-19 were used to assess seasonal and temporal trends for influenza and COVID-19 cases across the seven World Bank regions. RESULTS In regions with more pronounced influenza seasonality, COVID-19 epidemics have largely followed trends similar to those seen for influenza from 2017 to 2019. COVID-19 epidemics in countries across Europe, Central Asia, and North America have been marked by a first peak during the spring, followed by significant reductions in COVID-19 cases in the summer months and a second wave in the fall. In Latin America and the Caribbean, COVID-19 epidemics in several countries peaked in the summer, corresponding to months with the highest influenza activity in the region. Countries from regions with less pronounced influenza activity, including South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, showed more heterogeneity in COVID-19 epidemics seen to date. However, similarities in COVID-19 and influenza trends were evident within select countries irrespective of region. CONCLUSIONS Ecological consistency in COVID-19 trends seen to date with influenza trends suggests the potential for shared individual, structural, and environmental determinants of transmission. Using a descriptive epidemiological framework to assess shared regional trends for rapidly emerging respiratory pathogens with better studied respiratory infections may provide further insights into the differential impacts of nonpharmacologic interventions and intersections with environmental conditions. Ultimately, forecasting trends and informing interventions for novel respiratory pathogens like COVID-19 should leverage epidemiologic patterns in the relative burden of past respiratory pathogens as prior information.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of the Incremental Costs of Implementing a New Vaccine in the Expanded Program of Immunization in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 238146831989454
Author(s):  
Joe Brew ◽  
Christophe Sauboin
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Interquartile Range ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Vaccine Type ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Cost

Background. The World Health Organization is planning a pilot introduction of a new malaria vaccine in three sub-Saharan African countries. To inform considerations about including a new vaccine in the vaccination program of those and other countries, estimates from the scientific literature of the incremental costs of doing so are important. Methods. A systematic review of scientific studies reporting the costs of recent vaccine programs in sub-Saharan countries was performed. The focus was to obtain from each study an estimate of the cost per dose of vaccine administered excluding the acquisition cost of the vaccine and wastage. Studies published between 2000 and 2018 and indexed on PubMed could be included and results were standardized to 2015 US dollars (US$). Results. After successive screening of 2119 titles, and 941 abstracts, 58 studies with 80 data points (combinations of country, vaccine type, and vaccination approach–routine v. campaign) were retained. Most studies used the so-called ingredients approach as costing method combining field data collection with documented unit prices per cost item. The categorization of cost items and the extent of detailed reporting varied widely. Across the studies, the mean and median cost per dose administered was US$1.68 and US$0.88 with an interquartile range of US$0.54 to US$2.31. Routine vaccination was more costly than campaigns, with mean cost per dose of US$1.99 and US$0.88, respectively. Conclusion. Across the studies, there was huge variation in the cost per dose delivered, between and within countries, even in studies using consistent data collection tools and analysis methods, and including many health facilities. For planning purposes, the interquartile range of US$0.54 to US$2.31 may be a sufficiently precise estimate.

scholarly journals Epidemiology of preoperative hyperglycaemia among patients undergoing surgery at a tertiary health care facility of Eastern India

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 2838
Author(s):  
Souvik Banerjee ◽  
Rakesh Kumar ◽  
Debasis Basu
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facility ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Surgical Patients ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Health Organization

Background: With about 425 million patients globally and 72.9 million patients in India, diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the global health emergency of 21st century. Perioperative hyperglycaemia is reported in 20-40% of patients undergoing general surgery. A substantial body of literature demonstrates a clear association between perioperative hyperglycaemia and adverse clinical outcomes. This study aims to find out the frequency of preoperative hyperglycaemia and factors influencing it among patients undergoing surgery at a tertiary health care hospital of Eastern India.Methods: This Institution based, cross-sectional, observational study was conducted among study subjects who were operated at IQ City Medical College and Multispecialty Hospital, Durgapur, India during January-February 2019. Relevant medical records were reviewed to collect data regarding clinic-social data. Estimation of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) has been done as per World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Hyperglycaemia was defined and classified as per American Diabetes Association (ADA). Anthropometric measurements were taken as per standard WHO protocols.Results: A total 158 study subjects participated in study. The mean age and mean FPG of the study subjects was 42.63±12.95 years and 103.3±17.37 mg/dl respectively. As per the ADA criteria, 58.9% had normal FPG, 24.0% had impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and 17.1% had diabetes. Out of total 27 T2DM patients, 22 (13.9%) were known cases of T2DM and 5 (3.2%) were undiagnosed. The frequency of preoperative hyperglycaemia i.e. sums of IFG and diabetes was found to be 41.1%. Increasing age, male gender and overweight and obesity significantly influenced the occurrence of preoperative hyperglycaemia.Conclusions: The prevalence of preoperative hyperglycaemia among patients undergoing surgery is higher than the prevalence of hyperglycaemia among non surgical patients. Routine HbA1C should be done in all surgical patients to differentiate between chronic undiagnosed hyperglycaemia and stress hyperglycaemia.

scholarly journals What sub-Saharan African countries can learn from malaria elimination in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abubakar Olaitan Badmos ◽  
Aishat Jumoke Alaran ◽  
Yusuff Adebayo Adebisi ◽  
Oumnia Bouaddi ◽  
Zainab Onibon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
Western Pacific Region ◽  
African Region ◽  
African Countries ◽  
African Context ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Global Reduction

AbstractMalaria is one of the most devastating diseases plaguing the sub-Saharan African region since time immemorial. In spite of a global reduction in mortality rates, a significant proportion of deaths due to malaria is still accounted for in the region. China recently joined the 40 countries declared malaria free by the World Health Organization and became the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to be awarded the certification. We commented on the strategies employed by China to eliminate malaria, address challenges facing malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa, and derive lessons that could be learned in the sub-Saharan African context.

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitude, perception, and preventative practices towards COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0249853
Author(s):  
Ugochinyere Ijeoma Nwagbara ◽  
Emmanuella Chinonso Osual ◽  
Rumbidzai Chireshe ◽  
Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa ◽  
Balsam Qubais Saeed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Preventive Practices ◽  
Adequate Knowledge ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background Knowledge, attitudes, perception, and preventative practices regarding coronavirus- 2019 (COVID-19) are crucial in its prevention and control. Several studies have noted that the majority of people in sub-Saharan African are noncompliant with proposed health and safety measures recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and respective country health departments. In most sub-Saharan African countries, noncompliance is attributable to ignorance and misinformation, thereby raising questions about people’s knowledge, attitudes, perception, and practices towards COVID-19 in these settings. This situation is particularly of concern for governments and public health experts. Thus, this scoping review is aimed at mapping evidence on the knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and preventive practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods Systematic searches of relevant articles were performed using databases such as the EBSCOhost, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, the WHO library and grey literature. Arksey and O’Malley’s framework guided the study. The risk of bias for included primary studies was assessed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). NVIVO version 10 was used to analyse the data and a thematic content analysis was used to present the review’s narrative account. Results A total of 3037 eligible studies were identified after the database search. Only 28 studies met the inclusion criteria after full article screening and were included for data extraction. Studies included populations from the following SSA countries: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Sierra Leone. All the included studies showed evidence of knowledge related to COVID-19. Eleven studies showed that participants had a positive attitude towards COVID-19, and fifteen studies showed that participants had good practices towards COVID-19. Conclusions Most of the participants had adequate knowledge related to COVID-19. Despite adequate knowledge, the attitude was not always positive, thereby necessitating further education to convey the importance of forming a positive attitude and continuous preventive practice towards reducing contraction and transmission of COVID‐19.

scholarly journals Preparedness and Response Efforts to Fight against COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
World Health ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Laboratory Facility ◽  
The World ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Health Organization

In late December the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as global pandemic and needs international concern. As the novel corona virus rages through the world and spreads rapidly Africa is the least-affected continent at the moment. Sub-Saharan Africa is the home of more than one billion populations with fragile health system which is prone for the epidemic to occur. But Ebola experience left many African countries better prepared. We were searching all sources of the website related to preparation and prevention of COVID-19 in sub-Sahara Africa countries. Most African countries have established laboratory facility and implement the recommendations that terminate the outbreak COVID-19.

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