Early detection of kidney disease in Ghana - A situational survey of secondary hospitals in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

Background Patients with kidney disease are referred late to tertiary institutions with increased morbidity and mortality. The accurate diagnoses and management of kidney disease by primary healthcare staff is dependent on the requisite knowledge and availability of adequate laboratory services. We set out to describe the practice pattern of districts Hospitals. Methods We conducted a situational cross-sectional descriptive survey of district hospitals within the Ashanti region of Ghana. A structured questionnaire was designed via google survey and the links sent to medical superintendents and/or administrators for completion. Data was exported onto an Excel sheet and analyzed with Stata 13. Summary statistics with means ± standard deviation and medians with interquartile range were used where appropriate. Percentages and proportions were used for categorical data. Results We surveyed 26 hospitals in the Ashanti region of Ghana. This included 23(88.5%) public facilities. Most 25(96.2%) of hospitals had a dedicated diabetes mellitus clinic and 24(92.3%) had dedicated hypertension clinic. Only 5(19.2%) hospitals routinely requested urinalysis for patients with diabetes and hypertension during visits. Almost all 25(96.2%) hospitals could carry out routine urine analysis in their laboratory but only 16 (61.5%) of the hospitals could run serum urea and creatinine test. Most 25(96.2%) of respondents suggested that the training of health staff for the early diagnosis and management of kidney disease as key to improve care. Conclusion Primary healthcare staff in district hospitals do not routinely screen high risk patients for kidney disease and call for training to manage patients with kidney disease appropriately.

A broken bone no longer a burden to carry: a destination in sight

Worldwide the third leading cause of death among persons under 40 years is attributed to trauma(1). In Ghana road traffic accidents have a case fatality rate of about 17%(3). Over the years with interventions and policies by AO Alliance the burden and morbidity following trauma especially road traffic accidents have reduced; with a destination in sight where a broken bone is no longer a burden to carry.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Learning from Peers and Ghana’s Response.

There is no single public health response to COVID-19 worldwide. Every country has to adapt a response to contain the pandemic considering the health system capacity, the health of the economy, infrastructure and human right to avoid mistakes of other countries in the COVID-19 fight. There are basically two main approaches to the response so far. These are the mitigation and lockdown, test and treat approaches. Ghana has confirmed 152 cases with 5 deaths and adapted a hybrid kind of approach considering the context.

Factors influencing knowledge levels among hypertensive patients receiving treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana: a cross-sectional study.

Background Basic knowledge about hypertension and its treatment can have a positive impact on high blood pressure control reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study aimed at assessing the knowledge levels and to determine the factors that influenced knowledge levels among hypertensive patients receiving treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the outpatient hypertensive clinic of KATH between April and May 2019. Three hundred and ninety-seven (397) hypertensive patients aged 18 years and above who had been diagnosed with hypertension for at least six months and currently taking at least one antihypertensive drug completed a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of basic socio-demographic profile, patient-related information on hypertension and its treatment and knowledge on hypertension. The Hypertension Knowledge-Level Scale (HK-L) was used to determine the level of knowledge among patients receiving treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi. Results Out of the 397 patients, 199 (50.1%) had high knowledge level on hypertension and its treatment. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted for hypertension knowledge level. Respondents with a junior level of education, paid for their antihypertensive drugs by themselves, had asthma as a comorbidity and took non-prescribed drugs had a significant association with knowledge level on hypertension and its treatment. Conclusion Knowledge about hypertension in hypertensive patients is moderate and therefore much effort should be made in educating and involving them in the condition to help them gain control over the disease and improve adherence rates.

Poland Syndrome: A curious anomaly

Background: Poland syndrome also referred to as Poland Anomaly or sequence is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by absence or under development of the pectoralis major and sometimes minor muscle with or without limb asymmetry and a combination of other physical anomalies. The global incidence is estimated to be 1:10,000 to 1:100,000 but is thought to be underestimated due to the different degrees of the physical anomalies and a general lack of awareness about the condition. No cases have been reported from Ghana to the best of our knowledge. History: A sixteen year old girl presented with gross asymmetry of the breasts. Further examination revealed asymmetry of the upper limbs with shortened digits on the left. Anomaly only became noticeable during puberty. Conclusion: Though defects in Poland syndrome are present at birth, some individuals with Poland syndrome only present during puberty. Poland syndrome can be left-sided and also occur in females though majority of reported cases tend to be right-sided involving males.

Solid Waste Management Practices in Ghana: Challenges and Prospects

World Bank report revealed that waste generation has been on the ascendancy, the worlds’ cities generated 2.01 billion tons of solid waste in the year 2016. This figure is expected to reach 3.40 billion tons per year by 2050 due to increasing urbanization – a growth of 70%. Proper management of these has become a challenge for most developing countries in recent years. The path of urbanization, population growth and affluence is associated with the challenge of proper waste management in urban areas of developing countries since the higher the income level and rate of urbanization, the greater the solid waste generated. Unfortunately, sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana only focuses on waste collection instead of waste management. Waste management comprises all activities and actions needed to manage waste from inception to the final disposal. These activities and actions include collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste as well as monitoring and regulation. Also, Sanitary landfilling is among the best methods of decreasing the volume of waste products; however, the lack of suitable land for landfill sites is a key issue. Therefore, the lifespan of a landfill site can be prolonged when waste reduction at the source is well considered as an aspect of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management. Solid waste management in Ghana has been faced with several challenges which includes; poor attitude of the general populace towards waste disposal sanitation, unplanned human settlement especially in the urban centers, poor planning of waste management programmes, low or no public education on the good sanitation, inadequate waste infrastructure, lack of political will in enforcing sanitation bye laws, inadequate operational funds and equipment to support waste management activities among others. Also, there is lack of reliable national data on waste generation and composition to inform effective planning on waste management in Ghana Developing countries such as Ghana has to adopt measures that will be sustainable, efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly to help in proper waste management and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 3, 6, and 11 by 2030.

Insights into an H1N1 Outbreak, Kumasi Ghana.

In the history of mankind, the black death, small pox and influenza pandemics have threatened our existence. The Spanish flu has been described as the greatest medical holocaust as it infected an estimated one third of the world’s population and caused approximately 50 million deaths globally. On the 30th November, 2017, an outbreak of an undiagnosed illness in a Senior High school in Asokore Mampong Municipality was reported. This was confirmed to be an influenza outbreak on the 7th of December when 12 out of 19 initial throat swabs tested positive for Influenza A H1N1 2009 strain. We need to address the possibility of epidemic outbreaks as a nation and put measures in place to prevent such occurrences or prepare adequately to control it as outlined.

Preparedness of Africa for the Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19)

In the latter months of 2019, there were several reported cases of severe lower respiratory tract disease of unknown aetiology in the Wuhan, Hubei province of China. In the first week of 2020, a previously unknown betacoronavirus was isolated by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and prevention (CDC). It is the seventh member of the coronavirus family that can infect human beings. This short review presents the categorization of the virus, the geographic distribution, populations at risk, presentation, transmission, prevention and the readiness of health systems in Africa for this outbreak.

Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere

“Universal Health Coverage (UHC)” as the theme for the 2018 world health day celebration means that all people receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship. UHC is to be achieved by the year 2030 as part of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). UHC will result in reduction in the prevalence of epidemics, poverty, hunger and increase in quality of life, life expectancy and economic growth. Achieving UHC cannot be a done overnight but all countries need to take appropriate steps to hasten it.

Pneumonia dominance in under-five mortalities in sub-Saharan Africa- Urgency for more research and capacity improvement

Pneumonia is the highest cause of death in children under five (5) especially in sub-Saharan Africa. It accounts for 16 % of all deaths in Africa, deadlier than Malaria. Sub-Saharan Africa carries about half of the burden of the world’s under-five deaths. Progress in the fight against pneumonia has slacked behind that of the others. Pneumonia mortality rates in children have fallen by just 50 per cent compared to an 85 per cent decline in measles deaths, and 60 per cent in deaths from malaria, AIDS and tetanus in the last 15 years. The global funding to address the burden of pneumonia in children is low and this is potentially hindering the effort to reduce the mortalities associated with the disease.