Last data update: Sep 16, 2024. (Total: 47680 publications since 2009)
Records 1-7 (of 7 Records) |
Query Trace: Frimpong JA [original query] |
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Leveraging lessons learned from yellow fever and polio immunization campaigns during COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana, 2021
Amponsa-Achiano K , Frimpong JA , Barradas D , Bandoh DA , Kenu E . Emerg Infect Dis 2022 28 (13) S232-s237 Ghana is a yellow fever-endemic country and experienced a vaccine-derived polio outbreak in July 2019. A reactive polio vaccination campaign was conducted in September 2019 and preventive yellow fever campaign in November 2020. On March 12, 2020, Ghana confirmed its first COVID-19 cases. During February-August 2021, Ghana received 1,515,450 COVID-19 vaccines through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access initiative and other donor agencies. We describe how systems and infrastructure used for polio and yellow fever vaccine deployment and the lessons learned in those campaigns were used to deploy COVID-19 vaccines. During March-August 2021, a total of 1,424,008 vaccine doses were administered in Ghana. By using existing vaccination and health systems, officials in Ghana were able to deploy COVID-19 vaccines within a few months with <5% vaccine wastage and minimal additional resources despite the short shelf-life of vaccines received. These strategies were essential in saving lives in a resource-limited country. |
Community-based surveillance and geographic information systemlinked contact tracing in COVID-19 case identification, Ghana, MarchJune 2020
Kenu E , Barradas DT , Bandoh DA , Frimpong JA , Noora CL , Bekoe FA . Emerg Infect Dis 2022 28 (13) S114-s120 In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana implemented various mitigation strategies. We describe use of geographic information system (GIS)linked contact tracing and increased community-based surveillance (CBS) to help control spread of COVID-19 in Ghana. GIS-linked contact tracing was conducted during March 31-June 16, 2020, in 43 urban districts across 6 regions, and 1-time reverse transcription PCR testing of all persons within a 2-km radius of a confirmed case was performed. CBS was intensified in 6 rural districts during the same period. We extracted and analyzed data from Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System and CBS registers. A total of 3,202 COVID-19 cases reported through GIS-linked contact tracing were associated with a 4-fold increase in the weekly number of reported SARS-CoV-2 infected cases. CBS identified 5.1% (8/157) of confirmed cases in 6 districts assessed. Adaptation of new methods, such as GIS-linked contact tracing and intensified CBS, improved COVID-19 case detection in Ghana. |
Community-based surveillance advances the Global Health Security Agenda in Ghana
Merali S , Asiedu-Bekoe F , Clara A , Adjabeng M , Baffoenyarko I , Frimpong JA , Avevor PM , Walker C , Balajee SA . PLoS One 2020 15 (8) e0237320 Ghana Health Service (GHS) has strengthened community-based surveillance (CBS) to facilitate early detection and rapid reporting of health events of all origins. Since June 2017, GHS has employed an event-based surveillance approach at the community level in a phased manner. CBS coverage has broadened from 2 to 30 districts across Ghana. Through this effort, capacity was built across all administrative levels in these districts to detect, report, triage, and verify signals, and to perform risk assessment and investigate events. Data were collected and analyzed during an evaluation of initial 2-district implementation in March 2018 and during expanded 30-district implementation in March 2019. Between September 2018 and March 2019, 317 health events were detected through CBS. These events included vaccine-preventable disease cases, acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreaks, clusters of unexpected animal deaths, and foodborne illness clusters. Eighty-nine percent of the 317 events were reported to district-level public health staff within 24 hours of detection at the community level, and 87% of all detected events were responded to within 48 hours of detection. CBS detected 26% of all suspected vaccine-preventable disease cases that were reported from implementing districts through routine disease surveillance. GHS strengthened CBS in Ghana to function as an early warning system for health events of all origins, advancing the Global Health Security Agenda. |
Investigating a cholera outbreak in Kaiso Fishing Village, Hoima District, Uganda, October 2015
Okuga M , Oguttu DW , Okullo AE , Park MM , Ko CP , Frimpong JA , Zhu BP , Ario AR . Pan Afr Med J 2018 30 14 Globally, even though improvements have been made to effective surveillance and response, communicable diseases such as cholera remain high priorities for national health programs, especially in Africa. High-quality surveillance information coupled with adequate laboratory facilities are effective in curbing outbreaks from such diseases, ultimately reducing morbidity and mortality. One way of building this capacity is through simulation of response to such health events. This case study based on a cholera outbreak investigated by FETP trainees in October 2015 in Uganda can be used to reinforce skills of frontline FETP trainees and other novice public health practitioners through a practical simulation approach. This activity should be completed in 2.5 hours. |
Rapid field response to a cluster of illnesses and deaths - Sinoe County, Liberia, April-May, 2017
Doedeh J , Frimpong JA , Yealue KDM 2nd , Wilson HW , Konway Y , Wiah SQ , Doedeh V , Bao U , Seneh G , Gorwor L , Toe S , Ghartey E , Larway L , Gweh D , Gonotee P , Paasewe T , Tamatai G , Yarkeh J , Smith S , Brima-Davis A , Dauda G , Monger T , Gornor-Pewu LW , Lombeh S , Naiene J , Dovillie N , Korvayan M , George G , Kerwillain G , Jetoh R , Friesen S , Kinkade C , Katawera V , Amo-Addae M , George RN , Gbanya MZ , Dokubo EK . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017 66 (42) 1140-1143 On April 25, 2017, the Sinoe County Health Team (CHT) notified the Liberia Ministry of Health (MoH) and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia of an unknown illness among 14 persons that resulted in eight deaths in Sinoe County. On April 26, the National Rapid Response Team and epidemiologists from CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) in Liberia were deployed to support the county-led response. Measures were immediately implemented to identify all cases, ascertain the cause of illness, and control the outbreak. Illness was associated with attendance at a funeral event, and laboratory testing confirmed Neisseria meningitidis in biologic specimens from cases. The 2014-2015 Ebola virus disease (Ebola) outbreak in West Africa devastated Liberia's already fragile health system, and it took many months for the country to mount an effective response to control the outbreak. Substantial efforts have been made to strengthen Liberia's health system to prevent, detect, and respond to health threats. The rapid and efficient field response to this outbreak of N. meningitidis resulted in implementation of appropriate steps to prevent a widespread outbreak and reflects improved public health and outbreak response capacity in Liberia. |
Modeling the environmental suitability of anthrax in Ghana and estimating populations at risk: Implications for vaccination and control
Kracalik IT , Kenu E , Ayamdooh EN , Allegye-Cudjoe E , Polkuu PN , Frimpong JA , Nyarko KM , Bower WA , Traxler R , Blackburn JK . PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017 11 (10) e0005885 Anthrax is hyper-endemic in West Africa. Despite the effectiveness of livestock vaccines in controlling anthrax, underreporting, logistics, and limited resources makes implementing vaccination campaigns difficult. To better understand the geographic limits of anthrax, elucidate environmental factors related to its occurrence, and identify human and livestock populations at risk, we developed predictive models of the environmental suitability of anthrax in Ghana. We obtained data on the location and date of livestock anthrax from veterinary and outbreak response records in Ghana during 2005-2016, as well as livestock vaccination registers and population estimates of characteristically high-risk groups. To predict the environmental suitability of anthrax, we used an ensemble of random forest (RF) models built using a combination of climatic and environmental factors. From 2005 through the first six months of 2016, there were 67 anthrax outbreaks (851 cases) in livestock; outbreaks showed a seasonal peak during February through April and primarily involved cattle. There was a median of 19,709 vaccine doses [range: 0-175 thousand] administered annually. Results from the RF model suggest a marked ecological divide separating the broad areas of environmental suitability in northern Ghana from the southern part of the country. Increasing alkaline soil pH was associated with a higher probability of anthrax occurrence. We estimated 2.2 (95% CI: 2.0, 2.5) million livestock and 805 (95% CI: 519, 890) thousand low income rural livestock keepers were located in anthrax risk areas. Based on our estimates, the current anthrax vaccination efforts in Ghana cover a fraction of the livestock potentially at risk, thus control efforts should be focused on improving vaccine coverage among high risk groups. |
Incidence of medically attended influenza among residents of Shai-Osudoku and Ningo-Prampram Districts, Ghana, May 2013 - April 2015
Ntiri MP , Duque J , McMorrow ML , Frimpong JA , Parbie P , Badji E , Nzussouo NT , Benson EM , Adjabeng M , Dueger E , Widdowson MA , Dawood FS , Koram K , Ampofo W . BMC Infect Dis 2016 16 (1) 757 BACKGROUND: Influenza vaccination is recommended by the World Health Organization for high risk groups, yet few data exist on influenza disease burden in West Africa. METHODS: We estimated medically attended influenza-associated illness rates among residents of Shai-Osudoku and Ningo Pram-Pram Districts (SONPD), Ghana. From May 2013 to April 2015, we conducted prospective surveillance for severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) and influenza-like illness (ILI) in 17 health facilities. In 2015, we conducted a retrospective assessment at an additional 18 health facilities to capture all SONPD SARI and ILI patients during the study period. We applied positivity rates to those not tested to estimate total influenza cases. RESULTS: Of 612 SARI patients tested, 58 (9%) were positive for influenza. The estimated incidence of influenza-associated SARI was 30 per 100,000 persons (95% CI: 13-84). Children aged 0 to 4 years had the highest influenza-associated SARI incidence (135 per 100,000 persons, 95% CI: 120-152) and adults aged 25 to 44 years had the lowest (3 per 100,000 persons, 95% CI: 1-7) (p < 0.01). Of 2,322 ILI patients tested, 407 (18%) were positive for influenza. The estimated incidence of influenza-associated ILI was 844 per 100,000 persons (95% CI: 501-1,099). The highest incidence of influenza-associated ILI was also among children aged 0 to 4 years (3,448 per 100,000 persons, 95% CI: 3,727 - 3,898). The predominant circulating subtype during May to December 2013 and January to April 2015 was influenza A(H3N2) virus, and during 2014 influenza B virus was the predominant circulating type. CONCLUSIONS: Influenza accounted for 9% and 18% of medically attended SARI and ILI, respectively. Rates were substantive among young children and suggest the potential value of exploring the benefits of influenza vaccination in Ghana, particularly in this age group. |
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