Factors Associated With Yaws In The Ga West District Of Ghana (A Case-Control Study At Obom)

ABSTRACT Background Information-Yaws is an important public health problem and an obstacle to socio-economic development. The disease causes gross destruction of the skin, bones and joints especially in children below 15 years. The study was carried out to determine factors associated with the disease among children less than 15 years of age in the Ga west district. Method - A total of 120 cases and 120 age matched controls were included in the study. Data were collected on sex, hygienic practices, food consumption and socio-economic status of households. A case was defined as a child less than 15 years of age living in the Ga West District for at least three years, who had classical signs of yaws disease such as papillomata which may or may not have undergone ulceration or painful papillomata and hyperkeratosis of the palm and soles. A control on the other hand was any healthy child less than 15 years of age living in the Ga West District for the past three years or longer, who neither had yaws nor a skin lesion. Results -Compared with control subjects, case patients were more likely to have slept in the same room with four or more other relatives (MOR): 2.2, 95% CI: 1.2-4.1), and to have low income earning fathers (MOR): 5.00, 95% CI: 2.9-10.6). Bathing at least twice a day seems to be protective of the disease (MOR): 0.33, 95% CI: 0.13-0.83) and consumption of fruits in addition to regular diet was also protective (MOR): 0.17, 95% CI: 0.05-0.42). Having a personal towel as opposed to sharing towels with relatives also seems to be protective of yaws (MOR): 0.17, 95% CI: 0.09-0.32). Living in a house with more than two rooms was protective of the yaws disease (MOR 0.42 95% CI: 0.21-0.93) while fetching water from dams as opposed to bore holes was positively associated with the disease {(MOR 1.29 95% CI (1.03-2.81) p=0.033} vi Conclusion and Recommendation-Of all the risk factors examined, father‟s income seems to have the strongest association with the prevalence of yaws. This was followed by the number of rooms in a house and regular fruit consumption. Sourcing water from a bore-hole and bathing always with soap were also found to be protective of yaws. It is recommended that the school feeding programme in the Ga West District should consider including fruits in their daily servings of meals to school children. It is also recommended that hygiene education in the communities of the Ga West District should be intensified by the DHMT in collaboration with the schools. Finally, the District Assembly should help mechanize farming in the communities to help improve the economic fortunes of the poor farmers whiles providing bore-holes for communities without good source of drinking water in the District.