ABSTRACT Background Rabies remain a public health threat although can be eliminated by vaccinating dogs which are major reservoirs of the disease and through pre and post-exposure prophylaxis in humans. Rabies is a fatal viral encephalitis disease which is untreatable when clinical symptoms develop. It is a neglected and old infectious zoonotic disease with fatality rate of 100%, worldwide distributed but more endemic area being in developing countries of Asia and Africa. In Ghana from 2000 t...
ABSTRACT Introduction: HIV/AIDS remains one of the world’s most important Public Health issue according to WHO (2014). The Ghana AIDS Commission (2014) reports a linear downward trend of HIV since the year 2008. Several studies report different prevalence of sexual risk behavior among PLWHA, but very few studies have been conducted in Ghana. The primary mode of HIV transmission is through sexual contact, which accounts for a greater number of new HIV cases (Ghana AIDS Commission, 2013). Hen...
ABSTRACT Background: Youth sexuality is of paramount interest to many stakeholders, since potential negative consequences may occur. These include HIV/AIDS, other STIs, and unintended pregnancies. Studies elsewhere indicate that sexting increases risky sexual behaviour among the youth. In Ghana however, there is no empirical evidence about sexting behaviours among the youth and the extent to which sexting influences risky sexual behaviours. This study, sought to examine the influence of sexti...
ABSTRACT Purpose: In Ghana the available statistics on unsafe abortions could only be gathered from the hospitals and the clinics especially in the major cities, leaving out the numerous cases of self –induced abortions in the rural communities where the women privately indulged in induced abortion without it being recorded in any hospital records. The purpose of this study was to investigate methods of self –induced abortion, one of the causes of maternal mortality in Ghana. This study s...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Cancer of the cervix is said to be the commonest cancer second to breast cancer worldwide yet it causes the highest cancer deaths occurring among women. Cervical cancer prevalence rate remains very high in most developing countries including Ghana despite the introduction of its prevention as well as treatment options. The study therefore sought to assess the knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer and cervical cancer screening among these women in the Asante ...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Infertility is the inability of a couple to conceive after one year of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. In the Ghanaian society women bear the brunt for a couple’s inability to have children. Studies put male factors and female factors on the same level of causation. There seem to be little knowledge about male infertility in our communities. This study sought to assess knowledge about male infertility, identify some of the factors associated with knowledge abo...
ABSTRACT Background World Health Organisation Global malaria programme recommends three primary interventions that must be scaled up in countries to effectively respond to malaria control and management towards achieving the millennium development goals for malaria by 2015 and one of these is Indoor Residual Spraying. The Indoor Residual Spraying programme was started in the Obuasi Municipality in 2006 by the AngloGold Ashanti Mining Company as a measure to reduce the expenditure in...
ABSTRACT Introduction Ghana adopted a new Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) of malaria in pregnancy policy in 2004, thus, from use of weekly Chloroquine chemoprophylaxis to use of Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) at intervals of four weeks as IPT for malaria in pregnancy. Despite its full implementation, the coverage still remains below the set target of 100% of at least IPT2. This study sought factors affecting IPT-SP uptake among pregnant women in the Sunyani Municipality Methodology T...
ABSTRACT Improving coverage of immunisation is a key component of programmes for reducing childhood morbidity and mortality. Despite several resources committed, Akinyele Local Government Area (LGA) had low immunisation coverage of 28% of OPV-3 as at October 2007 when the study was conducted. The factors contributing to these problems were yet to be fully explored. This study was therefore designed to assess the factors influencing utilisation of immunisation services in Akinyele LGA, Oyo St...
ABSTRACT Background: Despite high knowledge about modern contraceptives among young women, utilization levels are still low. Contraceptive prevalence is particular low among minority and under-served populations including refugees. Among young refugee women in the Budumburam refugee camp in Ghana, however, little research has been done to assess modern contraceptive use. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of modern contraceptives. Among young refugee women in the Budumburam ref...
ABSTRACT Background: Hepatitis B has been reported to be the 10th leading cause of death worldwide which accounts for 500,000 to 1.2 million deaths every year (Alavian et al., 2007). Alavian et al., (2007) also reported that hepatitis B related deaths are caused by chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The WHO estimated that, there are 240 million people who are chronically infected worldwide, particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The purpose of...
ABSTRACT Malaria is one of the major public health problems in developing countries and its prevalence in Nigeria is dependent on the vector, Anopheles gambiae. The control of Anopheles is a major component of vector management but effectiveness has been limited by factors like insecticide resistance, cost, toxicity on non-target organisms and environmental pollution concerns. There is an increasing interest in developing plant-based insecticides as sustainable alternatives to chemical insec...
ABSTRACT Background: Upper respiratory tract infections are the most frequently occurring illness of children due to their low immunity and are of high cost to society, being responsible for children absenteeism from school and parents from work. Despite their predominant viral aetiology and self-limiting nature, they continue to be treated with antibiotics. The inappropriate use of these antibiotics in children is accompanied by serious adverse effects. When antibiotics are indicated, there ...
ABSTRACT Background Malaria is a public health problem affecting vulnerable populations in sub-Saharan Africa. It is has deleterious effects during pregnancy on foetal and neonatal health. The WHO recommended regimen for treating uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the first trimester of pregnancy, and adopted by the Ghana Health service, is 10 mg/kg body weight of oral Quinine given three times daily for 7 days or 10 mg/kg body weight of Quinine plus clindamycin to be taken orally...
ABSTRACT Induced abortions continually contribute to the issue of maternal mortality in Ghana. The use of contraceptives by women of reproductive age is thought to aid in reducing the prevalence of abortion in the country. With these facts, this study seeks to establish the relationship between contraceptive use and abortion and determine how the two influence each other. Factors that have been influencing the prevalence of contraceptive use and abortion were also assessed in this study. Gain...