Background: Malaria and anaemia continue to adversely impact the health of children in Ghana. Hohoe is an area of intense and prolonged, seasonal malaria transmission. In 2006, malaria control programme activities whi...Background: Malaria and anaemia continue to adversely impact the health of children in Ghana. Hohoe is an area of intense and prolonged, seasonal malaria transmission. In 2006, malaria control programme activities which provided In-secticide Treated Bed-Nets (ITNs) to resident children under five years and Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs) for the management of malaria were introduced into the Hohoe Municipality. Before the introduction of the control programme, baseline surveys were carried out in communities in the Hohoe municipality to determine the prevalence of malaria, fever, anaemia, malaria parasite density, gametocytaemia and ITN ownership and use in June and November 2006 ahead of the intervention programme. Similar surveys were conducted in 2010 after the intervention to assess changes in the earlier indicators in the same communities. This report presents an evaluation of the intervention by comparing findings before and after the malaria control interventions. Methods: In 2010, two community-based surveys were carried out in thirty communities among children aged five years and below. The first one was at the beginning of the rainy and high malaria transmission season in June and the other was in November at the end of the rainy season. The surveys were to determine the prevalence of malaria, fever, anaemia and ITN ownership, use and effectiveness among children less than 5 years. Data were collected in the form of interviews using questionnaire and collection of biological samples. Findings were compared to those similar surveys conducted in the same communities and age groups in 2006. Pr-testi was used to analyze two sample tests for proportions and t-test was used for means. Findings: Malaria prevalence decreased by 20% [9.0% vs. 7.2%;p = 0.0.40], fever decreased by 47.8% [2.3% vs. 1.2%;p = 0.008] and anaemia decreased by 32.9% [7.8% vs. 5.3%;p = 0.002]. ITN ownership increased by 67.9% [20.8% vs. 64.8%;p < 0.001], ITN use increased by 64.2% [15.1% vs. 42.2%;p < 0.001] and ITN effectiveness increased by 41.7% [20.0% vs. 34.3%;p < 0.001]. The proportion of children with high density parasitaemia reduced by 17.9% [2.8% vs. 2.3%;p = 0.223]. Gameto-cytaemia decreased by 82.5% [0.8% vs. 0.14%;p = 0.002. Similarly data comparing 2006 and 2010 post-rainy season showed that malaria prevalence decreased by 16.8% [40.4% vs. 33.6%;p < 0.001], fever decreased by 14% [5.0% vs. 4.3%;p = 0.347] and anaemia decreased by 64.2% [12% vs. 4.3%;p < 0.001]. The proportion of children with high density parasitaemia also reduced by 69.5% [10.5% vs. 3.2%;p < 0.001] and gametocytaemia decreased by 78.5% [0.8% vs. 0.17%;p = 0.008]. Conclusion: This study suggested that there was an association between the current intervention and reduction in the prevalence of malaria, fever and anaemia. High parasite density and gametocytaemia prevalence have also significantly reduced over the five years of the introduction of the control measures. There has also been a significant increase in the ownership and use of ITNs.展开更多
Background: Malaria remains a dominant health issue among children in Ghana. We monitored the trend of long lasting insecticide net (LLIN) ownership and use and its impact on malaria and anaemia among children under f...Background: Malaria remains a dominant health issue among children in Ghana. We monitored the trend of long lasting insecticide net (LLIN) ownership and use and its impact on malaria and anaemia among children under five over the past decade in an area of intense, prolonged and seasonal malaria transmission. Methods: A total of 1717, 2155 and 1915 children were surveyed in June and 1717, 2155 and 1697 in November in 30 communities of the Hohoe Municipality in 2006, 2010 and 2015 respectively. The primary outcomes monitored were the trend of LLIN ownership, use and prevalence of malaria and anaemia through cross-sectional surveys. Findings: Results showed a significantly positive trend (p Interpretation: Ownership of LLIN and its use together with other indicators of malaria prevalence generally improved five years after the implementation of a malaria control programme. Ten years after programme implementation, consistent improvement was only in LLIN ownership and use. Also malaria prevalence indicators improved in the post as compared to the pre-rainy season in the study communities.展开更多
Solid waste management has become the greatest public health problem facing many urban and semi-urban areas in Ghana. Great wealth can be generated from wastes if managed effectively but also has high probability of c...Solid waste management has become the greatest public health problem facing many urban and semi-urban areas in Ghana. Great wealth can be generated from wastes if managed effectively but also has high probability of causing serious health and environmental problems if not effectively managed. The study sought to determine factors militating against domestic solid waste management in Hohoe, possible ways of curbing them and also to assess the methods of domestic solid waste management. This study used descriptive cross-sectional survey and structured questionnaire to obtain the required information from respondents. A total number of 403 respondents were recruited into the study. The data collected were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. The relationships between socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents and their use or non-use of apt domestic solid waste disposal methods were examined using chi-square analysis. The study found that 44% of respondents disposed domestic waste into central skip over dustbins. Spilled over of skip over dustbin has caused 8% of respondents to practice open burning. 7% dumped on undeveloped building plots, 5% dumped elsewhere, and 3% dumped into the river course. About 78% of respondents reported that mobilization of cleanups was irregular. The result from the study also showed a statistical significant association between practice of domestic solid waste management and religion [χ<sup>2</sup> (2, 403) = 60.9484, p α = 5%]. About 96% of Christians practiced good methods of domestic solid waste management compared to 4% of Muslims. The findings painted a gloomy picture of poor domestic solid waste management practice among the respondents in the study communities.展开更多
文摘Background: Malaria and anaemia continue to adversely impact the health of children in Ghana. Hohoe is an area of intense and prolonged, seasonal malaria transmission. In 2006, malaria control programme activities which provided In-secticide Treated Bed-Nets (ITNs) to resident children under five years and Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs) for the management of malaria were introduced into the Hohoe Municipality. Before the introduction of the control programme, baseline surveys were carried out in communities in the Hohoe municipality to determine the prevalence of malaria, fever, anaemia, malaria parasite density, gametocytaemia and ITN ownership and use in June and November 2006 ahead of the intervention programme. Similar surveys were conducted in 2010 after the intervention to assess changes in the earlier indicators in the same communities. This report presents an evaluation of the intervention by comparing findings before and after the malaria control interventions. Methods: In 2010, two community-based surveys were carried out in thirty communities among children aged five years and below. The first one was at the beginning of the rainy and high malaria transmission season in June and the other was in November at the end of the rainy season. The surveys were to determine the prevalence of malaria, fever, anaemia and ITN ownership, use and effectiveness among children less than 5 years. Data were collected in the form of interviews using questionnaire and collection of biological samples. Findings were compared to those similar surveys conducted in the same communities and age groups in 2006. Pr-testi was used to analyze two sample tests for proportions and t-test was used for means. Findings: Malaria prevalence decreased by 20% [9.0% vs. 7.2%;p = 0.0.40], fever decreased by 47.8% [2.3% vs. 1.2%;p = 0.008] and anaemia decreased by 32.9% [7.8% vs. 5.3%;p = 0.002]. ITN ownership increased by 67.9% [20.8% vs. 64.8%;p < 0.001], ITN use increased by 64.2% [15.1% vs. 42.2%;p < 0.001] and ITN effectiveness increased by 41.7% [20.0% vs. 34.3%;p < 0.001]. The proportion of children with high density parasitaemia reduced by 17.9% [2.8% vs. 2.3%;p = 0.223]. Gameto-cytaemia decreased by 82.5% [0.8% vs. 0.14%;p = 0.002. Similarly data comparing 2006 and 2010 post-rainy season showed that malaria prevalence decreased by 16.8% [40.4% vs. 33.6%;p < 0.001], fever decreased by 14% [5.0% vs. 4.3%;p = 0.347] and anaemia decreased by 64.2% [12% vs. 4.3%;p < 0.001]. The proportion of children with high density parasitaemia also reduced by 69.5% [10.5% vs. 3.2%;p < 0.001] and gametocytaemia decreased by 78.5% [0.8% vs. 0.17%;p = 0.008]. Conclusion: This study suggested that there was an association between the current intervention and reduction in the prevalence of malaria, fever and anaemia. High parasite density and gametocytaemia prevalence have also significantly reduced over the five years of the introduction of the control measures. There has also been a significant increase in the ownership and use of ITNs.
文摘Background: Malaria remains a dominant health issue among children in Ghana. We monitored the trend of long lasting insecticide net (LLIN) ownership and use and its impact on malaria and anaemia among children under five over the past decade in an area of intense, prolonged and seasonal malaria transmission. Methods: A total of 1717, 2155 and 1915 children were surveyed in June and 1717, 2155 and 1697 in November in 30 communities of the Hohoe Municipality in 2006, 2010 and 2015 respectively. The primary outcomes monitored were the trend of LLIN ownership, use and prevalence of malaria and anaemia through cross-sectional surveys. Findings: Results showed a significantly positive trend (p Interpretation: Ownership of LLIN and its use together with other indicators of malaria prevalence generally improved five years after the implementation of a malaria control programme. Ten years after programme implementation, consistent improvement was only in LLIN ownership and use. Also malaria prevalence indicators improved in the post as compared to the pre-rainy season in the study communities.
文摘Solid waste management has become the greatest public health problem facing many urban and semi-urban areas in Ghana. Great wealth can be generated from wastes if managed effectively but also has high probability of causing serious health and environmental problems if not effectively managed. The study sought to determine factors militating against domestic solid waste management in Hohoe, possible ways of curbing them and also to assess the methods of domestic solid waste management. This study used descriptive cross-sectional survey and structured questionnaire to obtain the required information from respondents. A total number of 403 respondents were recruited into the study. The data collected were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. The relationships between socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents and their use or non-use of apt domestic solid waste disposal methods were examined using chi-square analysis. The study found that 44% of respondents disposed domestic waste into central skip over dustbins. Spilled over of skip over dustbin has caused 8% of respondents to practice open burning. 7% dumped on undeveloped building plots, 5% dumped elsewhere, and 3% dumped into the river course. About 78% of respondents reported that mobilization of cleanups was irregular. The result from the study also showed a statistical significant association between practice of domestic solid waste management and religion [χ<sup>2</sup> (2, 403) = 60.9484, p α = 5%]. About 96% of Christians practiced good methods of domestic solid waste management compared to 4% of Muslims. The findings painted a gloomy picture of poor domestic solid waste management practice among the respondents in the study communities.
