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Diarrhoea morbidity patterns in Central Region of Ghana

Alexander Asamoah1, Donne Kofi Ameme2, Samuel Oko Sackey3

  • 1Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (GFELTP), Accra, Ghana; Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), Ministry of Health, Ghana.

The Pan African Medical Journal
|February 3, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Diarrhoea diseases are a significant public health issue in Ghana, particularly affecting children under one year old. The study found that diarrhoea accounted for 4% of all illnesses and was more prevalent in non-poorest districts.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Diarrhoea diseases represent a major global public health challenge, causing nearly 1.7 billion cases annually.
  • In Ghana, diarrhoea is a leading cause of mortality in children under five, with approximately 14,000 deaths each year.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the morbidity patterns of diarrhoea diseases in Ghana's Central Region.
  • To identify demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with diarrhoea incidence.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of health facility morbidity data from 2008 to 2012.
  • Extraction of monthly diarrhoea data by sex, age, and district from the District Health Information Management System.
  • Analysis of bloody diarrhoea data from surveillance reports using descriptive statistics and C2 threshold for aberrations.

Main Results:

  • Diarrhoea diseases constituted 4% of total morbidity (306,854 cases out of 7,642,431).
  • Infants under one year (8.4% proportionate morbidity rate) and males (4.4% pmr) were most affected.
  • Bloody diarrhoea represented 2.2% of cases, with low laboratory confirmation rates (0.7%). Cases peaked in June, and were higher in non-poorest districts.

Conclusions:

  • Diarrhoea significantly contributed to the overall disease burden in the Central Region of Ghana.
  • Morbidity rates decreased with age, and were higher in non-poorest districts.
  • The high proportion of untested bloody diarrhoea cases necessitates improved diagnostic practices, including stool sample testing.
Abstract

Keywords:
C2Diarrhoeamorbiditypatternspoorest districts Ghana

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