We present, for the first time, an evaluation of treatment outcomes in a cohort at a TB referral centre in the Central Region of Ghana. Of the 213 clients placed on DOTS, 59.2% (126/213) were sputum smear-positive. An overall cure rate of 90.2% (51.6% cured + 37.6% completed) and a death rate of 8.5% (18/213) were estimated. Of the number of clients who died, 5.7% (12/213) were males (χ 2 = 2.891, p = 0.699; LR = 3.004, p = 0.699). Deaths were only recorded among clients who were > 19 years old (χ 2 = 40.319, p = 0.099; LR = 41.244, p = 0.083). Also, 0.9% (2/213) was lost to follow-up, while 1.4% (3/213) had treatment failure. In total, 13.6% (7.0%, 15/213 males, and 6.6%, 14/213 females) of clients who were placed on DOTS were HIV seropositive. Ages of 40–49 years had the highest number, 13/213 (6.1%), infected with HIV, though the difference among the remaining age groups was not statistically significant (χ 2 = 9.621, p = 0.142). Furthermore, 7.0% (15/213) had TB/HIV coinfection. Out of them, 9 were cured and 5 died at home, while 1 had treatment failure. Tuberculosis/HIV infection prevention advocacy and interventions that address sociodemographic determinants of unfavourable treatment outcomes are urgently required to augment national efforts towards control.

To date, about 37 million people are living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and an estimated 680,000 people have died from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) related illnesses globally. While all countries have been impacted by HIV, some have been significantly more impacted than others, particularly countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this paper was to identify progress made in HIV prevention globally, particularly in the areas of voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) uptake, access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and HIV-related stigma. With the development of ART, a cocktail of medications for the treatment of HIV, VCT uptake increased, as it became apparent that the medication would only be prescribed after an HIV diagnosis through testing. Widely considered a critical gateway to HIV prevention and treatment, VCT is being implemented in many countries, and as a result, about 38 million people living with HIV in 2018 had access to ART. Regardless of this success, major challenges still remain. We did an electronic search of 135 articles in English related to global HIV progress and challenges indexed in PubMed, ResearchGate, Google, and other search engines from 1998 to 2021. Sixty articles met the inclusion criteria for this paper. Data on trends in ART coverage were obtained from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) website. These data were used to show ART coverage globally in World Health Organization (WHO) regions. It was found that while global successes have been chalked in the areas of VCT uptake and ART coverage, HIV-related stigma has impeded greater success. This paper summarizes and discusses global successes and challenges in HIV prevention efforts in the past four decades with a focus on VCT, ART, and HIV-related stigma.

Screening results of 488 pregnant women aged 15–44 years whose blood samples had been tested on-site, using First Response® HIV 1/2, and confirmed with INNO-LIA™ HIV I/II Score were used. Of this total, 178 were reactive (HIV I, 154; HIV II, 2; and HIV I and HIV II, 22). Of the 154 HIV I-reactive samples, 104 were confirmed to be HIV I-positive and 2 were confirmed to be HIV II-positive, while 48 were confirmed to be negative [false positive rate = 17.44% (13.56–21.32)]. The two HIV II samples submitted were confirmed to be negative with the confirmatory test. For the 22 HIV I and HIV II samples, 7 were confirmed to be HIV I-positive and 1 was confirmed to be HIV I- and HIV II-positive, while 14 were confirmed to be negative. Of the 310 nonreactive samples, 6 were confirmed to be HIV I-positive and 1 was confirmed to be HIV II-positive [false negative rate = 5.79% (1.63–8.38)], while 303 were negative. False negative outcomes will remain unconfirmed, with no management options for the client. False negative rate of 5.79% requires attention, as its resultant implications on control of HIV/AIDS could be dire.

Objectives: Sentinel studies have targeted prenatal women as they are largely descriptive of the reproductive bracket, and prevalence data may be extended to the general population. This study determined the seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at the Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital.Methods: Whole blood samples were collected from 258 pregnant women aged between 15-45 years, from September 1st through December 31st, 2018. Separated plasma was stored and later screened for HCV antibodies.Results: Out of the total, 2.7% (7/258) tested seropositive for HCV antibodies. The 20 -29 years age group recorded the highest prevalence of 1.6% (4/258, χ 2 = 4.260, p = 0.513). According to the 2018 HIV Sentinel Surveillance report, the prevalence of HIV infection in the Cape Coast Metropolitan Area was 3.4% (17/500). Also, the prevalence of HIV among the 20-29 years age group was 1.8% (9/500). The 15-24 years, proxy group for new infections recorded 0.8% (2/258) for HCV and 0.2% (1/500) for HIV infection. Conclusions:The seroprevalence determined in this study is classified 'intermediate,' according to the WHO guidelines for the care and treatment of persons diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.The WHO currently does not recommend routine HCV testing for pregnant women; however, this study highlights the need for urgent public health interventions aimed at reducing the infection rate. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2020; 10(1):52-55.

Aim -This study was a retrospective evaluation of morbidity indicators and the use of questionnaire in decisions that relate to Schistosoma haematobium infection control among primary school children in Ghana. Materials and Methods -In all, 417 pupils in three primary schools (Kasseh sub-District, Dangme East District, Ghana), provided urine samples, which were examined for S. haematobium ova. The study utilized a structured questionnaire, the Urit 10V multi-stick urine reagent strips and the filtration method. Results -Overall, prevalence by microscopy was 20.9% (requires targeted treatment once every two years), and was higher (14.0%) among the 10-15 years age group (χ 2 =22.44, p<0.001). The lowest prevalence was among the <6 (0.5%, 2/417) and ≥19 (1.4%, 6/417) years age groups. There was no significant difference in prevalence among females (7.9%, 33/417) and males (12.9%, 54/417) (χ 2 =2.58, p=0.108). Self-reported haematuria was 43.2% (targeted treatment once a year). There was a significant difference between female (16.1%, 67/417) and male (27.1%, 113/417) responses to self-reported haematuria (χ 2 =4.170, p<0.001). A lower consolidated mean prevalence of 11.7% was estimated among pupils who had ova in their urine and also exhibited three morbidity indicators (haematuria, leucocyturia and proteinuria). Combined and averaged sensitivity and specificity estimations (sensitivity = 55.4%, specificity = 67.8%, Positive Predictive Value (PPV) = 53.4%, Negative Predictive Value (NPV) = 64.2%) of these morbidity indicators, was insufficient in equalizing the reliability of ova quantification. With the exception of leucocyturia, which was common among all pupils, 28.75% (25/87) of the infected individuals did not have any form of haematuria or proteinuria. Out of these, one pupil had heavy ova intensity (80 eggs/10ml of urine) while the remaining 24 had low ova intensity infection (1-44 eggs/10ml of urine). Questionnaire correctly identified 56.3% of pupils with S. haematobium ova in their urine, also reporting bloody urine (PPV=27.2%; NPV=84.0%). It also identified 49.4% of pupils with ova, reporting painful urination (PPV=26.1%, NPV=82.5%). Conclusion -This study emphasizes the relevance of evaluating the criteria for interpretation of morbidity indicators, prior to their field application. Questionnaire use remains key for surveillance purposes, to determine the presence of the infection in an area. Future studies should consolidate similar data elsewhere in Ghana for a better understanding of morbidity indicators and questionnaire use for decisions that relates to control strategies.

This is a hospital-based cohort study, which aimed at assessing the seroprevalence of syphilis among pregnant women who sought antenatal care at the Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital (CCMH). We retrospectively analyzed secondary data of 2,640 term pregnant women,

Hyperbilirubinemia in a 28 year old Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) -infected client resolved after Heptovit™medication (an Ayurvedic Poly-Herbal formulation). Before the first Liver Function Test (LFT), two key presumptive signs were detected; dark yellow urine, and a clear yellowish tinge on the cornea. Two (2) capsules of Heptovit™, postprandial, was prescribed in the morning and evening for the client. Initial total, direct and indirect bilirubin values of 2.7 mg/dL (0.2-1.5 mg/dL), 0.7 mg/dL (0.1-0.2 mg/dL) and 2.0 mg/dL (0-1.3 mg/dL) resolved eventually to values within the normal ranges after 12 months of treatment. Infection has persisted in the acute phase even after seven years of diagnosis and management.

Face masks have been identified as one of the preventive methods for the control of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Although the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend the universal use of face masks, there are controversies in the implementation of a national face mask mandate in the US. This commentary discusses the relationship between facemask mandates and key COVID-19 indicators such as infection rates and hospitalization rates in the US. It also summarizes some of the political issues surrounding the implementation of the national face mask mandate. We conducted an ecological study on the relationship between face mask mandates and key COVID-19 indicators. We searched PubMed and Google Scholar and reviewed 150 English articles related to face mask challenges in the US published from 2005 to 2021. We identified seven challenges associated with face mask wearing - conflicting messaging, individualism, denial, health consequences, lack of a national masking standard, concerns of African American males, and environmental issues. We found that North Dakota, a state without a face mask mandate had the highest COVID-19 prevalence of 13.3%. The mean prevalence for the highest top 10 ranked states without and with a face mask mandate was 11.1% and 10.5%, respectively. We also found that Florida, Arizona and Georgia, states without a face mask mandates, had the highest cumulative hospitalizations of 83,381, 58,670, and 57,911 hospitalizations, respectively. Alabama, Indiana, and Minnesota, which have face mask mandates, had the lowest hospitalization rates of 47,090, 47,787, and 26,651, respectively.