7th Call - Dr. Ewurama Dedea Ampadu Owusu
Project Title: Malaria in the Highlands of Ghana: The Kwahu-South Situation
Principal Investigator: Dr. Ewurama Dedea Ampadu Owusu (Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ghana)
Email Address: edampadu@chs.edu.gh
Award Amount: GHC 4,993.00
Project Status: On-going
Summary:
There have been suggestions that the occurrence of malaria in areas of high altitude is very low since the mosquito vectors find survival in such areas a challenge. However, the Kwahu Government Hospital, which serves people in entire Kwahu area, records malaria as the leading cause of OPD attendance (71% of OPD attendance). Some research is on-going in highland areas in Ghana, but more work needs to be done to contribute to effective management of malaria in those areas. Malaria is the number one cause of morbidity and mortality in Ghana. Several interventions have been put in place in a bid to eliminate it. Currently P. falciparum, considered very severe and deadly, is documented to cause 90-98% of malaria infections. P. ovale and P. malariae are usually considered much less severe and even asymptomatic; and are attributed to the remaining 2-8%. This research aims to profile the current epidemiological situation, in the mountainous Kwahu-South district in the Eastern region of Ghana, in preparation for more detailed research in the area towards an improved control and elimination goal.
Findings
- Asymptomatic malaria was present in about 10% of people who appeared to be well in the community, especially in adults. Sickle cell gene was present in about 28% of the participants in the hospital study; 2.1% had either the SC or SS gene and rest had HbS trait.
- In spite of malaria prevalence in the area, very few Anopheles were trapped, however, the presence of the circumsporozoite protein indicated transmission. This warrants further in-depth study in the area for a longer period.