Tuberculosis surveillance system evaluation: case of Ga West municipality, Ghana, 2011 to 2016

Background: Evaluate the Tuberculosis (TB) surveillance system in the Ga West Municipality to determine if it is achieving its objectives, and to assess its attributes and usefulness.Design: Descriptive analysis of primary and secondary dataData source: Stakeholder interviews and record reviews on the objectives and operation of the surveillance system at all levels of the system.Intervention: We evaluated the system’s operation from 2011-2015 using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated guidelines for evaluating public health surveillance systems and the World Health Organisation (WHO) TB surveillance checklist for assessing the performance of national surveillance systems.Results: The TB surveillance system in the municipality was functional and operated at all levels for timely detection of cases, accurate diagnosis, and case management. The system improved management of TB/HIV co-infections. The average time taken to confirm a suspected TB case was one day. The registration of a confirmed case and subsequent treatment happen immediately after confirmation. The municipality detected 109 of 727 TB cases in 2015 (case detection rate=15%). The positive predictive value (PPV) was 6.4%. There was one diagnostic centre in the municipality. Private facilities involvement in TB surveillance activities was low (1/15).Conclusion: The Tuberculosis surveillance system in the Ga West Municipality is well structured but partially meeting its objectives. The system is timely, stable and acceptable by most stakeholders and useful at all levels. It has no major data quality issues. Private health facilities in the municipality should be well incorporated into TB surveillance.Keywords: tuberculosis, evaluation, surveillance system, system attributes, Ga WestFunding: This work was supported by Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (GFELTP), University of Ghana through the support of the West Africa Health Organization (Ref.: Prog/A17IEpidemSurveillN°57212014/mcrt) to B-Y

Dog Bites and Rabies in the Eastern Region of Ghana in 2013-2015: A Call for a One-Health Approach.

BACKGROUND: A One-Health approach is advocated to ensure effective rabies surveillance in sub-Saharan Africa. Information is needed to assess the current state of dog bites and rabies in Ghana. We analyzed data on reported events in the Eastern Region of Ghana from 2013 to 2015 to generate information that can be used for rabies elimination in Ghana through the One-Health approach. METHOD: We extracted data on dog bites and rabies from the database of the regional health service and performed descriptive analysis using Epi Info version 7™. We followed up with interviews with three key informants from the health and veterinary services on issues related to surveillance and data quality. RESULTS: Overall, 4821 dog bites were reported over the three-year period. This translated into an annual incidence of 172 cases per a population of 100,000. Most of cases were in children aged less than 10 yrs. Fifteen (53.3% males) cases of rabies were recorded in seven out of the 26 municipalities and districts, translating into a rabies to dog bite ratio of 3: 1000. The median age of victims was 9 years (range: 3-72 years). A parallel and uncoordinated system of rabies surveillance is maintained by the health and veterinary services, with gross disparities in the number of reported events and overall impression of underreporting. CONCLUSION: Rabies remains an important cause of preventable deaths in this region. An integrated approach to surveillance based on the One-Health concept needs to be adopted

Training Manual on Bundled Climate Smart Agriculture, Climate Information Services and One-Health Technologies for Priority Value Chains

The manual is an addendum to the prioritized and bundled Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and Climate Information Services Innovations that is One Health Sensitive. The manual is designed as an extension and training tool for trainers of trainees (TOT) and extension agents to support smallholder farmers most especially stakeholders in AICCRA intervention communities. Users will find the manual very useful and it is hoped that Agriculture Extension Agents (AEAs), farmers, students, and other end users will apply the modules to increase crop production in the target agroecologies. Specifically, the manual provides climate information services, climate smart agriculture innovations and one health intervention that have been prioritized along maize, cowpea, yam, sweetpotato and tomato value chains

Fluid Inclusion and Oxygen Isotope Characteristics of Vein Quartz Associated with the Nabeba Iron Deposit, Republic of Congo: Implications for the Enrichment of Hypogene Ores

The Nabeba iron ore deposit is located at the northern part of Congo Craton, Republic of Congo. The ore deposit consists of supergene and hypogene ores, both of which are hosted in the Precambrian Nabeba banded iron formation (BIF). This study focuses on the hypogene iron ore mineralization associated with quartz veins in the Nabeba deposit, for which two hypogene ore stages have been recognized based on geologic and petrographic observations: early-stage high-grade hematite-rich ore (HO-1) and late-stage magnetite-rich ore (HO-2). Based on microthermometric measurements and laser Raman spectroscopy of the fluid inclusions, the H2O-NaCl ± CO2 fluids interacting with the Nabeba BIF at the HO-1 stage evolve from high-to-moderate temperatures (203–405 °C) and contrasting salinities (moderate-to-low: 1–15 wt. % NaCl equiv.; high: 30–35 wt. % NaCl equiv.) to H2O-NaCl fluids of moderate-to-low temperatures (150–290 °C) and salinities (1–11 wt. % NaCl equiv.) for the HO-2 ore stage. Assuming equilibrium oxygen isotopic exchange between quartz and water, the δ18Ofluid values range from 4.7–8.1‰ for the HO-1 stage and −2.3‰ to −1.5‰ for the HO-2 stage. This implies the ore-forming fluid of initially-mixed metamorphic–magmatic origin, later replenished by seawater and/or meteoric water during the formation of the HO-2 stage. These mixtures of different fluids, coupled with their interaction with the BIF lithology followed by phase separation, are responsible for the enrichment of hypogene iron ore in the Nabeba deposit

Chronic administration of cryptolepine nanoparticle formulation alleviates seizures in a neurocysticercosis model

Worldwide, neurocysticercosis remains an important cause of acquired epilepsy. We therefore seek to investigate the effectiveness of the nanoparticle formulation of cryptolepine in alleviating seizures in a neurocysticercosis model.A solid-lipid nanoparticle formulation of extracted cryptolepine was prepared. The parasites were maintained in T. crassiceps metacestode (ORF strain) - infected female BALB/c mice. Cryp (5 ​mg/kg), SLN-CRYP (5 ​mg/kg), ABZ (50 ​mg/kg) DXM (0.5 ​mg/kg), and PHE (30 ​mg/kg).were assessed for in vitro cysticidal, in vivo cysticidal and/or antiseizure activity in 70 mice that had developed seizures from infection with T. crassiceps. General pathologic processes were studied in the host tissue and inflammatory mediators were quantified from isolated mice brains.All treatments (CRYP, SLN-CRYP and ABZ) caused significantly reduced viability of T. crassiceps cysts. Treatment with SLN-CRYP significantly shrunk cysticerci and resolved ventricular expansion and deviation similar to albendazole on examination of encephala. SLN-CRYP inhibited hyperemia but was more effective against microgliosis, calcification, edema and meningitis. Mean seizure score was significantly reduced in models administered with SLN-CRYP (p ​< ​0.0001); as were frequency (p ​< ​0.0001) and duration (p ​< ​0.0001) of seizures. SLN-CRYP significantly reduced brain homogenate levels of IL-10 (p ​= ​0.0016) and IFN-γ (p ​< ​0.0001).Our study shows that the chronic administration of the nanoparticle formulation of cryptolepine is effective in alleviating seizures associated with neurocysticercosis in a mouse model

Depositional Environment and Genesis of the Nabeba Banded Iron Formation (BIF) in the Ivindo Basement Complex, Republic of the Congo: Perspective from Whole-Rock and Magnetite Geochemistry

International audienceThe Nabeba high-grade iron deposit (Republic of the Congo) is hosted by banded iron formation (BIF) in the Ivindo Basement Complex, which lies in the northwestern part of the Congo Craton. The Nabeba BIF is intercalated with chlorite-sericite-quartz schist and comprises two facies (oxide and a carbonate-oxide). In this study, whole-rock and LA-ICP-MS magnetite geochemistry of the BIF was reported. Magnetite samples from both BIF facies had fairly similar trace element compositions except for the rare earth element plus yttrium (REE + Y) distribution patterns. The high V, Ni, Cr, and Mg contents of the magnetite in the Nabeba BIF could be ascribed to the involvement of external medium-high temperature hydrothermal fluids during their deposition in relatively reduced environment. The Post-Archean Australian Shale (PAAS)-normalized REY patterns of the Nabeba BIF magnetite were characterized by LREE depletion coupled with varying La and positive Eu anomalies. Processing of the information gathered from the geochemical signatures of magnetite and the whole-rock BIF suggested that the Nabeba BIF was formed by the mixing of predominantly anoxic seawater (99.9%) with 0.1% of high-temperature (>250 °C) hydrothermal vent fluids, similar to the formation mechanism of many Archean Algoma-type BIFs reported elsewhere in the world

Depositional Environment and Genesis of the Nabeba Banded Iron Formation (BIF) in the Ivindo Basement Complex, Republic of the Congo: Perspective from Whole-Rock and Magnetite Geochemistry

The Nabeba high-grade iron deposit (Republic of the Congo) is hosted by banded iron formation (BIF) in the Ivindo Basement Complex, which lies in the northwestern part of the Congo Craton. The Nabeba BIF is intercalated with chlorite-sericite-quartz schist and comprises two facies (oxide and a carbonate-oxide). In this study, whole-rock and LA-ICP-MS magnetite geochemistry of the BIF was reported. Magnetite samples from both BIF facies had fairly similar trace element compositions except for the rare earth element plus yttrium (REE + Y) distribution patterns. The high V, Ni, Cr, and Mg contents of the magnetite in the Nabeba BIF could be ascribed to the involvement of external medium-high temperature hydrothermal fluids during their deposition in relatively reduced environment. The Post-Archean Australian Shale (PAAS)-normalized REY patterns of the Nabeba BIF magnetite were characterized by LREE depletion coupled with varying La and positive Eu anomalies. Processing of the information gathered from the geochemical signatures of magnetite and the whole-rock BIF suggested that the Nabeba BIF was formed by the mixing of predominantly anoxic seawater (99.9%) with 0.1% of high-temperature (&gt;250 °C) hydrothermal vent fluids, similar to the formation mechanism of many Archean Algoma-type BIFs reported elsewhere in the world

Climate Information Services, Climate-Smart Agriculture, and One Health Innovations for Resilient Food Systems: Capacitation of Intermediaries and Lead Farmers in Ghana

The manual is an addendum to the prioritized and bundled Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and Climate Information Services Innovations that is One Health Sensitive. The manual is designed as an extension and training tool for trainers of trainees (TOT) and extension agents to support smallholder farmers most especially stakeholders in AICCRA intervention communities. Users will find the manual very useful and it is hoped that Agriculture Extension Agents (AEAs), farmers, students, and other end users will apply the modules to increase crop production in the target agroecologies. Specifically, the manual provides climate information services, climate smart agriculture innovations and one health intervention that have been prioritized along maize, cowpea, yam, sweetpotato and tomato value chains