Dynamics That Exist in the Understanding and Reasons for the Performance of Parallel Marriage Ceremonies

This research sought to explore the understanding and reasons for the performance of parallel marriage ceremonies in Winneba in the Efutu Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. A qualitative approach was used to provide a successful conduct of the research given the complexity of the phenomenon under study. The research design used for the study was case study. The targeted population for the study were married people who performed parallel marriage ceremonies, adults who have reached their marital age but are not married, parents, opinion leaders (pastors) and marriage counsellors. In all fifteen individuals were chosen as the target population for the study. This consist of five (5) married individuals who performed parallel marriage ceremonies, four (4) unmarried individuals who have reached their marital but are not married, two (2) opinion leaders, two (2) parents and two (2) marriage counsellors. The convenience sampling technique was used to select the elements such as married individuals who performed parallel marriages ceremonies, adult who have reached their marital age but are not married, parents and opinion leaders (pastors). Also, critical case sampling technique was used to sample the marriage counselors involved in the research work. A semi-structured interview guide was used for data collection. The items in the interview guide were structured from the various themes under the literature review which have a direct link with the research questions. Participants had some level of understanding of the concept parallel marriage ceremonies, just that most of them referred to the customary marriage as “the engagement.” In addition, most of the participants were not in the known of the Marriages Act 1884-1985 CAP. 127. Although most of the married participants claimed to have married or registered their marriage under that Act, they could not tell the detailed demands of the Act. Furthermore, the participants did not know the dynamics that exist in the performance of church marriage (church blessing and solemnisation of holy matrimony) and the issuance of marriage registration certificates. The performance of parallel marriage ceremonies is perceived by many as a way of ensuring faithfulness in marriage. Also, many have taken the performance of the parallel marriage ceremonies as a means of acquiring security and legitimacy for themselves and the children born in the union. Based on the conclusions it is therefore recommended that the concept of marriage contraction and the Marriages Act 1884-1985, CAP. 127 should be added to the senior high school curriculum to help educate the youth about the dynamics in the marriage contraction and registration process. Also, marriage counsellors should help would-be couple clear their doubt on the customary marriage ceremony as being engagement. In addition, the church and the media houses should educate the citizenry on the existing laws that protect the interest of the couple and their children even when one of them or the both are no more, example is the PNDCL 111. Keywords: Ceremonies, Customary Marriage, Marriage Dynamics, Marriage, Ordinance Marriage Parallel Marriage, DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/68-03 Publication date:October 31st 202

Yaoundé-like virus in resident wild bird, Ghana

Tissue and swab samples from 551 wild birds collected in Ghana (October-November 2007) were assayed for alphaviruses, flaviviruses, and influenza A viruses using polymerase chain (PCR) techniques. One pool sample tested positive for Flavivirus RNA; further testing revealed that the amplified sequence was Yaoundé virus (YAOV), or closely related to it. YAOV is an apparently rare Flavivirus closely related to medically important human pathogens Japanese Encephalitis virus and West Nile virus. It is known only from West Africa. This is the first detection from Ghana, and only the second detection from a bird. Samples were negative for alphaviruses and Influenza A virus.We thank field companions including E. Bonaccorso, M. Robbins, and M. Thompson; laboratory companions, including A. Negredo and N. Reyes; Dr. F. Pozo and I. Casas from ISCIII for their collaboration; and L. Benitez for introduction to ISCIII. This study was supported by the US National Biological Information Infrastructure, the GAINS program of the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, grants FIS PI07/1308 of the Red de Investigacion de Centros de Enfermedaes Tropicales RD06/0021, and the agreement signed between the Institute of Health Carlos III and the Spanish Ministry of Health and Social Policy for the surveillance of imported viral hemorrhagic fevers. Influenza work was supported by grant GR09/0040 (MPY-1440/09) ISCIII. RW is supported by grant CGL2010-15734/BOS, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain

An outbreak of suspected cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ghana: lessons learnt and preparation for future outbreaks

Human cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has previously been reported in West Africa, but more recently, sporadic reports of CL have increased. Leishmania major has been identified from Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Three zymodemes (MON-26, MON-117, and MON-74, the most frequent) have been found. The geographic range of leishmaniasis is limited by the sand fly vector, its feeding preferences, and its capacity to support internal development of specific species of Leishmania. The risk of acquiring CL has been reported to increase considerably with human activity and epidemics of CL have been associated with deforestation, road construction, wars, or other activities where humans intrude the habitat of the vector. In the Ho Municipality in the Volta Region of Ghana, a localised outbreak of skin ulcers, possibly CL, was noted in 2003 without any such documented activity. This outbreak was consistent with CL as evidenced using various methods including parasite identification, albeit, in a small number of patients with ulcers

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

First detection of Leishmania tropica DNA and Trypanosoma species in Sergentomyia sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) from an outbreak area of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ghana.

BackgroundLeishmania major and an uncharacterized species have been reported from human patients in a cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) outbreak area in Ghana. Reports from the area indicate the presence of anthropophilic Sergentomyia species that were found with Leishmania DNA.Methodology/principal findingsIn this study, we analyzed the Leishmania DNA positive sand fly pools by PCR-RFLP and ITS1 gene sequencing. The trypanosome was determined using the SSU rRNA gene sequence. We observed DNA of L. major, L. tropica and Trypanosoma species to be associated with the sand fly infections. This study provides the first detection of L. tropica DNA and Trypanosoma species as well as the confirmation of L. major DNA within Sergentomyia sand flies in Ghana and suggests that S. ingrami and S. hamoni are possible vectors of CL in the study area.Conclusions/significanceThe detection of L. tropica DNA in this CL focus is a novel finding in Ghana as well as West Africa. In addition, the unexpected infection of Trypanosoma DNA within S. africana africana indicates that more attention is necessary when identifying parasitic organisms by PCR within sand fly vectors in Ghana and other areas where leishmaniasis is endemic

Phylogenetic tree of 18S rRNA gene sequences among sand fly species.

<p>The 18S rRNA (<i>S. ingrami</i> HLE-9, <i>S. ingrami</i> HLE-22, <i>S. ingrami</i> KLE-2, <i>S. ingrami</i> TAV-51, <i>S. hamoni</i> KLE-18 and S. <i>africana africana</i> HLE-82) gene was amplified from infected sand flies and sequenced. Analysis of the sequences together with those from <i>Sergentomyia</i> species, <i>Phlebotomus</i> species and <i>Lutzomyia</i> species registered in GeneBank were performed. The bar scale represents 0.005% divergences. Bootstrap values are shown above or below branches.</p

Summary of <i>Sergentomyia</i> sand flies screened by molecular biological method in this study.

*<p>Ten female specimens in each pool.</p>¶<p>Identified human-blood fed specimens (Boakye et al, unpublished results).</p>a<p><i>L. tropica</i> DNA detection according to sequence analysis.</p>b<p><i>Trypanosoma</i> sp. DNA detection according to sequence analysis.</p>c<p><i>L. major</i> DNA detection according to sequence analysis.</p

Phylogenetic tree of ITS1 gene sequences among species.

<p><i>Leishmania</i> ITS1 gene was amplified within <i>Leishmania</i> DNA positive <i>S. ingrami</i> pools (IING/GH/2007/HLE-9, IING/GH/2007/KLE-2, IING/GH/2007/HLE-22 and IING/GH/2007/TAV-51) and <i>S. hamoni</i> pool (IHAM/GH/2007/KLE-18) and sequenced. Analysis was performed by the neighbor-joining method on the sequences together with those from 10 <i>Leishmania</i> species including the 2 human isolates from Ghana, <i>L. major</i> (MHOM/GH/2004/HO-004) and an uncharacterized <i>Leishmania</i> sp. (MHOM/GH/2006/TAVE). The scale bar represents 0.05% divergence. Bootstrap values are reported at nodes.</p

Phylogenetic tree of SSU rRNA gene sequences among species.

<p>The SSU rRNA (IAFR/GH/2007/HLE-82) gene was amplified within <i>S. africana africana</i> pool and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the SSU rRNA gene sequences was performed by the neighbor-joining method on the sequence together with those from 25 <i>Trypanosoma</i> species. The sequences from the database are represented by the name of the species, isolates and GeneBank (accession number). The scale bar represents 0.02% divergence. Bootstrap values are reported at nodes.</p