SUMMARY OF PRIORITY DISEASES AND EVENTS - WEEK 21, 2020
In week 21, the total all-cause notifiable disease morbidity (as per IDSR Weekly Summary Reporting Form) was 617 with 2 deaths from meningitis. Acute watery diarrhoea in persons above 5 years contributed 74% to the notifiable diseases’ caseload during the week [See Figure 1 ]
REGIONAL PERFORMANCE BASED ON REPORTING
Upper West region with an average score of 96.4% was the best performing region in the week under review whilst Western North region recorded the lowest mean score of 58.8%. All regions achieved the expected targets (32.3%) for percentage of districts reporting at least a suspected case of either Measles or Yellow Fever except Western North. [Table 1].Timeliness and Completeness of reporting for all notifiable conditions for the Week were both 94.7% and 96.1% respectively.
INFLUENZA-LIKE ILLNESS (IDSR Weekly Report)
A total of 97 suspected cases of influenza-like illnesses were reported in the Greater-Accra Region during the week with no death through IDSR weekly reporting [Table 2]. Laboratory samples were sent from sentinel sites to Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) for testing.
MEASLES
Twenty-two (22) suspected Measles cases were recorded across the country [Table 3]. Samples were taken and sent to the National Public Health and Reference Laboratory [NPHRL] for testing.
YELLOW FEVER
In week 21, a total of six cases of suspected Yellow Fever were reported across the country. Samples were sent to the National Public Health and Reference Laboratory for testing [Table 6].
CHOLERA
No cholera case was reported during the Week.
MENINGITIS
During the week, 14 cases of meningitis were recorded with 2 deaths. Talensi district in the Upper East Region and three other districts in the Upper West Region namely; Lawra, Nadowli-Kaleo and Nandom were all in alert phase. No district was in epidemic phase for the week under review. Lumbar Punctures were done for all cases with a total of 5 cases confirmed positive for meningitis in Bolgatanga – 1, Talensi – 1 and Nandom – 3 districts [Table 4]. All five confirmed cases were caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae [Table 5].
HUMAN RABIES
No case of Human Rabies was recorded in Week 21.
MATERNAL DEATHS
No maternal deaths were recorded across the country during week 21.
NEONATAL TETANUS
No maternal deaths were recorded across the country during week 21.
ACUTE FLACCID PARALYSIS (SUSPECTED POLIOMYELITIS)
A total of 12 cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) were reported in Week 21 across the country [Table 7]. The stool specimens were tested at the Polio Laboratory at NMIMR and were negative for wild poliovirus.
Summary on Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) Indicators, Week 1 – 21, 2020
All regions achieved the annualized Non-Polio AFP rate of 2.0 per 100,000 population less than 15 years in the week under review except Central (2.2), Greater Accra (1.0) and Western North (0.7) [Table 8]. No compatible case has been recorded. A total of seven Circulating Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus have been documented as follows: Ashanti – 4, Bono – 1, Bono East – 1 and Western – 1. Thirteen regions achieved timeliness (80%) and adequacy of stool (80%) received by the laboratory except Greater Accra (78.6%), Western (78.9%) and Western North (66.7%) which failed to achieve for the expected target for stool adequacy.
Situational Updates on COVID-19 Outbreak in Ghana 24-31 May 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic started in the country in Week 11 with six cases which were all detected through the routine surveillance system. Enhanced contact tracing and testing contributed to a significant rise in the number of recorded COVID-19 cases between Weeks 14 and 20. The number of cases were highest in Weeks 16 and 17 with cases detected through enhanced surveillance contributing to the majority as opposed to cases detect through routine surveillance [Figure 1].
During the week, 1,333 new cases were recorded from routine surveillance (802) enhanced contact tracing (496) and returnees under mandatory quarantine (35). Six deaths and three critical cases were also recorded. There were 889 recoveries in the same week [Table 1].
During week 20, 1,333 positive test results were obtaining from testing 17,695 samples consisting of Routine Surveillance (8,506), Contact tracing (8,958) [Table 2, Figure 2] and Returnees from Kuwait (231) (See page 8). The overall positivity rate was 7.5 (1,333 out of 17,695) [Table 2]. Bono East recorded its first case of COVID-19 in the Pru East District. Greater Accra Region recorded the highest number (891) of COVID-19 positive cases within the week. Upper East, North East, Oti, Bono and Savannah Regions did not record any new cases of COVID-19 [Figures 3- 6].
Report on First COVID-19 Case in Bono East Region
Bono East Region has very large and mobile markets that presupposes a lot of risk of COVID-19 transmission. To ascertain the status of COVID-19 in the region, enhanced surveillance purposively targeted at risk groups including drivers and food vendors was initiated. Over 1,200 samples have been collected from these identified risk groups. Bono East Region’s first COVID-19 case was reported on 27th May 2020 from Pru East District. The first case is a 31-year-old commercial driver from Yeji who plies his trade from Yeji to Kumasi. He has homes in Kumasi and Yeji but spends more time in Kumasi. He lives in a household of eight people in Yeji, his wife and children however reside in Kumasi. The case was contacted by phone in Kumasi and COVID-19 positive status shared with him, the National Ambulance in Kumasi subsequently transported him to a treatment centre in Kintampo. Twenty-seven contacts have so far been identified and listed, including 4 close contacts and 23 casual contacts. The case is asymptomatic and is being managed at the Kintampo Treatment Centre.
Brief on Kuwait Returnees
A total of 231 returnees from Kuwait arrived in Ghana on 23rd May 2020. A total of 229 returnees were placed under mandatory quarantine while two transferred straight from the airport to Hospital for emergency medical care. There was a total of 170 females and 61 males. The ages ranged from 23 to 49 years for males and 23 to 58 years for females. The mean age for females was 32 years and that for males was 35 years. All 231 have had their initial screening for COVID 19 and results of 221 have been received. A total of 30 (13.6%) have tested positive for COVID-19.
Summary of Newly Reported Deaths in the Week
The summary of COVID-19 related deaths recorded for the week under review is as follows; Death 33 is a 64-year-old male, a diabetic who presented with severe respiratory symptoms at a hospital in Accra. He was admitted but died after two days on admission. Death 34 is a 60-year-old female, a hypertensive who presented with severe respiratory symptoms and was admitted at a hospital in Accra. However, after two days on admission, she died. Death 35 is a 70-year-old female referred to a hospital with a diagnosis of heart failure and severe hypertension. She was reassessed with a new diagnosis of Acute left ventricular failure secondary to acute myocardial infarction and Bronchopneumonia to rule out COVID-19. She was isolated and managed as a case of suspected COVID-19. She died two days on admission and the lab results came out as positive for COVID-19. Death 36 is a 93-year-old male, a known hypertensive with Prostate Cancer was admitted in a hospital in Accra with a complaint of difficulty in breathing and cough. COVID -19 was suspected and patient was then isolated at the emergency Room. COVID -19 samples were taken on 26th May, 2020 and results then confirmed as positive. Deaths 37 is a A 52-year-old female with metastatic Ovarian cancer and gastrointestinal bleeding reported at a hospital in Kumasi with respiratory symptoms. She was admitted as a suspected COVID-19 and isolated and died after three days on admission and confirmed as COVID-19 positive. Death 38 is a A 64-year-old female who was admitted with an initial diagnosis of Congestive Cardiac Failure and bilateral pneumonia and later confirmed as COVID-19 positive. She died after two days on admission.
COVID-19 PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC
