Conference abstract

Diarrheal diseases among children under five years in Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana, 2016

Pan African Medical Journal - Conference Proceedings. 2017:3(107).30 Oct 2017.
doi: 10.11604/pamj-cp.2017.3.107.272
Archived on: 30 Oct 2017
Contact the corresponding author
Keywords: Diarrheal disease, children under five, rotavirus vaccination
Oral presentation

Diarrheal diseases among children under five years in Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana, 2016

Samuel Dapaa1,&, Florence Nzilanye1, Donne Ameme1, George Khumalo Kuma1, Samuel Sackey1, Edwin Andrew Afari1

1Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program, Accra, Ghana

&Corresponding author
Samuel Dapaa, Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program, Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Introduction: diarrhoea is the frequent and excessive discharge of bowels caused by a wide range of agents. Rotavirus is the most common agent that causes acute watery diarrhoea in children under five years (U5). Globally, Diarrheal Diseases (DD) account for 1 in 9 deaths in children U5. In Ghana, rotavirus vaccine is administered in two doses at six and ten weeks. DD in children U5 from Brong Ahafo Region (BAR) were analyzed to establish trends and long-term changes, describe reasons for changes, determine where cases were occurring, detect aberrations in the patterns and determine the data quality.

Methods: we retrieved data from District Health Information Management System II (DHIMS2) from 2012 to 2016. Descriptive data analysis was done and colour maps drawn. Graphs were drawn to depict trends and thresholds.

Results: of 48,284 cases and eight deaths recorded, overall Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 17 per 100,000. Sex specific data was not available. Attack Rate (AR) per 1000 population from 2012 to 2016 were 0.02, 13.48, 28.12, 22.48 and 36.93 respectively whereas Rotarix 2 coverage were 53.6%, 88.1%, 93.8%, 95.3% and 94.7%. All the cases were reported in 88.9% (24/27) of the districts in BAR. Eighty percent data completeness was achieved by 9(33.3%) of the districts in 2012 which increased to 24(88.9%) by 2016 whereas timeliness was 0(0%) and 12(44.4%).

Conclusion: DD burden among children U5 in BAR is increasing despite progress made in rotavirus vaccination. Distribution of the burden was not representative of BAR. By 2016 three districts were not achieving 80% completeness and 25 were not achieving same in timeliness. Sensitization workshop was organized for Dormaa Municipal staff on the relevance of data.