Anthony Dongdem - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Anthony Dongdem

EarthArXiv (California Digital Library), Aug 26, 2023

Background: The bacteriological quality of drinking water plays a critical role in preventing wat... more Background: The bacteriological quality of drinking water plays a critical role in preventing waterborne diseases. In Ghana, there is water scarcity and many communities depend on contaminated water sources for their domestic use. This study aimed to assess the microbiological quality of household drinking water in both cholera endemic and nonendemic areas in Greater Accra Region. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 432 randomly selected households. A total of 432 water samples were collected in both the wet and dry seasons from the households and an additional 48 from other water sources within the area studied. The membrane filtration technique was used for the quantification of total coliform counts, faecal coliform counts and vibrio counts. The bacteria were further identified and characterized. The Kruskal Wallis rank test was used to determine any significant variations in the means of the log-transformed bacteria counts among specific factor variables. Results: Household drinking water samples were contaminated with coliform counts exceeding the recommended zero colony-forming units per 100 ml standard in most communities across the cholera endemic and non-endemic areas. Vibrio counts were detected in all household water stored in vessels. Further characterization identified predominantly Klebsiella penumoniae and Escherichia coli. The coliform contamination levels were significantly higher in water stored in vessels compared to water directly obtained from the source. The contamination levels were generally higher during the wet season than the dry season. This manuscript is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. The copyright holder has made the manuscript available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY) license and consented to have it forwarded to EarthArXiv for public posting. license EarthArXiv 3 Conclusion: The household stored drinking and direct source water were highly 50 contaminated with coliform bacteria and a risk for transmission of pathogenic waterborne 51 diseases. Therefore, the need to implement an effective water treatment strategy to improve 52 on the quality of drinking water.

Pan African Medical Journal

Introduction rubella is vaccine-preventable and vaccination is the most cost-effective approach t... more Introduction rubella is vaccine-preventable and vaccination is the most cost-effective approach to control the disease and avoid the management of congenital rubella syndrome cases. Ghana introduced the rubella vaccine into the routine immunization program in 2013. Since then there have not been any evaluation of the epidemiology of rubella. We determined the disease trends and the population demographics of rubella cases, in the Ghana national measles case-based surveillance system. Methods we reviewed the measles case-based surveillance data from 2007 to 2017. Descriptive data statistics was done and expressed as frequencies and proportions. Chi-square test was used to establish associations. Results a total of 11,483 suspected cases for measles received and tested for measles IgM antibodies and 1,137(12.98%) confirmed positive for the period. Of these 10,077 were negative and 250 indeterminate for measles and tested for rubella and 2,090 (20.23%) confirmed positive for rubella IgM antibodies. More females (21.45%) were affected than males (19.48%). Majority of the confirmed positives were recorded in the urban areas. Children aged 15 years or less were mostly affected. There was a statistical difference between incidence cases and sex (χ2=6.03, p-value = 0.014), or age (χ2=283.56, p-value < 0.001) or area (χ2= 6.17, p-value = 0.013). Most infections occurred during the dry season. Conclusion children less than 15 years were mostly affected with majority being females. The highest incidence of cases was before the rains and occurred mostly in urban areas. The incidence of cases has declined significantly with the introduction of the rubella vaccine.

International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health

Introduction: Surveillance data completeness and timeliness is critical for effective outbreak re... more Introduction: Surveillance data completeness and timeliness is critical for effective outbreak response notably in the advent of increasing of infectious diseases of pandemic proportions. Ghana enhanced screening at Points of Entry by intensifying the usage of health declaration forms in response to the emergence of the global threat of COVID-19. Here, we assess the completeness of health declaration form information submitted by travellers and determine predictors of data completeness and demographic variables as a measure to improve data quality at Points of Entry. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was employed and involved collection of information (age, sex, date of arrival) from the health declaration forms submitted by travellers between the period of March 7-19, 2020 at Ghana’s International Airport. Flights which harboured travellers infected with COVID-19 virus and exhibited clinical symptoms prior to or within 2 days from the arrival date were included in the ...

Suspected cholera cases are indicated in red (right y-axis), and rainfall is indicated i... more Suspected cholera cases are indicated in red (right y-axis), and rainfall is indicated in blue (left y-axis). The corresponding year is labeled on the x-axis. To integrate the epidemiological and MLVA/MST data, the three major MST clusters identified in Accra are indicated below the histogram of suspected cholera cases. GAR1 = the Ghana 2011 cluster (which gave rise to a few strains in 2012), GAR2 = the main Ghana 2012 cluster, and GAR3 = the Ghana 2014 cluster identified on the MST.</p

Each MLVA type is represented by a node (and a unique number), and the size of the nodes... more Each MLVA type is represented by a node (and a unique number), and the size of the nodes reflects the number of isolates of each MLVA type. The solid lines indicate the most likely single locus variant, while dashed lines indicate the most likely double locus variant. The colors reflect the distinct country and year of isolate origin. Pie charts indicate strains from different time periods or countries displaying an identical MLVA type. The two strains represented by MLVA types #1 and #44 were isolated from environmental samples in Guinea (encircled in red). Labels A through G indicate the isolates from Ghana, Togo, and Guinea included on the phylogenic tree in <a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0006379#pntd.0006379.g004" target="_blank">Fig 4</a>.</p

International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health

Background: Schistosomiasis affects an estimated 250 million people worldwide, with 200,000 peopl... more Background: Schistosomiasis affects an estimated 250 million people worldwide, with 200,000 people dying each year. Despite success in managing the disease, data on its prevalence in non-endemic areas is rare. This study assessed the prevalence and risk factors of urogenital schistosomiasis among people in the Devego sub-municipality of the Ketu North Municipal Volta region, Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted among 335 respondents. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Urine samples were examined microscopically to identify S. haematobium ova. Categorical data was analyzed and presented as percentages or frequencies. Means, medians and standard deviations were used to summarize the continuous variables. Chi-square/Fishers Exact test was used to determine the associations between the independent and dependent variables and considered significant if P-value was less than 0.05. Results: The study found 34.6% (116/335) prevalence rate of uri...

The number of suspected cholera cases reported in each country included in the study per... more The number of suspected cholera cases reported in each country included in the study per year.</p

The tree is based on the SNP differences across the whole core genome. An isolate from t... more The tree is based on the SNP differences across the whole core genome. An isolate from the first wave, Bangladesh 1975, was included as an outgroup to root the tree. An isolate from the second wave was also included (India 1990). The color of the branch tips indicates the country of origin, and the year of isolation is specified. The strains from Ghana, Togo, and Guinea are indicated using the same colors as in the Minimum Spanning Tree (Ghana in pink and red, Togo in orange and yellow, and Guinea in bright green). Labels A through G indicate the isolates from Ghana, Togo, and Guinea included on the MST in <a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0006379#pntd.0006379.g003" target="_blank">Fig 3</a>. Scale is provided as the number of substitutions per variable site, and the SNPs are indicated on the branches.</p

PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2018

The countries of West Africa are largely portrayed as cholera endemic, although the dynamics of o... more The countries of West Africa are largely portrayed as cholera endemic, although the dynamics of outbreaks in this region of Africa remain largely unclear. To understand the dynamics of cholera in a major portion of West Africa, we analyzed cholera epidemics from 2009 to 2015 from Benin to Mauritania. We conducted a series of field visits as well as multilocus variable tandem repeat analysis and whole-genome sequencing analysis of V. cholerae isolates throughout the study region. During this period, Ghana accounted for 52% of the reported cases in the entire study region (coastal countries from Benin to Mauritania). From 2009 to 2015, we found that one major wave of cholera outbreaks spread from Accra in 2011 northwestward to Sierra Leone and Guinea in 2012. Molecular epidemiology analysis confirmed that the 2011 Ghanaian isolates were related to those that seeded the 2012 epidemics in Guinea and Sierra Leone. Interestingly, we found that many countries deemed "cholera endemic&q...

Pan African Medical Journal, 2016

Introduction: knowledge of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype is an important predictive variable w... more Introduction: knowledge of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype is an important predictive variable which might have an impact in management and treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. In Ghana very little information is available on hepatitis B genotypes. This study was conducted to determine the distribution of HBV genotypes circulating among chronic hepatitis B patients reporting at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Accra, Ghana. Methods: blood samples (10 ml) were collected from 250 consenting patients. DNA was extracted and amplified using polymerase chain reaction technique. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used for the detection of genotypes. Results: out of the 250 chronic hepatitis B patients who were HBsAg positive, 91 (36.4%) were males aged 29.8 ± 9.1 and 159 (63.6%) females aged 33± 12.1 years. HBV DNA was detected in 111 (44.4%) but only 58 (52%) of these were typeable. These were classified as genotype A, 8 (7.2%); genotype D, 3 (2.7%) and genotype E, 47 (42.3%). Our results did not show any association between the infecting genotype and age (X 2 = 0.923; p-value=0.623) or gender (X 2 = 0.283, p= 0.579). Conclusion: consistent with similar studies worldwide, the results suggest that genotypes A, D and E were the genotypes circulating among chronic hepatitis B patients who reported to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital with genotype E being the most predominant and therefore constitutes an important public health concern. We recommend further epidemiological studies to understand the implication of genotype E in terms of disease progression and treatment.

International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2014

resistance to Erythromycin (37.5%), Clindamycin (33.3%), Gentamycin (35.4%), Ciprofloxacin (35.4%... more resistance to Erythromycin (37.5%), Clindamycin (33.3%), Gentamycin (35.4%), Ciprofloxacin (35.4%), Moxifloxacin (35.4%) and Rifampicin (35.4%). All the MRSA strains and the MSSA strains were susceptible to Linezolid, Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazol, Fusidic Acid, Vancomycin, Teicoplanin and Tigecyclin. Of the MSSA strains 4.2% were resistant to Tetracycline and 2.1% were resistant to Eritromycin, but all the MSSA strains were susceptible to other AB. Of the S. aureus strains, 53.3% were MLSB strains, from which 13.3% presented inducible phenotypesand 40% showed constitutive phenotype. Conclusion: Data from this study demonstrate the diversity of the S. aureus strains circulating in our geographical areas and the wide variability of the resistance phenotypes to various classes of antibiotics among the strains of S. aureus. It is observed that the percentage of the MRSA strains (41.7%) is higher to that reported by Romania in 2009 to the EARS-Net (35,6%). There exists also higher frequency of the MLSB (53.3%) strains compared to the MRSA (41.7%) strains isolated in our hospital. The prevalence of the MLSB type, shows an increasing trend among the strains of S. aureus, lately. The prevalence of the resistant strains is growing and creates difficulties in both treatment and prevention of the nosocomial infections.

Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 2002

Emerging or reemerging infections due to bacterial disease may be a local, regional or global pro... more Emerging or reemerging infections due to bacterial disease may be a local, regional or global problem. Bacterial acute gastroenteritis is a potential cause of substantial morbidity in travelers and deployed U.S. military personnel. A surveillance study was conducted over a two-year period in Indonesia among 6760 patients with debilitating diarrheal diseases. Of the 6,760 patients, 587 (9%) of the patient stools were positive for bacteria. The proportions of bacteria isolated from the 587 patients were: Shigella flexneri (39%), Salmonella spp. (26%), Vibrio spp. (17%), S. sonnei (7%), Campylobacter jejuni (4.4%), Salmonella typhi (3%) and S. dysenteriae (2.3%). Shigella flexneri was the most prevalent pathogen isolated, over Vibrio spp. No V. cholerae was isolated in the cities of Pontianak, Padang or Batam in Indonesia. Shigella dysenteriae reemergence was noted in Bali, Kalimantan, Batam and Jakarta after an absence of 15 years. Isolation of a high proportion of S. flexneri, and Vibrio spp. occurred during the rainy months. All bacterial isolates were susceptible to quinolones, with the exception of C. jejuni and Salmonella spp., which were resistant to ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and nalidixic acid. Our findings highlight the decline of V. cholerae, the rise of S. flexneri and the reemergence of S. dysenteriae in Indonesia. The study also documents the emergence of quinolone-resistant Campylobacter spp. in the Indonesia archipelago.

European Scientific Journal, ESJ

Background Access to healthcare for speech and hearing impaired clients can be difficult against ... more Background Access to healthcare for speech and hearing impaired clients can be difficult against the backdrop that healthcare providers are inadequately trained to work with Deaf clients whose primary mode of communication is sign language. Therefore, this study sought to explore communication experiences of deaf people and barriers affecting their access to healthcare in Hohoe municipality in Volta region of Ghana. Method: For this quantitative and qualitative cross-sectional study 40 participants were recruited through snowball sampling technique. Quantitative data was obtained through administration of semi-structured questionnaire to sixteen (16) willing participants. The information was triangulated with three (3) focus group discussions. The statistical software Epi Info version 7 and Stata version 11 was used to analyze the quantitative data and presented in graph and tables. Thematic analysis was adopted for analyzing the qualitative data. Findings: Majority (93%) of the stu...

PanAfrican Medical Journal, 2021

Introduction: rubella is vaccine-preventable and vaccination is the most cost-effective approach ... more Introduction: rubella is vaccine-preventable and vaccination is the most cost-effective approach to control the disease and avoid the management of congenital rubella syndrome cases. Ghana introduced the rubella vaccine into the routine immunization program in 2013. Since then there have not been any evaluation of the epidemiology of rubella. We determined the disease trends and the population demographics of rubella cases, in the Ghana national measles case-based surveillance system. Methods: we reviewed the measles case-based surveillance data from 2007 to 2017. Descriptive data statistics was done and expressed as frequencies and proportions. Chisquare test was used to establish associations. Results: a total of 11,483 suspected cases for measles received and tested for measles IgM antibodies and 1,137(12.98%) confirmed positive for the period. Of these 10,077 were negative and 250 indeterminate for measles and tested for rubella and 2,090 (20.23%) confirmed positive for rubella IgM antibodies. More females (21.45%) were affected than males (19.48%). Majority of the confirmed positives were recorded in the urban areas. Children aged 15 years or less were mostly affected. There was a statistical difference between incidence cases and sex (χ2=6.03, p-value = 0.014), or age (χ2=283.56, p-value < 0.001) or area (χ2= 6.17, p-value = 0.013). Most infections occurred during the dry season. Conclusion: children less than 15 years were mostly affected with majority being females. The highest incidence of cases was before the rains and occurred mostly in urban areas. The incidence of cases has declined significantly with the introduction of the rubella vaccine.

EarthArXiv (California Digital Library), Aug 26, 2023

Pan African Medical Journal

International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health

PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2018

Pan African Medical Journal, 2016

International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2014

Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 2002

European Scientific Journal, ESJ

PanAfrican Medical Journal, 2021