Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006;40(4):137-41.
doi: 10.4314/gmj.v40i3.55269.

Surveillance of viral haemorrhagic fevers in ghana: entomological assessment of the risk of transmission in the northern regions

M Appawu  1 , S Dadzie, H Abdul, H Asmah, D Boakye, M Wilson, D Ofori-Adjei
Affiliations

Surveillance of viral haemorrhagic fevers in ghana: entomological assessment of the risk of transmission in the northern regions

M Appawu et al. Ghana Med J. 2006.

Abstract

Summary objectives: To assess the risk of transmission of viral haemorrhagic fevers in northern Ghana.

Design: A two-year cross-sectional entomological study was carried out in four communities in the northern part of Ghana. Standard WHO methods were used to collect adult and larvae of Aedes mosquitoes to estimate man-vector contact rates and larval indices.

Results: A total of 2804 households were surveyed to estimate larval indices and man-vector contacts of potential vectors of viral haemorrhagic fevers such as Yellow fever and Dengue. Over 56% households in each study site were positive for Aedes larvae. Relatively higher Breteaux index (BI) and Container index (CI) were estimated in Damongo (BI: 180 and CI: 44.8) and Jirapa (BI: 149.7 and CI: 41.5) compared to Tumu (BI: 76.1 and CI: 19.5) and Bolgatanga (BI: 72.4 and CI: 20.6). Man-biting rates of 9.8 and 18.5 bites /man/hour were estimated for Damongo and Jirapa respectively whilst Bolgatanga recorded 10 B/M/H. Generally, man-vector contact rates in all the study sites were higher during the dry season than the wet season. Larval indices showed seasonal variations and the dry season was identified as the high-risk period for transmission of viral haemorrhagic fevers and possible disease outbreaks. No flavivirus was detected in the 2034 Aedes mosquitoes from the study sites by RT-PCR.

Conclusions: Aedes mosquito larval densities and adult biting rates, in all the study areas were sufficient to promote outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fevers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of Ghana showing the study sites
Figure 2
Figure 2
Seasonal variations in larval indices (House, Container and Breteaux)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Man-vector contact rates of Aedes mosquitoes estimated during the wet and dry seasons in some sites in the Northern Regions of Ghana
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Halstead SB. Dengue haemorrhagic fever-a public health problem and a field for research. Bull WHO. 1980;58:1–21. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Monath TP. Pathobiology of the flaviviruses. In: Schlesinger S, Schlesinger MJ, editors. The Togaviridae and Flaviviridae. New York: Plenum Press; 1986. pp. 375–442.
    1. Agadzi VK, Boatin Boakye A, Appawu MA, Mingle A A, Addy P A. Yellow fever in Ghana, 1977–80. Bull WHO. 1984;62(4):577–583. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Addy PAK, Minami K, Agadzi VK. Recent yellow fever epidemics in Ghana (1969–1983) East African Med J. 1986;63(6):422–433. - PubMed
    1. Burton GJ, Noamesi GK, McRae TM. A survey for the vector of yellow in the Damongo area, northern region, Ghana. Ghana Med J. 1964:9–15.

LinkOut - more resources