Category: Medical

Hypertensive and diabetic expectant mothers have been advised to strictly follow the instructions of their caretakers, as the two conditions, if uncontrolled, can cause birth defects in babies.

Mrs Cecilia Ankomah, a Principal Nursing Officer in charge of the Ashaiman Polyclinic’s Wellness Clinic, gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), stressing that uncontrolled maternal hypertension and diabetes could negatively affect fetal development, leading to birth defects.

Mrs Ankomah said the diseases also put pregnant women at higher risk of complications such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, pre-term birth, and having babies with a large birth weight (macrosomia).

‘These conditions can also lead to increased rates of caesarean delivery and chronic health issues in children, saying, roper antenatal care is therefore crucial to monitoring blood pressure and managing risks,’ she said.

She disclosed that recent statistics indicate that in Ghana, the prevalence of hypertension rang
es between 25 per cent and 48 per cent in adults, while according to the International Diabetes Federation, diabetes also shows a worrying trend, with prevalence rates estimated at around 6.46 per cent in the adult population.

‘These conditions account for a significant portion of the country’s health burden,’ she noted.

She said data from the Ashaiman Municipal Health Directorate revealed that hypertension topped 2023 Outpatients Department (OPD) diseases in the municipality, with 22,002 cases seen between January and December.

The Principal Nursing Officer defined hypertension as a chronic medical condition that was characterised by elevated blood pressure levels, which usually occurred when the pressure in the blood vessel is too high, (140/90 mmHg or higher).

Mrs Ankomah indicated that diabetes, on the other hand, was a metabolic disorder that affected blood sugar regulation and characterised by high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period.

She said diabetes was primarily categorised into two type
s: type (1), where the body failed to produce insulin, and type (2), where the body could not effectively use the insulin it produces.

She said children with diabetes typically had Type (1) diabetes, which could critically affect their growth and development, adding that diabetic children required lifelong insulin therapy and careful dietary management.

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Touching on the causes of these diseases, the wellness nurse said both hypertension and diabetics had genetic factors, saying, diabetics could also cause hypertension.

Other causes of hypertension were unhealthy diets, which contained a high intake of salt, fat, and processed foods; a lack of physical activity; tobacco use; and harmful levels of alcohol consumption, as well as urbanisation and lifestyle changes.

She said Type (1) diabetes, also called ‘juvenile diabetes,’ typically appeared in adolescents, while Type (2) was more common and often linked to obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and genetic factors.

She encouraged the public to make good use o
f wellness clinics to regularly screen for hypertension and diabetes, stating that hypertension was often asymptomatic, as people may not feel any symptoms, while some may experience headaches, dizziness, and blurred vision.

The principal nursing officer said that with diabetes, some symptoms may include excessive thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss.

She said to reduce the rising prevalence of these two diseases, there was the need to raise awareness about their causes and dangers, have screening programmes for early detection and interventions, promote eating diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, encourage regular physical activity, and implement policies that reduce salt in processed foods,?restrict marketing of unhealthy foods, and promote healthier environments.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Hunger Project (THP) Ghana, in partnership with the Asuogyaman District Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has commemorated this year’s World Malaria Day at Sapor in the Eastern Region.

World Malaria Day is an international commemoration held annually on April 25, to recognise global efforts at controlling malaria.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of an infected female anopheles mosquitoes.

Mr Charles Dzamesi, the Project Officer of the Adjena Donor Epicenter, said malaria killed faster than many diseases and it was common in rural areas, hence observing the day in the Sapor community under the Epicenter was in the right direction.

He called on stakeholders in health to join hands in eradicating malaria in the various communities, to unlock human potential and improve economic growth.

Madam Afua Konadu, the Public Health Nurse in the Asuogyaman District, entreated the people to use the recently shared insecticide mo
squito nets to protect themselves from mosquito bites thereby minimising the transmission of the parasite.

She said malaria was among the top 10 causes of illnesses in the district, which could lead to muscle weakness, fatigue, respiratory distress, and brain damage and must be treated as a matter of urgency.

Madam Konadu took participants through the causes, symptoms, and preventive measures of malaria.

She cited some preventive measures as clearing of bushes, doing away with stagnant water, and the use of antimalarial drugs.

A demonstration was given to show participants the proper way of raising the insecticide mosquito net.

The Hunger Project is an international organisation that focuses on facilitating individual and collective actions to transform the systems that create hunger and perpetuate its existence.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A survey report conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) shows that the percentage of children 24 to 35 months not fully vaccinated based on the national schedule declined by 15.1 percentage points between 2014 and 2022.?

The survey showed that almost three in every five, which was 57.6 per cent in that age range, had not been fully vaccinated according to the national schedule in 2022, compared to about two in every five representing 42.5 per cent in 2014.?

The figures are based on Ghana Demographic and Health Survey data on children for whom vaccination information was recorded on their vaccination cards.?

World Immunisation Day is commemorated annually in the last week of April to promote the use of vaccines to save lives.

According to the data, more than half of children aged 24 to 35 months were not vaccinated according to the national schedule in ten out of the 16 regions.

?The Northern Region recorded the highest percentage where four out of every five, representing 81.5 percent, had not b
een fully vaccinated.

The Western region with 68.5 per cent and the Savannah region with 66.9 percent.

The region with the lowest percentage of children who had not received all age-appropriate vaccines was Volta Region, representing 26.7 per cent followed distantly by Greater Accra with 40.4 per cent.?

The percentage of children aged 24 to 35 months?not fully vaccinated according to the national schedule is marginally lower in urban areas with 56.3 per cent relative to rural of 58.9 per cent.

The survey revealed that a higher percentage of girls, representing 59.6 per cent had not been fully vaccinated in comparison to boys, with 55.6 per cent.?

It further said vaccination coverage varied markedly by maternal education, ranging from seven in every 10, representing 71.6 per cent for children whose mothers had no education, to four in every 10, representing 43.9 per cent for children whose mothers had higher than secondary education. ??

Among children aged 12 to 23 months, the survey said more than two i
n every five children, representing 44.5 per cent, were not fully vaccinated according to the national schedule in 2022, representing an increase of 6.7 percentage points from 2014 with 37.8 per cent.?

Ms Sarah Woode, Principal Statistician, GSS, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said that though the survey did not ask the reason for the decline, it was assumed that it was due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic since the research was conducted in 2020.

Ms Woode said the figures would provide authorities with timely information for policy intervention regarding vaccination and other health-related issues.

That, she stated, was critical because vaccination helped to prevent diseases like polio, yellow fever, among others.

The data, she stressed, would enable the government to intensify education on the importance of vaccination, especially for mothers who were reluctant to attend postnatal and antenatal care.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The African Vaccination and Child Health Promotion week, 2024, was on Tuesday launched in Accra with an appeal to parents to ensure that children up to two years old received the right dosses of vaccines required to protect them against Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD).

Mr. Naziru Tanko Mohammed, the Deputy Program Manager of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), Ghana Health Service (GHS), said presently, there were inequalities in vaccination coverage with high numbers of left-out children in peri-urban and urban districts.

He said in urban districts like Ga Central, Ablekuma, Oforikrom, Kwabrim, Prampram among others, parents hardly completed the vaccination schedules for their children.

‘If you received only one dose of a vaccine which is to be administered in four doses, your child will still be at risk,’ he said, encouraging such parents to ensure their children completed the process.

Mr. Mohammed said Ghana currently administered eleven vaccines against 14 VPDs in routine immunization and t
hat the EPI was considering establishing mobile vaccination centres in markets and public places to reach out to more children in urban centres.

The Chief of Staff, Mrs. Akosua Frema Osei Opare, who launched the childhood vaccination week, said from the moment of birth, vaccines played a critical role in safeguarding the survival of newborns and infants.

Through the routine immunization schedule, Ghana provides protection against diseases such as Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Measles, Polio, Meningitis, Yellow Fever, Tetanus, among others.

Mrs. Opare said vaccination ensured that the youngest and most vulnerable population was shielded from dangerous diseases.

‘Early vaccinations lay the foundation for a lifetime of health and well-being, setting the stage for future growth and development of a child,’ she said.

She called on the public to support the national vaccination efforts saying, ‘vaccination is not just an individual responsibility…it is a collective endeavor that benefits society. By ach
ieving high vaccination coverage across all age groups, we create a herd immunity.’

The Chief of Staff said the concept of herd immunity underscored the importance of investing in immunization to save lives and prevent outbreaks and that every family, group, and organisation had a stake in immunization and other child health interventions.

Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), reaffirmed the government’s commitment to prioritising the well-being of children in all aspects of its work and advocacy.

That, he said, would be done by investing in effective interventions, collaborating across sectors, and advocating policies that prioritised child health.

‘We can create a country where every child can grow up healthy, happy, and thriving,’ he said.

The African Vaccination Week is celebrated in April every year to strengthen immunization programmes in Africa.

It seeks to increase the awareness of the importance that every person’s (particularly every child and woman) has
the right to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.

It also aims at keeping immunization high on the national and regional agendas through advocacy and partnerships, with an over-arching slogan ‘Vaccinated communities, Healthy communities’.

This year’s campaign is under the theme ‘Healthy Childhood: Invest in Your Child for a Better Future’.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Cervical cancer (human Papillomavirus HPV) vaccination is to be mainstream into the routine vaccination programmes in Ghana to make it accessible to all women and girls from the appropriate age.

Dr Naziru Tanko Mohammed, Deputy Programmes Manager, Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) in a presentation at a Media engagement on Vaccine uptake in Ghana said plans were afoot to roll it out by close of the year.

Cervical cancer is the second most common female cancer among women between the ages of 15 to 44 years and has a high prevalence rate in Ghana and reports show that over 57 percent of Ghanaian women visiting Korle-Bu teaching hospital had cervical cancer.

According to the Global cancer observatory, cervical cancer was the third highest in cancers in 2020., recording the second highest number of new cases after breast cancer in Ghana.

The Cost of a single cervical cancer dose vaccination ranged from Gh250 to Gh500 in public. hospitals and between Gh1000 and Gh1,500 in private hospitals, slowing down
coverage of vaccination of the disease.

He said globally vaccinations had proved to be one of the surest and safest ways to prevent complications and fatalities of many diseases citing the successes in the routine vaccinations of the childhood killer diseases in Ghana.

‘Vaccines are not theories; they actually work to prevent many diseases and fatalities and has been helpful in eliminating most childhood diseases in children under five years and therefore we must take all vaccinations seriously to enhance our health’ Journey.

Dr Mohammed was making a presentation on Ghana’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation: ‘The Journey So far’ at a two-day training workshop for journalists on Uptake of Vaccines in Ghana.

Organized by the Africa Media and Malaria Research (AMMREN) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) it was to improve journalists understanding on vaccines and how they work.

Dr Charity Binka, Executive Secretary, AMMREN, noted that vaccines had sav
ed many lives, yet myths, misinformation and disinformation were creating barriers for the public to fully accept vaccinations ‘that is why the media has a critical role to play in educating the public on the vaccine uptake in Ghana.’

She said participants at the workshop had been carefully selected from across all the 16 regions in Ghana to churn out well-informed and fact-based education to the public using their varied mediums to demystify vaccines and improve vaccination coverage.

Dr Binka mentioned that vaccines had proved to be a way to go in preventing many diseases and fatalities mentioning the covid-19 vaccines and the malaria vaccines which had saved many lives and charged the journalists to set the agenda on vaccinations and immunisations to educate the public.

‘Take charge of this campaign because people take what the media says seriously and as the gospel truth’ she added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Sherifa Sekyere-Tijani, Nkwanta South Constituency Parliamentary Candidate of the New Patriotic Party in the Oti Region, has urged the public to prioritise their health needs and go for regular check-ups.

She said this would ensure a healthy body than living on the assumption that they are well because of being able to move freely without noticeable or visible conditions.

She said regular check-ups help individuals to know their health status and to maintain a healthy life.

Madam Sekyere-Tijani, who is also the Deputy Managing Director of the State Housing Corporation, made the appeal when she organised a health screening exercise for the residents of Bonakye and its surrounding communities.

The initiative, supported by NLA Good Foundation in collaboration with Lafiya Clinic, was held at the main market of Bonakye.

The free medical screening event was met with overwhelming participation from members of the community and its catchment areas, who turned out in their large numbers to avail themselves
of the screening from basic check-ups to special screening.

The individuals, who partook in the screening, were given the opportunity to address their health concerns in a supportive and caring environment.

‘The success of this initiative will not have been possible without the dedication and hard work involved. I, therefore, extend my appreciation to the dedicated members, who contributed in various capacities to ensure the success of the event,’ she said.

Madam Sekyere-Tijani reminded them of her commitment to ensure the welfare of the constituents and urged them to give her the mandate to serve the people of Nkwanta South, come December 7.

The residents, who took part in the health screening, thanked Madam Sherifa-Tijani for organising such an exercise in the community because it had helped them to know their health status and encouraged them to mainstream regular check-ups.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mama Hodzige II, Divisional Queen mother of Klik or-Agblorgame, has appealed to individuals and corporate organisations interested in the development of the girl-child to support her ‘Menstrual Hygiene Project’ with menstrual pads.

Engaging with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Klikor in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region, Mama Hodzige, said she conceived the idea after realising that many girls absented themselves from school duing menstrual periods.

‘Some of the girls in my community are not regular in school and my interactions with them shows their parents can not afford to get them sanitary pads when they are in their menstrual flow.’

‘I decided to do this small project to support them with sanitary pads’, she added.

She said, ‘menstruation is not a choice’, so everyone should ‘get committed to support the girl-child’ to stay in school and learn.

Mama Hodzige II, also the Ketu South Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), asked those inter
ested in the Project to call +233 24 355 3461 for their support.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Eugene Addo, father of the two-year old boy who was viciously attacked by a dog at Madina Warehouse in Accra, has appealed to the public for financial support to pay his son’s medical bills.

The two-year-old boy was attacked by a mixed shepherd breed dog, last week Monday midnight at Madina and tore part of his anus and the flesh around that area as well as the testicles, leaving the toddler in a critical condition.

A corrective surgery had been performed at the affected parts, but the stool had been diverted to the abdomen to allow for passage.

Mr Addo said he was told by one of the Doctors attending to the son that he would need at least GHC 20,000 to enable his son to undergo six additional corrective surgeries for the child’s survival.

He told the Ghana News Agency that he was also expected to make payment of GH 2,700 per week for three weeks for an electronic device, supporting the child’s treatment.

According to him, he is currently struggling to pay for medical bills and feeding, saying ‘as we
speak, I do not have anything on me to pay for the bills, as a young security man, my salary is only GHC 500 and myself, my wife and the child depended on that money for the whole month until the unfortunate incident happened.

Mr Addo said the owner of the dog and his wife had so far supported them with GHC 4,000 but had refused to continue with the financial support.

‘When we called my Boss, who is the owner of the dog, to inform him about subsequent payment, he told me that he would not be able to make further payment and that he had done his best,’ he stated.

He was saddened as the Doctor had confirmed to him that growing up, his son would not be able to grow a beard, pubic hair and other features as an adult and would not be able to bear children.

‘I am sad, it is unfortunate that my son must go through this situation. I could not help it when the news was broken to me,’ he stated.

He was aggrieved that though they had reported to the Police, there had not been any investigations yet and the dog was
still in the house.

He called on institutions, individuals and the public to support his family to pay for their son’s medical bills.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Tamale West Hospital has taken delivery of quantities of antimalarial drugs to boost health care delivery for patients at the facility.

The drugs, estimated at GHc182,000.00, included Lonart, P-Alaxin, and GSUNATE amongst others.

Bliss GVS Pharma, a drugs’ manufacturer, donated the drugs to the Tamale West Hospital.

Mr Ibrahim Mumuni Seidu, Medical Representative of Bliss GVS Pharma, who handed over the drugs to the authorities of the Tamale West Hospital in Tamale, said the gesture was to commemorate this year’s World Malaria Day as well as help in the fight against the disease in the country.

Mr Seidu said, ‘Bliss GVS Pharma is committed to improving the quality of lives of the people in the places where we serve and do business. We annually do this donation during the World Malaria Day to hospitals around the country.’

He added that ‘This is an effort from Bliss GVS Pharma to try to eradicate malaria from Ghana and the world at large because we understand the impact malaria has on people’s lives.
This donation will provide much needed treatment to people who visit this facility and other places.’

Dr Billah Bagamsah, Head of Pharmacy, Tamale Central Hospital, who received the drugs, expressed gratitude to the company for the gesture, saying the drugs had come at the right time to ensure quality health care delivery to the people.

He said, ‘Malaria is among the top three mortalities in the hospital. So, this donation will really go a long way to curb or to reduce the incidence of malaria in the hospital.’

He added that ‘Pregnant women and children under five years are the most vulnerable groups. So, we’ll be targeting them. If you check our OPD attendance, currently, as the rain has started, the OPD attendance for malaria is increasing and with these products, it will help the hospital treat this illness.’

Source: Ghana News Agency