Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 43 | Published: 07 Oct 2026
Benjamin Tetteh Hansen1,2,&, Lavish Emmanuel Aformaleh3, Richard Otu Agblom2, Kofi Hoyah4, Patience Padi5, Comfort Teiko Abuanor6, Joyce Berkumwin Der1
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana, 2Department of Medical Laboratory, University of Ghana Medical Centre, Legon, Accra, Ghana, 3Metropolitan Health Directorate, Ghana Health Service, Cape Coast, Ghana, 4Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Catholic Hospital Battor, North Tongu District, Volta Region, Ghana, 5Tuberculosis Unit, Catholic Hospital Battor, North Tongu District, Volta Region, Ghana, 6Thrivus University for Biomedical Science and Technology, Department of Gene Therapy, Constellation Avenue, Lashibi, Accra, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Benjamin Tetteh Hansen, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana, Email: bhansen19@sahs.uhas.edu.gh, benhansen68.bh@gmail.com, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4170-4317
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 30 Aug 2026, Published: 07 Oct 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis, GeneXpert, Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
©Benjamin Tetteh Hansen et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Benjamin Tetteh Hansen et al., Prevalence and rifampicin-resistance patterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among presumptive TB patients in a resource-constrained district: Evidence from GeneXpert surveillance data (2017-2025). Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):43. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0043
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (MTB) remains a major public health challenge in rural communities. Delayed diagnosis and rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) threaten the progress toward the End TB Strategy. This study determined the prevalence of MTB and RR-TB among presumptive TB patients in North Tongu District, Ghana.
A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Catholic Hospital Battor, the GeneXpert testing site. Archived GeneXpert results (1784) from January 2017 to December 2025 were analysed using STATA version 17. Modified Poisson regression determined factors associated with MTB positivity, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05 (95% C.I). Variables with log-likelihood p-value ≤ 0.20 were included in the multivariable model.
The mean age was 43.2 +20.3 years. MTB prevalence was 19.3%. RR-TB prevalence was 0.2%, and 1.1% indeterminate cases. Prevalence was highest among adults aged 15-29 years (22.7%) and lowest among children aged <15 years 6.8% (aPR = 0.27; 95% CI [0.12, 0.56], p-0.001). Males had a higher positivity rate compared to females (aPR = 1.42, 95% CI [1.17, 1.72], p = 0.001). Annual prevalence peaked at 77.1% in 2020 (aPR=7.39, 95% CI [5.39, 10.16], p=0.001) compared to 2025, and declined steadily to 9.7% in 2025. The highest total monthly prevalence was recorded in January (29.8%), December (24.3%), and May (22.4%). Mepe (21.5%) and Battor (16.8%) recorded the highest case burdens, with cases from the adjoining districts, especially within the Greater Accra Region.
MTB affected almost 1 in 5 presumptive TB patients, with low RR-TB prevalence. MTB infection was more prevalent among males and less among those aged < 15 years. Cases were concentrated in specific towns and showed marked heterogeneity across the district. The District Health Directorate must prioritize targeted active case finding, contact tracing, and screening in high-burden towns (Mepe and Battor) and among adult males.
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