Conference Abstract | Volume 9, Abstract 023 (ConfProc7) | Published: 30 Apr 2026
Patrick Asante-Kumah1,2,&, George Akowuah2, Magdalene Akos Odikro2, Joseph Asamoah Frimpong2, Samuel Oko Sackey2, Ernest Kenu2
1Ghana Health Service, Western North Regional Health Directorate, Sefwi Bodi, Ghana, 2Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Patrick Asante-Kumah; Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana; Email: asantekumah@gmail.com ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3798-8745
Received: 02 Aug 2026, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 30 Apr 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Syphilis, Positivity rate, Surveillance, Screening, Western North Region
©Patrick Asante-Kumah 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: Patrick Asante-Kumah et al. Epidemiological analysis of syphilis cases in Western North Region, 2022–2024. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):023. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0023
Syphilis remains a public health challenge in Ghana, but its true burden in the Western North Region is not well documented. Globally, the positivity rate of active syphilis is about 0.6% and 1.6–3.0% among antenatal clinic attendees in Ghana. This study analyzed syphilis testing data from the Western North Region to determine positivity rates, trends, high-risk groups, and geographic distribution.
We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study using syphilis testing records from six hospitals in Ghana’s Western North Region. Data on age, sex, facility, testing date and test results were extracted from the Lightwave Health Information Management System. Data was cleaned for duplicates and missing values. We analyzed the data using Excel, Epi Info and QGIS. We calculated descriptive statistics, including frequencies, proportions, and positivity rates. The results were presented in tables , graphs and choropleth map.
From 2022 to 2024, 9405 people were tested for syphilis in the region. Positivity rate decreased from 10.3% (309/3,000) in 2022 to 7.9% (306/3,897) in 2023, then increased to 10.6% (266/2508). Positivity was 17.2% in males (436/2,531) and 6.5% in females (445/6,874). Among males, those ≥50 years contributed the most positives (33.7%; 147/436), while among females, the 30–39 age group accounted for 31.5% (140/445). Juaboso Hospital recorded the highest positivity rate of 18.5% (97/524).
Syphilis remains a significant public health concern in the Western North Region. Positivity rates declined from 2022 to 2023 but rose again in 2024 . Positivity rate was higher in males than females. Cases were predominantly in older men and women of reproductive age. Juaboso District Hospital had the highest positivity rate of the disease. Routine analysis and dissemination of syphilis data are recommended to guide intervention.
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