Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfProc7): Abstract 105 | Published: 13 Oct 2026
Clement Amankwah1,2,&, Rita Asante2 , Samuel Sackey2, Ernest Kenu2
1Western Regional Health Directorate, Ghana Health Service, 2Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program
&Corresponding author: Clement Amankwah; Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana, Email: clement.amankwah@ghs.gov.gh
Received: 29 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 13 Oct 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
This is part of the Proceedings of the 8th Ghana FELTP Scientific Conference and FELTP Competency Graduation, Accra, Ghana, 10 – 11 December, 2025
Keywords: Measles, epidemiology, surveillance, DHIMS, SORMAS
©Clement Amankwah 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: Clement Amankwah et al. Epidemiology of measles in the Western Region of Ghana: A descriptive analysis of the surveillance data, 2020-2024. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):105. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-00105
Measles remains a significant public health concern in Ghana, particularly in the Western Region, despite being a vaccine-preventable disease. In 2023, the World Health Organization reported over 10 million cases globally, with the African Region bearing 70% of the burden. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of measles in the Western Region of Ghana from 2020 to 2024, assessing trends, demographic distribution, geographical patterns and surveillance performance.
A secondary data analysis was conducted using case-based surveillance data from the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management and Analysis System (SORMAS) and vaccination data from the District Health Information Management System II (DHIMS2). Data were cleaned and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Epi Info to generate frequencies, proportions, and incidence rates. Geographic distribution was visualized using QGIS.
A total of 1,824 suspected measles cases were reported from 2020 to 2024, with 1,490 (81.7%) tested and 270 (18.1%) confirmed. Incidence rose from 0.1 to 6.9 per 100,000 population, with the highest confirmed cases in 2024. Children aged 1-5 years constituted the majority (69.6%) of confirmed cases, and males accounted for 53%. Spatial analysis revealed that Mpohor, Wassa Amenfi East and Ellembelle Districts had the highest incidence in 2024, while Sekondi-Takoradi recorded the lowest. Seasonal peaks were observed consistently in the first quarter of each year. Vaccination coverage improved from 72.6% in 2020 to 93.8% in 2024, yet it remained below the WHO’s 95% target.
The study highlights a rising incidence of measles in the Western Region, disproportionately affecting children under five and males, despite improvements in vaccination coverage. Spatial and seasonal disparities with incomplete data reporting signal systemic weaknesses in surveillance and immunization strategies. Strengthening routine immunization, improving data quality and enhancing public health communication are recommended achieving measles elimination.
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