Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC202547 (Poster 145) | Published: 07 Aug 2025
Kwasi Atweri Akowuah1, Magdalene Sarah Ofori2, Deborah Pratt2, Abigail Abankwa2, Evelyn Yayra Bonney2, Nancy Enimil2, Eric Odei3, Theodore Worlanyo Asigbee2, Dennis Laryea4, Prince Ketorwoley2, Juliana Naa Dedei Acquah Amaning2, Serwaa Boapea2, Stella Bour2, Sally-Ann Ohene5, Patrick Avevor5, John Kofi Odoom2, Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe4, Patrick Kuma Aboagye4, Francis Chisaka Kasolo5, Benjamin Abuaku1, Dorothy Yeboah-Manu6, Joseph Humphrey Kofi Bonney2,&
1Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra Ghana, 2Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra Ghana, 3Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra Ghana, 4Public Health Division, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana, 5World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office, Accra Ghana, 6Department of Bacteriology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra Ghana
&Corresponding author: JH Kofi Bonney, NMIMR, Legon, Accra, Ghana. Email: kbonney@noguchi.ug.edu.gh
Received: 10 May 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 07 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Lassa Fever, Lassa fever transmission, Lassa fever outbreak, Ghana, West Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
©Kwasi Atweri Akowuah 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: Kwasi Atweri Akowuah et al., The epidemiology of Lassa fever in Ghana: A study on the 2023 Lassa fever outbreak in Ghana. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00289. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO5-00289
Viral disease outbreak remains a key public health concern given its impact on life and livelihood. Historical data suggests Lassa Fever is endemic in several West African countries with sporadic cases occurring elsewhere in the region. In February 2023, Ghana recorded its second outbreak of Lassa fever following that of 2011. To aid in future outbreak investigation and response, the present study sought to document the epidemiology of the recent outbreak in Ghana.
The study is a cross sectional quantitative analytical study. The data presented in the study include demographic, clinical, and test results data. The demographic and clinical data were captured from the case investigation forms accompanying samples submitted to Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research between February and March 2023 for Lassa fever testing. The Test results data were obtained from Polymerase chain reaction amplification of samples received. Sample processing and testing were carried out according to the kits manufacturer’s protocol. Ribonucleic Acid isolation was carried out using the QIAmp RNA kit. Polymerase chain reaction amplification processes were performed using the Qiagen OneStep RT PCR protocol. Data management and analysis were done using Microsoft Excel and STATA. Descriptive analysis was used to analyse and report the demographic and clinical characteristics. Inferential statistics was used to determine associations between the study variables.
The overall positivity rate was 5.19% out of the 539 samples received. Most cases were confirmed in the Month of February. Positivity rate was higher among females (5.65%). Over 90% of all confirmed cases were from the Greater Accra Region. Case burden for LF was highest among healthcare professionals and adults aged 25-35 years. The commonly reported symptoms among confirmed cases included headache, intense fatigue, fever, and muscle/joint pain.
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