Observational studyGlobal health action2016
Ebola virus disease surveillance and response preparedness in northern Ghana.
Observational study in Global health action, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Preparedness of the Ghana Health Service for field epidemiology and applied biostatistics: a systematic review of infectious disease surveillance, outbreak investigation methodologies, and statistical modeling capacities in resource-limited settings.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Change in Formal and Informal Forest Management Institutions Induced by Health Shocks-A Global Systematic Review.Environmental management · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Systematic review of Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) implementation in the African region.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Article
- Is Ghana Prepared for Another Arboviral Outbreak? Evaluating the 2024 Dengue Fever Outbreak in the Context of Past Yellow Fever, Influenza, and COVID-19 Outbreaks.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2025Review
- Implementation of an Integrated Sample Referral System (ISRS) in Ghana: Successes and Lessons Learnt from a Pilot Study in the Northern and Greater Accra Regions.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Challenges associated with the implementation of institutional quarantine and isolation strategies during major multicountry viral outbreaks in Africa (2000-2023): a scoping review.Global health research and policy · 2024Article
- Factors influencing integrated disease surveillance and response system in selected districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana.PloS one · 2024Article
- Points of entry dynamics: understanding the cross-border threats for Ebola virus disease and COVID-19 in Ghana using a logic model approach.Journal of public health in Africa · 2023Article
- Evaluation through outbreak simulation exercise points to the need for considerable improvement in the capacity of peripheral health workers for outbreak detection and response, South India, 2018.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2021Article
- Inadequate preparedness for response to COVID-19 is associated with stress and burnout among healthcare workers in Ghana.PloS one · 2021Article
- Analyses of the performance of the Ebola virus disease alert management system in South Sudan: August 2018 to November 2019.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Article
- Evaluation of viral haemorrhagic fever surveillance system with focus on Ebola virus disease, Bawku municipality- Upper East Region, Ghana, 2011-2015.Ghana medical journal · 2020Article
- Understanding mSOS: A qualitative study examining the implementation of a text-messaging outbreak alert system in rural Kenya.PloS one · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe recent Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak has been described as unprecedented in terms of morbidity, mortality, and geographical extension. It also revealed many weaknesses and inadequacies for disease surveillance and response systems in Africa due to underqualified staff, cultural beliefs, and lack of trust for the formal health care sector. In 2014, Ghana had high risk of importation of EVD cases.
objectiveThe objective of this study was to assess the EVD surveillance and response system in northern Ghana.
designThis was an observational study conducted among 47 health workers (district directors, medical, disease control, and laboratory officers) in all 13 districts of the Upper East Region representing public, mission, and private health services. A semi-structured questionnaire with focus on core and support functions (e.g. detection, confirmation) was administered to the informants. Their responses were recorded according to specific themes. In addition, 34 weekly Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response reports (August 2014 to March 2015) were collated from each district.
resultsIn 2014 and 2015, a total of 10 suspected Ebola cases were clinically diagnosed from four districts. Out of the suspected cases, eight died and the cause of death was unexplained. All the 10 suspected cases were reported, none was confirmed. The informants had knowledge on EVD surveillance and data reporting. However, there were gaps such as delayed reporting, low quality protective equipment (e.g. gloves, aprons), inadequate staff, and lack of laboratory capacity. The majority (38/47) of the respondents were not satisfied with EVD surveillance system and response preparedness due to lack of infrared thermometers, ineffective screening, and lack of isolation centres.
conclusionEVD surveillance and response preparedness is insufficient and the epidemic is a wake-up call for early detection and response preparedness. Ebola surveillance remains a neglected public health issue. Thus, disease surveillance strengthening is urgently needed in Ghana.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.