Funder:
Government of Ghana, Ministry of Health
Amount: GhC 350,000.00 for KNUST/KCCR, UHAS and RDD
Project Period: January 2022-December 2022

Research Team Members:
Dr Michael Owusu
Dr Sampson Twumasi-Ankrah
Miss Sherihane Aryeteey
Derrick Opoku (Masters student)

Collaborating institutions
University of Health and Allied Science
RDD

Overview of the Project:
Several etiologies contribute significantly to the burden of respiratory tract infections. These may include viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. Although the overt manifestations of respiratory infections may be similar, due to the current pandemic by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), on presentation to health care facilities, the first line of diagnosis may be COVID-19. As a result, several COVID-19 tests have been requested for suspected cases. Using the current prevalence of 9.7% among clinical cases in Ghana, it will be important to determine the respiratory microbes responsible for the respiratory symptoms in suspected clinical cases of COVID-19.

This project aims to describe respiratory aetiologies in archived suspected COVID-19 clinical cases in Ghana. With the generation of such empirical data, health authorities will be better informed in case management and the overall response strategy to COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

Project Impact:
The information and results obtained from this study will help guide therapies and lead to the development of context-specific algorithms and policies for diagnosing COVID-19 and respiratory pathogens.