Speaker
Description
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects many of Ghana’s rural communities with poor access to safe water and sanitation. Past studies highlight the importance of climate variables on Schistosomiasis transmission but much is not known about their influence on schistosomiasis prevalence in Ashanti Region of Ghana. In this study, we examined the influence of climate variability on schistosomiasis transmission in the Ashanti Region from 2013 to 2023. Schistosomiasis case for all districts in Ashanti Region were obtained from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) while temperature and relative humidity data was extracted from the ERA5 (fifth generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast ReAnalysis data) and rainfall from CHIRPS (Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data ). We then examined the statistical linkages between Schistosomiasis cases and climate variables (temperature, rainfall and relative humidity) as well as how these relationships differ across different districts in the Region. It was observed that schistosomiasis case patterns varied across the various districts, highlighting the importance of district-specific interventions. The relation between schistosomiasis cases and climate variables were statistically insignificant (p > 0.05) for most of the districts suggesting that climate variables does not have a direct influence on schistosomiasis transmission in the region. Other factors such as sanitation, water interaction as well as habitat for snails may directly influence the disease transmission. Future studies should explore non-linear modelling approaches to determine the influence of climate variables on schistosomiasis transmission in Ashanti Region.
Keywords: schistosomiasis, climate variability, transmission, Ashanti Region, Ghanas.