Objectives: Sentinel studies have targeted prenatal women as they are largely descriptive of the reproductive bracket, and prevalence data may be extended to the general population. This study determined the seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at the Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital.Methods: Whole blood samples were collected from 258 pregnant women aged between 15-45 years, from September 1st through December 31st, 2018. Separated plasma was stored and later screened for HCV antibodies.Results: Out of the total, 2.7% (7/258) tested seropositive for HCV antibodies. The 20 -29 years age group recorded the highest prevalence of 1.6% (4/258, χ 2 = 4.260, p = 0.513). According to the 2018 HIV Sentinel Surveillance report, the prevalence of HIV infection in the Cape Coast Metropolitan Area was 3.4% (17/500). Also, the prevalence of HIV among the 20-29 years age group was 1.8% (9/500). The 15-24 years, proxy group for new infections recorded 0.8% (2/258) for HCV and 0.2% (1/500) for HIV infection. Conclusions:The seroprevalence determined in this study is classified 'intermediate,' according to the WHO guidelines for the care and treatment of persons diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.The WHO currently does not recommend routine HCV testing for pregnant women; however, this study highlights the need for urgent public health interventions aimed at reducing the infection rate. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2020; 10(1):52-55.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a syndrome associated with high morbidity, mortality and high hospital costs. Despite its adverse clinical and economic effects, only a few studies have reported reliable estimates on the incidence of AKI in sub-Sahara Africa. We assessed the incidence and associated factors of AKI among medical and surgical patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Ghana. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among one hundred and forty-five (145) consecutive patients admitted to the medical and the surgical wards at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), Cape Coast, Ghana from April 2017 to April 2018. Socio-demographic and clinical information were collected using structured questionnaires. AKI was diagnosed and staged with the KDIGO guideline, using admission serum creatinine as baseline kidney function. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 46.6±17.7 years, whilst the male:female ratio was 68:77. The overall incidence of AKI among the participants was 15.9% (95% CI: 10.33 – 22.84%). Stage 1 AKI occurred in 56.5% of the par- ticipants, whilst stages 2 and 3 AKI respectively occurred among 4.1% and 2.8% of respondents. About 20% of the partic- ipants in the medical ward developed AKI (n= 15) whilst 12% of those in surgical ward developed AKI (n= 8). Among the participants admitted to the medical ward, 60.0%, 26.7% and 13.3% had stages 1, 2 and 3 AKI respectively. Whilst 50.0%, 25.0% and 25.0% respectively developed stages 1, 2 and 3 AKI in the surgical ward. Medical patients with AKI had hyper- tension (40%), followed by liver disease (33.3%); 37.5% of surgical inpatients had gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Conclusion: The incidence of AKI is high among medical and surgical patients in-patients in the CCTH, Ghana, with hy- pertension and liver disease as major comorbidities. Keywords: Acute kidney injury; KDIGO; medical; surgical; hypertension; liver disease.

This is a hospital-based cohort study, which aimed at assessing the seroprevalence of syphilis among pregnant women who sought antenatal care at the Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital (CCMH). We retrospectively analyzed secondary data of 2,640 term pregnant women,