Trend and burden of pneumonia infections among children under-5 years in Sawla Tuna Kalba District, Ghana, 2017-2021

Introduction: Pneumonia is a major public health problem among children under 5 globally. An estimated 740,180 under-5 pneumonia deaths were recorded worldwide in 2019. In Ghana, about 5,000 pneumonia-related deaths and an incidence of 0.22 episodes per child year are reported annually. We determined the trend and burden of pneumonia infections among children under-5 years from 2017 to 2021 in Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of Ghana. Methods: We conducted a retrospective data analysis of under-5 pneumonia cases using data extracted from the District Health Information Management System 2 (DHIMS 2) from 2017 to 2021. Data was cleaned and analysed using Microsoft Excel Version 2010. Age, sex, location and year of infection of the cases were extracted for analysis. Incidence rates, proportions and frequencies were generated and presented in tables and charts. Missed outbreaks during the period were determined through the calculation of the cumulative sum. Results: A total of 1,830 cases were recorded within the period. More cases, 50.3% (921/1,830), were reported among males. Majority, 62.8% (1,149/1,830) of the cases were from Sawla sub-district. The average incidence rate was 17 cases per 1,000 children. Most of cases were detected in the harmattan and rainy seasons. Two possible outbreaks occurred and these were reported in September 2019 and November 2021. Conclusion: There was an increasing trend and burden of pneumonia infections among children under-5 over the period. Possible outbreaks were reported over the period. Male children were more affected. A higher number of infections was being reported in the harmattan and rainy seasons. There should be continual surveillance which should be intensified during peak seasons by the district surveillance unit.