Further observations on hydrogen peroxide antisepsis and COVID-19 cases among healthcare workers and inpatients.

BACKGROUND: The use of prophylactic antisepsis to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been suggested. This study investigated hydrogen peroxide antisepsis (HPA) at two hospitals in Ghana. METHODS: Cases of COVID-19 among healthcare workers (HCWs) using hydrogen peroxide (HP-HCWs) or not using hydrogen peroxide (NHP-HCWs), vaccinated or unvaccinated, were recorded at Shai-Osudoku Hospital (SODH), Dodowa, and Mount Olives Hospital (MOH), Techiman, between May 2020 and December 2021. The effect of HPA in all inpatients at MOH was also observed. Permutation tests were used to determine P values. FINDINGS: At SODH, there were 62 (13.5%) cases of COVID-19 among 458 NHP-HCWs but no cases among eight HP-HCWs (P=0.622) from May to December 2020. Between January and March 2021, 10 (2.7%) of 372 NHP-HCWs had COVID-19, but there were no cases among 94 HP-HCWs (P=0.206). At MOH, prior to HPA, 17 (20.2%) of 84 HCWs and five (1.4%) of 370 inpatients had COVID-19 in July 2020. From August 2020 to March 2021, two of 54 (3.7%) HCWs who stopped HPA had COVID-19; none of 32 NHP-HCWs contracted COVID-19. At SODH, none of 23 unvaccinated HP-HCWs and 35 (64%) of 55 unvaccinated NHP-HCWs had COVID-19 from April to December 2021 (P<0.0001). None of 34 vaccinated HP-HCWs and 53 (13.6%) of 390 vaccinated NHP-HCWs had COVID-19 (P=0.015). No inpatients on prophylactic HPA (total 7736) contracted COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Regular, daily HPA protects HCWs from COVID-19, and curtails nosocomial spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Diagnosis of dual human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 infections in a resource-limited setting.

BACKGROUND: The presence of dual HIV-1/HIV-2 infection in Ghana and the different drug requirements for the treatment of HIV-1 and HIV-2 presents difficulties for the treatment of dual infections with both viruses. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of the dual sero-positive profile in treatment naive patients at a principal ART Clinic in Accra, Ghana and to investigate if rapid screening assays could be useful for diagnosis. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: A principal antiretroviral treatment centre in Accra, Ghana. SUBJECTS: Three hundred and twenty eight antiretroviral treatment naive patients. RESULTS: A total of 12 (3.7%) of patients seen were dual seropositive. There was a slight tendency of dual seropositive females being older than their HIV-1 counterparts (p = 0.088, CI = -10.833 to 0.753). Eight of the 12 of the dual seropositives were reactive for Genie II and were considered as possibly infected with both HIV-I and HIV-2. Seven (87.5%) of Genie II dual seropositives had strong intensities (> 1+) on both HIV-2 specific bands (sgp105 and gp36) on Innolia. CD4 counts were not significantly different in dual seropositives as compared to HIV-1 infected patients. CONCLUSIONS: Dual HIV-1/HIV-2 seropositives (and possibly infections) maybe common especially in older women. The Genie II will be useful as a supplemental rapid test for rapid and accurate differentiation of HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies at treatment centres.