{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T10:07:42Z","timestamp":1781258862234,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,9]],"date-time":"2024-02-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1707436800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institute of Health","award":["NIH: D43 TW 011513"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NIH: D43 TW 011513"]}]},{"name":"OMNI Diagnostics Accra Ghana"},{"name":"CSIGN project"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Malaria is a common and severe public health problem in Ghana and largely responsible for febrile symptoms presented at health facilities in the country. Other infectious diseases, including COVID-19, may mimic malaria due to their shared non-specific symptoms such as fever and headache thus leading to misdiagnosis. This study therefore investigated COVID-19 among patients presenting with malaria-like symptoms at Korle-Bu Polyclinic, Accra, Ghana.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This study enrolled 300 patients presenting with malaria-like symptoms aged \u226518yrs. After consent was obtained from study patients, two to three millilitres of whole blood, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab samples, were collected for screening of <jats:italic>Plasmodium falciparum<\/jats:italic> using malaria rapid diagnostic test, microscopy and nested PCR, and SARS-CoV-2 using SARS-CoV-2 antigen test and Real-time PCR, respectively. The plasma and whole blood were also used for COVID-19 antibody testing and full blood counts using hematological analyser. SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing was performed using MinIon sequencing.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The prevalence of malaria by microscopy, RDT and nested PCR were 2.3%, 2.3% and 2.7% respectively. The detection of SARS-CoV-2 by COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test and Real-time PCR were 8.7% and 20% respectively. The Delta variant was reported in 23 of 25 SARS-CoV-2 positives with CT values below 30. Headache was the most common symptom presented by study participants (95%). Comorbidities reported were hypertension, asthma and diabetes. One hundred and thirteen (37.8%) of the study participants had prior exposure to SARS CoV-2 and (34\/51) 66.7% of Astrazeneca vaccinated patients had no IgG antibody.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>It may be difficult to use clinical characteristics to distinguish between patients with COVID-19 having malaria-like symptoms. Detection of IgM using RDTs may be useful in predicting CT values for SARS-CoV-2 real-time PCR and therefore transmission.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0298088","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,9]],"date-time":"2024-02-09T18:29:36Z","timestamp":1707503376000},"page":"e0298088","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["COVID-19 in patients presenting with malaria-like symptoms at a primary healthcare facility in Accra, Ghana"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Issabella","family":"Asamoah","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0065-5926","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mildred","family":"Adusei-Poku","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Priscilla","family":"Vandyck-Sey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Allen","family":"Steele-Dadzie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Atta Senior","family":"Kuffour","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Albert","family":"Turkson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ivy Asantewaa","family":"Asante","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kantanka","family":"Addo-Osafo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Quaneeta","family":"Mohktar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bright","family":"Adu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yaw A.","family":"Afrane","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8891-8267","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kwamena W. 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