Timeliness of yellow fever specimen collection and transport in Ghana, 2018–2022

Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral hemorrhagic fever, and recent outbreaks of yellow fever have occurred in multiple African countries, including Ghana (2021-2022). Delayed diagnosis of yellow fever may cause increased morbidity and mortality. To improve timely detection of yellow fever, we need to better understand the factors contributing to diagnostic delays. We analyzed the diagnostic testing timeline of all suspected yellow fever cases in Ghana from 2018-2022. For these patients we calculated the days from symptom onset to specimen collection and arrival at the National Public Health and Reference Laboratory for testing. We compared these times to World Health Organization (WHO) metrics. For suspected yellow fever cases, the time from symptom onset to specimen arrival had a median of 10 days (interquartile range 6-17). 5892/6345 (93%) of specimens were collected within 14 days of symptom onset, and 2653/6471 (41%) of specimens arrived within 3 days of collection (WHO metrics). Overall, we find that the timing of yellow fever testing varies among districts in Ghana. While specimens are generally collected in a timely manner, delays in specimen arrival are common. Improving specimen transport for yellow fever and/or expanded testing could lead to more timely detection of outbreaks.