← All researchers

Bismark Sarfo

University of Ghana

65 publications · 1,154 citations · ORCID 0000-0002-6995-6364

HIV/AIDS Research and InterventionsMalaria Research and ControlHIV-related health complications and treatmentsHIV, Drug Use, Sexual RiskMosquito-borne diseases and control

We prepare their research opportunity report and reach out personally to introduce you — their contact details stay private.

Know them?Invite to claim·

Bismark Sarfo is a public health researcher and epidemiologist specializing in infectious disease surveillance, HIV/AIDS comorbidities, and maternal and child health in Ghana. Sarfo's work spans from basic laboratory research on malaria and trypanosome pathogenesis to applied epidemiological studies evaluating health systems and disease prevention interventions. The research portfolio demonstrates a strong focus on understanding the burden of diseases such as malaria, HIV, hepatitis B, and emerging conditions like COVID-19 within specific Ghanaian populations.

Reach out

ORCIDOpenAlexGoogle Scholar

Their published papers and profiles list institutional contact details.

This profile was built automatically from public publication records and has not yet been claimed by the researcher.

Research opportunities

Study designs adjacent to this body of work — each grounded in the published record and scoped so a trainee could run it.

Claim your researcher profile

This profile was built from your public publication record — claim it to manage it.

How do specific policy frameworks regarding social protection and food systems in low-income countries moderate the projected increase in child wasting and maternal undernutrition caused by economic shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic?

Why this gap exists: While the retrieved literature confirms the projected increase in child wasting and maternal undernutrition due to COVID-19 disruptions [0] and explores general concepts of food system resilience [2] and social protection [3], no study directly quantifies how specific policy frameworks moderate these projected outcomes, leaving the core interaction unresolved.

Sources

  1. Early estimates of the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child mortality in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study — The Lancet Global Health, 2020
  2. Biofortification as a sustainable strategy to address micronutrient malnutrition in South Asia. — Journal of health, population, and nutrition, 2025
  3. Resilience of local food systems and links to food security – A review of some important concepts in the context of COVID-19 and other shocks — Food Security, 2020
  4. Resilience and Recovery in the Informal Economy: Social Networks, Social Protection, and Adaptive Strategies Among Post-COVID Workers in Bangladesh. — Public health challenges, 2026
  5. Malnutrition at a Crossroads: The Impact of Pandemic, Climate Change, and War on Tigray’s Children Malnutrition — 2026
  6. Economic Shocks, Inequality and Poverty: The Need for Safety Nets — 1998
  7. Lessons from low-to middle-income countries on the development of child protection systems — The Development of Child Protection Systems and Practice in Low- to Middle-Income Countries, 2025
  8. Drivers of Stunting Reduction in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: A Case Study. — International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022
  9. Inequality, mobility and the financial accumulation process: A computational economic analysis — Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination (2020), online, 2019
  10. The Role of Agriculture in Ensuring Food Security in Developing Countries: Considerations in the Context of the Problem of Sustainable Food Production — Sustainability, 2020

What are the long-term developmental and health outcomes in children born to mothers who experienced COVID-19-related mental health stressors compared to those who did not, controlling for socioeconomic status?

Why this gap exists: While recent studies [0, 5, 6] link pandemic-related maternal distress to child neurodevelopmental issues, the retrieved evidence focuses on general pandemic exposure rather than specifically isolating COVID-19 mental health stressors while controlling for socioeconomic status, leaving the specific comparison unresolved.

Sources

  1. Disrupted beginnings: Neurodevelopmental outcomes of COVID-19 lockdowns in early childhood (Review). — Experimental and therapeutic medicine, 2026
  2. Association of Birth During the COVID-19 Pandemic With Neurodevelopmental Status at 6 Months in Infants With and Without In Utero Exposure to Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection — JAMA Pediatrics, 2022
  3. Moms Are Not OK: COVID-19 and Maternal Mental Health — Frontiers in Global Women s Health, 2020
  4. Challenges and burden of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for child and adolescent mental health: a narrative review to highlight clinical and research needs in the acute phase and the long return to normality — Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 2020
  5. Parenting stress and risk of child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: A family stress theory-informed perspective — Developmental Child Welfare, 2020
  6. Maternal internalizing symptoms as a mechanism linking pre- and postnatal COVID-19 pandemic exposure with preschool-aged children's neurodevelopment. — Archives of women's mental health, 2026
  7. Maternal Distress Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Changes in Young Children's Behavior. — Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP, 2026
  8. Impact of the COVID‐19 Pandemic on Parent, Child, and Family Functioning — Family Process, 2021
  9. Exploring factors influencing mother-infant interaction trajectories post-NICU discharge in low-birth-weight infants during COVID-19 in China: a longitudinal qualitative study. — BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2026
  10. An Efficient Mixture of Deep and Machine Learning Models for COVID-19 and Tuberculosis Detection Using X-Ray Images in Resource Limited Settings — Artificial Intelligence for COVID-19. Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol 358. 2021, Springer, Cham, 2020

What are the specific long-term treatment strategies required to mitigate the risk of developing chronic non-communicable diseases in children born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus?

Why this gap exists: While the retrieved literature consistently establishes that maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) increases the long-term risk of cardiometabolic diseases in offspring [1][2][3], it focuses primarily on pathogenesis and risk association rather than defining specific, evidence-based long-term treatment strategies for the children to mitigate these risks.

Sources

  1. Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus — Diabetes Care, 2010
  2. A Clinical Update on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus — Endocrine Reviews, 2022
  3. Maternal Diabetes and Risk of Early-Onset Cardiovascular Diseases in Offspring. — JAMA cardiology, 2026
  4. Gestational diabetes as an inter-generational cardiometabolic risk factor: spotlight on emerging exerkines. — Cardiovascular diabetology, 2026
  5. Gestational diabetes: from pathogenesis to therapeutic intervention. — Diabetology & metabolic syndrome, 2026
  6. 2. Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes:<i>Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2022</i> — Diabetes Care, 2021
  7. Maternal congenital heart disease and risk of child developmental vulnerability in early school age: A population-based cohort study. — PLoS medicine, 2026
  8. Gestational Diabetes in Somali Women: Neglected Risks for Maternal and Neonatal Health. — International journal of women's health, 2026
  9. Gestational Diabetes and Obesity: Immediate and Late Sequelae for Offspring. — Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2025
  10. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Diagnostic Approaches and Maternal-Offspring Complications — Diabetes & Metabolism Journal, 2022

How do specific maternal microbiota profiles (gut, oral, or vaginal) during gestation correlate with the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and subsequent long-term metabolic health in offspring?

Why this gap exists: While recent reviews [8] confirm GDM alters maternal gut microbiota and neonatal health, and older studies [0] note dysbiosis across maternal sites, the retrieved evidence lacks direct, longitudinal studies correlating specific gestational maternal microbiota profiles with the *long-term* metabolic health of offspring, leaving the core question unresolved.

Sources

  1. Dysbiosis of maternal and neonatal microbiota associated with gestational diabetes mellitus — Gut, 2018
  2. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in disease — Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease, 2015
  3. Temporal development of the gut microbiome in early childhood from the TEDDY study — Nature, 2018
  4. Microbiota in health and diseases — Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 2022
  5. Maternal Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Congenital Heart Disease in Offspring: A Meta-Analysis — Hormone and Metabolic Research, 2024
  6. Perinatal phlorizin alleviates maternal high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome in female mouse offspring and is associated with modulation of the gut microbiota. — Frontiers in nutrition, 2026
  7. Offspring long-term infectious morbidity following pregnancies with cervical cerclage. — Archives of gynecology and obstetrics, 2026
  8. Interaction between microbiota and immunity in health and disease — Cell Research, 2020
  9. Gestational diabetes mellitus and maternal-infant microbiome axis: mechanistic insights and therapeutic interventions. — Journal of translational medicine, 2026
  10. Microbes in the Moonlight: How the Gut Microbiota Influences Sleep — arXiv preprint, 2025

To what extent do changes in the maternal microbiota (gut, oral, or vaginal) during pregnancy mediate the relationship between maternal perinatal anxiety/depression and the neurodevelopmental outcomes of the offspring?

Why this gap exists: While recent studies confirm associations between maternal mental health and microbiota composition (Abstract 5, 8) and suggest the microbiome-gut-brain axis influences neurodevelopment (Abstract 0, 2), the retrieved evidence does not contain studies that directly test the mediating role of maternal microbiota changes between perinatal anxiety/depression and offspring neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Sources

  1. Parental microbiome programming of early-life neurodevelopment: multi-niche contributions through the microbiome-gut-brain axis. — Gut microbes, 2026
  2. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota in disease — Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease, 2015
  3. Stress during pregnancy alters temporal and spatial dynamics of the maternal and offspring microbiome in a sex-specific manner — Scientific Reports, 2017
  4. The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids From Gut Microbiota in Gut-Brain Communication — Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2020
  5. Ultra-processed food consumption across early life: implications for pediatric health and disease risk. — Frontiers in nutrition, 2026
  6. Mental health in early pregnancy: Interplay of objectively measured lifestyles, gut microbiota, and metabolomics. — iScience, 2026
  7. The impact of maternal high-fat diet on offspring neurodevelopment — Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2022
  8. Maternal education and offspring birthweight for gestational age: the mediating effect of smoking during pregnancy — arXiv preprint, 2020
  9. Is Gut Microbiota Altered in Depression and Anxiety? — 2025
  10. Vaginal Microbiota: A Critical Component of Reproductive Health and Pregnancy Outcomes — Vaginal Microbiota: A Critical Component of Reproductive Health and Pregnancy Outcomes, 2025

What are the comparative efficacy and adherence rates of new short-course latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) regimens versus traditional long-course therapies in high-burden, low-resource settings?

Why this gap exists: While a 2023 network meta-analysis [6] synthesizes general efficacy and adherence data for LTBI regimens, the retrieved evidence lacks direct comparative studies specifically focused on high-burden, low-resource settings, leaving the specific constraints of these environments unresolved.

Sources

  1. New developments in tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment — Breathe, 2022
  2. Latent Tuberculosis and HIV Infection — Current Infectious Disease Reports, 2020
  3. Epidemic and pandemic viral infections: impact on tuberculosis and the lung — European Respiratory Journal, 2020
  4. Overcoming barriers to patient adherence: the case for developing innovative drug delivery systems — Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2023
  5. Drug resistant tuberculosis: Implications for transmission, diagnosis, and disease management — Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 2022
  6. Updates on the Treatment of Drug-Susceptible and Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: An Official ATS/CDC/ERS/IDSA Clinical Practice Guideline — American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2024
  7. Efficacy and safety of different regimens in the treatment of patients with latent tuberculosis infection: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials — Archives of Public Health, 2023
  8. Improving Tuberculosis Medication Adherence: The Potential of Integrating Digital Technology and Health Belief Model — Tuberculosis & respiratory diseases, 2023
  9. Mind the gap – Managing tuberculosis across the disease spectrum — EBioMedicine, 2022
  10. Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment in High TB-Burden Settings: A State-of-the-Art Review — Drugs, 2024

Publications

Public health surveillance: characterizing the Covid 19 pandemic in the Monze district, Zambia

BMC Infectious Diseases · 2026

Assessment of adherence to the World Health Organization’s prescribing indicators at the family medicine clinic of a quaternary facility

PLoS ONE · 2026

Factors Associated with Outcomes of Inpatient Severe Malaria Cases in the Ashanti Region, Ghana: An Analytic Cross-sectional Study using Routine Surveillance Data, 2018 to 2022

medRxiv · 2026

Exploring quality of life among elderly persons living with HIV in Accra, Ghana

PLoS ONE · 2025 · corresponding author · 3 citations

Bacteriological quality of household drinking water and cholera risk in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Pan African Medical Journal · 2025 · 1 citations

Influence of participation in decision making regarding sexual and reproductive health on HIV testing among married and cohabiting women in Ghana

AIDS Care · 2025

Factors influencing integrated disease surveillance and response system in selected districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana

PLoS ONE · 2024 · corresponding author · 1 citations

Psychosocial interventions and their effectiveness on quality of life among elderly persons living with HIV in Africa South of the Sahara: Systematic review and meta -analysis protocol

PLoS ONE · 2023 · 9 citations

Seroprevalence and factors associated with Hepatitis B virus infection among students in two senior high schools in the Krachi Nchumuru district in Ghana-A cross-sectional study

BMC Research Notes · 2023 · corresponding author · 5 citations

Hypertension and associated factors among patients attending HIV clinic at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital

Ghana Medical Journal · 2023 · 4 citations

Cardiovascular disease risk assessment among adults attending HIV Clinic at Korle-bu Teaching Hospital

Health Sciences Investigations Journal · 2023 · 1 citations

Risk of hypertension in adult patients on antiretroviral therapy: a propensity score matching analysis

Health Sciences Investigations Journal · 2023 · 1 citations

Assessment of knowledge and treatment practices of hepatitis B infection in children among health professionals in Krachi districts in Ghana: a cross-sectional study

Journal of Public Health in Africa · 2023 · corresponding author

Bacteriological quality of household drinking water and cholera risk in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana

2023

Factors Influencing Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System in selected Districts in the Eastern Region of Ghana

medRxiv · 2023 · corresponding author

PA-46 COVID-19 surveillance data analysis, Monze district, Zambia, 2022

2023

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection is Associated with Male Circumcision among Senior High School Students in the Krachi Nchumuru District in the Oti Region of Ghana: A cross-sectional study

Research Square · 2023

Chronic comorbidities in persons living with HIV within three years of exposure to antiretroviral therapy at Pantang Antiretroviral Center in Ghana: a retrospective study

Pan African Medical Journal · 2022 · 10 citations

Knowledge and awareness of mitochondrial diseases among physicians in the tertiary hospitals in Ghana

PLoS ONE · 2022 · 3 citations

Contribution of child health interventions to under-five mortality decline in Ghana: A modeling study using lives saved and missed opportunity tools

PLoS ONE · 2022 · 3 citations

KNOWLEDGE AND TREATMENT PRACTICES OF HEPATITIS B INFECTION IN CHILDREN AMONG HEALTH PRACTITIONERS IN KRACHI DISTRICTS IN GHANA-A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

medRxiv · 2022 · corresponding author

Determinants of sputum ordering for tuberculosis diagnosis in people living with HIV in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Health Sciences Investigations Journal · 2022

Burden of malaria in children under five and caregivers’ health-seeking behaviour for malaria-related symptoms in artisanal mining communities in Ghana

Parasites & Vectors · 2021 · 51 citations

Detection of cutaneous leishmaniasis in three communities of Oti Region, Ghana

PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021 · 14 citations

Prevalence of Leishmania infection in three communities of Oti Region, Ghana

PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021 · corresponding author · 13 citations

Are maternal and child health initiatives helping to reduce under-five mortality in Ghana? Results of a quasi-experimental study using coarsened exact matching

BMC Pediatrics · 2021 · 7 citations

Insecticide-treated net (ITN) use, factors associated with non-use of ITNs, and occurrence of sand flies in three communities with reported cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ghana

PLoS ONE · 2021 · corresponding author · 6 citations

Impact of Maternal and Child Health Interventions On Under-Five Mortality in Ghana: A Quasi-Experimental Study Design With Coarsened Exact Matching

Research Square (Research Square) · 2021

Determinants of Sputum Ordering for Tuberculosis Diagnosis in People Living with HIV in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Research Square · 2021

Limiting spread of COVID-19 in Ghana: Compliance audit of selected transportation stations in the Greater Accra region of Ghana

PLoS ONE · 2020 · 87 citations

Poor mental health of livestock farmers in Africa: a mixed methods case study from Ghana

BMC Public Health · 2020 · 55 citations

Factors associated with cutaneous ulcers among children in two yaws-endemic districts in Ghana

Infectious Diseases of Poverty · 2020 · 14 citations

Prevention of COVID-19 in Ghana: Compliance audit of selected transportation stations in the Greater Accra region of Ghana

medRxiv · 2020 · 11 citations

Factors Associated with Malaria Infection among Head Porters in Agbogbloshie Market in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

Journal of Parasitology Research · 2020 · corresponding author · 6 citations

Evaluation of timeliness of treatment initiation among smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana, 2015

Ghana Medical Journal · 2020 · 4 citations

Association between Antiretroviral Treatment and Markers of Systemic Inflammation among HIV Patients in Ghana

Current HIV Research · 2020 · 3 citations

Poor mental health of livestock farmers in Africa: a mixed methods case study from Ghana

Research Square · 2020 · 3 citations

COVID-19 Lorry Stations compliance to guidelines study data

Figshare · 2020

Non-compliance to Mass Drug Administration Associated with the Low Perception of the Community Members About their Susceptibility to Lymphatic Filariasis in Ankobra, Ghana

Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets · 2019 · 12 citations

Risk factors of livestock loss and its impact on pastoralists’ mental health

Faculty of 1000 Research Ltd · 2019

Poor mental health of livestock farmers in Africa: a mixed methods case study from Ghana

Research Square · 2019

Why we need epidemiologic studies of polycystic ovary syndrome in Africa

International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics · 2018 · 12 citations

HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis infections among blood donors in Koforidua, 2016

Pan African Medical Journal Conference Proceedings · 2018 · 5 citations

Symptoms of Toxicity and Plasma Cytochrome c Levels in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-infected Patients Receiving Anti-retroviral Therapy in Ghana: A Cross-sectional Study

Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets · 2018 · 5 citations

Significant Induction of Soluble TNFR2 Compared with TNFR1 in Serum Samples of HIV Patients with or without Antiretroviral Medication

Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets · 2018 · corresponding author · 1 citations

Evidence of non-influenza respiratory viruses among children under five years hospitalized with pneumonia, Greater Accra, 2013-2017

Pan African Medical Journal Conference Proceedings · 2018

Isolation of uro-pathogenic bacteria and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern in urine samples of patients with suspected urinary tract infection in Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua -Ghana, 2016

Pan African Medical Journal Conference Proceedings · 2018

Prevalence of Intestinal Helminths Infestation in Children Attending Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital in Accra, Ghana

Journal of Parasitology Research · 2017 · corresponding author · 36 citations

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus among out-patients in Ho, the Volta regional capital of Ghana: a case–control study

BMC Research Notes · 2017 · 34 citations

Burden of malaria in mobile populations in the Greater Accra region, Ghana: a cross- sectional study

Malaria Journal · 2017 · corresponding author · 23 citations

HIV Case Management Support Service Is Associated with Improved CD4 Counts of Patients Receiving Care at the Antiretroviral Clinic of Pantang Hospital, Ghana

AIDS Research and Treatment · 2017 · corresponding author · 12 citations

The Moderating Effect of Urban Versus Rural Residence on the Relationship Between Type of Birth Attendant and Early Initiation of Breastfeeding in Ghana

Journal of Human Lactation · 2017 · 9 citations

Assessing the sensitivity and specificity of First Response HIV-1-2 test kit with whole blood and serum samples: a cross-sectional study

AIDS Research and Therapy · 2016 · 25 citations

Prevalence of obesity and overweight and associated factors among financial institution workers in Accra Metropolis, Ghana: a cross sectional study

BMC Research Notes · 2015 · 79 citations

HIV-related knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and utilisation of HIV counselling and testing: a venue-based intercept commuter population survey in the inner city of Johannesburg, South Africa

Global Health Action · 2015 · 57 citations

Factors associated with syphilis screening uptake among pregnant women in health facilities in Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana

Maternal Health Neonatology and Perinatology · 2015 · 15 citations

Potential barriers to rapid testing for human immunodeficiency virus among a commuter population in Johannesburg, South Africa

HIV/AIDS - Research and Palliative Care · 2014 · 13 citations

Factors contributing to home-based acceptability of rapid testing for HIV infection among the inner city commuter population in Johannesburg, South Africa

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 2014 · 8 citations

Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection increases Foxp3, IL-10 and IL-2 in CXCL-10 deficient C57BL/6 mice

Malaria Journal · 2011 · 19 citations

Cerebrospinal fluid and serum biomarkers of cerebral malaria mortality in Ghanaian children

Malaria Journal · 2007 · 236 citations

Proinflammatory Cytokines and the Hypermetabolism of Children with Sickle Cell Disease

Experimental Biology and Medicine · 2005 · 105 citations

Plasmodium yoelii 17XL infection up-regulates RANTES, CCR1, CCR3 and CCR5 expression, and induces ultrastructural changes in the cerebellum

Malaria Journal · 2005 · 35 citations

The cerebral-malaria-associated expression of RANTES, CCR3 and CCR5 in post-mortem tissue samples

Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology · 2004 · 55 citations

Trypanosome apoptotic factor mediates apoptosis in human brain vascular endothelial cells

Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology · 2003 · 27 citations

Identification of surface-membrane P-type ATPases resembling fungal K <sup>+</sup> - and Na <sup>+</sup> -ATPases, in <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i> , <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> and <i>Leishmania donovani</i>

Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology · 2003 · 17 citations