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Background: Acceptability of malaria chemoprevention interventions by caregivers is crucial for overall programme success. This study assessed coverage and acceptability of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) in selected communities in the Northern part of Ghana. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional design was conducted from "July 23rd to August 4th, 2020—a 12-day period that covered 5 days of the first SMC implementation cycle and 7 days post-implementation. Using a stratified multi-stage sampling technique, a total of 495 caregivers providing care for 569 eligible children aged 3–59 months from randomly selected households in the study communities were enrolled into the study. Acceptability of SMC was assessed on a set of 19 questionnaire items-8 of the items measured caregivers' perceptions and 11 items measured children's reaction to administered medicines. Univariable and stepwise multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the predictors of acceptability of SMC at a 95% confidence interval and a p-value of 0.05. Results: SMC coverage was 95.1% (541/569). Caregivers had a good level of knowledge of SMC (n = 475; 96.0%; 95% CI 94.2—97.7%) and a good perception of SMC (n = 471; 95.2%; 95% CI 93.3–97.0). Seven out of ten caregivers (70.9%; 95% CI 66.9–74.9%) had good acceptability of SMC. For 7 out of 28 children who did not receive the SMC intervention, their caregivers intentionally refused them the intervention. Of those that received the treatment, 17.2% (n = 85; 95%CI 13.8–20.5%) of caregivers had at least one leftover amodiaquine tablet after the third day of treatment. Caregivers who practice Christianity or Islam had better acceptability than caregivers who practice African traditional religion (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Health authorities and stakeholders can work towards bridging the gap between knowledge and SMC treatment practices of caregivers through continuous education, adherence counseling, and effective monitoring of SMC practices in malaria-endemic countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Ocular diseases are a highly heterogeneous group of phenotypes, caused by a spectrum of genetic variants and environmental factors that exhibit diverse clinical symptoms. As a result of its anatomical location, structure and immune privilege, the eye is an ideal system to assess and validate novel genetic therapies. Advances in genome editing have revolutionized the field of biomedical science, enabling researchers to understand the biology behind disease mechanisms and allow the treatment of several health conditions, including ocular pathologies. The advent of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)‐based gene editing facilitates efficient and specific genetic modifications in the nucleic acid sequence, resulting in permanent changes at the genomic level. This approach has advantages over other treatment strategies and is promising for the treatment of various genetic and non‐genetic ocular conditions. This review provides an overview of the CRISPR/CRISPR‐associated protein 9 (Cas9) system and summarizes recent advances in the therapeutic application of CRISPR/Cas9 for the treatment of various ocular pathologies, as well as future challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...