The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus put enormous strain on healthcare systems worldwide, especially in developing countries where systems were already fragile before the pandemic [1,2,3]. In low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), preparations for COVID-19 diverted scarce resources needed for chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes. It also affected resources for endemic infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [2, 4]. More people in Africa were expected to die from the neglect of HIV and NCDs than COVID-19 during the pandemic, presenting a significant public health challenge [5].

The World Health Organization’s case definition for influenza-like illness (ILI) includes a measured temperature of ≥38C. We conducted this study to assess the effect of antipyretics on the performance of ILI surveillance in Ghana.