Nation makes progress in malaria elimination

The country has made significant progress in the fight against malaria, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has said.

It said deaths due to malaria reduced from 2,799 in 2012, to 146 in 2023, while malaria prevalence had also declined from 27.5 per cent in 2011 to 8.6 per cent in 2022, reflecting the effectiveness of prevention measures.

Malaria testing rate, it added, had also significantly increased from 38 per cent in 2012 to 98 per cent in 2023, thereby enabling early diagnosis and treatment.

The Director of the Public Health Division of the GHS, Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, was speaking at a private sector roundtable meeting on malaria elimination organised by the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), in Accra, last Tuesday.

Collaboration

The director said in spite of the significant gains made through public health interventions, achieving malaria elimination required the collective, multispectral approach of individuals and organisations.

"Together, we can create the enabling environment needed to support NMEP and ensure that no one is left behind.

“We are encouraged by the progress of various malaria elimination programmes, including the distribution of insecticide treated nets, indoor residual spraying and access to effective treatment,” he said.

The Programme Manager of the NMEP, Dr Keziah L. Malm, also said partnering the private sector in the elimination of malaria would lead to increased productivity, while reducing absenteeism at the workplace.

She said it could also bring about innovations and funding for research, adding that in Zambia, the private sector was the major source of funding for mass drug administration.

Ms Malm also gave the assurance that malaria elimination was possible, and so “let’s all work together to rid  our country of malaria”.

Herbal practitioners

An Emeritus Professor of Clinical Epidemiology of the University of Health and Allied Science, Ho, Fred N. Binka, also acknowledged that there was need to bring onboard, not only the private sector players, but traditional herbal practitioners as well in the fight against eliminating malaria.

He  called for the formation of a National Malaria Elimination Commission that would collaborate with other stakeholders in the malaria elimination programme.

Prof. Binka said such a measure could help in the elimination of malaria just as it had been done by some countries that had achieved successes in their interventions.  

During a panel discussion, the speakers also called for the establishment of a central point where issues about malaria elimination would be under one umbrella.

They said that would enable individuals and organisations desirous of supporting the programme to contribute.