Malaria prevalence, mortalities decline  between 2011-2022 — GHS

Data available to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) indicate that malaria prevalence and mortalities have reduced tremendously between 2011 and 2022.

It says prevalence reduced from 27.5 per cent in 2011 to 8.6 per cent in 2022 while death rates have also reduced by 95 per cent  between 2012 and 2022 representing a decline from  2,799 deaths in 2012 to 151 in 2022.

Providing updates on the national malaria situation at a press briefing in Accra yesterday, the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said the country had made commendable strides in the fight against Malaria under the National Malaria Control Programme.

He said following those impressive strides, the focus of the National Malaria Control Programme had been moved from control to elimination based on national and global recommendations.

The control programme is focused on reducing malaria mortality by 90 per cent, reduce malaria case incidence by 50 per cent, and achieve malaria per-elimination in at least six districts in the country by 2025.

The current elimination target is focused on reducing mortality by 100 per cent by 2028 and cases by 50 per cent using the 2022 figures as the baseline.

The press briefing forms part of activities preceding this year’s World Malaria Day Commemoration on April 25, 2023, on the theme: “ Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate and implement”.

The day is celebrated globally on April 25 every year, with a wide range of activities geared towards raising awareness of the need to ensure that no one ever dies of malaria by 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Feasible 

Dr Patrick-Kuma-Aboagye, whose speech was read by the Director of Public Health of the GHS, Dr Franklyn Asiedu-Bekoe, said elimination was feasible but was a shared responsibility and called on all stakeholders including the general public, government, the media and the private sector to put all hands on deck.

“In recent months, several activities have been conducted to steer us in the direction of delivering zero malaria. The national programme has undergone a name change to reflect the shift to elimination effort.

“A national elimination strategic plan, which would further guide our interventions and investments in lowering the malaria burden in the country, is being finalised,” he said.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the new strategic plan would be implemented from 2024 to 2028 and that would replace the existing one which was introduced in 2021 and was expected to have expired in 2025.

The Manager of the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Dr Keziah Malm, attributed the national success story to some of the interventions which included the promotion of the use and the distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets, among other things, that was targeted at children below five years in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions.

She mentioned other interventions to include larvae source management, mass campaign, as well as case management in all districts in the country.

She said the zero malaria targets were feasible as a lot had been achieved, but more needed to be done because malaria remained a national risk, with an impact on social and economic development.

Dr Malm said the new malaria elimination strategic plan sought to, among others, strengthen passive and active surveillance and monitoring evaluation systems; ensure that 100 per cent of all confirmed cases were appropriately, effectively and completely treated within 72 hours and ensure 100 per cent detection rate by 2028.

She called on the media to intensify sensitisation while applauding them for their tremendous support and contribution to the strides made in the malaria fight.

She also appealed to the public to adhere to proven interventions and called on the private sector to help bridge funding gaps and other stakeholders to adopt and invest in interventions in their catchment areas.