Ghanaians urged to actively help fight malaria

The Programmes Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme, Dr. Keziah Malm is calling for increased local interest in the fight against malaria.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, she said getting more resources and support locally will give a further boost to efforts to rid the country of malaria.

“We should look inward to see what we can do to make sure that we bring this disease to an end. It will go a long way if we put in resources to do our own things in-country,” she said.

While indicating that the incidence of malaria in Ghana like other countries in Africa is of great concern to the World Health Organization (WHO) she said Ghanaians must also develop much interest in issues about malaria and play their part in preventing it.

“We need to own what we do and do much more that we are doing in terms of malaria control now. there is a lot we can do…Malaria kills, we see it affecting our work time, our school days…We can do a lot on our own to be able to prevent the disease and also treat ourselves just in case we get malaria. It starts with you and me,” Dr. Malm added.

Ghana joined the rest of the world on Saturday, April 25, 2020 to celebrate World Malaria Day.

The theme for the celebration was “Zero malaria starts with me,” stressing on the need for collective commitment and practical efforts to ensure a world free of malaria.

Ghana has been lauded for its significant progress in reducing malaria deaths from 2,799 deaths recorded in 2012 to 333 deaths at the end of 2019. This represents an 88% reduction in the number of deaths.

But local authorities such as the National Malaria Control Programme say they are committed to reducing this further towards achieving a malaria-free Ghana.

First-quarter statistics

Over 2 million suspected malaria cases were presented in health facilities across the country between January and March but only about 1 million were confirmed to be malaria.

The number of confirmed cases include over 311,491 involving children under age five while about 28,000 involved pregnant women.

96% of the cases did not require admission and were therefore attended to as an out-patient-department case.

54 people are reported to have died from malaria within the first quarter.

Ghana, which curries 4% of the global burden of malaria is currently piloting a vaccine together with Kenya and Malawi.

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