$12m spent annually on Malaria, 212m infections and 429,000 deaths

The disease according to experts has being a major contributory factor to the underdevelopment of the continent especially sub-Saharan Africa of which Ghana is part.

The continent according to the health experts, loses $12b dollars to the malaria disease annually and that the worst could happen to African economies if the disease is allowed to fester.

Speaking in an interview with Ultimate News’ Central regional correspondent Kwaku Baah-Acheamfour, a doctor with the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital Dr. Ebenezer Owusu Wereko explained that 212 million cases of the diseases were recorded in the year 2017 with 429,000 deaths necessitating that efforts be doubled to arrest the increase.

Countries that took the fight against the disease seriously, he added experienced reductions in terms of infection and therefore advised authorities in Ghana to employ pragmatic steps in curbing the spread as statistics show that malaria can be contained.

Ghana, he stressed stands to gain with a low rate of malaria infection as the country will have strong labour force to advance productivity.