Ghanaians have been asked by the Ghana Health Service to aid in the fight against the eradication of malaria infections in the nation.
Prior to the approaching World Malaria Day on April 14, 2023, the service organized a press briefing to warn Ghanaians about the risks of malaria and encourage them to take action in the battle against the illness.
Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, the director general of the Ghana Health Service, emphasized past achievements and current initiatives to eradicate malaria.
“Malaria prevalence has decreased from 27.5% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2022, improved testing has increased from 38% in 2012 to 98% in 2022, and reduced deaths due to malaria by 95% between 2012 and 2022 (2,799 deaths in 2012 to 151 in 2022).”
“Global Malaria Day is observed annually to highlight the advancements and the necessary steps toward the elimination of malaria.”
“‘Time to deliver zero malaria: Invest, Innovate, and Implement,’” the theme reads. The topic highlights ownership of the malaria eradication effort as well as the necessity of cross-border and multisectoral collaboration.
He continued; “In recent months, several activities have been conducted to steer us in the direction of delivering zero malaria. The national program has undergone a name change to reflect a shift to elimination efforts, National elimination strategic plan which further guides our interventions and investments in lowering the malaria burden countrywide is being finalized,” he said.
Every year on April 25, people all across the world observe World Malaria Day to remember the victories and setbacks in the global fight against malaria.
All populations are affected by malaria, which is a major problem for many nations, particularly African ones that are working to lessen its impact on the general populace.
The WHO 2022 World Malaria Report estimates that there were 619,000 malaria-related fatalities worldwide in 2021, down from 625,000 in the first year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The number of malaria deaths in 2019—before the pandemic—was 568,000. Malaria cases continued to climb between 2020 and 2021, albeit at a slower rate between 2019 and 2020. In 2021, there were 247 million cases of malaria worldwide, up from 232 million in 2019 and 245 million in 2020. In 2020, Sub-Saharan Africa alone carried the majority of the disease’s burden (approximately 95% of all malaria cases and 96% of all fatalities), with nearly 80% of those cases occurring in children under the age of five.
Investment in malaria programs is essential as Ghana works to eradicate the disease in order to close the budget gaps that prevent offering effective malaria interventions to all people in the nation.
The nation must provide better, more effective, solutions that are backed by science and are targeted to the needs of the most vulnerable.
