To avoid impairment, the Paediatric Society of Ghana (PSG) has recommended mothers to treat malaria infection in children under the age of five following testing.
Malaria in children, according to Dr. Cyprian Birmeh, Chairman of the Greater Accra Paediatric Society, can affect all organs of the body, including the brain, resulting in disability.
The most serious neurological consequence of plasmodium falciparum infection is cerebral malaria. Children in Sub-Saharan Africa are the most afflicted, with about 575,000 cases each year.
Dr. Birmeh, who stated this at an outreach event in Accra to honor World Malaria Day, said severe malaria may also cause renal failure, which is a type of handicap, and asked parents not to make light of the situation. He said that because children's immunity is less than adults', roughly 77 percent of all malaria-related infections occur in children under the age of five.
"It is for these reasons that we are focusing on moms to educate them on malaria prevention rather than treating it once they have been sick," Dr. Birmeh explained.
He emphasized that the insecticide-treated bed net has shown to be extremely effective in controlling and avoiding mosquito bites, and that everyone, particularly mothers, should use it. People in Ga North Constituency were examined for malaria, insecticide-treated bednets were distributed, and COVID-19 vaccinations were given out as part of the exercise, which was organized by the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate in partnership with the Paediatric Society of Ghana.
Malaria remained a major public health threat and one of the leading causes of morbidity in pregnant women and children under the age of five, according to Dr Charity Sarpong, the Regional Director of Health Services, who spoke at the event.
She stated Ghana was among the top 15 nations in the world with a high malaria burden, and that the Ga North area in the Greater Accra Region was the most endemic, with 14, 895 cases representing 20% of all outpatients department cases in the region in 2021.
The Chairman encouraged women to have their children vaccinated against malaria, especially in places where the vaccinations were accessible.