The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has data that shows a significant decline in malaria incidence and fatalities between 2011 and 2022.
According to the report, prevalence decreased from 27.5% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2022, and mortality rates likewise decreased by 95% between 2012 and 2022, or from 2,799 fatalities in 2012 to 151 in 2022.
Providing information on the state of malaria in the country, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General of the GHS, stated during a news conference in Accra yesterday that the National Malaria Control Programme has helped the nation make noteworthy advancements in the fight against malaria.
He said that as a result of such remarkable advancements, the National Malaria Control Program's emphasis has shifted from control to eradication in accordance with local, regional, and international guidelines.
The control strategy aims to eradicate malaria in at least six districts across the nation by 2025, reduce malaria mortality by 90%, and cut the incidence of malaria cases by 50%.
The current elimination goal is to reduce cases and deaths by 50% and 100%, respectively, by 2028, using 2022 data as a baseline.
The news conference is a component of the events leading up to the 2023 World Malaria Day commemoration, which will be held on April 25 and have as its subject "Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, innovate, and Implement."
Every year on April 25, people throughout the world participate in a variety of events to raise awareness of the need to prevent malaria deaths by 2030 in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Feasible
Dr. Patrick-Kuma-Aboagye said elimination was possible but a shared responsibility, and he urged all stakeholders, including the general public, government, the media, and the private sector, to put all of their efforts into it. Dr. Asiedu-Bekoe, the GHS Director of Public Health, read Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye's speech.
"Several initiatives have been carried out in recent months to move us closer to reaching zero malaria." The name of the national initiative has changed to reflect the focus on eradication. A national elimination strategy plan, which would further direct our initiatives and investments in reducing the country's malaria load, was being finalized, the official added.
The current strategic plan, which was announced in 2021 and was anticipated to have expired in 2025, will be replaced by the new one, according to Dr. Kuma-Aboagye, which would be executed from 2024 to 2028.
Dr. Keziah Malm, the manager of the National Malaria Elimination Programme, credited some of the interventions, including the promotion of the use and distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, among other things, that were targeted at children under five years old in the Upper East, Upper West, and Northern regions, with the national success story.
She also recommended mass campaigns, case management in all of the nation's districts, and management of the source of larvae.
According to her, the zero malaria objectives were doable because significant progress had already been made, but more work remained to be done because malaria remained a national danger that had an influence on social and economic growth.
The new malaria elimination strategic plan, according to Dr. Malm, aims to, among other things, strengthen passive and active monitoring evaluation systems, guarantee that 100% of confirmed cases are treated appropriately, effectively, and completely within 72 hours, and ensure a 100% detection rate by 2028.
She praised the media for their enormous support and contribution to the advancements made in the battle against malaria while urging them to step up their efforts to increase public awareness.
Additionally, she urged the general public to follow tried-and-true initiatives, the private sector to fill financing shortages, and other stakeholders to embrace and finance programs in their catchment regions.
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