Ghana will today, April 25, commemorate World Malaria Day (WMD) with the expectation that government will clearly outline its vision for malaria elimination in the country.
Dr Felicia Owusu-Antwi, National Professional Officer for Malaria at the World Health Organisation (WHO), said that would help stakeholders to understand their roles and responsibilities towards achieving the country’s malaria elimination targets.
She made the call during a webinar, organised by the Centre for Malaria Research at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).
That was in collaboration with the Ghana National Malaria Elimination Programme and the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), ahead of the 2025 World Malaria Day celebration.
Dr Owusu-Antwi noted that while malaria elimination may be a long and complex process, it was possible with the right systems in place.
“These include strong surveillance, capacity building, effective partnerships, governance, and cross-border collaboration, underpinned by strong political will,” she said.
“All these cannot be achieved without awareness creation, education, and the advocacy roles played by journalists.”
Citing examples of countries that had successfully eliminated malaria -including Morocco, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, Algeria, Cabo Verde, and Egypt – Dr Owusu-Antwi encouraged the media to continue their efforts in educating the public and advocating a malaria-free Ghana.
The World Malaria Day, observed annually on April 25, highlights the need for sustained investment and political commitment in malaria prevention and control efforts.
The 2025 commemoration is themed: “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, Reignite.”
It is a grassroots campaign aimed at reinvigorating efforts at all levels – from global policy to community action – to accelerate progress toward elimination.
The Day was instituted by WHO Member States at the 2007 World Health Assembly to recognise achievements in malaria control and mobilise individual and collective efforts to end the disease.
Global research shows that over the last two decades, more than seven million lives have been saved and over one billion malaria cases prevented.
However, malaria remains one of the world’s oldest and deadliest diseases, killing more than 400,000 people annually, mostly children.
Progress has been made through the use of insecticide-treated bed nets, improved case management for children and pregnant women, preventive medicine during peak transmission seasons, and monitoring insecticide resistance.
According to the WHO, 2021 saw an estimated 247 million cases of malaria worldwide, resulting in approximately 619,000 deaths.
The WHO Africa Region continues to carry a disproportionately high burden, accounting for 95 per cent of all malaria cases and 96 per cent of related deaths.
Children under five years old made up 79 per cent of malaria deaths in the region, it said.
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the plasmodium parasite.
It is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, with the parasite first multiplying in the liver before attacking the red blood cells.
Symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, convulsions, respiratory distress, and in severe cases, unconsciousness and abnormal bleeding.
People with low or no immunity, particularly children and pregnant women, are most at risk.
Prevention strategies include the use of insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and antimalarial medications.
Ghana has made significant strides in the fight against malaria, reducing prevalence from 27.5 per cent in 2011 to 8.6 per cent in 2022.
Testing rates have also improved significantly, from 38 per cent in 2012 to 98 per cent in 2022, resulting in a 95 per cent reduction in malaria-related deaths—from 2,799 deaths in 2012 to 151 in 2022.
In 2024, Ghana recorded fewer than 300 malaria deaths, a substantial decline from over 2,000 deaths recorded a decade earlier.
However, it is estimated that at least one person still dies from malaria in the country each day.
GNA