Let’s take collective action to reduce malaria burden – Coalition

The Coalition of CSOs in Health, has asked government to take action and redirect resources, energies and focus on strategies to intensify the fight against malaria and help reduce its burden on Ghana.

In a statement to mark World Malaria Day, which falls on April 25, the Coalition said the move was necessary to ensure the global drive to achieving the SDG-3 to “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.”

The World Malaria Day is a day set aside to reflect on progress made towards the global action for the fight against malaria and to also highlight the need for continuous awareness raising for the treatment and prevention of the disease.

The theme for the celebration is: “Zero Malaria Starts With Me.” The Coalition also urged Ghanaians to keep their environment clean and ensure that they slept in treated mosquito nets.

Members of the public should demand testing while health workers must ensure effective treatment and also track for drug adherence, the statement said.

It asked the media to continue its public education on malaria prevention and help raise the needed awareness on it.

Malaria is the most significant vector borne disease of public health importance, which affects the health and productivity of individuals and nations alike, including Ghana.

According to the World Health Organisation’s latest World Malaria Report, no significant reduction was made in malaria cases in the period between 2015 and 2017, meaning the number of malaria deaths in 2017 remained virtually unchanged over the previous year, which stood at 435 000.

This means that despite determined global efforts, much progress has not been made so far as malaria prevention and control are concerned.

Also, it has been increasingly recognised that the stand-alone approaches in the fight against malaria were not very effective in behaviour change at individual and societal levels.