Ghana’s fight against malaria has recorded significant gains over the past decade, with health authorities reporting a dramatic reduction in deaths even as persistent infections continue to challenge elimination efforts.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says malaria-related deaths have dropped from about 3,300 in 2011 to just 52 in 2025 — a decline of more than 98 per cent, marking one of the country’s strongest public health achievements.
The figures were presented by Nana Yaw Peprah of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) at a press briefing in Accra ahead of World Malaria Day.
He also reported improvements in inpatient case management, noting that malaria death rates in health facilities declined from 0.21 per 1,000 population in 2024 to 0.15 in 2025, reflecting better diagnosis and treatment.
Despite these gains, Ghana continues to record high infection levels. In 2024 alone, the country registered about 4.3 million confirmed malaria cases out of more than 12 million suspected cases.
Health officials say near-universal testing in health facilities — at about 99 per cent — has improved case detection, but many fever cases are still being misdiagnosed as malaria.
Current data shows malaria prevalence has dropped from 28 per cent in 2011 to about 8.6 per cent, although transmission remains widespread, with regional differences. Greater Accra Region records the lowest rate at about 2 per cent, while other regions still report higher levels.
Children under five and pregnant women remain the most at-risk groups. Officials say 89 per cent of pregnant women received at least one dose of preventive treatment, though completion rates for full doses remain a challenge.
Vector control efforts have also expanded, with Ghana achieving about 87 per cent coverage in insecticide-treated net distribution and 85 per cent through continuous distribution channels such as health facilities and schools.
However, the programme warns that funding gaps are limiting expansion of key interventions such as indoor residual spraying and broader preventive treatments.
Dr. Peprah said new approaches, including preventive treatment for schoolchildren and mass drug administration in low-transmission districts, are yet to be fully rolled out nationwide.
Ghana has also identified 21 low-transmission districts for targeted elimination between 2024 and 2028, as part of a broader strategy to cut malaria mortality by 90 per cent and reduce incidence by half.
Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe cautioned that limited funding and poor community compliance could slow progress, especially the underuse of mosquito nets despite wide distribution.
He stressed that malaria continues to impose heavy economic burdens through lost productivity and healthcare costs, describing every death as preventable.
“Every malaria death is preventable,” he said, reiterating Ghana’s long-term goal of zero malaria deaths and eventual elimination.
World Malaria Day, observed annually on April 25, will be marked this year under the theme “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must,” with activities including health walks, media campaigns and stakeholder engagements across the country.
