Ghanaian scientists have issued a rallying call for collective national action to eliminate malaria, warning that the disease continues to inflict devastating health and economic consequences, particularly on the most vulnerable groups — pregnant women and children under five.
Speaking at the 2025 World Malaria Day commemoration in Accra, Dr. Betty Bandoh Oppong, a Research Scientist at the Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit (BPHRU) of the Water Research Institute (WRI), urged all stakeholders — from citizens to government — to invest, innovate, and intensify efforts to eradicate malaria.
“Malaria is more than a health challenge; it is a socio-economic burden that affects productivity, drives poverty, and strains already fragile health systems,” Dr. Oppong stressed under the theme: “From Bites to Breakthroughs – Reinvest, Reimagine, and Reignite.”
She outlined the dire consequences for pregnant women, including stillbirths, preeclampsia, and low birth weight, and warned that children under five were at serious risk of death, cognitive impairments, and chronic illness.
Ghana currently accounts for over two percent of malaria cases in Africa — a continent already bearing 94% of the global burden, according to Dr. Joseph Harold Nyarko Osei, another Biomedical Research Scientist at CSIR.
Highlighting modern control strategies, Dr. Osei pointed to innovations like drone-assisted vector mapping, spatial repellents, and AI-driven surveillance systems as promising tools in the battle against malaria. However, he emphasized that technological breakthroughs must be accompanied by widespread community education and environmental reforms.
“We need to start malaria education in our basic schools and intensify it in our communities,” Dr. Osei said, calling for a grassroots approach to prevention.
On vaccine development, Dr. Akua Kyerewaa Botwe, a malaria expert, revealed that over 130 malaria vaccines are currently in various stages of development globally, most of them targeting Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite. She outlined promising innovations in vaccine targets across different stages of the parasite’s life cycle.
The scientists agreed that while cutting-edge research is crucial, real progress will only come if the entire society commits to the goal of a malaria-free Ghana — through better health practices, robust investment, and shared responsibility.
