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The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified Ghana as one of the 10 countries most affected by malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the WHO 2018 report on malaria, 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, as well as India, have been at the origin of the largest number of cases of Malaria and death in the world.
Other countries in sub-Saharan Africa where malaria is endemic are Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania.
Dr. Owen Kaluwa, WHO Representative for the country, announced yesterday at the celebration of World Malaria Day (WMD) 2019 in Somanya, Eastern Region.
World Malaria Day 2019
Announced each April 25, the ADM stresses the need for sustained investment and political commitment for the prevention, control and elimination of malaria.
The event yesterday, chaired by Nene Ayiteye Ayiboku II, head of the division of Bornya, was on the theme: "Zero malaria begins with me".
He emphasized country ownership and empowerment of communities in malaria prevention and care.
Dr Kaluwa said WHO wanted to see Member States allocate sufficient resources for malaria prevention, work in all sectors and strengthen cross-border collaboration.
"With the necessary resources, strong coordination and dedicated partners, we can accelerate our efforts to achieve a malaria-free Africa," he said.
The First Lady rallies stakeholders
First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who delivered the keynote speech to commemorate the day, urged stakeholders to prioritize resources and ensure their wise use.
"The records of our health facilities show that one person dies every day in 2018, compared to eight in 2012.
We know that these successes are the result of investments made by all of us – donors, partners, communities, health workers and government, "she said.
She said she was convinced that it was possible to reach zero malaria, adding that more and more countries were moving towards zero indigenous cases.
She said that in 2017, more countries reported fewer than 10,000 cases compared to 2016 and 2010.
The number of countries with fewer than 100 indigenous cases, which is a strong indicator that elimination was at hand, has increased from 15 countries in 2010 to 24 countries in 2016 and 26 countries in 2017.
Inaction and complacency
Akufo-Addo said she was sad to see Ghana among the top 10 African countries hardest hit by malaria: "We can also do it if we all work together and respect the guidelines set by the country." WHO and our national strategy. "
She stressed, however, that "before we can do that, it is important to recognize the challenges ahead."
"We know that some of the factors that contribute to our stagnation are out of our control, but there are many more factors that are under our control. We can start from there and move towards a case of zero malaria in Ghana, "she added.
She identified inaction and complacency as the biggest threats to the fight against malaria and said, "The trend to celebrate our successes and sink into inertia is unacceptable.
We can not afford to be complacent because malaria is not.
He attacks and attacks. The only way to defeat him is to act decisively, consistently and relentlessly in a coordinated and effective manner. "
Decrease in funding
She noted that another important challenge was the decrease and insufficiency of national and international funding, which resulted in gaps in the implementation of interventions at all levels.
The First Lady said that the situation had made the need to mobilize domestic resources more urgent than it had been before.
In a speech read on his behalf, Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu said that the government is committed to helping the Ghana Health Service (GHS) mobilize the necessary funds for the implementation of various programs. proven strategies for malaria prevention.
He said the bulk of the gains came from human and financial investments, as well as strong multi-sectoral collaboration with stakeholders.
He added, however, that there was a need to re-examine the importance accorded by the Government to primary health care and individual responsibility in the fight against malaria.
Universal health care
Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Director General of the GHS, also said, in a speech read on his behalf, that the purpose of the service was to ensure a healthy population with universal access to health services. quality.
However, he said, "Given the current situation, it is clear that to achieve this, the service must do many things differently from what we are currently doing to win the fight against malaria and to fight malaria." other diseases. "
Dr. Keziah Malm, head of the National Malaria Control Program, said the program has stepped up efforts in recent years to control malaria.
She added that currently, the country is implementing major interventions such as "intermittent prevention treatment during pregnancy (IPTp), seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) and small-scale larviciding treatment", which were notoriously effective in being very effective.
Ms. Janean Davis, director of the USAID-Ghana Health Office, speaking on behalf of the US President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), said as a global community: "We have achieved remarkable results.
Together, we have halved malaria mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and saved more than seven million lives since 2000 ".
She added that the PMI has been partnering with Ghana to fight malaria since 2008 by funding essential malaria interventions and providing valuable technical and operational badistance to strengthen and expand Ghana's efforts to end the fight against malaria. "deadly but entirely preventable disease".
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