A January 2013 research report on Ghana Urban Malaria study has revealed that data on malaria testing that were routinely reported to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) were often incomplete and internally inconsistent.
This was due to the fact that some policy makers, public health programmers, and clinicians in spite of well documented variation in the incidence of malaria, reported roughly only 40 per cent of pediatric outpatients diagnosed with malaria throughout the year.
“Thus, malaria data routinely reported by health facilities in Ghana do not provide a reliable indication of the burden of malaria,” the report said.
The report further stated that the burden of malaria was lower in the large cities of the country largely because of the environmental changes.
Also, the intensity of malaria transmission was lower in neighborhoods of Accra and Kumasi than in surrounding rural areas adding that transmission was especially low in urban neighborhoods that were distant from urban agricultural plots.
Additionally, the prevalence of malaria infection was higher for children living in the poorest urban households compared to those living in the wealthiest households.
This, the report said , may be due to less frequent use of protective measures such as household screening, insecticides, insecticide treated nets and anti-malarial drugs.
The report, however, added that it was surprising that the proportions of children benefiting from appropriate malaria control practices were no higher in the cities than in rural areas in the country.
Also, laboratory confirmation of suspected malaria was least common in Accra where the prevalence of malaria was the lowest and presumptive diagnosis of fever was least reliable.
Speaking at the stakeholders debriefing meeting on malaria programme review and urban malaria study dissemination report in Accra, the Minister of Health, Madam Sherry Ayittey said malaria was till a troublesome disease in the country responsible for the death of many people in the country.
“It accounts for over 30 per cent of all out patients attendances in our health facilities and also the leading cause of under five –mortality in the country,” she said.
She said the country had made great strides in the fight against malaria that involved multi and inter-sectorial partnerships working together on agrees plan to reduce death and illness due to malaria by 75 percent by 2015.
She expressed optimism that the meeting would provide an opportunity for all stakeholders in the health sector to share findings and recommendations on the study which would intend control intervention efforts.
She said government was committed to the fight against malaria and the needed resources would be made available through the district assemblies’ common fund, tax exemptions of malaria commodities and drugs as well as direct provision of drugs and logistics.
This was due to the fact that some policy makers, public health programmers, and clinicians in spite of well documented variation in the incidence of malaria, reported roughly only 40 per cent of pediatric outpatients diagnosed with malaria throughout the year.
“Thus, malaria data routinely reported by health facilities in Ghana do not provide a reliable indication of the burden of malaria,” the report said.
The report further stated that the burden of malaria was lower in the large cities of the country largely because of the environmental changes.
Also, the intensity of malaria transmission was lower in neighborhoods of Accra and Kumasi than in surrounding rural areas adding that transmission was especially low in urban neighborhoods that were distant from urban agricultural plots.
Additionally, the prevalence of malaria infection was higher for children living in the poorest urban households compared to those living in the wealthiest households.
This, the report said , may be due to less frequent use of protective measures such as household screening, insecticides, insecticide treated nets and anti-malarial drugs.
The report, however, added that it was surprising that the proportions of children benefiting from appropriate malaria control practices were no higher in the cities than in rural areas in the country.
Also, laboratory confirmation of suspected malaria was least common in Accra where the prevalence of malaria was the lowest and presumptive diagnosis of fever was least reliable.
Speaking at the stakeholders debriefing meeting on malaria programme review and urban malaria study dissemination report in Accra, the Minister of Health, Madam Sherry Ayittey said malaria was till a troublesome disease in the country responsible for the death of many people in the country.
“It accounts for over 30 per cent of all out patients attendances in our health facilities and also the leading cause of under five –mortality in the country,” she said.
She said the country had made great strides in the fight against malaria that involved multi and inter-sectorial partnerships working together on agrees plan to reduce death and illness due to malaria by 75 percent by 2015.
She expressed optimism that the meeting would provide an opportunity for all stakeholders in the health sector to share findings and recommendations on the study which would intend control intervention efforts.
She said government was committed to the fight against malaria and the needed resources would be made available through the district assemblies’ common fund, tax exemptions of malaria commodities and drugs as well as direct provision of drugs and logistics.
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