More on malaria in Ghana

We continue to shine a spotlight on malaria. It is the leading cause of morbidity in Ghana and  malaria prevention efforts must continue despite the current global crises. On World Malaria Day, the WHO urged sub-Saharan African countries to minimize disruptions to malaria prevention and treatment programmes. 

Today we look at some additional statistics on malaria from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) Facts and Figures 2018 report.

First quarter malaria statistics

The Ghana Health Service provided some sobering 2020 first quarter numbers on malaria morbidity and mortality in Ghana highlighting again the importance of malaria prevention and treatment efforts.

According to the statistics: 1,000,000 people tested positive for malaria in the first quarter out of which 21,201 were children under five years and 28,764 were pregnant women. At least 54 deaths from malaria have been recorded with 16 of the deaths among children under five years.

World Immunization Week cont'd

We earlier highlighted the progress made in immunization in Ghana and the inequalities that persist. Today we look at immunization rates for specific vaccines - BCG (tuberculosis), DPT (diphtheria, pertussis/whooping cough and tetanus), polio and measles.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work

Today, as we commemorate World Day for Safety and Health at Work we applaud frontline health staff all over the globe and others contributing to the fight against covid-19 such as scientists, contact tracers, inventors, policy-makers etc. We also commend other essential staff in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, finance, security, media and food supply who continue to deliver services despite the risks.

World Immunization Week

We are in the middle of World Immunization Week which is from 24th to 30th April this year.

As the world waits for a vaccine to the Covid-19, it is important to remember the many infectious diseases for which we have vaccines that save millions of lives every year.

World Malaria Day

As the world commemorates World Malaria Day in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, malaria which continues to be a leading cause of morbidity in the region. Malaria is included as one of the sub-targets under SDG 3: 3.3 By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases.

CeDHA fellow Dr. Ayaga Bawah co-authored an important paper looking at the impact of malaria on life expectancy: How many years of life could be saved if malaria were eliminated from a hyperendemic area of northern Ghana? Today he shares some thoughts on the implications of that research here.

Covid-19 lockdown and educational inequality

The three-week lockdown in parts of the country has ended but all schools in the country are to continue to remain closed.

The Ministry of Education requests that students "Tune in to the Ghana Broadcasting Free to air Learning Channel GLTV (also on GoTV and DSTV), log in to www.iCampusGh.com (SHS students only) and use the Ghana Library Authority app to access various lessons, assessments and books‬."

This mode of service delivery raises the question, how many children will be able to access the educational material on television or online?

Covid-19 timeline for Ghana

A month after the first cases were reported in Ghana, we have put together a timeline highlighting the measures put in place to manage the pandemic..

Tracking the price of an orange

One of the issues about lockdown has been concerns about the rising costs of food items and other commodities particularly in community markets. On World Health Day we discussed some of the contextual challenges in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic. Today we track the price of an orange (which is a good source of Vitamin C that people are using to boost their immunity).

Today is World Health Day

The world marks World Health Day 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic takes a toll on populations all over the globe. The WHO guidelines highlight frequent hand washing and maintaining social distance as key strategies in the fight against the pandemic.  

Today's infographic uses data from the Ghana Living Standards Survey 7 conducted in 2017 to examine the socio-demographic factors that can make fighting coronavirus challenging in this context.