Ghana joined the remainder of the world to mark World Mosquito Day yesterday with a name for intensified vector-control interventions to guard the general public in opposition to the rising risk of mosquito-borne illnesses.
Well being consultants mentioned Ghana’s altering mosquito-borne illness panorama, significantly the emergence of illnesses similar to dengue, required the nation to broaden its focus past the standard battle in opposition to malaria to safeguard public well being.
The decision was made at a webinar organised by the Vector Analysis Group of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Analysis to commemorate the day in Accra yesterday.
The Programme Supervisor of the Nationwide Malaria Elimination Programme on the Ghana Well being Service (GHS), Dr Hilarius Abiwu, in a presentation mentioned dengue was rising as a mosquito-borne illness of concern within the nation.
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He mentioned in 2024, 206 confirmed instances out of 1,471 suspected instances had been recorded, with dengue detected in 11 in a foreign country’s 16 areas.
The programme supervisor defined that dengue may simply be mistaken for malaria, as sufferers usually introduced with fever and different comparable signs however failed to answer anti-malaria remedy.
Based on him, whereas the feminine Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria predominantly chew at night time, Aedes mosquitoes, which transmit dengue, had been extra energetic throughout the day.
Consequently, interventions similar to sleeping underneath insecticide-treated nets, though vital for malaria prevention, may not present enough safety in opposition to dengue.
Dr Abiwu mentioned the Aedes mosquitoes may breed in saved water round houses, urging the general public to pay larger consideration to environmental sanitation and eradicate potential mosquito breeding websites.
He assured that regardless of funding cuts and restricted sources, the programme was working to map illness dangers, strengthen analysis and surveillance, enhance well being employees’ potential to differentiate dengue from malaria, and leverage present neighborhood buildings for broader mosquito-control actions.
Affiliate Professor of Theoretical and Utilized Biology on the Kwame Nkrumah College of Science and Expertise (KNUST), Professor Kingsley Badu, underscored the significance of understanding the totally different mosquito species and their behaviour when designing prevention measures.
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He known as for intensified efforts to enhance sanitary circumstances, sort out insecticide resistance and maintain interventions that had contributed to Ghana’s progress in malaria management.
In the meantime, the African Media and Malaria Analysis Community (AMMREN), in a press release to mark the day, mentioned regardless of scientific advances that had considerably improved the prevention and management of illnesses similar to malaria, thousands and thousands of individuals throughout Africa remained in danger as mosquito-borne illness threats continued to evolve.
The Community known as for renewed funding in science, innovation and correct public info to strengthen Africa’s battle in opposition to mosquito-borne illnesses.
World Mosquito Day is noticed yearly to lift consciousness of the well being dangers posed by mosquitoes and the significance of prevention and management measures in opposition to mosquito-borne illnesses.
This 12 months’s celebration was on the theme: “Past Malaria: The Way forward for Mosquito-Borne Illness Management.”
