Let’s Join Hands To Eliminate Malaria – Health Director Urges On World Malaria Day
Ekumfi Esuehyia, April 25, 2025, The Ekumfi health director, Dr. Mrs. Regina Ahunu-Armah, has made a passionate appeal to Ghanaians to join the national effort in the fight against malaria, describing the disease as even more dangerous than HIV/AIDS.
She made this call during a clean-up exercise organized as part of activities to mark this year’s World Malaria Day, celebrated under the theme “Malaria Ends With Us: Reinvest, Reimagine,
The event was held at Ekumfi Esuehyia in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region and saw a collaborative effort between the Ekumfi Health Directorate and the Ekumfi District Assembly.
Speaking in an interview with Douglas Oyiboh Amponsah, Dr. Ahunu-Armah stressed the need for pregnant women to take their prescribed medications seriously in order to protect their unborn children from contracting malaria.
She emphasized that malaria kills more people annually than HIV.
Revealing that it is preventable but we continue to lose lives due to neglect and lack of awareness so urge everyone to get involved to eradicate it.
Also present at the event was the Omanhemaa of the Ekumfi Traditional Area, Nana Benyiwa VI, who called on the government to provide adequate dustbins across the country to reduce the indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste, which contributes to the breeding of mosquitoes.
She also reinforced the message that malaria poses a greater threat to communities than HIV, especially when sanitation is ignored.
In a related concern, Mr. Kofi Afful, the Obaatan of the Odomnam Family of Esuehyia, expressed disappointment in the poor community participation in communal labour activities.
According to him, the attitude of some residents who refuse to take part in clean-up exercises undermines efforts to keep the environment safe and healthy.
He lamented that they cannot win the fight against malaria if they do not take cleanliness seriously.
The clean-up exercise saw participation from various stakeholders including traditional leaders, health workers, and assembly officials, all united in their mission to promote environmental cleanliness as a vital tool in malaria prevention.
World Malaria Day is observed globally on April 25 each year to raise awareness of the devastating effects of the disease and to mobilize action toward its elimination. Ghana remains one of the countries burdened by high malaria cases, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Story by Douglas Oyiboh Amponsah
