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🇬🇭 Ghana /Health & Science

UG professor calls for responsible behavior from Ghanaians during the rainy season to prevent malaria

From Ghanaian Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A University of Ghana professor urged Ghanaians to maintain clean surroundings during the rainy season to prevent malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
  • Professor Yaw Asare Afrane highlighted that mosquitoes transmit deadly diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever, with millions of cases globally.
  • He noted that while interventions have reduced some diseases, others like dengue fever are emerging, and mosquitoes breed in urban environments, not just forests.

Professor Yaw Asare Afrane from the University of Ghana has called for responsible behavior from Ghanaians to combat malaria and other mosquito-borne illnesses, particularly during the rainy season. Speaking at a public lecture in Accra, Afrane emphasized the critical need for communities to keep their surroundings clean to curb the breeding of mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes remain one of the world's deadliest animals, transmitting diseases such as malaria, lymphatic filariasis, dengue fever, and yellow fever. According to a 2025 World Health Organization report, approximately 503 million malaria cases were recorded globally, with many more unreported due to self-medication. Afrane estimated that around 70 people might be dying from malaria at the time of his lecture.

Mosquitoes remain among the deadliest animals in the world because they transmit diseases such as malaria, lymphatic filariasis, dengue fever and yellow fever.

— Professor Yaw Asare AfraneHighlighting the global threat posed by mosquito-borne diseases.

While interventions have significantly reduced the burden of lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, in Ghana, dengue fever outbreaks have been reported in the Eastern and Central Regions. Research identified over 2,000 dengue cases, highlighting a growing public health concern.

Afrane's research journey, which began at the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, revealed that urban agriculture and irrigation activities create breeding grounds for mosquitoes in cities. His doctoral research in Kenya further established that deforestation and resulting temperature increases accelerate mosquito and parasite development, enabling malaria transmission in previously unsuitable highland regions. He stressed that mosquitoes primarily breed around human settlements in sites like discarded tires, containers, and poorly maintained drains, exacerbated by heavy rainfall and inadequate sanitation.

approximately 70 people could have been dying from malaria during the time of the lecture.

— Professor Yaw Asare AfraneEstimating the immediate impact of malaria deaths.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ghanaian Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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