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Ghana cuts malaria deaths 98% as vaccines and bed nets take hold

Ghana cuts malaria deaths 98% as vaccines and bed nets take hold

New Capabilities

Deaths fell from 3,259 in 2011 to 52 in 2025; a Cape Coast hospital has gone two years without a malaria death

3 days ago: Gavi reports elimination within reach

Overview

Updated Yesterday

Ghana recorded 52 malaria deaths in 2025, down from roughly 3,300 in 2011. That's a 98% reduction in 15 years, driven by a malaria vaccine, insecticide-treated bed nets, and preventive drugs.

A teaching hospital in Cape Coast hasn't attributed a single death primarily to malaria in two years. Ghana now targets eliminating locally acquired cases in 21 low-transmission districts by 2028, though infection rates remain high and foreign aid is shrinking.

Why it matters

Malaria still kills hundreds of thousands of African children yearly; Ghana's 15-year drop shows vaccines and nets can make the disease a rarity.

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Key Indicators

98%
Reduction in malaria deaths since 2011
From 3,259 deaths in 2011 to 52 in 2025, per Ghana Health Service.
52
Malaria deaths in 2025
Down from 3,259 in 2011; the country aims to stay below 15 deaths annually.
8.6%
Current malaria prevalence
Down from 27.5% in 2011, measured in children under five.
35
Child malaria deaths in 2024
Down from 245 in 2018, a nearly 86% drop after the vaccine rollout began.
78.3%
First-dose malaria vaccine coverage
For Ghana's two approved vaccines, delivered through routine immunization.

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People Involved

DP
Dr Nana Yaw Peprah
Deputy Programme Manager, National Malaria Elimination Programme
Leads Ghana's elimination drive; announced the 98% death reduction
DA
Dr Elisabeth Tabitha Abbew
Head of Infectious Diseases, Cape Coast Teaching Hospital
Reports no death primarily caused by malaria in two years
DA
Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe
Director, Public Health Division, Ghana Health Service
Warns funding limits and low bed-net use could slow progress
DA
Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea
Director-General, Ghana Health Service
Head of Ghana's state health agency

Organizations Involved

Ghana Health Service
Ghana Health Service
Government health agency
Runs the National Malaria Elimination Programme

Ghana's state health agency, publisher of the national malaria mortality figures.
National Malaria Elimination Programme
National Malaria Elimination Programme
Government program
Executing the 2024–2028 elimination strategy

The unit within Ghana Health Service running the country's malaria elimination agenda.
World Health Organization
World Health Organization
International agency
Technical partner on Ghana's malaria control

Ghana's technical partner on malaria since 2018.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
International vaccine alliance
Funds and distributes malaria vaccines in Ghana

The alliance that funds and supplies Ghana's malaria vaccines.

Timeline

2011 October 2026

10 events Latest: 3 days ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Gavi reports elimination within reach

    Latest Report

    Cape Coast hospital notes two-year, zero-death streak; target is under 15 annual deaths.

  2. Government briefs on World Malaria Day

    Statement

    Officials announce the death reduction, elimination targets, and warn on funding.

  3. National malaria deaths drop to 52

    Data

    A 98% reduction from 2011; the country targets staying below 15 deaths.

  4. Child malaria deaths fall to 35

    Data

    Down from 245 in 2018; about 4.3 million confirmed cases recorded nationwide.

  5. Two million vaccine doses administered

    Capability

    2.2 million doses given to 708,970 children across seven regions; elimination plan launched.

  6. Prevalence falls to 8.6%

    Data

    Audited inpatient malaria deaths drop to 155, from 428 in 2018.

  7. RTS,S malaria vaccine begins rollout

    Capability

    GSK's RTS,S vaccine introduced in select districts, the first malaria vaccine in use.

  8. Ghana joins High Burden High Impact initiative

    Policy

    WHO-backed targeting of interventions; 428 inpatient malaria deaths recorded that year.

  9. Child malaria prevalence at 20.6%

    Data

    Measured in children under five via the Demographic and Health Survey.

  10. Ghana records 3,259 malaria deaths

    Data

    Roughly 3,300 deaths recorded; national prevalence near 27.5%.

Scenarios

1

Ghana's low-transmission districts reach zero local cases

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: National Malaria Elimination Programme, WHO

Under the 2024–2028 plan, Ghana has stratified all districts by burden and targeted 21 low-transmission districts for elimination. If surveillance, net distribution, and vaccine coverage hold, NMEP could report zero locally acquired cases in those districts, setting up a formal WHO certification review. This is the country's stated aim.

2

Funding cuts stall Ghana's malaria progress

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Reuters, Ghana Health Service officials

Reuters reported in January 2026 that aid cuts from the Trump administration and other donors are squeezing malaria programs, and GHS officials say funding constraints already limit indoor residual spraying and preventive treatment. If vaccine distribution, net replacement, and chemoprevention shrink, deaths could climb back above 100 a year. This is the scenario officials most fear.

3

Deaths stay low but infections remain high

Likely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Ghana News Agency, NMEP

Ghana recorded about 4.3 million confirmed cases in 2024, and officials say less than half of suspected fevers are confirmed, so many are still misclassified as malaria. Testing in facilities approaches 99%, but community-level testing lags. The country could hold deaths below 100 while case counts stay in the millions, complicating the elimination timeline.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

September 2016

Sri Lanka certified malaria-free (2016)

Sri Lanka, a tropical island that reported over a million malaria cases a year in the 1990s, was certified malaria-free by the WHO in September 2016. It reached zero locally acquired cases in 2012 through aggressive case surveillance, indoor residual spraying, and rapid treatment.

Then

WHO certified Sri Lanka malaria-free in 2016, the second country in the WHO South-East Asia region after the Maldives.

Now

Sri Lanka now runs a permanent surveillance system to detect imported cases and stop local re-transmission.

Why this matters now

Shows a malaria-endemic country can reach zero local transmission with sustained surveillance and vector control, which is Ghana's stated next step.

January 2024

Cape Verde certified malaria-free (2024)

Cape Verde, an archipelago off West Africa, was certified malaria-free by the WHO in January 2024, becoming the third African country to achieve this after Mauritius and Algeria. It maintained zero local transmission for three consecutive years.

Then

WHO certification in January 2024 capped three years of zero locally acquired cases.

Now

The archipelago provides the closest working template for elimination in West Africa.

Why this matters now

Cape Verde sits in the same WHO African region as Ghana, showing regional elimination is attainable and how the certification process works.

Sources

(5)
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Ghana News Agency Xinhua Reuters WHO Regional Office for Africa