Malaria vulnerability in Ga Mashie, Accra: climate and socio-economic influences

Malaria, one of the major health concerns in Ghana is predicted to be impacted by climate change. This study examined the influence of rainfall and household characteristics on malaria incidence as analysed through the lenses of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change framework on climate change and health.
We used data from two sources: (i) malaria and rainfall data from the Centre for Health and Information Management and Ghana Meteorological Agency and (ii) survey of 434 representative sample households in Ga-Mashie, Accra. The data were analysed at the macro and micro levels using descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate techniques.
The macro level analysis shows a significant relationship between number of rain days and incidence of malaria. It was found that flooding is positve related with incidence of malaria at the micro level. Again, community of residence and level of education were significantly related with malaria incidence at the micro level.
The findings have implication for other climate sensitive diseases in Ghana and how they relate with rainfall and other climatic variables, which future studies should seek to address. Public health programmes must be intensified, focusing on all year round prevention of malaria.

Key words: Climate, Climate Variability, Flooding, Ghana