Speaker
Description
Background: Severe malaria remains a threat in sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to morbidity and mortality despite control efforts. In Ghana’s Ashanti region, it overwhelms healthcare during seasonal peaks.
Objectives: Examine severe malaria admissions and deaths in health facilities from 2018 to 2022 to identify trends in the Ashanti region.
Methods: We analyzed over 55,000 admission records from Ghana’s District Health Information System (DHIMS 2). Monthly incidence per 10,000 admissions and case fatality rates (CFRs) were calculated, using cumulative summation (CUSUM-2) thresholds to highlight anomalies. A linear trendline showed direction, and Kendall’s Tau tested monotonic trend significance at 5% alpha.
Results: Incidence oscillated between 548.2 and 87.9, with rainy season peaks and dry season troughs, showing a significant decline (τ = -0.2, p = 0.017). CFRs rose from 0.2% in January 2018 to 1.0% in November 2021, with a significant increase (τ = 0.2, p = 0.035). Threshold analysis revealed aberrations in July–August 2020 and July–September 2021, coinciding with COVID-19 measures and seasonal patterns.
Conclusion: The decline in admissions suggests progress in control, but rising CFRs highlight gaps in care quality and timeliness. Seasonal peaks and COVID-19-related aberrations underscore the need for adaptive surveillance. These findings emphasize sustaining prevention while strengthening clinical care and emergency readiness during high-risk periods.
Keywords: Severe malaria, Incidence, Deaths, Surveillance, DHIMS 2, Ghana.