Infrastructural development has aided in the fight against malaria – WACCBIP Director

Director of the West African Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Professor Gordon Awandare has disclosed that Ghana has made a lot of progress in its fight against malaria, especially in the cities.
According to him, this feet was not achieved because any dramatic measures were put in place but the country’s rate of development has made it so.
Speaking on his work in malaria research on the ‘Myd Morning Radio Show’ hosted by Rev Erskine, Professor Awandare shared. “We have made a lot of progress in our fight against malaria in the country, especially in the big cities where incidents of malaria are now very little”.
He admitted that the introduction and use of bed nets, rapid test kits, more effective drugs and mosquito repellents/sprays have helped fight malaria but, “we have also been helped by our infrastructural development”.
He noted that one rarely sees ponds, open gutters and grassy areas which are breeding grounds for malaria in the country’s cities. “With development, we are protecting ourselves from malaria. We are basically benefiting from development in the country”, he stated.
He reiterated, “Our roads are being tarred and there is no paddle of water for mosquitoes to breed. In addition, supporting measures and other global agencies supporting the fight against malaria are succeeding”.
Professor Awandare however admitted that this is not enough to completely eradicate the killer disease from the country. He believes if the country’s researchers are given a dedicated fund they can draw from for research, the solution will not be long in coming.
By: Joel Sanco