Malaria Deaths Plummet by 98%

Ghana has reduced malaria deaths by 98% since 2011, bringing the country closer to eliminating the disease through expanded vaccination, improved treatments and prevention programmes.

“A malaria-free Ghana is very possible and within reach,” says Dr Nana Yaw Peprah, Deputy Head of the National Malaria Eradication Programme.

Malaria deaths fell to just 52 in 2025, while Cape Coast Teaching Hospital has recorded no deaths primarily caused by malaria for two consecutive years. The progress reflects a combination of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, preventive medicines, improved treatments and malaria vaccines introduced in 2019. In some vaccination pilot areas, confirmed malaria cases among children under five declined by 45% between 2019 and 2024. Ghana has also approved a new malaria treatment specifically designed for newborns and young infants. The country now aims to reduce annual malaria deaths to fewer than 15 and eliminate the disease in 21 districts of Accra by 2028.