The Road to Malaria Elimination: Implications for doing things differently

In this seminar, Professor Evelyn Ansah, the Director of the Centre for Malaria Research, University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ghana, shared details about her research on mathematical modeling and the transmission dynamics and control of malaria. She explained the endemicity of malaria in Africa and emphasized the importance of community engagement and behavior change communication to achieve the goal of malaria elimination. Different approaches to achieve elimination of malaria including High Burden High Impact (HBHI), subnational verification of elimination and the pillars of the HBHI approach were buttressed in the seminar using China, Tajikistan, and Algeria’s journeys to elimination as examples. She further explained the progress being made in Ghana towards the elimination of malaria. Most importantly, Professor Ansah explained things that are needed to be done differently to achieve elimination under the sub-headings: rethinking malaria effort, and the HBHI evaluation. Important actions required for elimination were highlighted by Professor Ansah including the use of technology to get quality data.  Being at the cross-roads of malaria elimination, this seminar brought to everyone, the way forward to achieve the goal of malaria elimination.