The Anglogold Ashanti Malaria Control, AGAMal is to begin an 11-week indoor residual spraying campaign in 16 administrative districts in four regions of Ghana.
The campaign, a collaboration between AGAMal and the National Malaria Elimination Programme, NMEP with funding support by the Global Fund, seeks to protect about one point-four million children against malaria in line with the NMEP’s objective of 2024-2028 malaria elimination strategy.
A statement signed and issued by the Communications Manager of AGAMal, Isaac Kwakye-Appiah and copied to the GBC in Ashanti noted that, the indoor residual spraying, which has become an annual campaign, involves the use of WHO-approved insecticide in the interior walls of homes and identifiable public places where mosquitoes thrive.
According to the Statement, the insecticide will be efficacious in the beneficiary places for one year without staining the walls, it’s odourless and protects an entire community against malaria transmission. All the 11 districts in the Upper West region, three in Upper East, and two in Ashanti have been selected to benefit from the campaign which spans from 7th April to 20th June this year.
It noted that the campaign is to be done at no cost emphasizing that, beyond positive impact on public health, the Indoor Residual Spraying campaign will create temporary jobs for about one thousand four hundred (1400) people hired to form Spraying Gangs thereby contributing to the local economies of the regions and districts involved.
The statement urged all residents in the beneficiary districts to take keen interest in the exercise by supporting and cooperating with spraying gangs to ensure effectiveness of the campaign.
Researchers have found that a medication commonly used to treat rare diseases could make human blood lethal to mosquitoes, presenting a potential breakthrough in the fight against illnesses like malaria.
The drug, known as nitisinone, is typically prescribed to individuals with rare genetic disorders that hinder the complete breakdown of specific amino acids.
Nitisinone functions by inhibiting an enzyme, thereby preventing the accumulation of harmful byproducts associated with these diseases in the human body.
When mosquitoes drink blood that contains nitisinone, the drug also blocks the enzyme in their bodies, stopping them from properly digesting the blood, leading them to quickly die, according to their findings published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
“One way to stop the spread of diseases transmitted by insects is to make the blood of animals and humans toxic to these blood-feeding insects,” Lee R Haines, associate research professor at the University of Notre Dame in the US and co-lead author of the study, said in a statement.
“Our findings suggest that using nitisinone could be a promising new complementary tool for controlling insect-borne diseases like malaria”.
Personal protective measures include wearing covering clothes, the use of mosquito repellent and the use of bed nets or window and door screens.
A growing need for mosquito control solutions
Another method is the use of ivermectin, used to kill parasites. However, its repeated use can lead to drug-resistance. It can also be toxic for the environment.
“Nitisinone performance was fantastic,” said Álvaro Acosta Serrano, professor of biological sciences at Notre Dame and co-corresponding author of the study.
“It has a much longer half-life in human blood than ivermectin, which means its mosquitocidal activity remains circulating in the human body for much longer. This is critical when applied in the field for safety and economical reasons,” he added.
Nitisinone was able to kill mosquitoes across all age groups, including older mosquitoes that are most likely to transmit malaria. It was also capable of eliminating insecticide-resistant mosquitoes.
“In the future, it could be advantageous to alternate both nitisinone and ivermectin for mosquito control,” Haines said.
“For example, nitisinone could be employed in areas where ivermectin resistance persists or where ivermectin is already heavily used for livestock and humans”.
Mosquito-borne diseases include malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, chikungunya and yellow fever, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
They represent an emerging threat to human health in Europe with climate change creating more favourable conditions for invasive mosquito species despite malaria being eradicated from the continent for several decades.
Hope for Future Generations (HFFG) and its partners have commended the government for presenting the 2025 Budget and Economic Policy but are calling for increased and sustainable health financing to drive Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
While acknowledging the government’s decision to increase the health budget from GHS 15.6 billion in 2024 to GHS 17.8 billion in 2025, a nominal increase of 13.4%, HFFG noted that this still falls short of the 15% commitment outlined in the Abuja Declaration.
In a statement, the organisation said, after adjusting for inflation, the real value of the 2025 health budget has declined by 23%, which could hinder service delivery and UHC progress.
HFFG commended the Government’s commitment to uncap the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) totaling GHS 9.93 billion, aimed at supporting vaccine procurement, claims payments, procurement of essential medicines, bridging donor gaps such as USAID financial shortfalls, free Primary Health Care, and critical care services.
While this is a step in the right direction, the Ministry of Finance must release funds to the NHIA without delay. Additionally, the Ministry of Health should submit timely requests to facilitate the NHIA in fulfilling its mandate.
The organization also highlighted the urgent need for sustainable domestic funding as Ghana prepares for the exit of Gavi support by 2029, to avoid vaccine stockouts and maintain public health gains. They emphasized the importance of achieving vaccine sovereignty. Additionally, HFFG acknowledged the government’s focus on epidemic preparedness and response, but called for a dedicated pool of resources for emergency preparedness, noting the country’s vulnerability to outbreaks.
HFFG’s Key Recommendations:
• Timely Release of Vaccine Co-financing Funds – The government must ensure the prompt release of funds to meet Ghana’s vaccine obligations to prevent shortages and disease outbreaks.
• Increased Health Budget Allocation – Ghana should work towards the Abuja Declaration target of 15% of the national budget for health, as the current 6.32% allocation is insufficient.
• More Domestic Funding for Primary Health Care and Immunization – While the uncapping of NHIL is commendable, additional domestic resources are needed to cover expanded services.
• Dedicated Emergency Preparedness Fund – Ghana needs a reserved funding pool to respond to health emergencies, given the emergence of new disease strains requiring costly treatment.
HFFG reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with the government and stakeholders to ensure equitable health financing and uninterrupted access to essential health services. The organization urged policymakers to act swiftly to address these critical gaps to safeguard the health of all Ghanaians.
Surgical doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, have suspended all surgical procedures indefinitely due to a severe water shortage that has disrupted operations at the facility.
Hospital authorities report that the water supply issue has persisted since last week, making surgical procedures unsafe and significantly affecting essential healthcare services.
In response to the crisis, the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association issued a memo on March 25, instructing management to comply with the suspension to safeguard patient safety and well-being.
The memo emphasized the critical role of water in maintaining hygiene, performing surgeries, and ensuring proper patient care. However, the ongoing shortage has compromised these essential functions, leaving doctors with no choice but to halt surgical cases temporarily.
“This memo is to formally inform management of the decision taken by the Orthopaedic and Emergency Directorate to temporarily halt the admission of new patients until water supply is restored,” the statement read.
Despite ongoing efforts to manage the crisis, the memo highlighted that the situation has reached a critical level, posing serious risks to patient safety and healthcare delivery.
Dr. Michael Leat, Chairman of the Association, assured that doctors remain committed to attending to existing cases and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused by the suspension.
The association also urged hospital management to explore alternative water supply solutions and provide regular updates on efforts to resolve the crisis.
A new large-scale study tracked people’s dietary habits and health outcomes from midlife to about age 70. This is what they found out.
Eating a diet that is mostly plant-based – and that skips red meat and ultra-processed foods – is tied to better physical and mental health in old age, a large new analysis shows.
The study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine, tracked about 105,000 people in the United States for up to 30 years.
It analysed health outcomes associated with eight diets and eating habits, including the Mediterranean diet, which emphasises olive oil, fish, and nuts, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan, which restricts sodium to help control blood pressure.
Around age 70, the healthiest people’s diets included plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, unsaturated fats, nuts, beans and other legumes, and “moderate” levels of animal-based foods such as low-fat dairy.
Less than 1 in 10 are ageing healthily
While research into diet and health outcomes is nothing new, the study authors said their analysis is one of the first to hit upon how different eating habits in midlife are tied to healthy ageing overall.
In the study, people were considered to be ageing well if they reached 70 without any major chronic conditions, if their brain function was still good, and if they had “intact” mental health and physical abilities.
Compared with other research on healthy ageing, Guasch-Ferré said this is a more comprehensive view that takes into account quality of life rather than just how long people live.
“Do we really want to live longer, or do we want to live better?” she said.
Yet fewer than one in 10 people actually met the bar for healthy ageing, the analysis found.
While the study was done in the US, Guasch-Ferré said the results likely hold up in Europe as well.
The study has some limitations, however. While the researchers tried to take factors like socioeconomic status into account, other issues such as genetics, the environment, and access to healthcare could also play a role in the diet-health nexus.
Even so, Guasch-Ferré said the findings could be used to tweak dietary guidelines – and to help incentivise people to make healthier dining choices.
“Of course, healthy ageing is not just [about] the diet,” she said. But “any improvement on the diet could help”.
For the eighth year in a row, Finland has been named the world’s happiest country in the World Happiness Report published on Thursday.
Compiled annually by pollster Gallup, the United Nations, and the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, the report uses data gathered from over 140 countries around the world.
As in previous editions of the report, the top 10 is dominated by European countries with all but three entries from the continent.
Within that group, the top four in the 2025 report continue to be an all-Nordic affair with Finland being closed followed by Denmark (second), Iceland (third), and Sweden (fourth).
How do you measure happiness?
The notion of happiness is in itself subjective but the annual World Happiness Report rankings are based on subjective life evaluations compiled over the past three years from the Gallup World Poll in cooperation with the University of Oxford and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Interdisciplinary experts from the fields of economics, psychology, and sociology are then called in to review the data and make evaluations.
The variables quantified by the report’s authors include income (GDP per capita), healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and freedom from corruption.
For the first time, the 2025 report’s data crunchers have looked at the impact of benevolent behaviour on our well-being and happiness levels.
Importance of caring
“Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth – it’s about trust, connection, and knowing people have your back,” Jon Clifton, the CEO of Gallup, said. “If we want stronger communities and economies, we must invest in what truly matters: each other”.
Researchers say that beyond health and wealth, some factors that influence happiness sound deceptively simple: sharing meals with others, having somebody to count on for social support, and household size.
In Mexico and Europe, for example, a household size of four to five people predicts the highest levels of happiness, the study said.
While the report authors note the importance of the family unit as a hallmark of caring and sharing, with large Latin American households being particularly singled out, the growing trend towards loneliness – most strongly felt by young people – is still prevalent.
In 2023, 19 per cent of young adults globally reported having no one to rely on for support, an increase of 39 per cent compared to 2006.
However, believing in the kindness of others is also much more closely tied to happiness than previously thought, according to the latest findings.
As an example, the report suggests that people who believe that others are willing to return their lost wallet is a strong predictor of the overall happiness of a population.
Nordic nations rank among the top places for expected and actual return of lost wallets, the study found.
According to Alexandra Peth, a managing director of a bioindustry trade association in Finland, said Finnish culture prioritises trust and connection.
“People trust each other in Finland and I think on many levels in the society, we try to support each other,” Peth said. “So I think the system makes it kind of that you can trust it somehow”.
Overall, researchers said that global evidence on the perceived and actual return of lost wallets shows that people are much too pessimistic about the kindness of their communities compared to reality – actual rates of wallet return are around twice as high as people expect.
For the first time in the annual World Happiness Report, benevolence is being considered as a factor in gauging our well-being.
Which 10 countries were the least happy?
Afghanistan retains its position at the bottom of the table, with the bottom 10 largely remaining the same country-wise though their positions have been shuffled somewhat.
138. Lesotho
139. Comoros
140. Yemen
141. DR Congo
142. Botswana
143. Zimbabwe
144. Malawi
145. Lebanon
146. Sierre Leone
147. Afghanistan
Which countries were the 10 happiest?
The four happiest countries remain unchanged in 2025 with the Nordic countries carrying the top spots again this year.
However, there have been some changes in the rest of the top 10 with Costa Rica and Mexico pushing Switzerland and Australia – which took the ninth and tenth spots respectively in 2024 – further down the table.
The Netherlands moved up a spot in this year’s report to make it an all-European top five.
Efforts to promote the adoption of clean energy sources for cooking in Ghana have encountered both challenges and opportunities.
At a National Stakeholder Policy and Strategy Forum on Clean Cooking in Tamale, the CEO of the Ghana Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Fuels (GhACCF), Mohammed Aminu Lukmanu, highlighted the country’s progress and challenges in transitioning to cleaner cooking methods. He noted that charcoal remains a widely used energy source, particularly in urban areas, despite its health risks.
Citing data from the World Health Organization (WHO), he revealed that approximately 28,000 people die annually in Ghana due to indoor air pollution caused by burning firewood and charcoal.
“Charcoal is used more in urban areas, at about 27%, than in rural areas. This is evident in cities like Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi, where truckloads of charcoal are transported from regions like Afram Plains, Northern Region, and Kintampo,” Mr. Lukmanu stated.
He attributed the preference for charcoal to its perceived efficiency and lower pollution levels compared to firewood. However, he warned of the severe environmental consequences of charcoal production, particularly in northern Ghana, where the Siena tree is being over-harvested.
“It takes four units of wood to produce one unit of charcoal in the northern sector due to the hardwood. This has led to the depletion of Siena trees, which are being cut down for charcoal production,” he explained.
To mitigate this, Mr. Lukmanu advocated for the use of sustainable feedstock for charcoal production, such as savannah grass, corn harvest waste, and cocoa pods. He also emphasized the need for further research and data collection to better understand the impact of indoor air pollution on public health.
In addition to health risks, he noted that the rising cost of LPG has driven many Ghanaians back to using charcoal and firewood. However, he pointed out that electricity remains a cheaper and cleaner alternative for cooking.
“Cooking with electricity is cheaper than firewood, charcoal, and LPG. With approximately 87% of Ghana having access to electricity, promoting e-cooking or electric cooking is a viable solution,” he asserted.
Stakeholders, including traditional authorities, pledged to use their platforms to educate and sensitize their communities on the benefits of adopting LPG as a cleaner alternative to charcoal. However, they acknowledged that convincing people to switch from charcoal to LPG remains a challenge due to its widespread availability.
To address this, they urged the government to make LPG products more affordable and accessible to the average Ghanaian. They also emphasized the need for more convenient LPG refilling services and a reliable distribution network to support the transition to cleaner cooking fuels.
The National Stakeholder Forum was organized by the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder affecting millions of women worldwide, yet many remain unaware of its impact. It is a condition that causes hormonal imbalances, leading to irregular periods, excessive hair growth, acne, weight gain, and, in some cases, infertility.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects an estimated 13–16% of women of reproductive age, with up to 70% of those affected remaining undiagnosed globally.
The exact cause of PCOS is unknown, but experts believe it is linked to genetic and environmental factors. High insulin levels can cause the ovaries to produce more androgens (male hormones), leading to symptoms like excessive hair growth and acne. Increased levels of testosterone and other androgens disrupt ovulation and menstrual cycles. PCOS often runs in families, suggesting a hereditary link.
Common symptoms include irregular or missed periods, excessive hair growth on the face, chest, or back, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, thinning hair or hair loss on the scalp, acne or oily skin, and difficulty getting pregnant due to irregular ovulation. Some women also experience mood swings, fatigue, and sleep problems.
Since the exact cause of PCOS is unknown, there is no sure way to prevent it. However, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the risk of developing severe symptoms. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and managing stress levels can improve hormonal balance and overall well-being.
While there is no outright cure for PCOS, it can be managed effectively with the right approach. Treatment depends on the symptoms and whether a woman is trying to conceive. Doctors often recommend lifestyle changes, such as weight management through diet and exercise, to improve insulin resistance and regulate periods. Medications can also help, including:
• Birth control pills – To regulate menstrual cycles and reduce excess androgen levels, which can help with acne and hair growth.
• Metformin – A diabetes medication that helps lower insulin resistance and improve ovulation.
• Clomiphene (Clomid) and Letrozole – Used to stimulate ovulation in women who want to conceive.
• Spironolactone – An anti-androgen medication that can reduce excessive hair growth.
Despite the challenges that come with PCOS, women should not feel discouraged.
A PCOS diagnosis does not mean a woman cannot have children, live a healthy life, or feel confident in her body. Many women with PCOS go on to conceive naturally or with medical assistance. The key is early diagnosis, proper management, and emotional support.
PCOS is not a life sentence—it is a condition that can be managed with the right lifestyle, medical care, and self-acceptance. Women should seek medical attention if they notice symptoms and remember that they are not alone in this journey. With the right support and treatment, they can live full, healthy, and happy lives.
The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, has marked this year’s World Tuberculosis (TB) Day with a call for increased commitment, investment, and effective delivery of TB control measures.
Under the theme “Yes, We Can End TB! Commit, Invest, Deliver,” the commemoration emphasized the urgent need for action to eliminate the disease. Stakeholders at the event identified key challenges hindering TB control in Ghana, including stigma, limited access to diagnostic tools, and inadequate funding.
In his address, the Minister of Health, Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, highlighted Ghana’s progress in TB case detection while acknowledging persisting gaps.
He revealed that in 2024, the country recorded over 20,000 TB cases—a significant improvement—yet still below the World Health Organization’s (WHO) target of 44,000 cases annually.
In a statement, the Minister stated their commitment to ending TB by increasing funding for control activities, improving access to diagnostic tools such as GeneXpert machines and digital X-rays, and strengthening the healthcare systems to ensure no TB patient goes undiagnosed or untreated.
Mr. Akandoh also urged Ghanaians to actively participate in the fight against TB by raising awareness in their communities, supporting affected individuals, and encouraging early testing. He challenged the public to reflect on their contributions, asking: “Can you raise awareness? Can you support someone with TB? Can you encourage others to get tested?”
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, reinforced the theme’s message, stating that eliminating TB requires strong leadership commitment, sustained investments, and effective implementation of TB interventions. He announced that Ghana’s National TB Control Program has revised its guidelines to align with WHO’s latest global standards.
Adding to the discourse, Prof. Dorothy Yeboah-Manu, Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the National TB Control Program, emphasized the importance of research in identifying undiagnosed TB cases.
She urged stakeholders to continue investing in TB control efforts.
“Let us commit our time, our resources, and our men into TB control effort,” she urged.
