Professor of Atmospheric and Climate Science in the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, has said it is critical to operationally include weather and climate in malaria surveillance, as in the case of the VECTRI model, to have a significant impact on the spread of the disease.
A malaria surveillance system consists of the tools, procedures, people and structures that generate information on malaria cases and deaths, which can be used for planning, monitoring and evaluating malaria control programmes.
Professor Leonard K. Amekudzi advocated for the adaptation of the VECTRI malaria model to the National Control Programme for malaria surveillance and control.
“We contributed to developing a weather-driven dynamical malaria model called VECTRI for early detection and response. Our early warning tool provides seasonal malaria cases forecast. The VECTRI model has been used in some SSA and other countries for malaria case intervention and control. The model has helped identify critical areas where test kits and mosquito nets are needed.”
Prof. Amekudzi noted that by knowing how weather and climate affect malaria transmission, scientists can better create preventative and control techniques.
The Provost of the College of Science stated at the Professorial Inaugural Lecture on the topic, “Cracking the Climate Change Code: The Sub-Saharan Africa Revolution,” that weather and climate conditions such as rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind, altitude, floods, drought, and seasonal changes have a significant impact on malaria transmission and prevalence.
Given the vulnerability of Sub-Saharan Africa to climate change, the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science aspires to crack the code. That is, comprehending the complex interplay between the climate system and the world’s natural, social, and cultural systems, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
To that end, scientists are focusing on four broad areas: the impact of climate change on vector-borne disease transmission, particularly malaria, the impact of anthropogenic activities on landscapes and microclimate, the provision of climate service information, and the development of human capacity to combat climate change. This is to influence policy action toward developing resilience through suitable adaptation and mitigation methods in the face of climate change challenges in order to protect livelihoods and promote sustainable development.
“These weather elements play a crucial role in the life cycle of both the mosquito and the malaria parasite, affecting their abundance and activity. Depending on the conditions of these factors in a particular geographical location, malaria transmission could be high or low. As climate changes, the geographical distribution of malaria also changes, either by expanding malaria transmission range to new areas or changing the intensity and timing of transmission,” he stated.
Malaria has been thought to be a climate-sensitive disease, with transmission traditionally associated with the summer months in temperate zones and the wet lowlands of tropical countries. Unusual weather patterns have frequently triggered deadly diseases. In recent years, a range of statistical and dynamical malaria transmission models driven by climate variables have been used to anticipate likely changes in the disease’s geographic distribution in a warmer world, everything else being equal.
Prof Amekudzi also discussed the availability of weather and climate information, stating that in Sub-Saharan Africa, human resources with the knowledge to provide important insights into the causes and implications of climate change are scarce.
“For this reason, in collaboration with the Ghana Meteorological Agency, KNUST started the Meteorology and Climate Science Programme, formerly run along the physics programme at KNUST and now a department, to build capacity in this field.
“The two institutions have collaborated with international bodies to run summer schools and training workshops to grow change agents with expertise and knowledge in meteorology and climate science. These experts are crucial for accurately predicting weather patterns, extreme events, and long-term climate trends, which helps make informed decisions and prepare for potential climate impacts.”
Policies that promote public awareness and education on climate change, he believed, would build a better knowledge of the issue and motivate individuals to take action to cut emissions and support climate-friendly programmes.
Though the Ghana Meteorological Agency has given observational weather stations across the country over the years, Professor Amekudzi believes the density of the network of these stations needs to be improved.
“Therefore, the government should adequately resource and empower GMet to expand their observational network to continue collecting, interpreting and archiving reliable climate data for climate impact studies and early warning operations.”
