Reintroduce ‘Samasama’ to help win fight against malaria …Prof. Afrane urges govt
A lecturer at the Department of Medical Microbiology of the University of Ghana Medical School, Professor Yaw Asare Afrane, has added his voice to calls for the reintroduction of Sanitary Inspectors (Samasama) in all communities across the country.
According to him, this is the only way the fight against malaria, currently being championed by the Ministry of Health, can be won and the disease completely eradicated in the country by 2032.
Prof Afrane made the call during his inaugural lecture in Accra on Friday on the topic, “Fighting the Bite: Human Activities and the Changing Landscape of Mosquito-Borne Diseases in Africa,” at the University of Ghana.
According to him, mosquitoes do not travel from elsewhere to attack people but are largely bred through human activities around homes. These include leaving abandoned worn-out vehicle tyres, empty cans in the open, bushy surroundings, and choked drains that provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
“It is to check these human activities that the Town Council officers, popularly called ‘Samasama’, should be reintroduced to enforce sanitation laws in our communities,” he added.
Prof. Afrane, who is currently the Chair of the Research Board of the College of Health Sciences and a member of the Vector Control Working Group of the World Health Organisation (WHO) under the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, indicated that mosquitoes are widely considered the deadliest animals on the planet, responsible for more human deaths than any other creature.
He further explained that throughout history, mosquitoes have remained a major public health threat due to their role as transmitters of disease-causing pathogens, including parasites responsible for malaria and lymphatic filariasis, as well as viruses such as yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. They can also transmit bacteria such as Rickettsia felis.
“Only female mosquitoes bite because they require blood meals for egg development. During feeding on humans and animals, they can efficiently transmit a wide range of pathogens. In Ghana, malaria remains the most prevalent mosquito-borne disease,” he explained.
Prof. Afrane indicated that mosquitoes breed in small collections of stagnant water such as drain water, pools, discarded tyres, containers, and blocked drains. These conditions allow them to thrive in densely populated urban areas as well as in natural habitats such as tree holes, which are often difficult to identify and control.
He stated that while some mosquito species mainly feed on animals, others prefer humans, thereby increasing the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. After feeding, mosquitoes may move indoors or outdoors to digest their blood meals, often resting in hedges surrounding houses and other areas within the household environment before laying their eggs not far from these resting sites.
Moreover, Prof Afrane noted that several malaria control interventions have been implemented by the Ghana Health Service, including the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, indoor residual spraying—which involves applying insecticides to the walls of human dwellings—and the installation of wire mesh on windows to prevent mosquitoes from entering homes.
He, therefore, called for the training of more research scientists and greater public collaboration, stressing that government policies alone cannot achieve the goal of eliminating the disease.
Prof Afrane said that efforts are currently underway to conclude studies on a mosquito sterilisation project.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
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