By Rachel Kakraba
An Epidemiologist, Prof. Fred Binka, is advocating for investment in new tools and technologies that could cut down on the reproduction and transmission of mosquito, the vector which spreads malaria. This, he noted, will be a giant step in Ghana’s malaria elimination efforts.
Such studies, he recommended, could focus on trapping mosquitoes before mating, which he said will significantly reduce mosquito population.
Prof. Binka, who is an academic and scientist, noted many researchers, especially in malaria, do not get the relevant recognition in the country, a reason they are not able to secure funding for ground breaking research.
“It’s just that we don’t get the recognition and because of that, we don’t get much money to be able to do the research that is collected. But there’s a lot to be done and there are many people who are interested and if the government were to pay attention to that, we will be able to make a contribution towards eliminating malaria in our part of the world.”
He added “within country, virtually nothing. Most of the work that people are doing, the research money, comes from outside the country.”
This, he said, was a worrying development, especially as there is the need to understand mosquito behaviour in the country under different climatic conditions.
“Even in Ghana, the way the mosquito breeds and works in northern Ghana is different from what happens in southern Ghana. I always give one example in Kasena Nankana, where I lived for many years—over 10 years, mosquitoes tend to breed in the millet that grows around the houses.”
Prof. Binka, said the country could take advantage of research in genetically modified mosquitoes to enhance malaria elimination interventions.
“We may not be one of the first countries to release the genetically modified mosquitoes, but we should be in a position to see how it affects the mosquito population in our part of the world.”
Professor Binka appealed to the public to help combat mosquito populations by keeping their surroundings clean.
Professor Binka, a distinguished clinical epidemiologist, has pioneered innovative research projects in Ghana and beyond. He was the principal investigator during the Mosquitoes Benet Studies, which found that sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito significantly helped to reduce malaria (transmitted by anopheles mosquito) mortality and morbidity. This is what has resulted in the use of insecticide treated net as a major primary health care policy and tool in malaria control and prevention in Ghana.
Under the Malaria Attack Rate Study, Prof. Binka, also contributed to the epidemiology data for the Malaria Vaccine Trials, and the subsequent rollout of malaria vaccine for immunisation in Ghana and parts of Africa.
More so, together with some Ghanaian scientists and their counterparts from the London School of Health and Tropical Medicine he co-investigated the Ghana Vitamin ‘A’ Supplementation Trial (Ghana VAST). This has been translated into policy and Vitamin A is now incorporated into Ghana’s immunisation programme for the survival and good health of children under five years.
