Spatiotemporal analysis of climate variability impacts on malaria prevalence in Ghana

Abstract

There are conflicting results from research on the impacts of temperature and rainfall on malaria prevalence. As a result predicting malaria prevalence still remains a challenge. Generating relevant information on the role of temperature, rainfall, and humidity on malaria prevalence at different geographic scales is critical to efforts to combat the burden of prevalence. For better understanding of climate variability and the impacts on malaria prevalence, this study examined the varying spatial and seasonal distribution in malaria prevalence over time in Ghana. We used trajectory and time series analyses for temporal distribution and conducted GIS-based analyses of the spatial distribution of yearly malaria incidence and climate variables. We observed that the national annual malaria incidence has increased. Considerable inter-annual variations were also detected in the intensity of incidence across regions characterized with varying rainfall and temperature regimes. The results indicated that temperature and humidity have some association with malaria prevalence in Ghana. Although annual rainfall in the model was found to be less significant, there is evidence of rainfall as a predictor of malaria in Ghana. These findings show that public health resource allocations should focus on the areas with the highest malaria risk in Ghana.