Mapping Malaria Susceptibility in the Oti Region of Ghana Using Remote Sensing and GIS: A Retrospective Observational Study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Malaria remains a major public health challenge in Ghana, with the entire population at risk of infection. Although the national prevalence has declined in recent years, malaria continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality. Aim: This retrospective observational study aimed to map malaria risk zones in the Oti Region using environmental factors. Methods: mosquito breeding and malaria transmission were assessed using a Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) model. Generalized additive model (GAM) and support vector machine (SVM) were applied to predict malaria risk across the Oti Region. Results: Malaria cases were unevenly distributed across the Oti Region, with Krachi East and Nkwanta South identified as persistent hotspots for malaria. These regions reported 91,376 and 73,592 cases, respectively, over 3 years. Furthermore, elevation (with feature importance, 27.60%), land surface temperature (LST) (from 22°C to 32°C) (25.48%), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (23.12%), and distance to rivers (20.00%) were the significant environmental factors affecting mosquito breeding and, consequently, malaria susceptibility within the study area. Conclusion: These findings provide valuable insights for guiding targeted control efforts and resource allocation in the Oti Region, focusing on addressing the identified environmental risk factors to mitigate malaria transmission in the area.
Source: Health Science Reports
DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.71637
Authors: George Okyere, Arnold Abakah, Alexander Kwarteng, Efiba Vidda Senkyire Kwarteng
Language: English
Topic: Malaria Research and Control
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,280
OpenAlex ID: W4417145100