Abstract:
Malaria contributes substantially to the poor health situation in the northern region of Ghana,
especially in the Bole district. This paper is an outcome of a study, which assessed the factors
that influenced the vulnerability of farming households to malaria, as well as the economic
burden of the malaria prevalence in the Bole District, Ghana. The multiple linear regression
model was used to analyze the determinants of household's vulnerability to malaria, and to examine
the relationship between the non-parametric dependent variable and dichotomous independent
variables. The outcome of the study revealed an increase in malaria cases during
the rainy season. Total direct cost of malaria care, number of people comprising the farming
household, support for malaria prevention, information on mosquito breeding and development,
and absenteeism from farm emerged as the main factors, which influenced the households'
vulnerability to malaria. Direct and indirect costs of malaria treatment have negatively
affected the households' budget. In addition, malaria treatment cost represented a substantial
portion of poor farming household income. The direct cost was estimated to GH₵ 4059, and
the indirect cost was estimated to GH₵ 4654. It was recommended to the government of
Ghana to expand the National Malaria Control Program to the household level and make National
Health Insurance Scheme more efficient.
