Malaria is climate-sensitive. Temperature, rainfall and humidity affect mosquito survival, breeding, biting and parasite development, while floods, droughts and other extreme events can change breeding environments, displace households, interrupt services and weaken supply chains. The relationship is complex: climate change does not produce the same malaria effect everywhere, and local ecology, vector behaviour, housing, land use, health services and prevention coverage all shape the final risk.
For GCNM, climate resilience means adding a forward-looking layer to community malaria work: anticipate where conditions and service disruptions may increase risk, strengthen community intelligence, link local observations with surveillance, and adapt outreach before avoidable gaps become outbreaks or service failures.
Why climate matters for malaria in Ghana
Ghana’s malaria transmission already varies across ecological zones and seasons. The National Malaria Elimination Strategic Plan describes rainfall-linked transmission patterns and notes that climatic and environmental factors contribute to differences in malaria transmission across coastal savannah, forest and northern savannah settings. Ghana is also advancing a national climate and health vulnerability and adaptation process to inform a climate-resilient health system.
Vector and parasite dynamics
Temperature influences mosquito survival, biting behaviour and parasite development. Changes can alter the suitability, duration or geography of transmission, but effects depend on the local temperature range and other conditions.
Breeding habitats and seasonality
Rainfall can create or expand aquatic breeding sites, while very heavy rain can also wash away some habitats. Local drainage, land use and water storage determine whether rainfall translates into increased vector breeding.
Mosquito survival
Humidity affects mosquito longevity and therefore the time available for malaria parasites to develop and be transmitted. Seasonal changes can alter the length and intensity of transmission periods.
Disruption and vulnerability
Flooding can create standing water, damage homes, interrupt transport, displace families and disrupt access to testing, treatment, nets, outreach and routine health services.
Changing household practices
Water scarcity can change water-storage behaviour and settlement patterns. Local assessments are needed because the resulting effect on mosquito breeding can differ by setting.
Exposure and service pressure
Hotter conditions can affect outdoor work, sleeping patterns, mobility and health-system capacity. These social and behavioural changes can interact with malaria exposure and care-seeking.
GCNM climate-resilient malaria action framework
- Climate-informed Community-Led Monitoring. Add locally observable climate and environment markers to CLM, such as flooding, unusual standing water, disrupted access routes, changes in mosquito nuisance, service interruptions and commodity access problems.
- Seasonal micro-planning. Use district malaria data, local rainfall patterns, community calendars and programme schedules to time SBC, outreach, ITN follow-up, SMC mobilization and referral support when communities need them most.
- Early warning and escalation. Create rapid pathways for member organisations and volunteers to escalate unusual clusters of fever, service disruptions, post-flood access barriers or vector concerns to district health structures for verification and response.
- Climate-resilient service continuity. Include contingency plans for flooded roads, displaced communities, outreach interruption, power or connectivity loss, and malaria commodity distribution challenges.
- Risk communication before, during and after extreme events. Prepare simple malaria messages that can be activated during floods, storms, displacement or other emergencies and delivered through community radio, faith networks, local leaders, volunteers, SMS and social channels.
- Environment and vector action linked to evidence. Support community action on drainage, standing water and environmental management where appropriate, while keeping vector-control recommendations aligned with NMEP and Ghana Health Service guidance.
- Climate-health partnerships. Strengthen collaboration among civil society, health authorities, local government, meteorological and environmental actors, researchers and community leaders so climate information can support public-health decisions.
Climate-informed surveillance and community intelligence
Climate data are most useful when they are connected to epidemiological and operational information. A district may receive heavy rainfall without experiencing the same malaria outcome as another district because housing, drainage, vector species, prevention coverage, care-seeking and health-system readiness differ. GCNM therefore proposes a layered approach that combines climate signals with community reports, routine malaria data and programme intelligence rather than treating weather as a stand-alone predictor.
From climate signal to community action
Observe → Verify → Anticipate → Adapt → Review. Community observations can flag changing conditions; district and programme data can verify the pattern; teams can anticipate the likely operational risk; outreach and service delivery can adapt; and CLM can review whether the response reached affected communities.
Explore surveillance & eliminationPriority climate-malaria questions for districts
- Which communities become difficult to reach during heavy rain or flooding?
- Where do malaria cases or test positivity repeatedly increase after specific seasonal conditions?
- Which communities experience recurrent standing-water or drainage problems near homes, schools or workplaces?
- Can CHPS compounds, outreach teams and community agents continue to operate during extreme weather?
- Are malaria commodities, RDTs, ACTs and preventive tools positioned to remain accessible during disruption?
- Which population groups are likely to be displaced, mobile or exposed outdoors during high-risk periods?
- What communication channel will still work when roads, electricity or internet connectivity are interrupted?
Illustrative climate-resilience indicators
- Districts with malaria seasonal preparedness plans informed by local climate and community evidence.
- Number of climate- or extreme-weather-related malaria access barriers reported through CLM and resolved.
- Time from community alert to district verification and response.
- Continuity of testing, treatment and prevention commodities during flood or other disruption periods.
- Coverage of pre-season and emergency malaria risk communication in identified high-risk communities.
- Number of joint reviews linking malaria surveillance, climate information and community evidence.
- Percentage of affected communities receiving post-event follow-up after major service disruptions.
Ghana context and the direction of travel
WHO supported Ghana’s Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service in a climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessment process in 2025. The work is intended to inform climate-resilient health planning. Ghana’s malaria elimination strategy already recognizes the importance of ecosystem, environment and climate to transmission, while WHO recommends climate-informed surveillance and early-warning approaches for climate-sensitive diseases.
GCNM can contribute by making climate resilience operational at community level: documenting local vulnerability, protecting continuity of prevention and treatment, supporting climate-sensitive communication, and ensuring community experience is represented in adaptation planning.