By Muyid Deen Suleman
Ayaase (Ash) April 28, GNA – Mr Eric Atuahene Agyemang, Adansi North District Director of Health Services, has called on the people to take the interventions of various stakeholders serious to help reduce the incidence of malaria in the district.
He said though the incidence of malaria had reduced significantly, there was the need for the people to continue to adhere to good environmental sanitation and sleep under insecticide treated mosquito nets to further reduce the infection rates.
Speaking at a health screening clinic for the people of Ayaase to mark this year’s world malaria day, Mr Agyeman pointed out that, it was important for the people to be aware of the dangers of malaria and take the needed precautionary measures to prevent it.
The clinic was organised by AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine, as part of its 10-year development plan to promote the health of the people in its operational areas.
Mr Agyeman said Ghana was steadily progressing in the fight against malaria infections as a result of various interventions such as the indoor residual spraying campaign being spearheaded by the AngloGold health foundation, to clamp down malaria in the area.
Again, for the past four years, Ghana with other countries like Kenya and Malawi had intensified malaria control injection to infants and babies, which was yielding positive results.
He said the general reduction of the incidence of malaria infection in the district implied that, the health directorate, and its key stakeholders such as AngloGold Ashanti, was doing a good job.
Mr Agyeman encouraged residents of the district to take good care of themselves in order not to fall prey to the malaria parasite.
Mr Edmond Oduro, Stakeholders Engagement Superintendent at AGA Malaria Control Programme, said the mining giant took keen interest in malaria control program due to frequent malaria infections among its workers.
He stressed the need for all stakeholders to support the programme and other interventions by the government to help prevent malaria from the district.
According to the latest World Malaria Report published in December 2022, in 2021, malaria caused 619,000 deaths with 247 million new cases recorded across the world.
Although a global issue, 95 per cent of all malaria cases are in World Health Organisation (WHO) African Region, with nearly 80 per cent of malaria deaths in the African Region being among children under the age of five.
In Ghana, according to the WHO, malaria is both endemic and perennial throughout the country, putting the entire population at risk.
In 2021, WHO estimated that there were about 5.3 million malaria cases with 12,500 estimated deaths were recorded.
GNA