By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta (VR) April 25, GNA-Madam Dora Kugbonu, the Health Promotion Officer at the Keta Municipal Health Directorate in the Volta Region, has urged the public to unite together to fight malaria.
The call, she said, would help prevent all malaria-related cases globally to promote better living conditions among the various communities.
Madam Kugbonu made the appeal in an interaction with the Ghana News Agency in commemoration of this year’s ‘World Malaria Day.’
She revealed that Malaria remained the third most deadly sickness in the world, adding, “The cases keep increasing among children and pregnant women. We must come together to fight against it to save our life,” she stated.
Madam Kugbonu further stated that malaria was caused by infection with a protozoan parasite that belongs to the genus Plasmodium transmitted by female Anopheles species of mosquito.
She said malaria may also be spread by transfusion of blood from infected people or the use of contaminated needles or syringes whilst people with untreated or inadequate malaria may spread infection to mosquitoes that may bite them.
“A vector-borne disease malaria is highly prevalent in tropical countries due to rainy and humid weather conditions, and one must be tested at a hospital or clinic for the right medication.”
She said some of the symptoms of malaria include fever, chills, headache, body aches, weakness, a higher breathing rate, and mild jaundice, which could cause the eye to appear yellow, among others.
She said the effective method of preventing malaria was sleeping under insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITN), using mosquito repellents, indoor residual spraying, fumigation of stagnant waters, clearing bushes around houses, and other personal hygiene mechanism that would help curb the disease.
Madam Kugbonu also advised the public to always engage in regular health check-ups to prevent any other sickness and unforeseen conditions.
She said the Keta health directorate had currently distributed 52,734 (95.5 per cent) out of 55,250 mosquito nets to over 3000 persons within the municipality as a preventive method to help eradicate malaria spread in the area, which she charged all to utilise the nets well.
World Malaria Day was instituted to raise global awareness of the efforts to control and ultimately eradicate malaria.
It is marked on the theme: “Accelerating the Fight Against Malaria for a More Equitable World.”
GNA