By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Bolgatanga, July 17, GNA – The Upper East Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has administered Amodiquine and Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) medicines to 252,755 healthy children between the ages of three to 59 months.
The medicines were administered in the first round of a five-day Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) exercise, which started on July 2, 2025, and ended on July 6, 2025, by trained healthcare providers and community volunteers.
The Directorate, through its Malaria Focal Person, Mr Sydney Ageyomah Abilba, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Bolgatanga, said the exercise captured a total of 253,423 registered children from 144,874 households.
He said the SMC initiative was introduced in the Region in 2016 to prevent malaria infection in children, especially between May and November, which were the rainy season period where malaria infections peaked.
He said malaria was a major concern to the GHS, and that out of the number of dosed children, the Directorate recorded 38 Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs), which included vomiting, high body temperatures, dizziness among others, while 668 children were not dosed.
He said children with ADRs were successfully managed at the various healthcare facilities across the Region, adding that the GHS collaborated with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to address the issue of ADRs.
Mr Abilba said with a regional coverage of 89.1 per cent, the Garu District topped the 15 Municipalities and Districts with 96.2 per cent, followed by the Bawku Municipality with 95.3 per cent.
He said the Tempane and Pusiga Districts recorded 94.3 per cent and 90.9 per cent respectively, while the Bongo and Bolgatanga East Districts also recorded 92.5 per cent and 90.6 per cent, respectively.
Mr Abilba, who is also the Regional Medical Entomologist, said the rest of the nine Municipalities and Districts recorded percent coverages between 89.6 and 81.4.
Asked how the Service managed to administer the medicines in Bawku and its environs, which were conflict zones, the Focal Person said “The conflict did not disrupt the exercise. There was proper collaboration between families in conflict areas and the healthcare providers.
“Children are not part of the conflict, and the essence of the exercise was to protect them from malaria infection. Even Bawku Municipality did very well; it topped a lot of Districts without conflicts,” he said.
He noted that “Because of this exercise over the years, we have seen very great reduction in terms of malaria cases in under five children.
We have seen a reduction of over 30,000 malaria cases compared to previous years, from 2022 to 2024, using a three-year analysis.”
Mr Abilba said the Directorate distributed Insecticides Treated Nets (ITNs) to households in the Region, and admonished residents to sleep under them to prevent mosquito bites.
He expressed gratitude to stakeholders in the Region, especially in the Bawku Municipality and its environs for their continues support and collaboration with the GHS for effective healthcare delivery.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali /Kenneth Odeng Adade