On My Agenda Good Morning Mr Mosquito

I was in the 'House of Honourables' sitting in the 'Chopbox' called Press Gallery for 'Kokonsa People' when that infamous statement was made by Honourable 'Agbenaa', also known as Honourable 'Odomos' or 'It's Big oo', that mosquitoes do not need visas to travel from one territory to another.

It was accompanied by other statements that made the adrenalin fluid in the questioner Honourable 'It's In the Hands Of Life' to shoot to the point of nearly punching some 'sense' into the head of his honourable colleague.

It is true that mosquitoes do not need visas to travel to other territories in search of human blood to suck like the vampire.

All that a mosquito needs to do is try to fly and by the mercy of the wind its direction could be determined. No wonder the Akans have a saying that “ntontom pe ne bebia ako….”

I'm sure many people are aware of the numerous adverts on our television and radio sets telling about the potency of the various mosquito 'coils' and other medications that could help 'outwit' the sharp bites and the deadly venoms of that small 'animal' called mosquito.

The bites of mosquitoes have been the cause of many mortality cases that have been recorded and continue to be recorded in Ghana and Africa at large.

Mortality or death from Malaria is the highest in Africa and medical experts have said that malaria kills more people on the continent than any other disease including HIV/AIDS.

Unfortunately Africans and Ghanaians for that matter have not come to terms with the potency of the deadly nature of mosquitoes.

That is why mosquitoes have become our unwelcomed 'pets' in our homes and no seriousness is attached to their presence.

The only seriousness or attempts at 'driving' them out is to buy some of the many mosquito 'coils' being advertised on air.

The rush for such mosquito coils stem from the way they are advertised on air. The advertising industry would tell you that advert pays and it pays to advertise.

Watching those adverts on mosquito coils is not only boring but it gives me cause to worry. I don't know if authorities in the medical services and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who have taken it upon themselves to help fight mosquito like the 'ntontom soldier' are aware of the negative impact of those adverts.

The adverts are purely a disincentive to the 'Roll Back Malaria' and other measures being taken by the government to eradicate or minimize the effect of malaria in Ghana.

The purpose of the introduction of the Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets as a measure for controlling the spread of malaria is being defeated by those adverts.

I'm sure you still do not get my drift! My headache is that if you take a closer look at those adverts, after introducing the mosquito coils and talking about their efficacy, the next thing you see is a couple pretending to be sleeping soundly.

They sleep on a bare bed, not in an insecticide treated mosquito net with the coil burning.

I have tried all those mosquito coils, burning them at full 'furnace', hoping that by the end of the night or by the break of day the 'soldiers' of mosquitoes in my room would be dead.

Sorry! I wake up to see them staring in my face saying to me; “Good Morning Sir! I look at them and say; “Good Morning Mosquitoes but are you still here?”

In my frustration I run hell trying to maul those small 'animals' called mosquitoes who make my night hell. I saw a very fat one finding it difficult to fly.

A close look at it showed that the 'Vampire' had fed on my anaemic blood, worsening my medical condition.

I told myself that mosquitoes do not belong to my household and I was going to take all measures to ensure that the 'vampires' do not feed on my blood again.

And in doing that whether I burn mosquito coils or not, I make sure I sleep in Insecticide Treated Mosquito Net. That is the surest way of fighting the mosquitoes and reducing malaria cases in our hospitals.

Interestingly, while the mosquito coils are 'mushrooming' in Ghana with their 'huhudious' and inefficacious curative measures, the herbal medicines are also rearing their heads; making the fight against malaria a multifaceted one.

I'm yet to testify to the efficacy of such malaria herbal medicines, but with the few that I have tried I'm yet to receive my 'miracle' of healing.

I want to appeal to the relevant authorities and other private organizations in the fight against malaria to re-strategise their Information, Education, Communication (IEC) approach in the fight against malaria.

The fight against malaria should not be left in the hands of the NGOs but taken over by the government and for that matter the Ministry of Health to ensure a holistic approach.

Some of the insecticide mosquito treated nets are still on sale at exorbitant prices.

What relevance is it for MOH to give out such bed nets to pregnant women and leave out other family members? You may end up protecting the woman and the unborn or born baby in a limited time but if one person of the larger family suffers from malaria attack, the whole family suffers. When the Queen sneezes, everyone catches cold.

When an adult and the breadwinner of the house catches malaria he spends all the working hours attending hospital at the expense of national development.

That is why the treated bed nets should be made affordable and available so that the whole family is covered.

We need more treated mosquito nets while we wait for Honourable 'Odomos' to think of doing some mass spraying in our areas.
Don't forget we are still in the raining season oo.

By Wisdom Peter Awuku, Email [email protected]