Forum on Malaria control held at Breman Kokoso

Ms Gertrude Mensah-Addo, Acting Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa (AOB) District Director of Health Services, has said Malaria is the leading cause of illness and death especially among children under five years and pregnant women in the area.

She said it accounted for over 40 percent of all Out Patient Department (OPD) attendance in health facilities in the district.

Ms Mensah-Addo said this at a-day's sensitization forum on Malaria, HIV/Aids and modern agriculture practice, organised by Humanitarian Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in collaboration with the National Malaria Control Programme.

The programme was under the theme “Prevent malaria and increase productivity”.

Ms Mensah-Addo said in 2008 OPD attendance records from the various health facilities was 84,287 and that malaria accounted for 21,434, representing 25.4 percent.

She therefore said the fight against malaria control is a collective responsibility of the people and not only health workers.

Ms Mensah-Addo therefore appealed to the people to destroy bleeding grounds of mosquitoes, burn cans and tins, weed the surroundings and ensure environmental cleanliness.

Mr Kwame Gakpe from National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) said Artesunate/Amodiaquine has been identified as an effective drug by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in curing malaria.

He advised the people to always take the full course of the drug as directed by the health providers to ensure total cure of the disease.

GNA