ADDRO makes strides in malaria control and prevention

Sapeliga (U/E) May, 11, GNA - The Rt Rev Dr Jacob Kofi Ayeebo, the Executive Director of the Anglican Diocesan Development and Relief Organization (ADDRO), has expressed satisfaction at the extent of work done by his outfit in the control and prevention of malaria in most parts of the country.

He said ADDRO had since 2006 collaborated with the Ghana Health Service in implementing projects aimed at reaching people in hard-to-reach communities in the Upper East, Upper West, Northern, Ashanti, Western and Eastern Regions.

He said with additional funding from the United States Agency for International Development under the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), ADDRO had expanded its malaria project to include the Bawku West and Garu-Tempane Districts.

Rt Rev Dr Ayeebo said this in a speech read on his behalf at a durbar of the chiefs and people of Sapeliga, near Zebilla to commemorate World Malaria Day.

The Programme covering 139,837 people, including 24,967 children under five, 6,991 pregnant women in 280 hard-to-reach communities, seeks to increase long lasting insecticides treated net (LLIN) usage by pregnant women and under fives by facilitating distribution of approximately 64,000 nets in target areas.

It also seeks to ensure that malaria symptoms are recognized in the households and prompt and effective treatment sought as well as ensure that pregnant women have knowledge about and seek Intermittent Preventive Therapy (IPT) through increased antenatal care services.

Rt Rev Dr Ayeebo said mid-term evaluation of the project showed that the organization was achieving the objectives as planned.

He said in the target areas, 95.1% of children fewer than five years with fever received anti-malarial treatment within 24hours of onset of fever as against the baseline figure of 88.7%.

About 88.4% of all ages sleep under LLINs as against the baseline figure of 18% with 88.8% of children less than five years old sleep under LLINs against the baseline figure of 66%.

At least 93.8% of pregnant women sleep under treated nets as against the baseline figure of 28.4% and 88.8% of households have at least one LLIN against the baseline figure of 58.7%.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Ayeebo expressed gratitude to the Bawku West Assembly, the District Health Director and the Chiefs for facilitating development in the communities.

Mr Ebenezer Ndebilla, Programmes Manager of ADDRO in Bawku West, said the programme had trained and equipped 726 community volunteers in 293 communities in the Bawku West and Garu-Tempane districts and 60,577 nets had been hanged up in both districts under the Hang-Up Strategy.

He said 20,000 long lasting insecticides treated nets had been distributed throughout the Bawku West District.

The District Director of Health, Ms Mary Stella Adapiisa, said malaria posed a serious threat to households and the nation as a whole.

She said malaria cases recorded in 2009 were 69,973 representing 45.5%, 2010 recorded 79,793 representing 61.2%. In 2011, 90,403 cases were reported out of which malaria in children under five years recorded 32,154 representing 62.5%.

Ms Adapiisa cautioned the people against consuming meat of dead animals, as the district had recently experienced an outbreak of Anthrax that claimed three lives.

GNA