Govt urged to adopt effective preventive measures to combat

malaria.

Accra, April 26, GNA - Health Communications Institute (HCI), a nongovernmental organization (NGO) of Health Professionals and Journalists, on Monday urged the Government and all stakeholders to adopt effective preventive measures to combat malaria.

A statement issued in Accra and signed by Mr Edmund Kofi Yeboah, Vice President of HCI said there was the need to put in place mechanisms for the early detection and treatment of the disease.

The statement said April 25, 2004 was set aside to mark Africa Malaria Day under the theme: "A Malaria Free Future" with the slogan "Children For Children To Roll Back Malaria."

The celebration of the day was instituted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to focus attention on combating the disease in Africa.

Malaria is the number one killer disease of infants in Africa with a child dying of the disease every 30 seconds. The statement also called for a comprehensive education and awareness campaign about the disease, particularly in communities with high mortality rate.

"It is very important to raise people's consciousness on the need to keep their surroundings clean, ensure personal hygiene and desist from practices that are likely to expose them to becoming victims of the disease," the statement said.

It said the HCI also welcomes efforts by the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) to replace Chloroquine with Artesunate-Amodiaquine combination as the first line of treatment of malaria and its prevention in pregnancy as contained in the National Malaria Policy (NMP).