Health Minister launches Africa Malaria Day

The Ghanaian government says it is determined to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality by 50 per cent by the year 2010. ''It is, therefore, the concern of all to fight to make the disease no longer a public health problem,'' Dr Kweku Afriyie, Minister of Health, said.

Launching the Africa Malaria Day at Apam on Tuesday, Dr Afriyie said the practice of using community health agents has for some time been acknowledged to be an effective tool, adding that efforts were underway to extend it to other districts to make a greater impact on the fight against malaria.

Dr Afriyie said district assemblies had been directed to allocate one per cent of the District Assemblies' Common Fund to support malaria and guinea worm control programmes in their districts.

Mr Isaac Edumadze, Central Region Minister, said the effort of the chemical sellers and drug peddlers must be seen as contributing to the fight against malaria and must be supported to enable them reach out to the remotest areas of the country.