Malaria tops OPD morbidity in Sunyani

Mr. Samuel Addo, acting Health Director of the Sunyani Municipal hospital, has said malaria remains the cause of Out-Patient Department (OPD) morbidity in the 27 health facilities of the Municipality.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani, the acting director said though malaria cases could not be avoided entirely, it could be reduced to a minimum level if environmental cleanliness was ensured.

He said during the rainy season, there should be a continuous weeding of compounds, cleaning of gutters and containers with stagnant water that serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes be removed.

Mr Addo said total cases of malaria recorded at the 27 health facilities last year was 129,584, representing 47 percent of total OPD cases.

He explained that the best way to fight malaria disease was to sleep under treated mosquito nets, which he said had unfortunately been ignored by some members of the public who claimed they could not bear the heat.

Prevention is always better than cure and it is better to sacrifice for your health than to sleep comfortably and be attacked by malaria that can result in the loss of life, he said.

Mr Addo appealed to parents to always ensure that their children sleep under the mosquito net since children as well as pregnant women and the old are fragile and can easily be attacked by the disease.

He said indoor spraying exercise should also be encouraged to eliminate mosquitoes hiding at corners of the room and urged the general public to adopt good eating habits and avoid fatty and saturated foods, which could result in hypertension.

Mr Addo said it was beneficial to eat more fruits and vegetables that would help fight against any infections and to build one’s immune system.**