Use of mosquito net increases in Northern Ghana - Report

An independent evaluation report by the United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF) has shown an increase in mosquito nets ownership in the northern part of Ghana.

The document shows that mosquito ownership increased in the region from 60 per cent in 2011 to 90 per cent in 2013, due to campaigns embarked upon to encourage the use of the nets.

According to the report released to the GNA in Accra, the innovative Hang Up Your Net Campaign, conducted by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) with support from the Department of International Development (DFID) and UNICEF led to the increase in mosquito net ownership.

It said, in the Upper East Region, only 52 per cent of households owned a mosquito net in 2011, but after the Hang Up Campaign, it rose to 94 per cent.

The report indicated that nearly 80 per cent of children under five in the Upper East Region slept under a mosquito net.

Mrs Sarah Hague, Acting UNICEF Ghana Representative, said the study was an indication that the number of children, who died from malaria, could be reduced by ensuring that families understand the importance of sleeping under mosquito nets.

Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, GHS Director General, and the National Malaria Control Programme Manager said the campaign had given prizes to communities, which ensure that everyone slept under a mosquito net.