Asikuma District making headway in Malaria Control

Mrs. Deborah Kwaakoah, a Senior Community Health Nurse in the Asikuma- Odoben- Brakwa (AOB) District says, controlling malaria has consistently improved with the intervention of various malaria programs in the country.

She attributed the success to the support from the Global Fund, the efforts of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), and the adherence to treatment protocols, constant monitoring, and supervision of the peripheral staff and health facilities as well as regular feedback.

She disclosed this in an Interaction with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the progress chalked by the District in controlling malaria as part of the National Media Malaria Campaign under the African Media Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) in Asikuma.

The Senior Community Health Nurse said the District had recorded zero under-five deaths associated with malaria over the past few years and applauded the NMCP and health workers as the major contributors to attaining the success.

Mrs. Kwaakoh said that periodic training of the prescribers in malaria case management coupled with the availability of test kits, Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLINs) had in no small measure contributed to the success story.

She noted that malaria cases have significantly decreased by 2.18 percent in 2020 as compared to the recorded cases previously.

”In 2018 we recorded 943 malaria cases, in 2019 we recorded 913, and in 2020 we recorded 632—a total decline in cases of malaria in the District.”

”We are doing well as a District and have made many positive gains. Some of the interventions in the system such as the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention, the Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) coverage, and the use of bed nets among other measures have brought some changes,” she added.

Mr. Fredrick Amankwaah, the District Health Information Officer, said the success in controlling malaria in the District was encouraging but needed more commitment to sustain the achievements.

He said malaria was preventable and curable, adding that, when the environment was kept clean, waterlogged areas cleared, there would be no room for mosquitoes to breed and infect them with the disease.

Mr. Amankwah advised all to use ITNs and ensure a clean environment always to help fight malaria across the country as a whole.