Accra, June 11, GNA - Ghana is considering scaling-up the use of artesunate-amodiaquine at the home level, through trained community drug distributors.
This follows studies carried out on home management of fevers using artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in the country. The studies show that pre-packed artesunate-amodiaquine was safe, acceptable and effective as a drug for home management of malaria in children.
The studies were carried out in Ejisu-Juaben in the Ashanti Region, Ho in the Volta Region and Dangme West in the Greater Accra region. The Ghana Health Service carried out the studies with support from the World Health Organisation's Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases.
In addition to Ghana, studies using artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in home management settings are underway in Benin, Cameroon, Nigeria Tanzania and other African countries. Dr Constance Bart-Plange, Programmer Manager, National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), said the programme was updating its drug policy to include home-based management of malaria using ACTs. She was speaking at a meeting in Accra, organised by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to disseminate findings on the studies.
Dr. George Amofa, Deputy Director-General of the GHS, said there was reasonable evidence for the possibility of embodying home-based management of malaria in the overall malaria control programme.
He said there was the need, however, to put various structures in place, such as drug monitoring, funding and payment of volunteers who would distribute the drug.
Mrs. Bertha Garshong, a researcher at GHS, said the use of community drug distributors for treatment of children with fever was feasible and acceptable since care givers largely adhered to advice of the distributors on treatment schedule.
