World Malaria Day: Ashanti Region records reduction of Malaria case in 2022
The Ashanti Regional Health directorate has revealed that, malaria prevalence and mortalities have reduced tremendously between 2020 and 2022.
According to the Directorate, in 2020 they recorded a total of OPD case of 814,280 with 42 death while they recorded 923,777 OPD cases in 2021 with 16 death but was reduced in 2022 to 804,112 with 8 death representing a decline of death rate.
In a press conference today at the regional health directorate, the Ashanti Regional media Focal Person, Mr Felix Frimpong said, the region had made commendable strides in the fight against Malaria under the National Malaria Control Programme.
He said following those impressive strides, the focus of the National Malaria Control Programme had been moved from control to elimination based on national and global recommendations.
The press briefing forms part of activities preceding this year’s World Malaria Day Commemoration on April 25, 2023, on the theme: “ Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate and implement”.
The day is celebrated globally on April 25 every year, with a wide range of activities geared towards raising awareness of the need to ensure that no one ever dies of malaria by 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Mr Felix Frimpong who speaks on behalf of the Ashanti Regional Health director of the Ghana Health Service, said elimination was feasible but was a shared responsibility and called on all stakeholders including the general public, government, the media and the private sector to put all hands on deck.
“In previous years, a of activities have been conducted to steer us in the direction of delivering zero malaria. Such programme has undergone a name change to reflect the shift to elimination effort.
Felix Frimpong, attributed the national success story to some of the interventions which included the promotion of the use and the distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets, among other things, that was targeted at children below five years and pregnant women in the Ashanti Region.
He mentioned other interventions to include media sensitization, mass campaign, as well as case management in all the districts in the region.
He stressed that, zero malaria targets were feasible as a lot had been achieved, but more needed to be done. He then urged parents to make sure that, their children under five years and pregnant mother sleep under treated mosquito net and urged everybody to seek medical attention when they are not feeling well.
-Akwadaa Nyame@Silverfm
