More than 170,000 cases of malaria have been confirmed in the Bolgatanga Municipality within the last three years. This notwithstanding, the municipality has over the past few years, recorded a year-on-year decrease in the cases of malaria.
This has been attributed to the increased sensitization of residents to the effects of the disease. The expanded distribution of the Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) and the enhanced Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign being run in the Municipality.
More however needs to be done to ensure that the gains made over the years are sustained.
Dr Edmund Nyanwura, the Bolgatanga Municipal Director of Health Services (MDHS) said this when he spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show as part of its sensitization efforts on World Malaria Day.
Ghana joined the world to celebrate the World Malaria Day yesterday, Monday, April 25, 2022.
“Year by year, we can see the incidence of malaria cases keep reducing. This is part of the result of the work that we are doing. Our total confirmed cases of malaria in 2019 were 72,842. In 2020, we had 57,554. Then, in 2021, it was reduced further to 43,156. That shows a reducing trend. For severe malaria, especially for children under 5 who are vulnerable, in 2019, we had 1,672. In 2022, it increased to 1,998, but for last year, we had it at 942, “he said.
Dr Nyanwura said the SMC campaign, designed for children under 5 years, that has been run since 2015 has been very helpful in the fight against the disease explaining that “those who take the medicines, really, do not come with severe malaria for the whole of the year. Those mothers who collect the medicines and do not give to their children are those whose children would be admitted”.
As the rains begin to set in, Dr Nyanwura said the Ghana Health Service together with its partners are gearing up to begin another round of the campaign. He admonished mothers to ensure that children under age 5 are given the drugs.
The Bolgatanga Municipal Director of Health Services also reminded households to make use of the mosquito nets that were given to them.
A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
