Clean environment remained the anti dote to the spread of malaria parasites

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga The Executive Director of the Anglican Diocesan and Relief Organization(ADDRO), Rt. Rev. Dr. Jacob Ayeebo has advised Ghanaians to have a healthy environment, stressing that a clean environment remained the anti dote to the spread of malaria parasites. In a message to mark World Malaria Day which fell on April 25, 2013, Rt. Rev Ayeebo said apart from maintaining a clean environment, all must ensure that they sleep under Long Lasting Insecticide Bed Nets (LLINs) at all times, drain out stagnant waters and frequently desilt choked gutters in neighborhoods. "Where possible use mosquito repellents creams and anti-mosquito sprays at your sleeping places. But most important, see early and appropriate malaria treatment and complete your malaria drug dosage, “he said. The theme for this year's celebration "Invest in the future, Defeat Malaria". Speaking on the issues, Rt. Rev Ayeebo said in Ghana, malaria is a major public health concern. "The devastating impact of the disease on the Heath, economic and social lives of people in the country and the world cannot be underestimated." He said Rt Rev. Ayeebo, who is also the Bishop of the Tamale Diocese of the Anglican Church, said an estimated 3.5 million people get infected with malaria yearly in the country. Nearly 20,000 children die from the disease every year stressing that 25 per cent of these deaths are children under the age of five years. The Executive Director said since 2006, the ADDRO has been a very active partner in the fight against Malaria in six regions of Ghana namely, Upper East, Upper West, Northern, Eastern, Ashanti and Western Regions. He said ADDROs main focus is reaching districts and communities in these regions with malaria prevention and control interventions. These include; informing, educating, and communicating anti malaria messages and distributing long lasting insecticide bed nets to communities. He said from the year 2006 to 2009, ADDRO distributed about 770,000 long lasting insecticide bed nets to children under five years and pregnant women in the six regions in which ADDRO operates. According to him, in the year 2010, ADDRO teamed up with other stakeholders in the fight against malaria in an innovative campaign dubbed "hang-up and door-to-door campaign". These included the Ghana Health Service, UNICEF, UNICEF, National Malaria Control Programme, Nets for Life and Prompt Ghana. "The aim of the campaign was to motivate people to effectively hang and sleep under LLINs. An estimated 800,000 households were reached in the campaign in the Upper East, Upper West, Northern and Western Regions, while 4.6 million nets were distributed in the six regions that ADDRO operates in" "Our community health agents and peers are working extremely hard to ensure that communities have access to these nets and many other malaria intervention packages to stay healthy and alive." He said Rt. Rev Ayeebo said there is enough evidence that the fight against malaria can be won if partners collaborate efficiently on community, local, national, regional as well as international levels and therefore appealed to their partners such as the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, Episcopal Relief and Development, Nets for Life to sustain an increasing financial and other forms of support to help improve the health of the under-privileged people in the several communities in Ghana. -End- benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh