Malaria cases go up in Kwahu West

Malaria is the leading top 10 diseases among patients who reported at the various hospitals and health centres in the Kwahu West Municipality last year.

The Out-Patient Department (OPD) attendance at the hospital and health centres recorded 86,459 malaria cases last year, representing 24.68 percent of the diseases reported at all the health facilities.

The Municipal Director of Health Services, Ms Julia Nimo, made this known at the 2012 Municipal Health Performance Review Meeting at Nkawkaw on Wednesday.

She mentioned other diseases among the top 10 as hypertension, skin diseases and ulcers, gynecological diseases, diabetes, diarrhoea and pregnancy related diseases.

Ms Nimo said in spite of interventions by health personnel such as distribution of mosquito treated nets, malaria control programme and the establishment of Community Health Planning Services (CHPS), in the communities, more people continued to be afflicted with malaria.

She said 20,174 children over five years reported at health facilities in the municipality last year as against 15,709 in 2011.

A total of 3,298 patients with malaria were admitted at the hospital and health centres last year as against 1,546 admissions two years ago while 18 patients died from malaria last year.

Ms Nimo said the municipal health directorate recorded five maternal deaths last year as against seven in 2011.

She advised that people, especially children below five years, sleep in mosquito nets and also to report early to the nearest hospital and health centres for treatment to reduce the high rate of malaria disease in the municipality.