Faith-Based Organizations Malaria Advocacy campaign launched

Accra, Nov. 3, GNA - The Reverend Dr Nii Amo Darku, a Member of the Council of State, on Wednesday called on Faith-Based Organizations (FBO) to come together and educate their congregations and communities on the need for malaria treatment and prevention.

He noted that for Ghana to make giant strides in malaria control, and also reach the MDGs target of reducing under-five mortality by two-thirds by 2015, there was the need to involve FBOs as active partners.

He therefore called on FBOs to encourage their members and communities, especially children and pregnant women, to sleep under treated mosquito nets as a preventive measure. Making the call at the launch of the Faith-Based Organizations Malaria Advocacy campaign in Accra, Dr Darko also urged women to go for early ante-natal.

Dr Darko said the burden of malaria was extremely heavy in Africa, where mostly children under-five years and pregnant women were vulnerable adding that it was important as a nation to adopt appropriate behaviour that would make the nation malaria free.

"Keeping the environment clean, sleeping under treated mosquito nets, and using correct and recommended anti-malaria for malaria were the best methods of preventing malaria," he said.

He said in the bid to drive out malaria, treated nets would be distributed freely to the populace nationwide, and it was important for FBOs to use their platform to get recipients to sleep under them and not keep them in wardrobes.

Dr Darko stated that government partners and the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) should continue to provide technical support and appropriate malaria control and interventions.

He urged FBOs to come together and play the lead role in the fight against malaria from homes, churches, mosques, and schools, as well as market places and the community at large.

Mr James Frimpong, Programme Officer of the NMCP, said Ghana was endemic when it came to malaria control with the most vulnerable being children under the ages of five, pregnant women and people suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Mr Frimpong noted that a strategic plan had been put in place for malaria control, which would provide the needed support to ensure the success of the campaign.

The NMCP Programme Officer said Ghana was hyper-endemic with an all- year round malaria transmission. Statistics have shown about three million malaria cases are reported yearly with over 4,000 deaths.

"This affects the pocket directly and indirectly, through work and school absenteeism leading to low productivity and poor academic performance. It also causes social and emotional trauma to affected families, especially when it results in the death of an innocent child," he said.

Mr Frimpong noted that an intervention called Intermittent Preventive Treatment with Sulphadoxine Pyramethamine was being offered at all ante-natal service delivery points to protect pregnant women.