Accra, Aug. 20, GNA - Free Africa From Mosquitoes (FAFM), a Non- Governmental Organization (NGO), on Friday fumigated Chorkor community in the Ablekuma South Constituency, in commemoration of this year's World Mosquito Day.

The exercise served as a platform to sensitize residents of the Municipality on the need to adopt preventive measures against mosquito bites and malaria.

Three mosquito-attractive lamps worth GHc760 were presented to the Karikari Clinic and insecticide treated mosquito nets were also distributed to pregnant women and nursing mothers in the community.

Mr Paul Coonley Boateng, Chief Executive Officer of FAFM, said the prevention of mosquito bites is significant in the component of malaria control in African countries.

He said that could be achieved through personal protection measures such as the use of insecticide treated nets and the use anti-malarial drugs for vulnerable people such as pregnant women.

Mr Boateng said malaria was one of the deadly diseases in Africa, adding that 61 percent of children less than five years were hospitalized due to malaria, while 18 per cent of that age bracket also died yearly.

He added that malaria control could be ensured through community efforts, noting that reliance on government machinery and NGO efforts was not enough.

"We should lay great emphasis on educating the people about malaria and its control so that common people can effectively contribute to the control of this killer disease," he stressed.

Mr Michele Turchi, Technical Director of FAFM, said poor people who do not have the financial means to purchase drugs and bed nets to protect themselves from mosquito bites, were usually exposed to malaria.

"Every year about one million people die from this disease, with most of the deaths occurring in Africa due to their restricted access to medical supplies and access to something as simple as a mosquito net," he noted.

Mr Turchi said FAFM will embark on a nationwide education and sensitization programme to urge all stakeholders to collectively fight against mosquitoes and eradicate malaria.

He urged Chorkor residents to periodically treat stagnant waters and control weeds to avoid mosquito breeding.

Dr Samuel Boateng, Public Health Director of AMA, noted that 500 million people fall sick from malaria every year, adding that more than 1 million die from the disease which is preventable and curable.

He said the eradication of malaria was a collective responsibility and urged Ghanaians to join in eliminating mosquito borne diseases.

He also called on the media to raise awareness amongst communities at risk of contracting mosquito-borne disease.

Mr Derrick Adotey Myers, Assemblyman for Chorkor, advised the residents to avoid self medication and report to health facilities for the treatment of diseases.

He pledged the community's support to reduce drastically the population of mosquitoes so that the number of malaria cases would be reduced drastically.