Accra, July 25, GNA – The Country Director of the John Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) Voices, Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey, has called on sports men and women as well as their technical handlers to remain ambassadors in the fight against the malaria disease.

Mr Fiagbey charged them to continue to behave as role models in their communities by ensuring that families make maximum use of their treated mosquito nets and discourage the people from using any other medicine apart from ACTs in treating malaria when they fall sick of the disease.

The Country Director of JHU/CCP0 Voices for a Malaria-free Future Project under its flagship program, ‘United Against Malaria’, and in collaboration with the National Malaria Control Program and other partners said this at the presentation of special commemorative certificates and ‘T’ shirts to the National Sports Authority in Accra.

The over 600 ‘T’ shirts, which also carry messages on malaria prevention will be presented to all the 4,942 participants and their officials at the on-going National Unity Games made up of the teams of Football, Volleyball, Table tennis, Handball, Netball, Basketball, and the winners of the first, second and third positions in all the athletics events.

The Certificates which were signed by the Director of the National Sports Authority, Mr Worlanyo Agra carry the messages: “Be a member of the Winning Team- Sleep in treated mosquito nets every night; Take only ACTs any time you have malaria; Encourage pregnant women in your house to seek Antenatal care on time; and Keep Ghana Malaria-free for the next games.”

Mr Agra in receiving the items commended the growing partnership between the Malaria program and the National Sports Authority.

“We would remain active members of the ‘United Against Malaria’ partnership and continue to ensure that sporting activities at all levels, national, regional, district and at the community levels are used as grounds for educating our people on malaria prevention and correct treatment of the disease.

“Whether you are a sports man or woman or not, mosquitoes do not know the difference and the malaria parasite they carry can kill any one of us any time if we fail to sleep in our nets or take the correct medicines”, he emphasized.