Mosquito nets for mothers and children

Accra, Nov.15, GNA- The Ghana Health Service has projected that by the end of the jubilee year and beyond all children and pregnant women will be sleeping under insecticide-tested nets. It also estimated that all children under five would be free of worms and protected with polio vaccine and vitamin A supplements while children under one would be registered for birth to ensure the good health of mothers and their children.

At a press briefing on this year's maternal and child health campaign, which is on the theme: 'Healthier mothers and children In Ghana's Golden Jubilee Year and beyond', Dr. Isabella Sagoe-Moses, National Coordinator, Child Health Programme said the aim was to reduce maternal mortality and under-five morbidity and mortality by increasing awareness on known cost-effective interventions.

Maternal death is the death of a woman, while pregnant or within the 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not accidental or incidental causes. She said most life threatening complications in pregnancy could not be predicted or prevented adding " About 15 per cent of pregnant women will develop a complication" and that, deaths resulting from the situation could be averted. Dr. Sagoe-Moses said the service had adopted social mobilisation and delivery of key messages, service delivery at static points and use of volunteers as strategies to meet the challenge. She said the launch of the nationwide campaign starts November 19 the provision of services till November 30. Minimum interventions packages included vitamin A supplement for children and lactating mothers, polio vaccines, provision of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs), de-worming and birth registration.

Dr Sagoe-Moses mentioned some of the key messages to be used in campaign as 'Take your child for weighing', 'seek early care', 'birth spacing improves the health of mothers and children', 'immunise and protect your child against childhood diseases' and register your baby before his first birthday.

Dr Patrick Aboagye, National Reproductive Health Coordinator named teenage abortion, bleeding, obstructed labour, anaemia and malaria as some causes of maternal deaths.

He said a total of 957 maternal deaths were recorded in 2006 and urged women to seek early antenatal care to control the cases. About 16,000 women die each day from pregnancy complications and childbirth globally. About 90 per cent of such deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa with 10 per cent in developing regions.