Malaria and its related challenges are rising in the Volta region every year, Dr Joseph Nuertey, Volta Regional Director of Health Services cautioned.

Preventive efforts including the use of Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) are therefore necessary to stem the situation.

He was briefing the media ahead of the distribution of LLINs over a ten-day period beginning Monday, November 17 to counter the menace of anopheles mosquitoes in the Volta region.

The LLINs would replace similar nets distributed among the population in 2010 under the hang-up programme but have lost their efficacy over a three year period.

A total of 1,294,000 LLINs will be distributed among the 2,338,180 people in the region; one LLIN to every two people in a household.

The Nets would be given out at designated places in every community instead of home delivery under the hang-up programme.

Dr Nuertey said malaria cases reported at Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) in the region rose from 43,556 in 2008 to 88,754 in 2013.

The disease accounted for 29 percent morbidity in 2013 and 47.3 percent of hospital admissions in that year.

It accounted for 13.9 percent of the top ten diseases recorded in health facilities.

Out of every 1000 deaths recorded in hospitals in the region in 2012, 14 were due to malaria. This went up to 17 per 1000 deaths in 2013.

Dr Nuertey said children below five years, pregnant women and people with diabetes, Tuberculosis, Human Immune Deficiency virus and cancers whose immunities were compromised against bites from the anopheles mosquitoes must be protected.

On why the rise in malaria and its related cases, Dr Nuertey and Mr Kwami Gakpe of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) between them explained, that anopheles mosquitoes were having more breeding grounds in clean stagnant water rather than dirty, filthy water as erroneously thought.

The use of mosquito nets as a barrier against bites from anopheles mosquitoes is not popular among Ghanaians.

Even the use of mosquito nets in hotels in some countries is a must but that is not the case in Ghana.

There are the menaces of fake drugs, failure to use malaria drugs as prescribed, over-diagnosis of malaria for every fever and improper storage of malaria drugs.