Internal resource deployment key to eliminating malaria – Adansi North Health Director

The Adansi North District Health Director, Isaac Odame Awuku, has urged stakeholders involved in the fight against malaria to put in place strategies that will help in living beyond global support by focusing on internally generated resources.

Speaking at a durbar in Dompoase in the Adansi North District in the Ashanti Region to mark this year’s edition of World Malaria Day, the Health Director called on the government, private sector organizations, Civil Society Organizations and individuals to contribute their quota to the elimination agenda.

Touching on the theme for this year’s celebration, ‘Advance Equity Build Resilience, End Malaria’, Mr. Odame Awuku said the theme seeks to raise awareness of the urgent need for action and targeted scale-up of existing and new tools which includes sleeping under Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs), RTS, S Vaccine, as well as data-led strategies and increased investment in the research and development of transformational tools.

GHANA IS THE 10TH MALARIA-ENDEMIC COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

Ghana accounts for 2.1% and 1.9% of the global malaria cases and related deaths, respectively, making it one of the top highest Malaria burden countries in the world.  Again, 5.7million people had Malaria in Ghana in 2021 with 308 deaths.

This, according to Mr. Odame- Awuku, is alarming since Malaria can easily be preventable and called on the public to take the malaria interventions seriously.

He called on all stakeholders to join in renewing their commitment and support the fight against malaria in the country.

AGA MALARIA CONTROL’s IRS INTERVENTION YIELDS RESULTS

Delivering a speech on behalf of the Senior Manager of Sustainability, the  Stakeholders Engagement Officer Edmond Oduro, said AngloGold Ashanti introduced the AGA Malaria Control programme 16 years ago to help reduce the outbreak of malaria.

He said the Indoor Residual Spraying intervention of AGAMAL, has resulted in more than 1,177,450 people in 159,355 households across all operational areas of AGA being protected from malaria annually.

He said the intervention has however been deployed to sixteen districts, including 11 districts in the Upper West and 3 districts in the Upper East Region.

He said AGA is not resting on its oars, but will continue to prioritize the health needs of the people, especially in their operational areas.

He said, “in partnership with GIZ Development Programme, AGA with its Sustainable Development Units (AGAMAL and AGA Health Foundation), has launched a community health programme which seeks to manage and eradicate all epidemics and pandemics within and beyond the mine’s operational footprint”.

NO CHILD UNDER 5 YEARS  DIED OF MALARIA IN ADANSI NORTH

Speaking on behalf of the District Chief Executive for Adansi North, the District Coordinating Director, Paul Acquah, said though malaria is among the top 10 OPD killer diseases in the Adansi North District, the Assembly in collaboration with the Health Directorate rolled out and intensified Malaria control programme in 2021.

He said the Program birthed the distribution of Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets to communities within the District. As a result of this, he stressed, there were no reported cases of malaria-related death of children under 5 years in 2021.

Mr. Acquah said the Assembly together with the Health Directorate will leverage the successes chalked in 2021 to improve the health needs of the people.

Nanahemaa Afia Afraifaa Tokudwum, Queen-mother of Dompoase, advised her people to take the malaria interventions seriously. She urged them to prioritize issues about their health by taking part in health screening exercises to proactively deal with any unknown disease.

AGA, GIZ PRESENTS 1000 MOSQUITO BED NETS TO DOMPOASE SCHOOL

Anglogold Ashanti together with its partners GIZ, presented 1000 Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINS) and mosquito repellent to the Dompoase Senior High School.

ABOUT WORLD MALARIA DAY

World Malaria Day (WMD) is an international observance commemorated every year on 25 April, and recognizes global efforts to control malaria. Globally, 3.3 billion people in 106 countries are at risk of malaria.

In 2012, malaria caused an estimated 627,000 deaths, mostly among African children. Asia, Latin America, and to a lesser extent the Middle East and parts of Europe are also affected.