Residents in the Savelugu municipal assembly have been urged to sleep under treated mosquito nets to avoid contracting malaria. The northern region still leads in reported malaria cases in the country, despite all efforts made by government and its partner organizations to bring the disease under control. The disease is also the leading cause of death among children in the region and the entire nation at large.
Speaking to Zaa News at an educational event at Savelugu, a health Officer at the Savelugu Health Directorate, Mr. Iddrisu Ziblim Sualehu said malaria is the first among ten most recorded at the facility’s Out Patients department cases in the district, adding that the disease is also the leading child-killer in the area, despite every effort made by the government of Ghana, with support from its partner organizations.
He noted that, malaria, if given attention by both government and the people, can be prevented and called on citizens to help in the efforts being made to end the disease in the country. He appealed to the people to always sleep under treated insecticide mosquito nets to protect them from the disease but urged parents to always take their children to the hospital for any suspected case rather than treat them at home.
Mr. Iddrisu also encouraged proper hand-washing and personal hygiene. People, he stated, must also ensure that their surroundings are clean and avoid over the counter medication. According to him, the fight against malaria is a global effort, as it affects every country in the world.
He pointed out that the lack of sanitation is the main cause of malaria in the region, and called on residents to prevent themselves from mosquito bites by sleeping under the nets provided by government. He mentioned the excess use of malaria drugs and the refusal by people to use the treated insecticide mosquito nets as some of the challenges hindering the fight against malaria in the country.
He went on to call on stakeholders in the sector to continue to invest in the fight against the disease in the country.
The event, which was organized by the North Community School (NCS) complex in the municipality, was on the theme; ‘’Education in our days’’, the role of quality education and good health towards community development’’. NCE is a community basic school in the Savelugu municipality, which seeks to propagate the importance of education, as well as bridge the gap in the educational system. The program was attended by pupils, parents, representatives from the education and health directorates and the general public. The crowd was entertained by pupils of the school with poetry recitals and cultural activities.
By: Lillian D. Walter
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.