Takoradi, April 24, GNA - Madam Emelia Arthur, Deputy Western Regional Minister, has called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to enforce the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets to help reduce malaria.

She said Ghana's efforts at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in health would be fruitless if measures taken to ensure the eradication of some of the diseases were not adhered to. Madam Arthur therefore entreated the MMDCEs to ensure that citizens made judicious and religious use of the treated mosquito nets.

Madam Arthur made the call in Takoradi when she received 1.3 million treated mosquito nets estimated at 12 million dollars donated by the Government of the United Kingdom through UNICEF to the people of the Western Region. She said to achieve the MDGs, Ghana was stressing on the preventive aspect while curative measures were also being taken. Dr Iyabode M. Olusanni, UNICEF representative, appealed to the churches, non-governmental organisations and opinion leaders of the various communities to propagate the use of the treated mosquito nets. She said the insecticide treated nets had been found to be effective in preventing malaria which contributed to maternal deaths and infant mortality.

Madam Sally Taylor, Country Director of the Department for International Development (DFID), said reports had shown that malaria remained the main cause of mortality and morbidity of children under five years in Ghana. To prevent this and other diseases, the UK Government has embarked on a programme to donate the nets to ensure its eradication using the Western and Central Regions for the pilot programme. Dr (Mrs) Linda Vanotoo, Western Regional Director of Health, said malaria contributed to 40 percent of the Out-Patient-Deparment attendance in the region and that efforts were being made to reduce it to the barest minimium. Dr Vanotoo said malaria in pregnancy could lead to premature births or death during delivery and called on the people to practice environmental cleanliness. 24 April 11