Mr. Mansur Mohammed Zacharia, the Sunyani Municipal Disease Control Officer, on Tuesday called for intensified media sensitistization, to help reduce the rising incidence of Malaria despite numerous interventions.

He said the country is still not winning the fight against the disease which accounts for about 80 percent of all Out-Patient-Department (OPD) cases in almost all health facilities in the country due to widespread lack of public information about its causes, effects and spread.

“The media, especially, electronic remains a critical tool in Malaria control since it could help effect general behavioural change in self-medication and presumptive treatment, identified to be a major challenge to stem its increasing spate” he added.

Mr Zacharia was speaking at a day’s training on “Behavioural Change Communication and Microscope for Malaria Diagnosis” held for some media practitioners in Sunyani.

The training was organised by the Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), a health-centred non-governmental organisation with support from the UK Aid.

Mrs Rose Balaaboore, Project Coordinator of the HFFG, which also focusses its work on improving on the socio-economic status of women and children, explained that Malaria treatment based on diagnostic testing is a good clinical practice and has many advantages over presumptive treatment of all fever episodes.

“Presumptive treatment of Malaria, has adverse effects on patients as administration of malaria drugs without diagnostic test leads to drug resistance”, she indicated.

Mrs Balaaboore, stated that the training ties in with a six-month project the NGO is implementing in 100 communities in 10 districts and municipalities in the Region.

Beneficiary communities are Sunyani, Wenchi and Techiman Municipalities, Sunyani West, Dormaa East, Jaman North, Jaman South, Asutifi North, Tain and Banda Districts.