Mrs. Marcia Halm, Programme Manager, Hope For Future Generations (HFFG) an NGO has urged Medical Practitioners to adhere strictly to the Test, Treat and Track (TTT) principles of the World Health Oorgansation(WHO) in malaria control in the country.

She said testing and use of presumptive medication by health care professionals could avoid wastage of the malaria drugs, reduce cost as well as help in data collection on the progress of the fight against the disease.

She was speaking at a media orientation meeting on behavioural Change Communications on Malaria.

The malaria initiative seeks to promote the use of the bed nets and the TTT concept as a good clinical practice rather than presumptive medicine treatment.

Mrs. Halm said TTT also improved care of parasite positive patients because of confirmation of infection while avoiding antimalarial drug usage on parasites negative patients.

The Behavioral Change Communications on malaria is a UK sponsored project to promote behaviour change among communities and to prevent or treat malaria.

The project would equip health care professionals with knowledge and skills to ensure that suspected cases were tested before treatment and contribute information to the national data base.

Mrs. Halm said the NGO was working in some selected regions including Western Region and noted that in all 800 communities would be covered with the malarial project within six months.