Obuasi(Ash),Oct.13, GNA - A major integrated malaria control programme to reduce the incidence of malaria within the Obuasi Municipality by 50 per cent in two years, would be launched on March 11, next year.

The programme to be implemented by AngloGold Ashanti in collaboration with the Obuasi Municipal Assembly (OMA) will cost 1.7 million US dollars in the first year.

Mr Steve P. Knowles, AngloGold Ashanti (Obuasi) Malaria Control Programme Manager announced these when briefing the Assembly on the malaria control programme at Obuasi on Wednesday. He said the prevalence rate of malaria at Obuasi was between 60 to 70 per cent and 6,000 malaria cases were recorded monthly at the AngloGold Ashanti hospital at Obuasi. Mr Knowles said out of the number 1,900 were mine employees and the company spent 40,500 dollars on the treatment of malaria every month.

He said at the Obuasi Government hospital and clinics, a total of 10,166 malaria cases were reported monthly.

Mr Knowles said the control programme would involve activities including indoor residual spraying, distribution of insecticide treatment nets, environmental management and advocacy in the use of mosquito repellents, especially by night shift workers. Under the indoor residual spraying, 70,000 houses and structures including all houses within the municipality, mine houses, estates, offices and buildings would be sprayed every five months. "The Obuasi malaria control programme is going to be a community project. The programme is forever", Mr Knowles said.

He called for attitudinal change from the residents in the municipality so that "we do not create mosquito breeding area". Mr Joe Boampong, Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive said the Municipality was at war with mosquito, stressing, "it is total war, and we have to educate our electorate".