Nkoranza (B/A) Sept. 4 (Credit Adu Simon), GNA - Mr. Emmanuel Fiagbey, Country Director of Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programme and Voices for Malaria-free future project, has stated that a research conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that malaria accounts for an average of 19 per cent of all recorded deaths in Ghana.

He stressed the need for the public to promote environmental sanitation in order to check against mosquito breeding and to prevent the spread of the disease.

Mr. Fiagbey was addressing about 120 stakeholders from the Nkoranza South District at Nkoranza at the launch of an appeal for funds towards the promotion of Malaria Advocacy Programme in the communities. He expressed concern about how malaria had been identified as the top-most disease in all health facilities and stressed the need for the district malaria advocacy team to intensify efforts in sensitizing the people to take pre-cautionary measures against the disease. Mr. Fiagbey announced that the world Malaria report compiled last year, revealed that about 4,907 children below five years in the country were killed by the disease in 2008.

He said governments of the various countries, particularly from Sub-Sahara Africa, had put into place improved prevention and treatment measures to reduce malaria cases.

Mr. Fiagbey said it was upon such conviction that Voices for Malaria-free future, Ghana and the National Malaria Control Programme, as well as the Ghana Health Service (GHS) had come together to enhance the Malaria Advocacy Programme and to reduce the cases in the country. He disclosed that in the past two years, malaria deaths had reduced from one million to approximately 850,000 per year throughout the malaria endemic world.

Mr. Fiagbey said controlling malaria could help alleviate a heavy financial burden on households, thereby contributing significantly to poverty reduction as the disease consumed about 25 percent of family incomes in Africa and therefore called on all people to join in the campaign towards the control of the disease. Malaria cases have also fallen from 350 million cases per year to 250 million a year whilst malaria associated deaths among African children below five years have also dropped from an estimated 3,000 per day to 2,000 per day as a result of the strengthened effort being put in the fight against the disease, the country director stated. Madam Salamatu Ibrahim, Nkoranza South District Director of Health Services advised nursing mothers and parents to send their children who contract malaria early to the hospitals in order to guard them against complications that could cause their death.

She urged them to sleep under treated mosquito nets together with their children to lead to the creation of malaria free homes and commended the Community-Based Surveillance Volunteers in the district for their support to the District Health Directorate. Madam Fati Saaka, Nkoranza South District Deputy Co-ordinating Director called on the District Malaria Advocacy Team to work as a team towards the implementation of their action plan and to enhance the health of the people.

The Presiding member of the Assembly, Mr Isaac Asirifi-Kudom, commended the stakeholders for attending the meeting to contribute towards the health and welfare needs of the people. Nana Okofo Agyapong III, Adontenhene of Nkoranza Traditional Area who presided at the meeting urged the general public to campaign against malaria "since every one is vulnerable to the disease". 04 Sept 10