Health News of Friday, 18 January 2013

Source: GNA

Ghanaians urged to say “No” to Malaria

Mr Kwame Ersie Ampofo, Chief Executive Officer of Friends of Environmental Development, has urged Ghanaians to say “no” to malaria, the top most killer disease in the country.

He said it is only when “we live in clean environment could help prevent the bit of mosquitoes that causes the malaria”.

Mr Ampofo said this when he addressed school pupils and community members after a three hour clean-up exercise in Breman Nkuntanase in Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District on malaria prevention.

He said the programme is a continues initiative of the Central Region Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to help educate people on the need to regularly weed their surroundings, distil the gutters as well as to sleep under Treated Mosquito Nets as a means of preventing the breading of mosquitoes and also protect them from their bite.

According to him, similar programmes are being held in selected districts in the Central Region by members of the Coalition as their contribution to efforts to help reduce malaria cases in the Region.

He mentioned Cape Coast, Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam, Komenda-Edina-Agyuafo and Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa districts as areas the programme is being executed.

Mr Yaw Ersie Ampofo, Project Officer of Friends of Environmental Development, said they had earlier organised similar programmes at Odoben and Beedum and expressed the hope that if people would practice fundamental malaria prevention tips the disease would be curbed.

Mr Ebenezer Appiah Mensah, the assembly member for the area, thanked the NGO and said he would support already trained community-based organisation to lead the people to clean the environment.