Keta, May 4, GNA - A day's workshop to kick-start the development of a viable malaria control model for replication across the country under an international project took place on Thursday at Keta. About 50 participants made up of traditional rulers, health sector workers, teachers, assembly members and staff of the Keta District Assembly attended.

The Keta District, considered being a malaria endemic area, has been selected for the pioneering process of creating and testing the district malaria advocacy system under the project. The district is to carry out a Malaria Advocacy Needs Assessment (MANA) and establish a District Malaria Advocacy Team (DMAT) towards achieving a strong malaria advocacy system. It is part of a three-year malaria advocacy project being spearheaded by the John Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programmes (JHU-CCP) to eradicate malaria in Africa in collaboration with the Bill-Melinda Gates Foundation. Four African countries, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique and Kenya, considered the most malaria endemic countries on the continent are participating in the project, dubbed, Voices for Malaria Free Future (Voices).

The Ghana project, in collaboration with the National Malaria Control Programme, focuses on mobilizing leadership in government, enhancing district level advocacy efforts, improving malaria policy and reducing barriers to policy implementation to fight malaria. It also has a goal of building the capacity of the districts in increasing access to prevention, treatment, programmes and facilities. Mrs Naa-Korkor Allotey, Programme Officer at NMCP in charge of the southern part of the Volta Region, said three million malaria cases are reported daily at the public health facilities in the country, claiming an average of eight deaths a day or 2,832 annually. She said an average of four children under five die daily of the disease while it poses danger to pregnant women and their babies and affect productivity and income.

Mrs Allotey said sleeping under the treated nets, spraying of endemic areas with chemicals and other preventive options are the choices of the NMCP. She asked people to join in the fight of controlling mosquitoes breading.

Mr Emmanuel Fiagbey, Ghana Country Director of JHU-CCP project, spoke against the lack of community interest in the fight against malaria and called for a situation in which malaria and its impact on society would be understood in the context in which other diseases are held.

"We need coordination in the malaria fight, be able to influence policy and funding to achieve the vision of controlling mosquitoes for a society free of malaria," he said. 04 May 07