The Upper East Regional Health Directorate, on Friday launched the Universal Insecticide Treated Bed nets Distribution and Hang Up Campaign, in Bolgatanga, to distribute 598,316 bed nets to 911 communities in the area.

The event was organised on the theme: “Malaria Kills, Prevent Malaria by Sleeping under Long Lasting Insecticide Bed nets,”and attended by traditional rulers, religious leaders, development partners, Directors of Ghana Health Services, the media, District Chief Executives and health workers.

The region is the seventh in the country to carry out the campaign that is to precede the commencement of the house-to-house distribution and hang up exercise, and to drum home the bed nets usage.

Dr Koku Awoonor Williams, Director of Upper East Regional Health Services, said the hang up exercise would cover 1,870 million people, who were registered in the region.

He said that, the data generated indicated that 260,000 households and 67,450 people sleep without bed nets.

Dr Awoonor Williams said the Directorate had put in place interventions to reduce malaria cases among pregnant women and children.

Dr Awoonor, mentioned the promotion of the use of insecticide treated bed nets for children under five and pregnant women.

He complained of insufficient bed nets for the targeted population, inadequate supply of diagnostic test kits for malaria for health workers .

Others were the over diagnosing of malaria cases, refusal of people to sleep under bed nets, refusal of pregnant women to attend antenatal clinic and poor environmental practices.

Mr Samuel Oppong, National Malarial Control Officer, said the hang up exercise was initiated in 2009 to accelerate malaria control in the country, and to achieve the reduction rate by 75 per cent by 2015.

He said the exercise carried out in other areas whipped up coverage, effective usage and encouraged ownership of the bed nets since the nets were directly hanged for the user.

Ms Clara Dubie, Chief Field Officer, UNICEF, commended the Directorate for its fight against malaria in the region .**