Regional News of Monday, 25 June 2007

Source: GNA

US-based NGO donates 9,400 treated mosquito nets

Kumasi, June 25, GNA-, A US-based Christian non-governmental Organisation (NGO) His Net, has since 2005 donated a total of 9,400 treated mosquito nets to under-privileged Ghanaians. The Reverend Charles Frank Thomas, founder of the organization, who disclosed this, said the beneficiaries were resident mostly in mosquito endemic and deprived communities in the three Northern regions as well as Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions.

Giving the breakdown in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, Rev Thomas said the NGO donated a total of 1,800 nets in 2005 and 1,600 in 2006 whilst it had so far donated 5,000 nets this year. He pointed out that his organization had estimated to donate a total of 20,000 nets to the under-privileged in the West African sub-region this year as part of efforts to augment the campaign against malaria.

Malaria, he said, had proven to be more deadly than even HIV/AIDS and appealed to government and policy makers in the Sub-Saharan Region to commit resources to curb malaria-related deaths. Rev Thomas charged ministers of the gospel to use the pulpit to sensitise their members on the need to take preventive measures against malaria and mosquito breeding in their places of abode. 25 June 07