Akutunya Lorry Park in Somanya, the capital of the Yilo Krobo Municipal was announced the official host town of World Malaria Day on 25th April, health officials from the Yilo Krobo Health Directorate told Rite FM.
Speaking to Health Matters host, Klo Dede, Mr. Samuel Ofori said a series of events will be witnessed across the principal street of Yilo Krobo recognizing the importance of Ghana’s contributions to the fight against malaria and the need to step up the fight to fast-track progress against the preventable and treatable disease.
Top of the activities is a free malaria screening and instant medication, other health screenings and float from Atua through Trom.
The theme for World Malaria Day 2019: ‘Zero Malaria Starts with Me’, will empower individuals across the world to make a personal commitment to saving millions more lives, and help communities and economies to thrive by ending malaria. Decades of significant progress against the disease have slowed as cases of malaria increased in 2016 and 2017, after more than a decade of steep decline. This global movement seeks to re-energise the fight to eliminate the disease, which still threatens half of the global population and kills one child every two minutes.
Malaria remains one of the world’s leading killers, claiming the life of one child every two minutes. Most of these deaths are in Africa, where more than 250 000 children die from the disease every year. Children under 5 are at greatest risk of its life-threatening complications. Worldwide, malaria kills 435 000 people a year, most of them children.
EFFORT TO ERADICATE MALARIA
Ghana has announced the roll out of Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP) in a press briefing held on 10th April 2019 in Accra. The event was attended by the WHO Country Representative Dr Owen Kaluwa and other Officers from the Country Office, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service Dr Anthony Nsiah- Asare, Officials from the Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI), representatives of MVIP Evaluation Partners, Officials from Foods and Drugs Authority (FDA), Coalition of NGOs in Health, representatives from UNICEF
Dr Nsiah-Asare noted that the official launch of the MVIP is scheduled for 30thApril 2019 in Cape Coast and the vaccine will be available in all health facilities on the 1st of May 2019.
The Government of Malawi has on Monday 22nd April launched a malaria vaccine (RTS,S) in a landmark pilot programme. The country is the first of three in Africa namely Ghana, Kenya and Malawi itself in which the vaccine, known as RTS,S, will be made available to children up to 2 years of age. Ghana and Kenya will introduce the vaccine in the coming weeks.
Over 1200 people including dignitaries are expected to grace the function tomorrow at Somanya. Notable among them are Ghana’s First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo Addo, Hon. Agyeman Manu Kwaku, Minister for Health, Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare, Director General of Ghana Health Service, Eastern Regional Minister, Hon. Eric Kwakye Daffuor as well as the Regional Director of Health, the program officer for National Malaria Control and representative of World Health Organization.
Health workers, especially nurses in Yilo Krobo are ready to deliver medical screening tomorrow Thursday 7:00 AM till the day is over.
World Malaria Day presents an opportunity to engage global leaders, civil society, the private sector, academic institutions and the general public in countries around the world.
Source: ritefmonline.org/Omanba Kodwo Boafo
