Ghana can become a malaria free country – First Lady

General News on Thursday, April 25, 2019

Source: awakenewsonline.com

2019-04-25

Ms. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, First Lady of Ghana, tasked stakeholders to prioritize and ensure the judicious use of available resources in the fight against malaria at zero in Ghana.

According to her, "Malaria is a preventable disease and we have proven tools that can change our history. What is needed, it is a renewed and vigorous commitment in the fight against this scourge "

The First Lady announced this during the launch of World Malaria Day in Somalia in 2019 – the Akutunya truck station of the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly, on the theme "Zero Malaria Begins with Me".

"In July 2018, at the summit of the African Union, President Akufo-Addo pledged to champion innovation, to reduce the burden of malaria. Since that commitment, I know that the Ministry of Health and our partners have stepped up their efforts in the fight against malaria. The country has expanded its existing interventions and is on track to test the malaria vaccine, "she said.

She stressed that "I am very proud to have achieved the goal of reducing the mortality indicator promised by the President".

Despite these significant results, she revealed that "people are still dying of malaria and that the disease remains the leading cause of outpatient visits to our health centers" and is concerned that Ghana is among the most 10 African countries with a high workload. malaria in the world.

In the future, the First Lady was convinced that "it is possible to reach zero malaria. On a global scale, more and more countries are moving towards zero indigenous cases. In 2017, more countries reported fewer than 10,000 cases compared to 2016 and 2010. The number of countries with fewer than 100 indigenous cases, a strong indicator that elimination is within reach, has grown from 15 countries 2010 to 24 countries. in 2016 and 26 countries in 2017. "

"We can also do this if we all work together and follow the guidelines set by WHO and our national strategy," she said.

Describing the theme "Zero Malaria Begins with Me" as a call to action, he said that we should all build on existing interventions to fight malaria in the country.

The First Lady, in collaboration with the Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation, has fought for 14 years to reduce and eliminate the incidence of malaria, especially among children and mothers in Ghana.