The National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) under the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has commenced the 2021-point mass distribution of Long-Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLIN) in the Greater Accra Region.
The exercise which began on December 8, is expected to give out three million mosquito nets to residents in the capital.
Officials of NMCP and malaria control advocate and campion, Gifty Naana Dansoa Anti, toured some health facilities, markets, and distribution points to observe the exercise and also encourage the public to go for their LLINs and sleep under the net to prevent mosquito bites.
A demonstration of how the net is fixed
Medical Entomologist, NMCP, Otubea Owusu Akrofi, said volunteers have been deployed at distribution points in communities to facilitate the distribution of the mosquito nets.
“This time we have put the nets at one distribution point for people to come and redeem their nets with the ID card or special code we gave to them.
We are giving over 3 million nets, we started on 8th December and the exercise would last for one week including weekends,” she said.
Mrs. Akrofi admonished the public especially pregnant women go for their nets. she further added, “We want to urge people that when they come for the net they should use it because it is only when you sleep under it that mosquitoes will not bite you.”
Malaria control advocate and Campion, Gifty Naana Dansoa Anti spoke with pregnant women and mothers at the Achimota Hospital and Kaneshie Polyclinic as well as market women on the need to take their preventive malaria medicine and sleep under mosquito nets.
She also encouraged mothers to practice personal hygiene and continue observing the Covid-19 protocols as the infection is still in the country.
She observed that with continuous education and advocacy, the needed impact would be achieved in the fight against malaria in the country.
“I am very impressed with the way the market women were very understanding and we believe that things would change,” she said. “It is more of education and how the information is communicated to them and that is what we are going to do across the country to make sure the message reaches everyone.
We want pregnant women to understand that their lives matter,” she added.