The Chairman, National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah, has called on the public to fear malaria more than witches.
According to him, malaria was a deadly disease and that the public must do anything possible to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
He was speaking at a brief event held by the National Malaria Control Programme to mark the 2021 World Malaria Day (WMD) at the Odorkor Pentecost International Worship Center.
Apostle Prof. Onyinah said preventing malaria demanded that every individual slept under Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) and ensured that they kept their environment clean.
He also advised the public to avoid taking their malaria medications in halves saying, “Once you are diagnosed with malaria, you must make it a point to take full doses of the malaria medications administered to you to enable you recover fully.”
Programme Manager, National Malaria Control Programme, Dr Keziah Malm, said Ghana made great strides in the fight against malaria, but unfortunately, people still got sick of malaria.
“Just in 2020 Ghana recorded about 5 million confirmed malaria cases with over 10 million suspected cases …so we need to aim for excellence in the fight against malaria, we should stop thinking that malaria as an ancient normal disease,” she said.
She said the theme for this year’s WMD, “Zero Malaria starts with me; Draw the line against malaria,” was asking everyone to make a personal commitment to do things that would kick the malaria parasite out of Ghana.
Dr Malm said the NMCP would distribute ITN to households in all parts of the country this year.
The World Malaria Day is celebrated on April 25 every year to stress the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control of the disease.
