The focal person for the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) at the KEEA municipal health directorate, Mr Adom Boateng, has said that the directorate is preparing to embark on a larval source management project, which is aimed at destroying mosquito eggs and breeding sites in the municipality as part of the national project on eleminating malaria by 2030.
Speaking with Omanhene Kwame Ado on News @ 5 on Ahomka FM, Mr. Adom Boateng said this project is focused on destroying mosquitoes at their breeding sites, thus getting rid of the mosquito larval before they hatch into mosquitoes, of which a bite from the female anophelos puts one at risk of contracting malaria. “The long and short of this project is to fight against the mosquito while it’s still at the larval stage. All stagnant waters serving as breeding sites will be tackled and destroyed”.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS), National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) and Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research (NMIMR) in May 2021 trained persons who will champion the spraying exercise. Mr. Adom Boateng indicated that these are the people who are going to do the spraying in the municipality. “We have trained sprayers who have been given the knowledge on how to identify stagnant waters and spray them to kill the larvae. He therefore urged the community members to help the sprayers by helping them identify breeding sites. “When we see these sprayers in our vicinities, we should direct them to breeding sites, if we know of any. The training giving them is to spray the surface of these stagnant waters to kill the eggs. The chemicals to be used, Mr. Boateng says aren’t harmful to human health. “It’s just like the chlorine and alum used by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), so even if it’s sprayed on a domestic water source, it can still be consumed. So, citizens of KEEA must help in the fight against malaria”.
He further said the KEEA Municipality is divided into five (5) sub-districts under the health directorate and a day each will be dedicated to a sub-district for the exercise. When the time for a sub-district is due, an announcement will be to prep the people up for the exercise. Therefore, every town, village in the KEEA municipality will be covered.
Finally he advised the general public on malaria prevention measures, saying he believes we can’t eleminate mosquitoes from our country but we can eleminate malaria. “The rains has been pouring, so, when we see cans and puddles containing water that serves as a breeding places for mosquitoes, por them out, even barrels containing water in your homes are breedind places. If we’re able to get rid of these things we can kick malaria out of our country just as other African countries have done. The mosquitoes can’t be fully eleminated but the malaria causing parasites, can be.
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Story: Maame Esi Agyapongmaa
