ECOWAS to adopt Ghana’s
malaria vector control project
Accra, March 29, Ghanadot/GNA - The Economic Commission of West African
States (ECOWAS), is adopting Ghana’s Integrated Malaria Vector Control
project, as part of efforts to uproot the disease in the sub-region.
The ECOWAS initiative would be facilitated by the proposed establishment
of a plant in Ghana, for the production of larvicides for the country
and the sub-region.
This was made known by Mr Felix Quintanar Pulido, Vice President of the
Biological and Pharmaceutical Laboratory (LABIOFAM) Enterprise Group of
Cuba, as well as the Malaria Control Project Co-ordinator in Ghana, and
Dr Hafeza Taher of the LABIOFAM Malaria Control Project, who made
available to the Ghana News Agency, in Accra, a report on the project.
Incidence of malaria reduced in the range of 40 per cent and 68 per cent
from March to October 2008, following the introduction of the integrated
vector control project by Cuba in March 2006.
Vector control measures such as the use of biolarvicides, bactivec and
griselesf, led to 100 per cent larval reduction in less than 48 hours
after treatment.
The incidence of malaria diminished by 54.4 per cent in a period of
eight months, through the integrated vector control project together
with other preventive measures taken by the Ministry of Health.
The project was the by-product of the 13th Ghana-Cuba Joint Commission
of Co-operation, which was followed by the signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) between the Government of Ghana and LABIOFAM for the
use of biological agents for the eradication of malaria.
The MOU aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to
reduce malaria cases and mortality by 50 per cent by 2010.
The first phase of the project was started in Accra, the second in the
Greater Accra, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions, while the third phase
embraced the rest of the country.
The report suggested the need for an integrated anti-vectoral fight in
the control and prevention of malaria and other diseases and the essence
of maintaining biological control activities in existing potential
breeding places.
It called for environmental sanitation, integrated vector control
services at the regional and district levels and the implementation of a
permanent biological and entomological surveillance system.
The report proposed the establishment of public information and
education programme in relation to preventive measures of malaria and
vector control as well as the promotion of public and private inter-sectoral
collaboration at all levels.
It recommended the incorporation of the project into the National
Malaria Control Programme.
Ghana, which adopted a Roll Back Malaria strategy in 2000, is one of the
countries in the sub- region mostly affected by the high prevalence of
the species of mosquitoes carrying the vectors of diseases associated
with the anopheles mosquito.
As a result, there have been reports of various diseases in the country
transmitted by these vectors with malaria being the most important
disease due to its endemic nature.
Malaria represented 88.9 per cent of the total annual medical
consultations of diseases that cannot be prevented by vaccination.
The number of medical attentions hovered around 246 387 in 2001 and 272
174 in 2006, while the risk of contracting the disease was higher in
children less than four years.
The annual global incidence of malaria is more than 200 million cases,
with more than two million annual deaths.
Africa is the most affected by the disease while Ghana is one of the
malaria hyper endemic countries in the world with 45 per cent of all the
illnesses reported at the outpatient department of the medical centres.
GNA
