School Children To Receive Mosquito Nets

Mrs Kate Opoku, Director of Schools Health of the Ghana Education Service on Thursday said beginning from next Month pupils in both private and public schools will be given insecticide treated mosquitoes’ nets.

She said in order to maintain and further deepen the gains made in the malaria prevention and control programme through the hang-up strategy, Ghana has adopted the continuous distribution of Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs), adding that, the continuous distribution concept seeks to utilize existing structures and channels to reach households in a cost and effective manner.

Mrs Opoku gave the assurance during the celebration of the 2013 World Malaria Day in Accra; on the theme: “Investing in the future: defeat malaria.”

She said to ensure adequate supply of nets to the household, as an additional channel, the basic schools will be the new key channels where nets are to be given to children in classes two and six.

She said it was first piloted in the Eastern Region but will now be nation-wide; declaring that the LLIN universal coverage door-to-door distribution and hang-up campaigns in Ghana was an essential move by the Ghana Health Service and its partners to promote malaria prevention through the use of LLIN.

“It is envisaged that through the continuous distribution, coupled with effective behaviour change communication and community mobilization, a net culture will be created in Ghana and this will help prevent bites from the anopheles mosquito that carries the malaria parasite, and thereby help drive malaria away,” Mrs Opoku stated.

Winners of a malaria art competition were rewarded, as part of activities marking the Day, organised by Novatis for basic schools in the Greater Accra Region.

Hellen Efua of Tema Seventh Day Adventist School won the first prize, with Emmanuel Osei of Saint Augustine Catholic Primary School and Edmund Asiedu Offei of the Christ Faith School placing second and third respectively.