US-Ghana partner to fight malaria

The United States (U.S) Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Gene A. Cretz has announced that U.S. experts plan to test the effectiveness of the CD-3 Counterfeit Detection Device in Ghana in 2013 and 2014.

The device which is a handheld, battery-operated tool for the detection of counterfeit or substandard anti-malarial drugs, was developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010.  Malaria is becoming harder to treat due to drug resistance and the use of counterfeit or substandard anti-malarial drugs.

Ambassador Cretz made the announcement when he joined First Lady Lordina Mahama and the Minister of Health, Mrs Sherry Ayittey, at the Adenta Cluster of Schools, on Wednesday to acknowledge Ghana’s significant progress in reducing malaria infections and deaths, as part of activities to commemorate World Malaria Day.

A statement from the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Accra and released to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the United States, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is working closely with the Government of Ghana and other development partners to end preventable deaths.

It quoted Ambassador Cretz as saying: “The American people are proud to partner with the people of Ghana to improve the quality of health services and bring an end to death due to malaria.

“I commend the National Malaria Control Program [NMCP] for providing great leadership.  We look forward to continuing our work with them, and with so many of you here today, so we together can reduce the impact of malaria in Ghana.”

Ghana Health Service records indicate that malaria is the number-one cause of mortality in children under five years, accounting for 33 per cent of hospital deaths in children under five years of age.

According to the release, the US Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI) was launched in Ghana in December 2007, led by USAID and implemented with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Since then, substantial progress has been made delivering malaria prevention treatment.

It said the Ghana Health Service, through the NMCP, distributed close to 12,400,000 treated bed nets between 2010 and 2012, approximately a quarter of which were direct donations from USAID.

This campaign led to universal coverage or one net for every two people in Ghana, and to provide sustainability, USAID provided the NMCP with technical assistance to develop a strategy for continuous distribution of Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLINs) which will enhance distribution nationwide.

World Malaria Day which is observed on April 25 is celebrated globally to commemorate efforts to control the disease.  The global theme this year is “Invest in the Future: Defeat Malaria.”

This year’s event focused on celebrating the achievement of Universal Coverage during the 2010-2012 national campaign and the launch of the Continuous Distribution Strategy for LLINs.

Source: GNA