Upper West Region receives 352,900 treated bed nets

The Upper West Regional has received 352,900 long lasting treated bed nets  for distribution to 368,537 people to help minimise the incidence of malaria, which has become a leading cause of deaths in the region.

This means that 15,637 people in the region would still not benefit from the nets and development partners need to address this deficit to get everybody protected, Mr Caesar Kale, Deputy Regional Minister made this known at the Regional launch of the “hang your mosquito net” at Daffiama on Wednesday.

He said World Health Organisation reports indicated that malaria claimed 781,000 lives worldwide in 2009 and about 90 per cent of the deaths each year occur in Africa with 92 per cent of them being children less than five years.

Mr Kale said the launching of the programme could not have come at a more opportune time than now when the level of preventable diseases including malaria was taking a heavy toll on national resources.

Source: GNA