Media Campaign for Insecticide Treated Nets Launched

A Mass Media Campaign has been launched to promote the use of long lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) in Ghana. Although this campaign was launched some years ago, research revealed that a lot of people are still not sleeping under these nets and are putting the nets to other uses. The main barrier against the use of the ITNs, according to the research is heat. People complain that it is too hot sleeping in these nets and they rather wouldn't.

The Campaign to be run by Lowe Lintas, an advertising agency, is a 360 degree campaign involving all media namely; TV, Radio, print, outdoor, social media as well interactive below-the-line activities where the nets would be promoted and distributed during events in communities, market places, festivals and the like.

Launching the campaign, the Minister for Health, Mr Alex Segbefia, noted that a healthy people is a wealthy nation. He said that the proper use of the ITNs will help prevent malaria and children would not have to miss classes because of the disease adding that economic activity would not be interrupted. He urged families to use the nets every night and repair them when they get torn.

Giving an overview of the burden of malaria in Ghana, Dr Keziah Malm, the Acting Programme Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme, said that Ghana is one of the top ten countries in the world with the burden of malaria. 

She said that malaria accounts for 38.1% of Out-Patient Department (OPD) cases in Ghana. Out of the number of patients admitted into health centres, 27.3% are related to malaria and 7% deaths can be attributed to malaria.

Explaining the economic costs of malaria, Dr Kezia said that a household spent, on the average, $14 per patient per episode. This figure could be higher if the patient visited the hospital or, was put on admission. Malaria cost businesses about $6,588,729.09 in 2014. 

Speaking on the benefits of the ITNs, Dr Kezia said that ITNs have shown to avert 50% of malaria cases and prevent 17% of all-cause mortality.

Dr Kezia called for an attitude change as the only way we can help prevent the disease. She said that people needed to sleep under the nets, and get rid of puddles of water which are breeding places for mosquitoes.

The UNICEF Representative for Ghana, Ms Susan Namondo Ngogi, speaking on behaviour change as an important ingredient in the fight against malaria, said that with an investment of less than GHC25.00 we can protect ourselves against this deadly disease for almost 3 years. Yet, we end up spending so much money on treatment and production falls due to our absence from work. 

She urged everyone to actively promote the use of the ITNs among our families, peers, employees, constituents etc, to achieve zero deaths from malaria.