THE National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) has called on the media in Ghana to stand up and safeguard the effective supply and use of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) for Malaria control.
According to the NMCP, the media’s failure to do so could endanger the fight against Malaria since the factors that contribute to the development of resistance against a drug includes the introduction of imitated drugs and ineffective usage of the recommended drugs.
“The moment we allow fake ACTs to invade our markets, we are spelling doom for this country, because when people do not see any results from the usage of these drugs, they would raise their voices against these drugs,” Mr James Frimpong, a member of the NMCP stated.
“What we must know is that for now, we have no other redeemer to help us stem the tide of malaria infection except the ACTs. So, we must collectively safeguard these drugs in the interest of the nation,” he added.
Mr Frimpong made these comments when he made presentations on the malaria control programme in the country at a training workshop held in Tamale for print and broadcast journalists operating in the Northern Region.
The training, which was organised by the NMCP in collaboration with its partners, was directed towards building the capacity of journalists to lead the fight against malaria by supporting the effective dissemination of behavioural communication change messages.
One of the key roles expected of the media, as explained by Mr Frimpong, is to enlighten the public on the shift from mono-therapy to combination-based treatment.
“The media must let the public know that Chloroquine is know more the recommended treatment for Malaria and that a combination of drugs known as ACTs are now the recommended drugs for Malaria control,” he explained.
He said the shift from Chloroquine to the ACTs was influenced by the realisation that a resistance had been developed against the drug and that the current combination of drugs were the most effective to combat the malaria parasites.
Mr Frimpong said the media must, similarly, highlight the introduction of the affordable medicine facilities for the cure of Malaria.
“With this facility, the price for ACTs has been reduced considerably to enable every Ghanaian, irrespective of social status, to acquire it,” he stated.
The Northern Regional Focal Person on Malaria, Dr John Abenyeri also entreated the media to encourage pregnant women to visit the health facility to benefit from the intermittent preventive treatment.
“This treatment for malaria during pregnancy is based on the assumption that every pregnant woman living in areas of high malaria transmission is highly prone to the disease and thus need to be protected during that period,” he explained.
Dr Abenyiri also stressed the need for the media to encourage the general public to adapt to the usage of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs), adding that having it is not enough.
The media practitioners expressed delight over the training programme, noting that they had been nourished with adequate information to enable them report from a more informed perspective.
“Indeed, we thought we knew much about Malaria, but this training has really exposed our weaknesses,” Mr Francis Npong of the Enquirer stated, adding that “we can now counter the negative perceptions about Malaria and save our people.”
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