Malaria Chemo-prevention exercise takes off in Wa

Over one hundred and fifty children have been targeted to be covered by the Ghana Health 
Service in this year’s round of the Seasonal Malaria Chemo-prevention exercise in the Upper West Region.  

The six day exercise which started yesterday will cover toddlers from three months to fifty-nine months old. 

Addressing the media at news conference at Wa, the Acting Regional Director for Health Services, Dr. Winfred Ofosu said the SMC which was piloted in the region last year received extensive patronage and was rated one of the successful vaccination exercises. 

He urged the stakeholders involved to ensure that this year’s rounds surpass last year’s.  

GBC’s Lydia Darlington Fordjour reports that, the Seasonal Malaria Chemo-prevention is one of the several interventions by the National Malaria Control Program, NMCP under the Ghana Health Service to combat malaria particularly among infants. 

It is administered to the children three times in three days in the rainy season where it is perceived that malaria is on the ascendancy. 

Interacting with the media, the Upper West Regional Acting Director of the GHS, Dr. Winfred Ofosu said this year’s exercise has been extended to the Upper East Region because of the success the region recorded in last year’s SMC which was a pilot exercise.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the NMCP office in Accra, Samuel Oppong intimated that although 150 thousand, 921 children have been targeted, children who have special allergies may not be dosed. 

He added that when dosed, children will experience some short discomforts such as vomiting, stomach pains, among others. 

This he said should be reported to the nearest health facility if it persists for long. 

The health volunteers will dose the first drug and the care givers will be responsible for administering the subsequent doses under the strict observance of the volunteers. 

This will be repeated in three other rounds in three months at the health centres.

GBC