The
District
Chief
Executives
(DCEs)
of
four
assemblies
in
the
Eastern
Region
have
called
on
the
Ghana
Health
Service
(GHS)
to
help
curb
an
invasion
of
a
new
breed
of
mosquitoes
which
are
causing
illness
in
their
areas.
According
to
the
DCEs
of
the
Akyeamansa,
Achiasi,
Birim
South,
and
Birim
Central
Districts,
the
mosquitoes,
typically
found
in
cocoa
farms,
were
large,
black,
and
have
some
whitish
markings.
In
separate
interviews
with
The
Ghanaian
Times
on
Monday,
they
said
malaria
cases
were
increasing
at
the
various
health
facilities
and
a
lasting
solution
should
be
found
to
prevent
loss
of
lives.
The
Achiase
DCE,
Richmond
Amponsah
Agyabeng
said
“The
situation
has
become
a
significant
health
threat
in
the
region,
with
numerous
health
centres
reporting
cases
related
to
these
mosquito
bites.
“Approximately,
300
people
across
the
four
districts
have
been
hospitalized,
though
some,
including
himself,
has
since
been
treated
and
discharged”,
he
said.
Mr
Agyabeng
said
a
National
Community
Health
Planning
and
Services
(CHPS)
compound
in
the
Achiase
District
alone
had
recorded
about
30
cases
so
far
and
emphasised
and
stated
the
need
for
immediate
intervention.
He
said
the
situation
in
his
district
started
a
month
ago,
but
residents
self-medicated
until
the
assembly
realised
that
the
situation
was
much
complex
than
it
was
imagined.
Similarly,
the
DCE
for
Birim
South
District,
Mr
Asare
Danso
confirmed
that
his
district
had
recorded
numerous
cases
and
called
on
the
GHS
to
help
find
a
lasting
solution
to
the
issue.
The
situation
was
same
in
the
two
other
districts.
When
contacted,
the
Eastern
Regional
Deputy
Director
of
Public
Health,
Dr
John
Ekow
Otoo
confirmed
that
his
department
has
received
official
reports
from
the
affected
districts.
He
revealed
that
in
response,
a
team
of
health
officials
from
both
the
district
and
headquarters
levels
of
the
GHS
has
been
dispatched
to
investigate
the
matter.
‘The
findings
from
this
investigation
will
be
communicated
once
the
investigation
is
completed,”
he
said.
The
invasion
of
mosquitoes
in
the
districts
comes
two
weeks
after
the
GHS
announced
that
the
country
was
making
progress
in
reduction
of
malaria
cases
and
deaths.
At
a
recent
malaria
training
programme
for
journalists
in
Accra,
the
Director
of
Public
Health
of
the
GHS,
Dr
Franklin
Asiedu-Bekoe,
said
Malaria
related
deaths
have
reduced
drastically
from
2,799
in
2012
to
146
lives
last
year.
He
said
testing
rate
had
improved
from
38
per
cent
in
2012
to
98
per
cent
in
2023
while
prevalence
had
decreased
from
27
per
cent
in
2011
to
8.6
in
2022,
and
deaths
due
to
malaria
have
also
decreased
significantly.
However,
he
said
malaria
was
still
a
public
health
threat
in
the
country
and
it
will
stop
at
nothing
to
achieve
a
zero
rate
of
mortality
by
2028.