The Upper East regional health services has failed to maintain its zero under five malaria related death.
The directorate chalked a remarkable success in the fight against children under five malaria fatalities in 2020.
For the year 2020, the region recorded zero fatality for children under five as a result of some interventions including the implementation of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC), frequent training for health workers, and timely presentation of children by most parents and caregivers for malaria treatment as well as the pilot implementation of the malaria vaccine in the Kasena Nankana west District and East Municipality in the Upper East region.
However, the region could not maintain the zero under five Malaria death success recorded in the year 2020.
The region lost one under five child in one of it hospitals.
Mr. Sydney Abilba, the Regional Focal Person for Malaria in the Upper East Region told Word news that in the year 2021 Annual Performance Conference Review, there has been a slight increase in the fatality rate which led to the region losing one child in one of its health facilities.
“For the under five case fatalities rate that is looking at the numbers of children who died due to malaria, you know malaria is a preventable condition, but if it is not well taken care of in children under five, it becomes a very devastating problem, because malaria for children under five are now getting use to the malaria conditions that is endemic in this our environment and most of it can lead to death.
For the year under review in 2021, we unfortunately, lost one of our children under five years who tested for malaria positive. but comparing with other regions, we have done well because for the year 2020, we actually did very well by recording zero death. No child was lost to malaria but, in 2021 unfortunately, we lost one child compared to the number of children that were admitted with severe malaria as against those who died in 2020 we had 5,584 children who were admitted with severe malaria out of that, no child was lost to malaria.
In 2021, the number of admissions increased from 5,584 to 6,544 out of which we lost one child, that was an unfortunate situation”. Mr Sydney Abilba noted.
Mr Sydney appealed to all parents, caregivers and stakeholders in the communities to ensure that children in their households are well protected against malaria because any child who develops malaria, his or her life is threatened and should be protected by the frequent use of the insecticide bed nets to ensure the region record zero next year.
Gaspard Ayuureneeya