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The public have been advised to desist from the habit of buying anti-malaria drugs to treat suspected cases of malaria when they have not actually gone through any test to confirm that they have the malaria parasite in their blood. Equally, medical personnel and those who sell drugs at pharmacy and chemical shops have been admonished to ensure that patients who report suspected cases of malaria to them have been tested and proven to have malaria before anti-malaria drugs are given to such patients. Dr Frank Baiden Technical Adviser at Malaria Care gave the advise at a training programme organized at Dodowa by the African Media and Malaria Research Network(AMMREN) and Malaria Care for journalists drawn from the southern sector of the country. It was aimed at equipping journalists with adequqte information to enable them educate the public well on malaria issues to help control the disease. Dr Frank Baiden said through either the Rapid Diagnostic Test(RDT) and Microscopic Test systems suspected malaria patients are tested to determine their status before treatment is given. This is because some symptoms of malaria manifested by a person does not necessarily mean that one has the malaria parasite. The Executive Secretary of the African Media and Malaria Research Network(AMMREN) Mrs Charity Binka said even though malaria is a life threatening disease, the effective role of the media in terms of public education will go a long way to control the disease.