The Jaman North district in the Brong Ahafo region has recorded more malaria cases in the first two quarters of 2016.
Statistics from the District's Health Directorate indicate that 30,790 cases have been recorded so far in the first eight months of the year against 24,777 cases that were recorded in the entire 2015, from the various health facilities across the district.
Malaria is a major cause of ill-health and death particularly among pregnant women and children under 5 years.
Every year about 300 to 500 million cases of malaria and 1 to 3 million deaths are reported globally of which 90% occurs in sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking at an orientation programme for stakeholders by Hope For Future Generation, a non governmental organization at Sampa on how to reduce the cases, a project officer for the organization, Kwaku Kusi Amoateng urged religious leaders to sensitise their followers on the importance of sleeping under treated mosquito nets.
"Because of the increasing numbers of the cases, I think our pastors and Imams should talk to their members on how to keep their surroundings clean and also encourage them to sleep under treated bed nets distributed by the Ghana Service," he added.
In his speech,the district Health Director, Mr Samuel Opoku said the District Health Team with the help of assembly members would embark on a �disease free campaign� in all the communities in the district to reduce the spread of major diseases facing the district.
He continued that the district has over the years been recording severe cases of Malaria and expressed the hope that with the provision of the free Long Lasting Treated Insecticide Mosquito Nets (LLITNs) by the Ghana Health Service (GHS), malaria cases would be reduced considerably.
However,his major fear had to do with some natives of the district using the mosquito nets to fence their vegetable gardens.
"We can't reduce this cases if our people are using the distributed treated bed nets for gardens," he lamented.
Again, Mr Opoku pleaded with all Ghanaians, especially parents, to make good use of the nets being provided by the health service to reduce the alarming rate of malaria in the district.
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