Ghana happens to be one of the few African countries that is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that bed nets use is widely promoted as one of the effective ways to deal a blow to malaria once and for all.

Treated bed nets use has become popular among the population as a result of the sustained public education campaigns not only by Ministry of Health and the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) but also the private sector establishments with support from international partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).

Ready statistics from the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC) in the Kassena Nankana District of the Upper East Region, where a total of 3.5 million bed nets had been distributed in Ghana from 1998 to 2007 of its introduction in the anti-malaria health delivery system are currently revealing milestones in the fight against malaria.

This has led to an increase in households with bed nets from 48.3 per cent in 2005 to 51.1 per cent in 2006.
Within a period of three years, ITN use in children under five increased from 3.5 per cent to 22 per cent.  During the same period, bed net use among pregnant women also moved from 3.3 per cent to 46.5 per cent.

According to the Ghana Malaria Action Alert, 3,398 locally sewn nets have been treated at Kantamanto market in Accra since 2006, 2,260 others locally sewn nets were treated in Kumasi Central market between September 2006 and July 2007.

It further states that 2.1million nets were distributed free of charge to children under two years during a measles campaign in November 2006.
Although Ghana has made a significant progress over the last few years, it still has a long way to go in achieving extensive coverage and use of bed nets to protect communities against malaria.
There are still 48.9 per cent of households without insecticide treated bed nets coverage, 68 per cent of children under five and 54 per cent of pregnant women not using ITNs.

FIFTY three African Heads of State and governments met in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on April 25, 2000 to adopt the Roll Back Malaria Initiative to intensify efforts to halve malaria related deaths in Africa by 2010.
At the meeting, the African leaders committed themselves to initiate appropriate and sustainable action to strengthen health systems to ensure that by year 2005, at least 60 per cent of those suffering from malaria have prompt access to, and are able to correctly use, affordable and appropriate treatment within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms.

They also committed themselves to ensure that at least 60 per cent of those at risk of malaria, particularly children under five years of age and pregnant women, benefit from the most suitable combination of personal and community protective measures such as insecticide treated mosquito nets and other interventions which are accessible and affordable to prevent infection and suffering.
Nearly nine years down the line, it is most unfortunate that not much has been achieved.
There is still no reduction in the 350-500 million global clinical malaria episodes resulting from more than one million deaths.

Africans has much to worry as over 80 per cent of the over one million deaths caused by malaria globally occur in the African continent each year and that the disease remains the leading cause of under-five mortality.
But there is hope for Africa. One of most proven and perhaps the major breakthroughs of the four intervention areas, in recent years is the use of Insecticide Treated mosquito bed nets other wise known as (ITNs).This is the easiest way malaria can e fought to stop the unnecessary deaths on the continent.

ITNs give a much higher degree of protection against malaria, as well as stopping the bite.
The net is incidentally, a chemical death trap for the mosquitoes drawn to the bait of the sleeping person. 
According to research, properly used, ITNs can cut malaria transmission by at least 60 per cent and child deaths by a fifth.