AGAMal’s 2023 Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) campaign has begun, aiming to protect over 1.2 million people across sixteen (16) operational districts in Ghana.
The 11-week campaign, which began on March 27th in the Upper West Zone and April 25th in Obuasi, will cover about 150,000 houses/structures, 1.3 million rooms, and over 200,000 households. The operational districts are Obuasi Municipal and Obuasi East (Ashanti), all eleven districts in the Upper West Region, and Kassena Nankana West, Builsa North, and Builsa South (Upper East).
To maximize protection for the targeted population, AGAMal is using WHO-approved new-generation insecticides such as Fludora Fusion, Sumishield, and 2Guard insecticides, which are odorless and non-staining.
AGAMal’s Program Director, Samuel Asiedu, in his address at the onboarding sessions for Middle-Level Officers, expressed his confidence in the campaign’s effectiveness, stating, “The indoor residual spraying campaign is a critical intervention in our fight against malaria, and we are confident that it will make a significant impact.”
In addition to its primary goal of protecting citizens from malaria, the campaign has created 1,377 employment opportunities for community members in the operational districts, providing an economic boost to the regions.
The Program’s Social and Behavior Change (SBC) team actively engages with stakeholders and communities to ensure improved acceptance of the IRS campaign and other malaria elimination interventions. Under the theme “Small Actions, Big Impact,” the program has trained and empowered 770 Community Advocates to lead their respective communities through education. These Advocates encourage community members to take small actions, such as accepting IRS, sleeping under LLINs, and managing the environment to eliminate malaria.
The IRS intervention is in partnership with the Ghana Health Services (GHS) through the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP) with financial support from AngloGold Ashanti and the Global Fund.
As the campaign continues, AGAMal remains committed to contributing to Ghana’s national agenda of eliminating malaria by 2030, with active community involvement being a critical factor in achieving this possibility. Community leaders and members in all operational areas are called upon to take the lead by accepting Indoor Residual Spraying and all other available malaria interventions to ensure a malaria-free Ghana.
For more information, please contact:
Website: www.agamal.org
Email: info@agamal.org
Phone: +233 (0) 20 32 98 132