135 Children out of 150 test positive for malaria

Merging Mites Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with focus on education and health has organised a health screening exercise for about 150 children at the Otwetri community in the Akuapem North District of the Eastern Region.

Out of the number, 20 were at the Boahemaa Orphanage Centre also in the community.

The children, who were screened for various ailments, particularly malaria. were given treatment and medication.

The Executive Director of the NGO, Ms Dorcas Yaa Mensah, said although the exercise was originally meant for the orphanage, the foundation decided to add other children in the community to the screening, since many of the children screened at the orphanage tested positive for malaria.

She said about 90 per cent of the 150 children screened tested positive for malaria, hence calling on the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to help provide mosquito nets for them.

Treatment

According to her, those who tested positive for malaria at the orphanage were treated while those from the community were given some medication.

She said the children were also given dewormers, pain killers and antibiotics, pointing out that the NGO chose the orphanage so as to help improve the health of the children at the facility.

“We are looking forward to do more by creating the right environment for needy children to be healthy and stay fit,” Ms Yaa Mensah noted, appealing to other benevolent organisations to come to the aid of the orphanage.

She said since the establishment of the NGO in 2016, it had engaged in renovating and painting schools, as well as providing medical screening exercises for needy children in many underprivileged communities.

The Founder of the orphanage, Mama Akua Boahemaa, commended Merging Mites Foundation for the gesture, calling on other individuals and corporate bodies to help the orphanage in providing health care as well as other logistics for the children.

She said the orphanage needed the support of all to enable them to bring up the children to become responsible adults in the future.