By Kemo Cham
The second Malaria Media Coalition (MMC) meeting ended in Freetown on Tuesday, September 1, with pledges of recommitment to ending transmission of the parasitic disease in the country.
The event held at the Catco International Hotel in the west end of Freetown brought together over 50 journalists from across the country.
The MMC is an alliance of the media, healthcare campaigners and the government through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS). It was formed in February 2019 as part of a larger national coalition under the theme “Zero Malaria Starts with Me” which is a continental initiative geared towards containing the spread of the parasitic disease in the Africa region.
The media coalition comprises journalists under the Health Reporters Network Sierra Leone (HRNSL), the Dakar-based strategic communication outfit, Speaker Up Africa, and the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) of the MoHS.
Tuesday’s event marked six months since the launch of the coalition and it was meant for the partners to reflect on recent successes and challenges of reporting on malaria – especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic - as well as to work together to improve the efficiency and productivity of the coalition moving forward.
Speaking at the event, Dr Sayni Turay, Deputy Programme Manager at NMCP, lamented the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic to the government’s anti-malarial crusade, noting that they were slowing progress in the response efforts. Dr Turay however added that despite the challenges, there were a lot of successes registered by the programme, including the distribution of treated bed nets and continued provision of services at health facilities across the country.
“For the past six months we know we have had successes, but we have also had a lot of challenges,” he said.
The government distributed 4.6 million bed nets treated with chemicals designed to repel mosquitos, which are the vectors of the parasite that causes malaria. The use of bed net is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the best means of protection against malaria.
James Wallen, Malaria Programme Officer for Speak Up Africa, who flew out of the Senegalese capital Dakar for the event, hailed the performance of the coalition, singling out the media for its reportage on Malaria in the last six months. Wallen said data obtained by Speak Up Africa indicated an increase in reporting on malaria in Sierra Leone, which he said did well when compared to other countries where the media coalition existed.
Like all other speakers at the event, Mr Wallen, appealed for redoubling of efforts made in the last six months in an effort to get Sierra Leone attain the goal of malaria eradication by 2030, in line with the global target contained in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Sierra Leone is considered a malaria endemic country, with a prevalence rate of 40 percent, according to the National Malaria Indicator Survey 2016.
Sister Wani Komba Lahai, Principal Public Health Officer at the NMCP, said that data indicate that there is large awareness about malaria prevention, and that the only obstacle is the behavior of the people, in terms of failure to practice preventive lifestyles.
“Knowledge is there, behavior is the issue,” Mrs Lahai said in a power point presentation outlining update on malaria in the country and the wider world. She also delved into the recently concluded National Malaria Strategy of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), which she said was designed to tackle the issue of behavioral change.
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