Officials of the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP), at the end of last week, convened a sensitisation workshop on the new malaria medicine and anti-malarial treatment for community representatives in the Western Region.

The workshop, held at the office of the governor of the region in Brikama, is aimed at orienting the people at community level on the existence of the new malaria medicine that replaces the traditional chloroquine. The drug is called arthemeter and lumefantrine.
Mrs Adam Jagne-Sonko, deputy program manager of NMCP, called for concerted efforts from the people in the fight against malaria.

According to her, the world is experiencing a change from chloroquine to the new medicine because chloroquine had less power to cure complicated malaria. "We have been receiving complaints from patients that chloroquine does not have any impact on their treatment," she told participants, disclosing further that the new medicine had been chosen because of its affordability, safety and accessibility.

She noted that several training sessions had been organized for nurses and people at community level. She then urged the people to use the medicine as prescribed by their doctors. Mrs Sonko also told the participants that the medicine is free of charge at all government hospitals despite the exorbitant amount of money spent by the government to make it available.

Aja Abby Khan, a health officer, revealed that the new malaria drug does have side effects, but that it is different from other medicines. According to her, pregnant women and children under five years are not advised to use the drug due to its potency.

Mr Dembo Santang Bojang, the chief of Kombo Central, asserted that malaria has reached a proportion that calls for the reaction of everybody. He thanked the organisers of the workshop and urged the participants to disseminate the information gained to the grassroots.

Recommendations
At the end of the workshop, participants recommended a concerted effort in curbing the menace of malaria or bringing it to a minimal rate. They recommended that people must be ready to take part in the national cleansing exercises, and that the participants adequately disseminate the information gained at the workshop to the grassroots. Their final recommendation asks that patients closely collaborate with nurses/doctors at the hospitals by reporting any abnormalities they might experience.