Mr Gohoho who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to mark this year’s World Malaria Day in Ho on the theme “Ready to Beat Malaria”, said in the first quarter of 2017, 22,603 cases of malaria were suspected, 19,283 were tested with  6555 being positive, representing 29 per cent of cases in the Municipality.

He said the figure dropped in the first quarter of 2018 to 21,608, suspected cases, 19,651 tested and 4,788 cases being positive, representing 22.2 per cent.Mr Gohoho said a total of 747 pregnant women were suspected of malaria in the first quarter of 2017, 734 tested and 111 confirmed with having the malaria parasite as compared to 2018 first quarter, where there were 713 suspected cases, 702 tested with 91 pregnant women being positive.

He said cases of children under five with severe malaria were 137 in first quarter of 2017 and 64 in first quarter 2018 with no deaths recorded.Staff of the Municipal Health Directorate marked the day with a sensitisation exercise in the Ho Township distributing leaflets on the use of mosquito nets and keeping the environment clean to avoid the breeding of mosquitoes.

World Malaria Day is an international observance commemorated every year on the 25th of April, which recognised global efforts to control malaria.