The rate of malaria prevalence in the Brong Ahafo region reduced by 7.5 percent in 2008, compared to the previous year, regional coordinator for the control of the disease has said. Mr Anthony Ofori said 822,204 cases were recorded in the region last year as against 889,496 in 2007. He was speaking at a one-day workshop on malaria control for stakeholders in Brong-Ahafo at Fiapre, near Sunyani. The workshop, which was attended by heads of non-governmental institutions and civil society organisations, explored strategies to minimise prevalence of the disease. Mr. Ofori said however that the number of children that suffered malaria increased from about 17 per every 1,000 in 2007 to 23 per each 1000 children in 2008, adding that the increase was an indication that some cases were not reported to hospitals. Children under five years and pregnant women were the most affected due to “the weak nature of their immune systems to resist the malaria vector,” he said. Mr Ofori said the malaria endemic had negatively impacted national productivity and called for effective collaboration between the Health Service and its partners to tighten its control. Dr Aaron Offei, Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Health Services, said a combination therapy currently in use for malaria treatment was an effort by the Ghana Health Service to reduce the incidence of the disease. Source: GNA