Fight Against Malaria: Osun To Get 2.99m Mosquito Treated Nets

The Federal Ministry of Health through the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) is set to distribute 2.995 million mosquito treated nets to residents of Osun as a measure of reducing and preventing malaria in Nigeria.

Dr Gbenga Adepoju, Director of Public Health, Osun Ministry of Health

Dr Gbenga Adepoju, Director of Public Health, Osun Ministry of Health made this known on Monday in Osogbo, during a media orientation programme organised for journalists to help spread awareness  and importance of the malaria treated nets.

According to Adepoju, Global Fund with the Federal Government in partnership with Society for Family Health and Catholic Relief Services will distribute the nets, which cost over N2 billion, to every household in the state, at the ratio of one mosquito net to two persons.

He said similarly, 1.6 million nets were distributed to residents of the state in 2013 but added that re-distribution of new nets had to be carried out this year because the Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) distributed then only had a life span of three years.

He said the distribution of the new nets would commence in the early month of September and that more than 14 thousand personnel had been employed and trained for the distribution nets

He said malaria was endemic and that Osun was lucky to be selected as one of the six beneficiary states of the Long Lasting Insecticide Nets Re-distribution programme of Global Fund and the FG, saying it would really go a long way in helping in the fight against malaria prevention.

Mr Sam Abutu, NMEP representative at the programme said the basis of the malaria treated nets campaign was to work with the state, in the distribution of treated nets to residents of the state in order to stop the scourge of malaria in the country.

Abutu said the public needs to have information on the importance of the LLINs and the right use and care of the nets and implored journalists and the media to help in the area of public enlightenment.

In her own remarks, Mrs Romokee Adeyanju, Osun Malaria Coordinator/Programme Manager, Osun Ministry of Health, stressed the importance of attaining maximal utilisation of the malaria treated nets by residents of the state.

Adeyanju said the people who would be collecting the nets should understand that they are to be sleeping under it (to prevent mosquito bites) and not keep them in the house or turn the nets to window, door covers or to fishing nets.

She said when distribution was done in 2013, 90.2% distribution was recorded while 65.4% utilisation attained. She said the utilisation however dropped to 47.5% in 2014 and later dropped to 15.7% in 2015.

She said with this year’s distribution, they intend to record 100% ownership (collection) and at least 80% uutilisation.

She therefore called on media practitioners to join them in the war against malaria stressing that people should be enlightened that once they collect the nets, they must make use of them by sleeping under them