Malaria: Osun to get 2.99m mosquito-treated nets

The Federal Ministry of Health through the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), is to distribute 2.995 million mosquito treated nets to Osun residents to reduce malaria scourge.

Dr Gbenga Adepoju, the Director of Public Health, Osun Ministry of Health made this disclosure on Monday in Osogbo during an orientation programme organised for journalists to help spread awareness.

According to Adepoju, the programme was being championed by the Federal Government, the Global Fund, Society for Family Health and Catholic Relief Services.

He said that the plan was to distribute the nets, which cost more than two billion naira to every household in the state at the ratio of one mosquito net to two persons.

“Malaria is endemic and Osun is lucky to be selected as one of the six beneficiaries of the Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs), re-distribution programme of Global Fund and the Federal Government.

“The redistribution programme is to resume in early September, having begun in 2013 with 1.6 million nets distributed to residents of the state.

“It is being redistributed this year because the nets previously distributed have a life span of three years.

“More than 14 thousand personnel have been employed and trained for the distribution exercise; this will really go a long way in fighting the scourge”.

The NMEP representative, Mr Sam Abutu, said at the programme that the malaria treated nets campaign was to partner with the state in its re-distribution exercise to reduce the malaria scourge in the country.

Abutu said that newsmen were being employed to help in public enlightenment, as the public needed to have information on the importance of the LLINs and know its right use and care.

In her own remarks, Mrs Romoke Adeyanju, the Osun Malaria Coordinator/Programme Manager, Osun Ministry of Health, called on media practitioners to join them in the war against malaria.

Adeyanju said that people should be enlightened that once they collect the nets, they must make use of them by sleeping under them.

“The people, who will be collecting the nets should understand that they are to be sleeping under it to prevent mosquito bites.

“They are not to keep them in the house or turn the nets to window, door cover or to fishing nets.

“It is important that residents of the state attain maximal utilisation of the nets,’’ she stressed.

Adeyanju said that when the programme came up in 2013, 90.2 per cent distribution was recorded while 65.4 per cent utilisation was attained.

The programme manager said that the utilisation, however, dropped to 47.5 per cent in 2014 and later declined to 15.7 per cent in 2015.

She said that the programme envisaged a record of 100 per cent ownership (collection) and at least 80 per cent utilisation in 2017 distribution exercise.