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Uganda to distribute 24 mln mosquito nets in renewed fight against malaria

Xinhua, November 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

Uganda's ministry of health on Tuesday said it will distribute some 24 million treated mosquito nets in the next five months in its continued efforts to fight malaria, the deadly disease that kills 70,000 to 100,000 citizens annually.

Ruth Aceng, minister of health, told reporters that the nationwide Long Lasting Insecticide Net (LLIN) distribution campaign, dubbed "Areymo Malaria -- Sleep under a Mosquito net", kicks off on Dec. 9 until April next year, targeting about 36 million people.

"The campaign aims to ensure that 85 percent of targeted populations have access to a LLIN and 85 percent of all nets distributed are utilized. Under this campaign, one mosquito net will be given per two people in the household," Aceng said.

This is the third time Uganda is giving out mosquito nets as one of the measures to fight the disease.

In the first campaign between 2007-2010, it targeted women and children who are the most vulnerable group for malaria. Three years later, the ministry distributed over 21.5 million nets targeting over 35 million Ugandans across the country.

According to the 2015 Malaria Indicator Survey, malaria is endemic in approximately 95 percent of the country, affecting over 90 percent of the population. The remaining five percent of the country consists of unstable and epidemic-prone transmission.

Uganda is using LLIN as one of the national malaria interventions as the East Africa country prepares to reach the pre-elimination phase of three percent of the disease before 2020 as stipulated in 2012 Uganda National Reduction Strategy.

"Everyone in Uganda is at risk of malaria, although pregnant women and children under five years are mostly affected. The cost of treating Malaria is high, a single episode of malaria costs a family on average 9 U.S. dollars, or close to 3 percent of the household annual income of majority of families," said Aceng.

A recent study published by the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene indicates that malaria is still the major cause of death in Uganda with approximately 70,000 to 100,000 Ugandans dying each year.

Uganda has in the last five years intensified actions and interventions that include case management, indoor residual spraying, use of insecticide treated nets, advocacy, communication and social mobilization to bring malaria under control.

As a result of the interventions, the national prevalence levels of malaria have reduced drastically from close to 50 percent in 2011 to 27 percent, according to the 2015 National Malaria Indicator Survey. Enditem