Mohammed Oluwatimileyin Taoheed
The National Malaria Elimination Programme and Society for Family Health have started distribution of 34.8 million insecticide treated nets in eight states, to stem the spread of malaria in Nigeria.
Track News Nigeria learnt that Kano and Kaduna states will get the highest with 8.8 and 5.4 million nets respectively.
A study confirms it that malaria kills nine persons per hour in Nigeria. Our health correspondent notes that Nigeria records one out of every five deaths due to malaria globally with a quarter of the deaths are due to malaria in Africa, and two out of every four deaths are due to malaria in West Africa. Malaria leads 30% of children’s death across the country, while equally contributing 11% of maternal death in Nigeria.
Thus, as part of preventive ways to alleviate the rise of malaria in the country, the National Malaria Elimination Programme, with funding from the Global Fund Malaria Project, is set to distribute 34,842,597 insecticide-treated nets to Katsina, Delta, Taraba, Yobe, Niger, Kaduna, Kano, and Anambra states.
A source told the Track News Nigeria that the distribution of ITN has been completed in Katsina state but is currently ongoing in Delta and Kaduna states, while the programme will soon be on in the remaining five states.
In an exclusive interview with the men of the press at Kaduna ahead of the flag-off of distribution of ITN in the state, an officer of the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Mr. Omo-Eboh Mamudu said, “malaria is the most common preventable public health problem in Nigeria, yet it takes a lethal toll on 97% of Nigerians especially children under the age of five and pregnant women.
“We want to eradicate malaria in Nigeria. ITN campaign is one of the major strategies to deliver nets to the entire population with the goal to scale up utilisation of ITN as a strategy for malaria control.
“The Kaduna State government in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) with funding from the Global Fund Malaria Project, in its efforts to eliminate malaria, has commenced the process of the 2022 insecticide-treated nets mass campaign in the state.
“A total of 5,471,028 treated nets will be distributed to the people of Kaduna state through a door-to-door approach to all the populace of Kaduna state. Simultaneous household registration and distribution of nets will commence from the 7th -18th July 2022. The objective of the ITN mass campaign is to ensure that for every two persons in Kaduna state, there is one-bed net to sleep inside,” he added.
