Ebonyi to distribute 1.7m nets to eradicate malaria, yellow fever

Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi

The Ebonyi Government says it will soon begin the distribution of 1.7 million Long-Lasting Insecticidal Treated Nets (LLIN) to households in the state to eradicate malaria.

The Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Daniel Umehzuruike, said this on Tuesday in Abakiliki during a lecture on the distribution process and role of the media in the LLIN campaign.
Umehzuruike said that the distribution would be carried out in collaboration with the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and National Malaria Elimination Programme, among other stakeholders.
He expressed state government’s commitment toward malaria eradication in partnership with relevant agencies.
He said that the partnership was to control and prevent the scourge and check fresh outbreak of malaria and yellow fever in the state.
He said the ministry had carried out an LLIN distribution campaign in 2015 to prevent maternal and child mortality caused by malaria.
Umehzuruike said, “A survey was conducted to ascertain the efficacy of the previously distributed nets but it was revealed that it had lost sensitivity to repel and kill mosquitoes.”
He urged the media in the state to support the ministry in its efforts to reduce the scourge by educating the populace on the importance of the mosquito nets.
He admonished those that would receive the net not to use them to guard their farmlands but for the purpose it was intended.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Chris Achi, underscored the importance of the media in sensitising the public on the proper use of the net to achieve the goal on malaria-free society by 2020.
Achi said the best way to reduce the burden of malaria in society was to make proper use of the net.
He said: “These nets are the best quality and we want to ensure people use them properly.
“Pregnant women and children are the most vulnerable people to malaria and we hope the effort to eradicate it is successful,” Achi said.
The Director, Public Health in the ministry, Dr Mike Urom, said that the campaign was also targeted at spreading information to save one million lives and control yellow fever.
“It was not targeted at malaria only but also to prevent yellow fever in the state,” Urom said.
The Team Leader, National Campaign Implementation, Dr Godwin Aidenagbon, among other resource persons, delivered lectures on distribution processes and role of media in the LLIN campaign.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the registration of households in the state would take place between Oct. 19 and Oct. 27, while the distribution would hold from Nov. 9 to Nov. 13.