FG Distributes 1.9m Treated Nets in Delta to Fight Malaria

Mosquito  treated net

From Victor Efeizomor in Asaba

The National Committee on Universal Malaria Control / Elimination at the weekend  said it  will distribute  1.9 million insecticide mosquito  treated  nets to fight  against malaria scourge across  Delta State.

The committee said the malaria treated nets would be distributed to identified household across the three senatorial districts of the state.

Speaking at the kick-off programme of the elimination in Asaba, the state capital, the leader of the team, Godson Kingsley, said the fight includes destruction of larva cells and placing physical barriers via environmental intervention

According to him, anti-leakage measures have been put in place across the 25 local government areas of the state, including the riverrine axis, to checkmate the activities of saboteurs.

He said, “adequate mechanism has been put up to prevent the long lasting insecticide nets from being pilfered by health officials or hijacked by politicians. Besides the 18 mobilizers, we have stationed in each ward of the council areas, 100 independent monitors are on their toes to make sure that the nets get to the end users.”

He said the federal government wants 97 per cent, if not all, of its population to be free from the scourge, hence it has started covering over 31 states of the federation, issuing one net card to each household as part of the crusade.

While he warned end users from exposing the treated nets to scorching sun, Governor  Emmanuel Uduaghan’s Special Adviser who said Delta State government has invested billions of naira to combat the scourge, reiterated the curiosity of his boss to the well-being of the citizens of the state, from conception to birth.

“To say malaria is a very serious scourge is an understatement. Delta government, in the past five years, has distributed 666,732 doses of anti-malaria drugs. This is aside the Free Maternal Health Care the governor rolled out for Under-5 children, nursing mothers and what have you. The investment the state has made on malaria is huge”, he said.

The governor’s special adviser on health matters, Rukewe Ogumba, the permanent secretary of the agency, Mrs. Lilian Okpoko and his counterpart in the Ministry of Information, Sir Austin Mowah, were in attendance.

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