By Rita Iliya
The Niger government in partnership with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and other stakeholders will soon begin the distribution of insecticide treated nets to residents, an official has said.
Also in the partnership are the Society for Family Health (SFH), Catholic Relief Service and Chemonics.
Mrs Deborah Oryiman, SFH Demand Creation Adviser, said at a media orientation programme on Wednesday in Minna that 3.7 million insecticide treated nets would be distributed.
She said that the mass distribution exercise scheduled to hold between Sept. 1 and Sept 12 was also supported by the Global Fund Malaria Grant.
”The exercice will be done through a door-to-door approach. We intend to reach out to every household across the 2,725 wards in the 25 local government areas.
”Our target is to ensure that at least two persons in every household get one mosquito net. This will protect them from malaria,” she said
Oryiman urged residents of the state to make themselves available to benefit from the exercice.
She said that households would be enlightened on how to use and care for the nets during the exercice.
”All newly collected nets should be aired under a shade for 24 hours before sleeping inside them.
”Nets are the most efficient and cost effective measures for malaria control and prevention.
In her presentation, Mrs Hope Obokoh, Demand Creation Officer, NMEP, said that 97 per cent of Nigerians stood the risk of malaria attack, especially pregnant women and children under five years.
She said that the 2021 World Malaria Report showed that Nigeria accounted for 27 per cent of the 241 million global cases in 2020 with 64 million estimated cases of malaria annually.
Obokoh stated that Nigeria still accounted for 32 per cent of the global malaria deaths based on the 2021 World Malaria Report.
”This means that one in every three deaths from malaria globally occurred in Nigeria,” she said.
She said the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) of 2018 showed a 20 per cent decline in malaria prevalence in 2015.
The NMEP official expressed concerns that the malaria prevalence rate in Niger was high at 32 per cent.
Obokoh urged stakeholders, especially the media to create more awareness on the need to use insecticide treated nets.(NAN)
