Okowa tasks Delta residents on regular use of insecticide-treated nets

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Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta  has urged residents of the state to ensure regular use of the insecticide treated nets being distributed across the state to protect them  from mosquito bites.

Okowa made the call on Wednesday in Asaba, at a ceremony marking the distribution of free insecticide treated nets (ITNs) in Delta.

The governor, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Finance, Sir Fidelis Tilije, said that though malaria was preventable, it remained a major public health challenge in Africa.

According to him, Nigeria accounts for 25 per cent of malaria cases which result in about 30 per cent of deaths of children under five years of age.

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Okowa said that Malaria accounted for 25 per cent of deaths at birth of infants and 11 per cent of maternal mortality.

He said that mosquitoes harboured the parasites that cause malaria and infested anopheles mosquitoes breed freely around and easily transmitted the disease from person to person.

“This calls for more concerted effort at its control and elimination and underscores the need to leverage on the support of the roll back malaria partners of the Global fund for malaria,” he said.

According to the governor, the state is investing in various plans to ensure that the malaria scourge is eliminated in Delta State by giving prophylaxis to pregnant women.

He said that the state government also conducted, prompt case management, using the test and treatment strategy and the distribution of 3.7 million insecticide treated nets.

Okowa said this would help to reduce the scourge and contact between mosquitoes and humans to the barest minimum.

He urged the people to collect the nets and use them appropriately as instructed, to achieve the government’s objective of eradicating malaria in the state.

Also, the wife of the Governor, Dame Edith Okowa, who was invested as the State Net Ambassador, pledged to join stakeholders and advocates at the local government areas to mobilise families and households to utilise the nets effectively.

She urged the residents of the state to make themselves available for proper registration by the health workers to receive nets.

Dame Okowa stressed the importance of cleanliness and curbing the malaria scourge.

”Let us keep our surroundings clean so that we can have a malaria free society,” she said. (NAN

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