Anambra State Govt To Commence Distribution Of Insecticide Treated Nets To Households Tomorrow Sunday

After many months of planning, households in Anambra State will begin to receive insecticide treated nets from the tomorrow Sunday August 7, 2022 in all wards and local government areas of the State.

The mass distribution of the insecticide treated nets, which is happening for the first time in the state since 2014 is being carried out through a collaboration of Anambra State Government, National Malaria Elimination Programme, and Malaria Consortium, with support from GiveWell Open Philanthropic Funding.

Three-point-eight million insecticide treated nets will be distributed across the state during the exercise.

Taking journalists through the timeline for the insecticide treated nets’ mass distribution during orientation exercise ahead of the distribution in Awka, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike asked for stakeholders’ support across the communities during the exercise.

Represented by the Head of Department of Public Health and Disease Control in the Ministry, Dr Afam Anaeme, the Health Commissioner urged Ndi Anambra to co-operate with the net distributors who will be going door-to-door to ensure that all houses in the State are reached.

Explaining in details how the exercise would be carried out, the State Malaria Programme Manager, Mr Nonso Ndibe said the exercise will hold from Sunday, 7th to 17th August, 2022, while charging households to ensure there is someone at home within the period to collect the nets.

In their separate presentations, the Technical Worksroom Advisor, Dr Titilope Akinlalu, and the Drug Demand Consultant, Mohammed Farouk-Awal both from the implementing partner, Malaria Consortium, charged the media to help in sensitizing the masses on the exercise, explaining that the target is to at least provide one bed-net to every two persons in Anambra State to sleep in.

The insecticide-treated nets are being distributed as part of efforts to eliminate malaria in Nigeria, where the prevalence rate stands as one of the highest globally and in West Africa.

For instance, in West Africa, Nigeria accounts for at least two persons in every four persons with malaria, while globally the country accounts for at least two in every three malaria related deaths.