Over seven-point-four million persons have benefited from the free Insecticide-TreatedNets, ITN, distributed to households in Anambra State.
Three-million-eight-hundred-and-fifty-thousand, three-hundred-and-sixteen insecticide-treated nets were distributed to residents of the state from August seven to twenty.
Correspondent David Okpokwasili reports that these were part of statistics presented by the campaign manager of the distribution exercise, Mrs. Laitan Adeniyi while debriefing the state government at the Jerome Udorji State Secretariat, Awka to mark the end of the exercise.
Sleeping inside insecticide treated nets has been proven by research as an effective way of preventing and rolling back malaria.
Anambra State Government therefore, through the support of GiveWell Open Philanthropic funding, National Malaria Elimination Programme and Malaria Consortium, the implementing partners distributed insecticide-treated nets as a way to protect residents from mosquito bites that transmit malaria.
According to Mrs Adeniyi, the seven million, four hundred and thirty-five thousand, four hundred and seventy-six persons from a total of one million, two hundred and forty-five thousand, five hundred and forty-eight households benefited from the exercise.
According to her, the survey conducted immediately after the distribution exercise, revealed that ITN hanging rate stood at about forty-three percent in Anambra State and expressed the hope that with increased messaging across the media and through community stakeholders, more people will be encouraged to hang and sleep inside the nets.
She acknowledged complaints from residents of the state, who were willing to receive the nets but could not, and explained that the challenge was caused by a shortfall in the statistics provided on the population of some parts of the state which made the number of nets planned for such places to be underestimated.
Responding, the commissioner for Health, Dr Afam Obidike appreciated all the partners,who saw to the success of the exercise and specially commended Malaria Consortium for adopting digital technology in the distributionexcise, emphasizing that the move is in line with Governor Chukwuma Soludo administration’s vision of adopting technology in all public business to increase service delivery.
Dr Obidike charged residents of the state to ensure that they continue to sleep inside the nets as it is proven to be a protection from mosquito bites, kill mosquitoes, reduce the incidence of malaria and the cost spent in treating the disease.
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