National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and Society for Family Health have commenced distribution of 34.8 million insecticide treated nets in eight states and 5.4 million nets in Kaduna state to stem the spread of malaria in Nigeria.
Malaria kills nine persons every hour in Nigeria, as Nigeria records one out of every five deaths due to malaria globally; a quarter of the deaths due to malaria in Africa; and two out of every four deaths due to malaria in West Africa. Malaria contributes 30% of children’s death across the country, while equally contributing 11% of maternal death in Nigeria.
Thus, as part of measures to eradicate the scourge of malaria in the country, the NMEP, with funding from Global Fund Malaria Project, are set to distribute 34,842,597 insecticide treated nets to Katsina, Delta, Taraba, Yobe, Niger, Kaduna, Kano and Anambra states. The distribution of ITN has been completed in Katsina state but is currently ongoing in Delta and Kaduna states, while the programme is pending in the remaining five states.
Addressing a media parley in Kaduna on Wednesday ahead of beginning the distribution of ITN in Kaduna state, a representative of National Malaria Elimination Programme, Mr. Omo-Eboh Mamudu said, “malaria is most common preventable public health problem in Nigeria, yet it takes a lethal toll on 97% of Nigerians especially children under the age of five and pregnant women.
“We want to eradicate malaria in Nigeria. ITN campaign is one of the major strategies to deliver nets to the entire population with the goal to scale up utilisation of ITN as a strategy for malaria control.
“The Kaduna state government in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) with funding from the Global Fund Malaria Project, in it’s efforts to eliminate malaria have commenced the process of the 2022 insecticide treated nets mass campaign in the state.
“A total of 5,471,028 treated nets will be distributed to the people of Kaduna state through a door-to-door approach to all the populace of Kaduna state. Simultaneous household registration and distribution of nets will commence from the 7th -18th July, 2022. The objective of the ITN mass campaign is to ensure that for every two persons in Kaduna state, there is one bed net to sleep inside.”
