With effect from January 10, 2021, villages in Kampala and Wakiso district are to receive insecticide treated mosquito nets as the ministry of health winds up the mass distribution exercise this year.
The assistant commissioner health services in charge of Malaria control, Dr Jimmy Opigo, said the distribution should have happened earlier during the fourth wave of mass mosquito net distribution but it was swapped with one of the Northern districts which were affected by floods and needed them more urgently.
He said the mass distribution of nets which was supposed to happen a bit earlier, was delayed by two months due to the delay caused by COVID-19 and delay of the shipping from Mombasa.
The nets will be kept at sub county stores from where they will be transferred to different parishes where people can easily access them.
To ensure a thorough distribution, the leaders are to engage in the registering of every household to ensure two people in each household get a net.
According to Daniel Kyabayinze Yafeesi, an epidemiologist, this exercise will be done fast to avoid clashing with elections
“We will use more people to help with the distribution so that we conclude 24hrs before the election time,” Kyabayinze said.
This gives the exercise at least three days to have covered all the said districts.
In this wave, 1, 147, 019 nets will be given to an estimated population of 2,492, 711 people in Kampala district and 1, 566, 949 nets will be distributed to an estimated population of 3, 225, 945 people in Wakiso district.
Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary, further provided guidelines on how citizens can safeguard themselves against malaria. Below are the guidelines;
- Cooperate and Register with the Village Health team members and neighbourhood watch when the come to your homes for registration on Friday and Saturday this week
- Report to the designated Distribution points and pick your mosquito nets
- Sleep under a mosquito net every night to protects you from contracting Malaria
- These mosquito nets should be used throughout the year, even when there are fewer mosquitoes, e.g. during the dry season, hang the net outside in a shade for 24 hours before using it.
- Remember to take good care of your mosquito net by keeping it clean and sewing any holes.
- Always seek medical assistance from qualified health personnel in case you notice signs of Malaria
- Avoid self-medication
- Always complete the dosage given to you. Do not stop because you are feeling better
- Do not share medication among children
- Clear bushes and stagnant water around your homes, as these are breeding sites for mosquitoes
The Permanent Secretary went ahead to rally leadership of local communities to
- Mobilize communities to register their households, receive the nets and use them appropriately
- Sensitize communities on the proper use and retention of nets
She also appealed to Health Workers both in private and public health facilities to;
- Sensitize and educate clients on the benefits of adhering to Malaria prevention and control measures
- Adhere to the Test, Treat and Track Policy guidelines
Appreciation to partners
The campaign is supported with funds from the Government of Uganda, the Global Fund, Against Malaria Foundation, UK Government/DFID and USAID/Presidential Malaria Initiative. I wish to thank the following partners for their tireless efforts in ensuring the smooth running of the campaign; World Health Organization, UNICEF, The Global Fund, Against Malaria Foundation, United States Agency for International Development, Malaria Consortium, District teams, Village Health Teams and all our partners