Akwa Ibom State government says it has commenced plans to distribute about 3.7 million Long- Lasting Insecticidal treated mosquito nets in the state as part of efforts aimed at malaria eradication.
It said the exercise would be carried out in partnership with others, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Augustine Umoh, commissioner for health, a professor of Gynaecology and Obstetrics who made this known in his office in Uyo, said a committee has been set up to plan for a hitch-free and successful distribution exercise across the state.
Umoh commended the donor agency and other critical partners for teaming up with state government in a bid to control the spread of the ailment in the state.
Specifically, he commended vaccine manufacturers for their efforts towards developing a vaccine for malaria, which if successful, would quicken malaria elimination programme.
“Malaria is one illness that had been with us for a long time and we are working hard, praying that it should be eliminated.
“One of the ways of eliminating malaria is the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets,” he said.
According to Umoh, “In Akwa Ibom State, we distributed these nets sometimes ago. Many people are using them well, but a few are using them wrongly by using them to farm.
“What we are doing now is to try another round of nets distribution.
We have gotten partners who have sunk in millions of dollars and we are believing that within the next three or four months the distribution would have been successfully done.”
“We should take receipt and be able to distribute at 3.7million nets. To this effect, we have constituted a committee, which was inaugurated on Friday, that is the 4th of June to begin to plan on the distribution of the nets,” the commissioner said.
He further said that the state government was working hard to eliminate malaria by standing up and taking action according to the theme and slogan of this year’s World Malaria Day celebration which was held in May.
According to him, “Some of the ways of eliminating malaria are in our hands”, adding that “if mosquitoes can be eliminated, it means even if we have malaria, it will not be able to be transmitted to anybody.”
He noted that if both malaria and mosquitoes are eliminated, the society would be better off.
He called on the people to keep their environment clean, remove stagnant water and cut down leaves where mosquitoes hide in the day time as part of measures to ensure malaria-free society.
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