Lagos State is working on plans for the distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) in addition to its Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) exercise as part of measures to fight the transmission of malaria infection in the state.
Malaria parasite is transmitted through bite from mosquitoes, which are in abundance in Lagos. Mosquitoes breed mainly from stagnant water and dirty gutters which are found almost everywhere in the commercial city.
Jide Idriss, the state commissioner for health, speaking on the occasion of the 2013 World Malaria Day recently, restated the resolve of the government towards malaria control and possible eradication in the state.
He said the distribution of ITNs and IRS exercise remained major means of malaria vector control, as they help in reducing and eliminating the transmission of the deadly disease.
According to him, “The present Roll Back Malaria (RBM) strategies employed in the state represent a multi-pronged approach including environmental management and integrated vector control, appropriate diagnosis and treatment of malaria cases, prevention of malaria in pregnancy, and operational research and using its results for evidenced based programming.
He said the state is currently the only state implementing the integrated vector management project, adding that the integrated vector management program consists of three components which include Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs), Indoor Residual spraying (IRS) and Larvaciding.
“Larviciding operation primarily attacks the mosquito larva and its ability to breed. It has been implemented in Agboyi Ketu and Ikosi Isheri in Kosofe local government area. Five rounds of larviciding spraying were carried out on over 544 hectares of land and 934,614 estimated numbers of people have been protected,” he added.
He observed that in 2011, the state government distributed 4.2 million LLINs with a target of two nets per household in mind through a mass campaign exercise.
JOSHUA BASSEY
