One of the ways the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) is going about the war against malaria in the country is through the distribution of treated nets to Nigerians. However, the agency under the Ministry of Health is alarmed at the misuse of the nets by beneficiaries, and it is doing all it could in further enlightening them on its proper usage. Adewale Oshodi reports.

One of the ways the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), a parastatal under the Ministry of Health, is going about halving the scourge of malaria by the end of the year, is through the distribution of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) to Nigerians.

At the moment, about 23 million of such treated nets have been distributed, and the agency is still doing more to get these nets across to Nigerians, especially for the use of pregnant women and children under the age of five, who are more at risk of malaria infection because of their low immunity.

However, despite this laudable project of the NMCP, many of the recipients are not following laid-down rules on how to use the nets, thereby resulting in side effects in some quarters.

Many recipient do not waits get adequate information about the nets, or they simply fail to follow the necessary steps when using them.

For example, Nigerian Tribune met one of those who had received the nets in Sagamu, Ogun State, Mrs Taibat Ogundeji, and she claimed that she washes her net monthly, and each time she washed it, she spread it in the sun to dry.

Mrs Ogundeji’s case is common among beneficiaries who do not have adequate information on how to maintain and use treated nets.

The Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) can be effective for four years, and in case they get dirty, they could be washed, but not left in the sun to dry, as the sun reduces its potency; rather it should be dried in a shaded area.

Also, when the nets are removed for the first time, they should not be hung immediately, but spread in a shaded area for 24 hours before being hung back.

In some areas in the Northern parts of the country, there are reports that some women use the nets as purdah, while some use them as cover clothes, covering young children with it while asleep. These actions are bound to cause problems, especially suffocation, because the nets are manufactured with strong pyrethroid insecticides which repel or kill mosquitoes when they come into contact with the net, and they could cause negative reactions on the skin when not used properly.

Recently at a NMCP workshop organised for journalists in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the issue of lack of adequate information on the insecticidal nets was part of what was discussed, as the National Coordinator of NMCP, Dr Babajide Coker, admitted that a lot of issues come to play during the distribution of the nets, and most of the people are only after the nets, and once they get it, they would not wait for further directions on how to use them.

Dr Coker said this is part of the problem NMCP is facing, and the workshop was to partner with journalists who would continue to reach out to the public, not only on how to properly use the treated nets, but about other malaria issues facing the country.

For Akin Jimoh, Project Coordinator, Development Communications Network, an organisation that works hand-in-hand with NMCP in the area of advocacy and media campaign, there is need for journalists to join in the war against malaria, considering the havoc it is wreaking on the society, especially on pregnant women and children under the age of five.

“Journalists have access to the public through their various media, and that is the reason this workshop is taking place; for journalists to get across to the public on different malaria issues, especially on the issue of the misuse of the treated nets by beneficiaries,” Mr Jimoh stated.

Also, the National President of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Alhaja Fatimoh Abdulkareem, promised journalists’ commitment to the war against malaria.

Alhaja Abdulkareem said NAWOJ was more concerned about the high number of pregnant women and children under five years of age who die as a result of malaria complications and would, therefore, join NMCP in the war to halve the disease in the country before the end of the year.

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US Sales Manager
written by Doreen Weatherby, August 30, 2010

Netprotect LLINs contain a UV protect that allow Netprotect to be dried directly in sunlight. In fact, Netprotect is the only WHOPES recommended LLIN that can be dried in the sun without affecting performance. Netprotect LLINs are manufactured and sold by Bestnet Europe Ltd. www.bestneteurope.com

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