147 000 households to get mosquito nets

Over 147 000 households  in Salima are expected to benefit from the Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets which government is distributing in the country to eliminate malaria.

The second phase of the mass distribution exercise, which started on Monday in Salima and will run up to Friday, is targeting about 147 000 households.

In an interview, Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Net Salima district coordinator Cosmas Phiri advised people involved in the distribution exercise to ensure that intended beneficiaries get the nets.

“I also ask beneficiaries to ensure that they use them for the intended purpose and not using them for fishing which is a common practice in the district,” he said.

A visit to some of the distribution sites in traditional authorities (T/A) Khombedza, Makanjira and Mwanza showed that the exercise started well.

Anita Bamusi of Mnema Village in T/A Makanjira thanked government for the initiative, saying it will help people, especially those along the lake, to protect themselves from the killer disease.

“I am so grateful for the donation because some of us cannot afford to buy mosquito nets,” she said.

The launch of the mass distribution exercise took place on November 11 2021 in Salima at a function that also marked the commemoration of this year’s Southern African Development Community Malaria Day which was held under the theme Community Involvement is Key to Achieving Zero Malaria.

Government, with support from Global Fund, Unicef and Gavi, is this year expected to distribute nine million nets.

Besides distributing nets, government has also launched an Indoor Residual Spraying exercise in Balaka, Nkhotakota, Nkhata Bay and Mangochi districts. The exercise involves the spraying of insecticides in houses and other places to kill mosquito lavae.