From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Over 3.7 million insecticide treated nets (ITN) would be distributed to residents of Delta State from today, Thursday to June 13, 2022, the state government has said.
The exercise would be carried out in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), with funding support from the Global Fund Malaria Project.
The distribution would be done from door to door after the official flag-off of the exercise on June 1.
ITN was last distributed in Delta State in 2019, and nets, according to experts, expire after three years.
Addressing media stakeholders at a one-day orientation programme for the ITN campaign in Asaba, demand creation officer of MSH, Farooq Muhammed Awwal, said the ITN mass campaign is to ensure that, for every two persons in the state, there is one bed net to sleep inside.
Awwal said the nets would be distributed from door to door, unlike in previous exercises when there were central collection points for residents.
According to him, MSH was providing the technical partner, explaining that the nets “must be aired under a shade for 24 hours before hanging and sleeping inside.”
He urged beneficiaries of the free nets to bring down the old one before hanging the new one.
Perpetua Ezediunor of NMEP, under the Federal Ministry of Health, urged media professionals to pass the right message across to residents on the ITN campaign.
Ezediunor stated that over 200 million ITNs have so far be distributed in Nigeria in a bid to eradicate malaria from the country.
On her part, programme manager and Delta State malaria elimination programme officer, Dr. (Mrs.) Julie Aniah, urged residents not to misuse the nets, deploying them to farms and fishing expedition.
