The Nasarawa State government, in collaboration with the United States Government and the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), will distribute 1.8 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets to residents to reduce the burden of malaria.

Gwamna Gaza, the state Commissioner for Health, disclosed this at a media parley on Wednesday in Lafia.

Mr Gaza said the exercise was part of renewed efforts by the government and its development partners to combat malaria and protect residents, particularly children and pregnant women.

He explained that malaria was transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes and could be life-threatening if not properly treated.

The commissioner said the state government had trained about 9,000 personnel who would be deployed to 147 electoral wards across the 13 local government areas (LGAs) for the exercise.

He said the personnel, who would wear uniforms bearing malaria campaign logos, would visit households from November 15 to November 21 for mapping and registration ahead of the net distribution scheduled for December 6 to December 12.

Mr Gaza said interventions by the state government and its partners had reduced malaria prevalence in the state from 25 per cent in 2018 to 11 per cent currently.

He described affordable and accessible healthcare delivery as a major priority of the Governor Abdullahi Sule-led administration.

The commissioner reiterated the government’s commitment to reducing malaria prevalence to zero within the next five years.

Also speaking, Peter Attah, the Director of Public Health in the state, said the exercise demonstrated the government’s commitment to protecting the health and well-being of residents.

Mr Attah said Karu LGA had been allocated 300,000 nets, while Lafia LGA would receive 250,000, owing to their relatively large populations.

He said technology would be deployed in the registration and distribution processes to ensure that the nets reached the intended beneficiaries and prevent diversion.

The director urged residents to consistently sleep under insecticide-treated nets, describing their use as an effective way of preventing malaria.

Speaking on behalf of the partners, Patience Ochibe, Campaign Manager, Global Health Supply Chain Programme-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM), said the nets were valued at more than N6 billion, excluding operational costs.

Ms Ochibe said the partners were committed to ensuring the successful distribution of the nets to further reduce malaria prevalence in the state.

She said the partnership with the state government began in 2018, with subsequent distribution exercises conducted in 2022 and 2026.

According to her, the trained personnel would visit households from November 15 to November 21 with point-of-sale (POS) machines and registration applications installed to capture eligible beneficiaries.

“They will register your household and give you a slip. Please ensure the slip is kept adequately, appropriately and safely for the collection of the nets scheduled for December 6 to December 12,” she said.

Ms Ochibe also urged residents to return old mosquito nets that had reached the end of their useful life during the distribution exercise.

She said the returned nets would be recycled or properly managed to prevent chemicals used in their production from contaminating the environment.

(NAN)