By Meletus EZE
The United States has donated 3.85 million long lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets to Bauchi State, as part of its comprehensive effort to control malaria across Nigeria.
The U. S. Embassy said this on Tuesday in Abuja.
The donation, according to the embassy, is made possible through the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and jointly implemented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The handover ceremony marked the start of a five-day distribution.
It said that bed nets valued at 7.7 million dollars were handed over to the state’s health officials at a ceremony to start a five-across all local government areas in the state.
It stated that the U.S. government also provided an additional two million dollars for logistics, transportation and community mobilization –a total contribution of 9.7 million dollars.
The embassy said that the Bauchi Government provided the storage facility and led the planning, coordination, and distribution effort.
“In our partnership to fight malaria, I would like to appeal and encourage the good people of Bauchi to sleep under a treated bed net every night and roll it up during the day to protect the net from damage.
“With proper care, these bed nets can last for three years or more,” Dr Mark Maire, PMI Resident Malaria Advisor in Nigeria, said.
According to him, sleeping under an insecticide-treated bed net every night is proven to be the best way to prevent malaria.
He said that the nets put a vital barrier between people and the mosquitoes that carry malaria, particularly from dusk to dawn.
He said that malaria was one of the leading killers of children in Nigeria, particularly during the rainy season when the mosquito population always increased.
Gov. Mohammed Abubakar expressed the state’s appreciation for the donation
“Considering the immense support from partners and the state government’s commitment to malaria elimination, I am optimistic that in the nearest future, malaria will no longer be a major public health concern in the state, ” he said.
The embassy said that malaria control was a centerpiece to the USAID health portfolio, which also supported increasing access to health services – especially for the poor.
”The United States believes investing in the health of the Nigerian people can command great economic returns in terms of work productivity and overall quality of life.
”Since 2011, the U.S. government has spent more than 490 million dollars to control malaria in Nigeria, including distribution of nearly 40 million mosquito nets.
”This has resulted in a 36 per cent reduction in malaria incidence among children under age five, according to the most recent Malaria Indicator Survey conducted in 2015,” it stated.
According to the embassy, more than half of U.S. funding for malaria goes into procuring and distributing insecticide treated bed nets, malaria diagnostic kits, and malaria medicines.
It stated that the U.S. also supports advocacy and mobilisation to encourage community members to sleep under the bed nets every night, and trains health workers to test for malaria before treatment.
