By Pwanagba Agabus, Jos
In its efforts to drastically reduce the scourge of malaria in Plateau State, the State Government with support from the Government of the United States through its President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) is to distribute 2, 522, 250 treated mosquito nets to households in the State.
The objective of the distribution which cuts across the 17 LGAs in the state is to ensure that every two persons in Plateau sleeps inside a treated mosquito net.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary, Plateau State Primary Health Care (PSPHC), Dr Livinus Miapkwap during the State’s Long Lasting Insecticidal Net Distribution Campaign Media Parley, held in Jos the state capital.
Miapkwap said, “The distribution will be done in 1003 distribution points across all the 17 LGAs of the state.
He revealed that Government Simon Lalong has approved the sum of N126 million as counterpart fund to ensure the success of the exercise in the state.
According to him, “Households will be registered from 1st to 9th of February, 2020. Households must ensure that they collect net cards during this registration.
He added that distribution will start on the 22nd to the 26th of February, 2020.
Miapkwap who is also the Chairman Net Distribution in the state, also advised that those who collected new nets must ensure that their aired under shade for 24 hours before hanging and sleeping inside.
He also revealed that 5, 104 persons would be recruited for the exercise and the recruitment would be strictly on merit cutting across the 17 LGAs.
Also speaking, Program Manager, State Malaria Elimination Program/State Ministry of Health, Chris Bewa disclosed that prevalence rate of malaria in the state as at 2015 was 39% but has dropped to 26% in 2019, they are working to ensure that the scourge is eliminated.
Bewa advised households to ensure that they keep the net cards that would be given to them as it would be use to collect the treated mosquito nets.
He also said only women would be allowed to collect the treated mosquito nets for the various households.
The distribution campaign is led by the Plateau State Ministry of Health through the State Malaria Elimination Program with technical assistance from U.S PMI implementing partners- Global Health Supply Chain- Procurement Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) Project and Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BA-N).
