Operation roll back malaria: Oyo citizens get treated net, FG advised to make it periodical.

[FMINigeria]

Malaria is an acute disease endemic to tropical climate. It is prevalent throughout Nigeria of which Oyo State is a major part.

In the light of this, the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health partners with States and Local Governments to wipe out malaria in all the States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

The roll back malaria programme received a boost in Oyo State when Governor Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi ordered that high quality insecticidal treated nets be distributed free of charge to hundreds of thousands of households throughout the length and breadth of the State.

In a state-wide announcement, women were told to go out to designated centres where the nets were made available through community health workers. Each woman was given two units of the high quality imported mosquitoes nets with instructions on how to use them.

Afolabi S. Akande, an officer at the Federal Information Resource Centre, Ibadan, went round some distribution centres and households on the final day of the programme.

At Saint Davies Hospital, Ashi, the Head of the programme at the ward level, Mrs. C.A, Akinloye, a community health officer who represented ward five(5) of Ibadan North Local Government, stated that two hundred and twenty cartons of Mosquitoes nets were brought to the centre for onward redistribution to six other sub-centres scattered all over the ward. She added that other eleven wards in the local government areas were given similar quantities. Each carton contains fifty. Asked further on how she copes with influx of large number of beneficiaries, she reiterated that only women were to benefit since they and their children mostly, were the victims of mosquito bites. She said, that only households that were previously registered under the programme would benefit. Each household got two sets.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Olaluwoye Ajoke, a heavily pregnant woman who got her pair expressed satisfaction for an anticipated relief from mosquito bites. She wanted government to revisit the programme periodically. In her words, "Federal Government should embark on this kind of programme yearly".

In her own comments, Madam Becky Osakwe, a seventy year old woman wondered how Federal Government sourced for such huge amount of money to procure such high quality mosquito nets from Japan. She recalled that in her entire seventy years of earthy life, this was the first time she benefited from government programme of such magnitude. She further said, "A no believe my eye wen women de karri net go inside them house". She hoped Government across board will continue such laudable programme to send malaria to its eternal grave.

An environmentalist, Mr. Celestine Igwe commended government's efforts at improving the lives of Nigerians but opined that periodical fumigation of our surroundings could be better embarked upon to complement the distribution.

Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria