Mt Elgon Residents Urged To Pick Mosquito Nets In Fight Against Malaria

By Isabella Maua

Residents of Mt. Elgon Sub County have been advised to come out and receive their treated mosquito nets at the onset of mass net distribution in July.

Speaking during the stakeholder’s meeting at Kapsokwony on Wednesday, Dr. Naftali Morei emphasized that members of the public who had registered for the program should avail themselves at the respective pick-up stations on time from July 5 to 10, 2024.

“We’re glad to officially announce to the public that we have received 60,586 treated mosquito nets currently being stored at Kaborom and Mt. Elgon Sub County Hospital,” affirmed Dr. Morei, the Sub County Malaria Coordinator.

Though he observed that many households are at risk of missing the nets due to ignorance, lack of national IDs, or network issues.

According to reports by community health providers and village elders who conducted the data collection, many households, especially in the hard-to-reach areas, couldn’t be captured in the Digimal App due to a lack of network.

“In such cases, however, we have talked to our donors, who’ve come up with a solution to ensure occupants of such areas receive nets. Most of the household heads are actually nomadic, but they live families behind who deserve to be protected against malaria,” he reiterated.

Since the mass net distribution, there has been a significant decline in malaria cases in the Mount Elgon region, and according to Dr. Morei, less than five cases of inpatients due to malaria can be reported in a year.

George Oguna of PMI confirmed that Mt. Elgon is a malaria epidemic zone where people risk being infected only during rainy seasons.

“We’re glad that our efforts have bore fruit thus far; in many cases, AL doses and malaria-related drugs have been distributed to Kimilili and Bumula sub counties which are endemic areas prone to malaria throughout the year,” noted Oguna.

He also assured residents that no one will miss a mosquito net because of poor terrain or a genuine lack of IDs since the fight against malaria must be won at all costs.

“We visited the hard-to-reach areas of Mosop and Toboo, and indeed, many men had left their homes to herd cattle near Uganda for the past 3 months,” reported Oguna.

He further concluded that the distribution of treated mosquito nets will be a continuous process in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, and it’s everyone’s right, not a privilege.

The meeting involved the Assistant Sub County Commissioner, religious leaders, chiefs, civil society, political wing, media, and medical practitioners.