By Okong’o Oduya
33, 628 mosquito nets were recently distributed to more than 60,000 residents from Samia Sub-County of Busia County funded by Population Service Kenya in partnership with Busia County Government.
According to National Manager Population Service Kenya, Denis Mwambi ,people who are able to access mosquito nets have increased recently increased from 50 percent in 2013 to 90 percent in 2016, as per one year study done by National Malaria control body.
He noted that in 2014 only twenty thousand people had nets but when the program rolled out more than sixty thousand people in Samia have mosquito nets with more than thirty thousand mosquito nets distributed to people for free to every household.
With the help of community health worker (CHWs) in the region people were trained how to properly use the nets to reduce cases of Malaria infections in the region. He further said that previous years cases of malaria infections were high caused by lack of enough nets and measures to prevent new infections.
According World Health Organization recommendation, one mosquito net should serve at least two people but PS Kenya goes extra mile to encourage an individual to own a mosquito net.
“We have been encouraging people from the region to own at least one net, having in mind the fact that two people may not be sharing the same bed and that means that everyone has their own.to have ” he said.
It was also realized that before the program Malaria prevalence was 11 per cent in 2013 and has reduced to 8 percent in 2015. Mass net distribution in 2011/2012 increased universal coverage to 67% to people living in Samia Sub County.
Addressing media in Busia after the launching the report Mwambi said that the main objective of the program was to test the feasibility of sustaining high coverage through community based distribution, identify the number of nets in the households that need replacement post mass net, to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices associated with community net distribution schemes among other objectives.
The region was selected because the Malaria endemic with a prevalence of above 38 per cent in 2012 and with the nets the prevalence has reduced to 27 percent in 2015 was something that required an intervention from the stake holders in the health sector.
Nambuku, Namboboto and Nangina health facilities were major points used as distribution Points for the nets to 18 sub- locations in the region where 29,615 mosquito nets were replaced from the old ones to new ones. He noted that nets more than 3 years with holes were being replaced as a way of reducing malaria infections.
“Sleeping under old and a net with holes is more less than sleeping outside the net. Old and torn mosquito net is the same as having no net. This gives room for mosquito to bite and transmit malaria to their victims,” he explained.
He admitted that training people on effective ways of using mosquito nets was one of the measures they took to address the case.
