The County government of Turkana in conjunction with the National government has unveiled plans to distribute 102,880 Long-Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLINs) to combat malaria in Loima Sub-County.
Turkana County Chief Officer for Health Capt. (Rtd.) Augustine Lokwang said the campaign which is jointly implemented under National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) will run for a period of five weeks targeting more than 80,000 households in the malaria prone area.
Lokwang confirmed that the nets were already in Loima Sub County pending household registration, net use sensitization and eventual distribution to the locals.
“Owing to the current Covid-19 containment measures that restrict gatherings and exercises of such massive magnitude, we have received express authorization from the National Ministry of Health to undertake the exercise since Malaria control is an essential lifesaving service,” he said.
On his part, Deputy Director for Disease Prevention Daniel Esimit noted that the health officers together with area chiefs have already begun sensitizing the targeted residents on the benefits of mosquito nets to protect oneself and family members against malaria.
However, he warned people against using the mosquito nets for other purposes following reports that some of the recipients were using the LLINs for fishing and fencing.
Head of County Malaria Control Program Samuel Lokemer said that malaria still accounts for more than 50% of admissions in the region and a substantial percentage of morbidity and mortalities, hence the need for such initiatives.
Lokemer revealed that advocacy, communication and social mobilization campaigns will be intensified in Loima and the entire county to ensure that the target population gets the correct information as crucial stakeholders are included in the entire process.
Story and Pictures by Ekuwam Sylvester
