Gov’t to Distribute 3.8 Million Mosquito Nets to 12 Districts in Final Phase

The Ministry of Health is set to give out 3.8 million mosquito nets in the final phase of the distribution exercise starting Saturday, March 20 2021.

Dr. Charles Olaro, Director General Health Services at the Ministry of Health, revealed that the exercise will take place in Busoga, Bunyoro and Mukono, and a total of 12 districts will benefit from the net distribution. These include; Kayunga, Kibaale, Kyegegwa, Mukono, Buikwe, Kagadi, Luuka, Iganga, Jinja, Mayuge, Buyende and Kaliro.

“A total of 3.8 million mosquito nets will be distributed in the 12 districts in the five-day-long exercise which is expected to end on Wednesday March 24th 2021,” it said in a Friday statement.

“The exercise marks the end of the eight-month campaign which has seen the distribution of 27.5 million mosquito nets across the country.”

According to the ministry, the campaign seeks to increase utilization of mosquito nets, which will in turn reduce the continued prevalence of malaria in the country.

To date, a total of 24 million mosquito nets have been distributed in 124 districts under the Net campaign which began last year.

The Ministry of Health says it prioritized distribution of mosquito nets as a key intervention for Malaria control and prevention as it has been proven to be one of the most cost-effective ways of elimination of Malaria.

The Under the Net campaign is the third nationwide net distribution campaign. The first campaign conducted in 2013/14, saw the distribution of 21.5 million nets while the second one in 2017/2018 saw the distribution of over 26 million nets.

These campaigns have contributed to the reduction of Malaria in the country with the national malaria prevalence dropping to 9% in 2019 compared to 17% in 2014/2015.