Central Region to distribute 1.6 million mosquito nets from May 9
The Central Regional Health Directorate will from Thursday, May 09, distribute more than 1.67 million insecticide treated nets across all districts of the region.
The Service had entreated the public to report anybody found selling them, while urging staff deployed for the distribution to desist from taking bribes.
The nets will be distributed according to the universal coverage ratio of 1:2 persons and is expected to reach more than 2.97 million people in the region.
Despite that, some 13,428 households in the region refused to be registered for the nets citing a host of alibis including heat, discomfort, and allergies while others said they already had some.
The five-day distribution exercise will take place at designated centres across the districts where any member of a registered household could go for them with their special details.
The exercise is scheduled to end on Monday, May 13, 2024.
The distribution of the treated mosquito nets is a major preventive measure by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) towards the total elimination of malaria from Ghana, with the results since 2003, being phenomenal, according to the Service.
Madam Mary Mensah, the Regional Malaria Coordinator, speaking at a stakeholder meeting, stressed the importance of the nets and urged all registered citizens to collect and use them appropriately.
She cautioned citizens against using the nets for purposes such as gardening and fishing other than sleeping under them.
She explained that the nets expired after three to five years whether they were used and urged the public to put them to use immediately they received them.
“When you receive your net, dry it for about three days in the shade before using it; don’t dry it under the sun.
“Again, when it becomes dirty, wash it with mild soap and dry it in the shade and when it gets torn, mend it with thread and needle,” she advised.
For his part, Mr William Freeman Goku, the Regional Environmental Health Officer, denounced the indiscriminate dumping of refuse, particularly into drainage systems by some citizens, cautioning them to desist from the act as it bred mosquitoes.
Source: GNA