The latest Long-Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLINs) Mass Distribution campaign status report points to some significant achievements of a 99.7% success rate in LLIN procurement. According to the report, the institutionalization of the campaign through the utilization of government structures, operating from the national level down to the village level, has been a key milestone. Still, all LLINs subjected to testing by NDA and UNBS have achieved a 100% quality rating, meeting the necessary standards. The stability and operational efficiency of the Electronic Data Management Information System (EDMIS) for housing micro-planning, registration, and distribution data—a pivotal database for the campaign—stands as another noteworthy achievement. 

Challenges and Mitigation: 

However, according to the report, while progress has been achieved, challenges such as the campaign’s delayed commencement, where the campaign began in June, six months after the planned commencement date, late engagement of key stakeholders, and an unfortunate fire incident that affected one of NMS’ warehouses have impeded the campaign’s timeline. Nonetheless, the campaign has been able to register over 50% distribution coverage within 5 months. According to the report, there’s confidence by key stakeholders that the National Medical Stores (NMS) will recover the value of the nets destroyed by the fire incident since the nets were comprehensively insured. As a way of expediting the distribution process, the campaign aims to intensify efforts in areas where distribution targets have not yet been met. The focus will be on optimizing logistics and reinforcing community engagement to ensure maximum coverage and utilization of LLINs in the ongoing fight against malaria.

The overall goal of the mass LLIN distribution campaign is to make Uganda a malaria-free country by achieving malaria prevention and management culture through LLIN’s universal coverage and building a net culture to prevent malaria in all major parts of Uganda.

The LLIN Universal Coverage Campaign is supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, the US President’s Initiative (PMI) and the Against Malaria Foundation (AMF). The 2023 campaign is benchmarking on the performance and the lessons drawn from the previous campaigns.  According to the report, during the 2010 campaign, 7.2 million LLINs were distributed to 32.3 million people. In 2013/2014 a total of 22 million LLINs were distributed to 36.7 million people whereas a total of 26.4 LLINs were distributed to 39.2 people in 2017. A total of 27.8 million LLINs were distributed to 44.4 million people in 2020. For the 2023 campaign, the Ministry of Health (MoH) under the National Malaria Control Division (NMCD) has procured 28.8 million LLINs to be distributed to a population of 46.8 million people in 9.4 million households by the end of the campaign.