The third distribution wave of the Long-lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLIN) kicked off in the last week of August.

Speaking during the launch of the third wave in Mbarara city, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine encouraged leaders to take the fight against malaria seriously. She said Uganda spends a lot of money to fight the disease yet there are other major priorities that these resources could allocated to if only the malaria fight was taken seriously and the disease eliminated from the country.

Dr. Atwine said that much as the use of mosquito nets and other methods are effective malaria interventions, many people in Uganda remain reluctant to use them (mosquito bites) and this exposes them to mosquito bites and consequently malaria. 

Dr. Atwine also challenged the leaders at various levels to accept the use of a synthetic insecticide called DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane), arguing that it’s the best method to eliminate malaria in the country. Challenged by some environmentalists who argue that it can be harmful to the environment, DDT is used for residual spraying of houses or breeding places for mosquitoes. houses or breeding places for mosquitoes.

The third wave of mosquito net distribution is projected to cover 18 districts which include: Bukwo, Bulambuli Buyende, Ibanda, Iganga, Jinja City, Jinja, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kapchorwa, Kazo, Kyegegwa, Luuka, Mbarara, Mbarara city, Namayingo, Ntungamo and Rwampara.

Earlier this year, the Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng announced that Government is distributing 28.5 million Long Lasting Insecticide-treated mosquito Nets (LLINs) across the country as part of the efforts to reduce Malaria morbidity and mortality.

Supported by The Global Fund together with other key health sector stakeholders, the campaign focuses among others on behavior change aimed to achieve consistent net use, net repair, repurposing, and tackling the social norms that bar utilization.

“The use of mosquito nets has shown to reduce childhood mortality by up to 25% and for this reason, the Ministry of Health has adopted the policy that all distribution of mosquito nets at public hospitals should be of lasting insecticide rather than other conventional nets,” she added.

According to the World Malaria Report which was released a few weeks to the start of 2023 four countries in the Africa region accounted for nearly half of all malaria cases globally. These countries include Nigeria (26.6%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.3%), Uganda (5.1%), and Mozambique (4.1%).

Quick Facts on Malaria Prevention

■ Manufacturers’ delivery data for 2004–2021 show that almost 2.5 billion ITNs were supplied globally in that period, of which 2.2 billion (87%) were supplied to sub-Saharan Africa.

■ The percentage of the population sleeping under an ITN also increased considerably between 2000 and 2021, for the whole population (from 2% to 47%), for children aged under 5 years (from 3% to 53%), and for pregnant women (from 3% to 53%).

■ Globally, the percentage of the population at risk protected by indoor residual spraying (IRS) in malaria-endemic countries declined from 5.5% in 2010 to 2.4% in 2021. The percentage of the population protected by the IRS has remained stable since 2016, with less than 6% of the population protected in each WHO region.