580 Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLIN) were distributed during an outreach programme in 3 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Katsina State to commemorate World Malaria Day 2016.
The Expanded Social Marketing Project in Nigeria (ESMPIN) of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) partnered with Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), Society for Women Development (SWD) and Family Health and Youth Empowerment Initiative (FHYEI) to conduct the two-day malaria outreach program in Batagarawa, Kaita and Matazu LGAs of Katsina State.
Also, 500 people were tested for malaria during the exercise, using Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits, and those found positive for malaria were treated with Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) malaria drugs.
Nafiu Muhammad Musa, the ARFH State Project Officer, stated that the exercise was jointly organized to increase awareness and demand for malaria services in Batagarawa, Kaita and Matazu LGAs of Katsina State.
ARFH ESMPIN Project Manager, Mr Aliyu Jibril Guraguri, thanked the Katsina State Ministry of Health (SMoH) and the local government administrators in the three LGAs for their continued support of ESMPIN implemented activities in their various LGAs. He added that the exercise will help create awareness of Community Based Distribution (CBD) activities and the various commodities being distributed by the Community Based Distribution Agents (CBDAs). He used the opportunity to solicit the support of the LGAs for the CBDAs Networks formed in the state, with a view to sustaining the gains achieved under the ESMPIN intervention.
The free malaria testing and treatment and LLIN distribution was witnessed by Traditional Leaders, Sole Administrator of Batagarawa LGA, Director of Public Health of the SMoH and the state Roll Back Malaria Manager.
The World Malaria Day is commemorated on 25th April every year, all around the world to sensitize the public about malaria, assess efforts of governments and mobilize to defeat the disease. The theme for the 2016 event was ‘End Malaria for Good’, and the accompanying slogan in Nigeria was ‘Yes, It is Achievable’.
