HONIARA, SOLOMON Islands – 429,700 free long-lasting insecticide treated bed-nets (LLINs) will be distributed throughout the country this year, in an effort to reduce morbidity and mortality due to malaria.
Every household will receive one.
“It’s particularly important for pregnant mothers, children under five years, the elderly and non-immune travellers to sleep under bed nets, as they are more likely to die from malaria than other age groups,” said Mr Albino Bobogare, Director of the Vector Borne Disease Programme at the Ministry of Health and Medical Services
The bed nets will be distributed freely by Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme officers in all provinces to boarding schools and villages.
In some cases, the nets will be distributed from one distribution point, in other cases officers will distribute nets by going door to door.
The nets are not for sale by either distributers or recipients.
“The bed-nets are very effective at protecting you from mosquito bites while sleeping, and therefore also from mosquito borne diseases such as Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika.”
The long-lasting insecticidal bed-nets are referred to as “MagNet”.
A chemical insecticide has been incorporated into the netting of the net during the production process.
This means that mosquitoes will be repelled or killed upon landing or resting on the bed-net.
There are a few important messages to consider before using the bed-nets such as;
- When first opening and removing the net from its plastic cover, hang the net in a shady area for
6 hours to dry any wet insecticide present on the bed-net fibres before use.
- To prevent house-fire or serious injuries, light-sources like kerosene lamps or candles should not be placed close to the bed-nets.
- Do not use detergent or sudsy soap when washing dirty bed-nets, as this will degrade
(breakdown) the insecticide present in the bed-net material.
- Only rainwater is recommended for washing dirty bed-nets.
- Do not give your bed-nets to relatives as all households will be issued with bed nets.
- Always carry your bed-net with you if you are travelling or sleeping away from your place of residence for a period of time.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria through the National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services is supporting the purchase and distribution of the bed nets.
To show our appreciation for this kind assistance (free bed-nets) from Global Fund, every Solomon Islander is asked to take care of their bed-net and only use it for the prevention of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
— MHMS PRESS
The post Free mosquito bed-nets for Solomon Islanders appeared first on Islandsun Daily News.