As Uganda joins the rest of the world to mark the International Malaria Day, residents of Oyam district have been accused of frustrating the fight against the disease.
Oyam district director of health services, Dr Vincent Owiny says that some families have turned mosquito nets into fishing nets while others use them to collect white ants, a practice which he says affects the fight against malaria.
Dr Owiny told URN on Wednesday that instead of sleeping under the treated nets which they have been given freely, the locals are cashing in on the nets.
The national event is taking place in Dokolo district under the theme: “Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria.”
He said despite the practice, the district has registered tremendous reduction in the malaria infection for the past four years after the introduction of indoor residual spray exercise where about 98% of houses have been sprayed.
Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is a proven and highly effective malaria control measure that involves the coordinated, timely spraying of the interior walls of homes with insecticides and it can protect the sprayed houses for about four to 10 months, depending on the insecticide used.
Dr. Owiny says the exercise is now carried out every six months in the district.
The number of malaria patients visiting health units daily has dropped by 40%-50% according to Dr Owiny.
To ensure effectiveness, Dr. Owiny said the district has also embarked on the early diagnosis and treatment of malaria to avoid wastage of drugs and ensuring that all families sleep under treated insecticide nets.
In Oyam, every health centre II is now able carry out rapid and quick laboratory testing of malaria.
According to Owiny, the death among children under the age of five resulting from malaria infection has also reduced.
Patrick Opio, in charge Anyeke Health Centre IV, which is the referral facility in Oyam district, said they last registered death from malaria last week when a HIV+ patient died from the facility.
He says out of every 60 people tested for malaria, only 10 are usually found positive.
Denis Okello, a resident of Agulurude village in Loro Sub County who is a beneficiary of free treated insecticide net and whose three houses were sprayed, said his family has taken two years without experiencing malaria sickness. Okello said initially he had lost a child to malaria.
According to the World Health Organisation—WHO, about 3.3 billion people – half of the world's population – are at risk of malaria. In 2010, there were about 216 million malaria cases and an estimated 655,000 malaria deaths. Increased prevention and control measures have led to a reduction in malaria mortality rates by more than 25% globally since 2000 and by 33% in Africa.
WHO notes that people living in the poorest countries are the most vulnerable to malaria. In 2010, 90% of all malaria deaths occurred in the WHO African Region, mostly among children under five years of age.
