8.7 Million Treated Nets to be Distributed To Fight Against Malaria

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    Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)

    Brenda Yufeh

    25 April 2011


    The Minister of Public Health made the announcement on monday during activities to commemorate the 4th World Malaria Day. Cameroon yesterday April, 25 commemorated the 4th World Malaria Day. During the ceremony, the Minister of Public Health, André Mama Fouda announced the free distribution of 8,650,000 treated mosquitoes nets to Cameroonians of all walks of life.

    The operation which is expected to begin from the month of August this year targets some 19 million people living in Cameroon. According to the Minister of Public Health, the national campaign to distribute long lasting Insecticides Nets (LLINs) is one of the major actions taken by his ministry to curb malaria as well as realise the objectives to attain the 6th Millennium Development Goal that is; the fight against Malaria, HIV/AIDs and other illnesses.

    While commemorating activities under the theme: “Achieving Progress and Impact. Together we can Achieve More”, partners in the fight against malaria joined the Ministry of Public Health at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel to draw a balance sheet on the fight against malaria in Cameroon.

    From the balance sheet, Minister André Mama Fouda noted that although much had been achieved in the fight against malaria more is still to be done since malaria remains the primary cause of deaths in Africa particularly in children.

    Since February 1, 2011 when the Ministry of Public Health began the operation to provide malaria drugs free of charge to children below five years in accordance to the President of the Republic’s decision of December 31, 2010, some 82,489 have been received in 3,100 health structures: 60 per cent in public sector and 40 per cent in the private sector.

    Knowing that malaria is still a major health problem to the government of Cameroon, partners in the fight against malaria have once more reinforced their engagement to curb the disease.

    The Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Charlotte Faty Ndiaye, while reiterating the support of WHO in subsidising the fight against malaria in Cameroon expressed worries over the issue of drug resistance which was highlighted during the World Health Day on April 7 in which drugs combination to treat malaria are not left out. Dr Charlotte Ndiaye added that new plans and strategies have been put in place by her organisation to eradicate malaria.

    As the government continues to spearhead the fight against malaria through the use of (LLINs), they have a long way to go in tackling some of the erroneous beliefs surrounding the use of treated nets as some pregnant women think nets treated with insecticides could cause abortion, be dangerous to their health or that sleeping under a mosquito net gives some people the feeling of being a corpse in a coffin.

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