Health
workers in Niamey, the capital of Niger, are worrying about
the start of this year’s rainy season. While everyone
is delighted to see the rains come after months of prolonged
drought and famine, the health workers know that the rains also
mark the beginning of the malaria season with much illness and
death.
But this year, and thanks to the nationwide free distribution
of long lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) in December 2005, and
in March 2006, the people of Niger all have mosquito nets to
protect themselves against the dreaded mosquitoes.
In order to be sure these nets are used correctly for protection,
armies of volunteers are being mobilized to visit families throughout
the country. They will encourage them to hang-up the nets and
ensure that children and pregnant women who are at highest risk
sleep under the nets every night during the rainy season. Working
closely with the National Malaria Programme, the president of
the Niger Red Cross, M. Ali Bandiare is leading more than 5,500
volunteers who will visit more than 10,000 villages and communities
during the next two weeks of May.
“This massive mobilization is unprecedented and is made
possible with funding support from the Global Fund for AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Canadian Red Cross and other Red
Cross partners”, explains Jean Roy, Senior Health Officer
at the International Federation.
As one campaign worker, Dr. Guy Zimmermann, said during a recent
training session, “the mosquitoes coming this year will
find a formidable nationwide defense shield in almost every
house in Niger if every household hangs and uses these nets”.
Indeed, Niger can turn a page in public health history and record
the lowest number of malaria cases and deaths ever, if this
volunteer army is successful in accomplishing its life-saving
mission.
This “Hang-Up” effort during the last weeks of May,
is demonstrating how volunteers who are also beneficiaries can
be mobilized for community education. This is a vitally important
follow-on to Niger’s nationwide distribution of 2.3 million
nets which was made possible with support from the Global Fund,
the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,
Swiss Tropical Institute, Niger Ministry of Health and its Malaria
Programme, Niger Red Cross, Canadian CIDA through the Canadian
Red Cross, Center for Medical Research (CERMES) Niger, Polio
Eradication, WHO, UNICEF, the CDC, country NGOs, Norwegian Red
Cross and NORAD, American Red Cross, and other national and
international donors.
For more information on this biggest net distribution effort
go to: http://www.ifrc.org/Docs/News/pr06/2406.asp
and http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/media_center/press/pr060403.asp
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But
this year, and thanks to the nationwide free distribution
of long lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) in December 2005,
and in March 2006, the people of Niger all have mosquito
nets to protect themselves against the dreaded mosquitoes.
(p14029)
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IIn
order to be sure these nets are used correctly for protection,
armies of volunteers are being mobilized to visit families
throughout the country. They will encourage them to hang-up
the nets and ensure that children and pregnant women who
are at highest risk sleep under the nets every night during
the rainy season. (p14030)
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