The malaria incidence rate in Rivers State has decreased from 13% to 8.8%, the State Ministry of Health has announced.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Vincent Wachukwu, attributed the drop in malaria incidence rate to the increased distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and public awareness on their appropriate use.
Ednah Alete who is the Public Relations Officer, Rivers State Ministry of Health made this known on Saturday, when she revealed that Wachukwu spoke in Port Harcourt on receiving a delegation from the Against Malaria Foundation (AMF), United Kingdom in his office.
He said malaria prevalence remained high in Rivers due to its rainforest and endemic factors but was optimistic that the incidence rate would drop further with the proposed distribution of another batch of insecticide-treated nets.
Read Also: NDDC Trains Niger Delta Youths in AI, Urges Them to Create Jobs
The new campaign, which is slated to start in May 2027, will cover an estimated nine million people in the state.
The Permanent Secretary said the nets being distributed in the past have played a significant role in the drop in malaria incidence rate in addition to the public awareness on their appropriate use.
“Previously, nets were often misused as bedspreads rather than for their intended purpose,” he said.
Wachukwu said they would integrate manual and electronic systems in the implementation of the campaign in 2027.
The Permanent Secretary proposed household enumeration to ensure there is no over-estimation or under-estimation in the expected benefits from the campaign instead of using the population figures from the communities.
“He said they would get independent monitors at the pre-distribution, distribution and post-distribution to enhance accountability and collate data for use in subsequent distribution campaigns,” he said.
Wachukwu said pregnant women and children below five years would be the first recipients of the free mosquito nets because of the high risks malaria pose to them.
He said the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital would be one of the primary beneficiaries as it recorded the highest number of antenatal attendees in the state.
The minister pledged the commitment of the state government and the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the local stakeholders and communities in the 23 Local Government Areas for the success of the campaign.
Earlier, AMF Programme Director, UK, Shaun Walsh, said Rivers State was chosen as the first state to benefit from the mosquito nets distribution exercise to start in May 2027 as it was about the rainy season.
Walsh said the distribution campaign would be managed electronically and include the registration of recipients and tracking of the nets, adding that random sampling would take place at training and registration points to ensure accountability.
He said a post-distribution monitoring would be done by the foundation in a randomised sample of 1.5 per cent of the households of recipients of the nets at nine, 18 and 27 months after the start of the exercise.
According to him, the monitoring data collected would be shared with the state government to add value to subsequent distributions.
Walsh said the collaboration between AMF and the state would go beyond the 2027 distribution campaign, adding that they would continue to work together towards the next round of distribution which would be about 2030.
