Ministry buys 100,000 treated nets to combat malaria

– distribution to start soon

The Ministry of Health has purchased 100,000 insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), to distribute in regions with high infestation of mosquitoes, as Guyana enters the mid-November to January rainy season.

Minister, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony said distribution will start soon, during Wednesday’s COVID-19 Update.

“We’ve gone out and purchased a lot of the insecticide-treated bed nets, which is an essential prevention tool because if people use them then a mosquito would not be able to bite them. In fact, that mosquito comes close to these nets, come in contact with insecticide, then they are killed.”

ITNs are a form of personal protection which have been shown to reduce malaria illness, severe disease, and death due to malaria in regions where there is a high prevalence.

“In a short while, we will roll out that distribution. We are working with the Ministry of Local Government, and together we will be able to get these bed nets out to the communities that need them.” According to a UNICEF report compiled in 2014, only 7.40 per cent of insecticide-treated bed nets are used in Guyana. Insecticide-treated nets, properly used and maintained, are one of the most important malaria-preventative strategies to limit human-mosquito contact.