Bungoma and Busia counties: The campaign dubbed ‘Hifadhi afya ya jamii yako, mbu nje sisi ndani’ was conducted by the Ministry of Health in conjunction with West media.
They toured Busia county on Saturday 14th November 2015 and Bungoma county on Sunday.
The campaign that included mass distribution of treated nets for the prevention of malaria infection through mosquitoes to residents went on well in Nambale and Misikhu with experts sensitizing the locals on the importance of using treated nets to prevent malaria every season.
“We are very grateful for the campaign, we now know that the government through the Ministry of Health is concerned about the health of its citizens, we promise to sleep under the treated nets every season,” said one of the residents in Nambale.
The net distribution exercise faced some challenges at Nambale health centre after names of some people who were supposed to get the nets did not appear on the distribution list.
The area coordinator Joseph Masinde had to intervene and explain to the residents assuring them of getting more nets by the end of the week.
According to Joseph those registered were 127, 520 households and the received nets were only 67, 520. He said by Saturday they had distributed 39, 769.
Some of the places visited, were Nambale health centre, Bukhayo, Nambale ACK primary, Tangakona and Khwirale.
In Bungoma County, areas visited were Wabukhonyi primary, Misemwa Primary and Ndivisi primary in Misikhu.
The Challenge faced in Bungoma was that the population of those registered to receive the nets was more than the nets distributed.
The public health officer for Ndivisi and Namarambi locations Mr. Masungo Joseph said they were forced to reduce the number of nets distributed to certain households to cater for others who faced the risk of not getting any.
West Media’s employees present were John kabaka, Mishi Ziro, Millicent Lumati, Hiran Mugaisi, Leonard Acharry, Walter Namisi and Edwin Sasakah.
The mass net distribution is aimed at achieving universal coverage that anyone who is at risk of malaria within a community has access to a treated mosquito net as a malaria prevention weapon.
The exercise was scheduled for five days starting Saturday 14th September.