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World Malaria Day ceremony, Metangula Village

To mark World Malaria Day on April 25, Niassa province Mozambique held an official launch ceremony for a campaign to distribute long lasting insecticidal nets across the provinces 15 districts. The ceremony was held at the distribution headquarters in Metangula and was attended by district leaders, provincial leaders, civil society organisations and community members.

Activities included the laying of flowers at Heroes’ Square and a march with different civil society players, delivering speeches to spread the message of malaria prevention.

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District administrator Sara Mustafa

The formal distribution of the mosquito nets was initiated by the district administrator, Sara Mustafa, who stressed the importance of using them correctly to a large audience of community members.

Her statements were echoed by Dr. Inês Juleca from the National Malaria Programme of the Ministry of Health, who said, “The distribution campaign needs to be complemented by ongoing mobilisation and awareness raising activities at the local level so it is effective and reduces malaria among the communities the campaign was created to reach.”

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Monica Saíde, mother of five, collecting her mosquito net

Malaria is a major public health issue in Niassa Province, with over 700,000 registered malaria cases in 2016 giving an incidence rate of 407 cases per 1,000 people. The campaign, run by the Ministry of Health and Malaria Consortium, is part of an effort to reduce this burden through wide spread national and local level programmes.

 

The campaign is part of a national initiative led by the Ministry of Health with the support of the Malaria Prevention and Control Project, a project funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and implemented by World Vision as the main partner,  Food for the Hungry, Community Development Foundation and Malaria Consortium.

Text and photos: Xavier Machiana

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