Mosquito nets distributed in W. Sulawesi to prevent malaria

MamasaOnline-- A total of 7,000 mosquito nets for babies have been sent to Majene and Mamasa regencies in West Sulawesi to prevent a malaria outbreak, an official says.

The mosquito nets were distributed to women who had just delivered babies to prevent them from contracting the disease, Dr. Achmad Azis said Sunday in Mamuju.

The two regencies were categorized as “yellow” zones, meaning the spread of malaria in these areas was alarming.

“Before they become red zones, we should do something to reduce the number of malaria patients,” Achmad said.

This year, the provincial government in cooperation with the Global Fund (a global public/private partnership) had earlier distributed a total of 184,000 mosquito nets to families in Mamuju and North Mamuju regencies, which were already categorized as “red zones.”

From July to December last year, 8,303 malaria cases were reported in Mamuju and 1,917 cases in North Mamuju.

Source:The Jakarta Post.com