Project Mosquito Nets

Project Mosquito Nets provides education on prevention of malaria and long lasting insecticide treated nets to children and families vulnerable to malaria in Zambia. Segments of the population that are particularly vulnerable to malaria and for whom malaria could be fatal include: children under five years, older people, pregnant women, people living with HIV, and people who have TB. Children and adults who have HIV/AIDS are more likely to experience severe malaria requiring hospitalization and the risk of death. An added complication is that co-infection rates between HIV, malaria, and TB are high.  

Over the last few years we have seen that as a result of sleeping under a net, the incidence of malaria has been reduced, and school attendance has increased due to improved health of the children. For a short video on the distribution day activities click here. To learn more about our malaria prevention program in Zambia click here.  Given below are stories of two children who have been successful in preventing malaria, are attending school and are living close to normal lives.

Nelly: Nelly is a 10 year old HIV positive fourth grader. She lives with her grandmother in a household with 14 people as she lost her parents to AIDS. Nelly's grandmother received a long lasting insecticide treated net last September and since then both Nelly and her grandmother have been sleeping under a net. As a result, Nelly has been malaria free and is attending school regularly. We hope to provide nets to all members in Nelly's household at the next distribution.

Grace:  Grace is 13 years old, HIV positive and is on ARV medication. She takes her medication regularly and on time as she understands the importance of adhering to the medication regimen.  Grace is a bright young girl who loves school and all her classes. Her parents (also HIV positive) received nets from our program and since then the three of them have been malaria free. Since, Grace's family is HIV positive they are at increased risk of malaria (as their immune system is compromised) and the protection provided by anti-malarial treatment is also lower. Grace and her parents are grateful for the nets and for the existence of Project Mosquito Nets in their neighborhood.

Need For Nets: The need for several thousand more nets is ongoing for the following reasons:

(i) In areas like Chunga and Zingaluma there are several water logged areas/sewers which are breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

(ii) Due to an unemployment rate upwards of 67%, the residents of the community are not able to afford a net. In addition, a high rate of HIV incidence increases their vulnerability to malaria.

Request for Funds: At this time we are raising funds to provide 2000 long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLIN’s) in fall 2013. Please donate generously as your donation will go a long way in preventing malaria and keeping the children healthy and in school.   

The recipients of nets hope that this program continues in 2013 and beyond and would like us to convey their thanks to donors.

Thanks as always for your support for this program.

Links:

• Summary of Project Mosquito Nets
• Report on Nets Distribution in 2012
• Follow-up report on nets distribution in 2012

Conversations with Beneficiaries of Malaria Nets Distributed in September 2012 - Part 2

Since the last distribution of 1000 long lasting insecticide treated nets in September 2012, we have been in contact with the recipients of nets and have had several conversation with them so that we can increase the effectiveness of our malaria prevention program in Zambia. For a short video on the distribution day activities click here. To learn more about our malaria prevention program in Zambia click here. A summary of our continuing dialogue with beneficiaries of nets is given below.

Information gathered from beneficiaries of nets:

In Jan 2013, our Project Nurse and health care workers, had conversation with 54 beneficiaries who received nets in September 2012. In addition, to the information provided in our last report, we learnt that:

1. A net is large enough that four children under five years of age or 2 adults can sleep under it. This implies that two nets are effective in preventing malaria for six people in the household and hence the most effective use of donor funds. 

2. The use of mosquito nets has reduced the incidence of malaria in the community of Matero. This has been attributed to the use of nets and the spraying of insecticides in the water logged areas by the local government agencies. The biggest impact of the use of nets has been on the improved health of young children. Malaria can have severe health consequences on the health of a young child - a poor diet and a positive status aggravates the problem .

3. The provision of mosquito nets has led to an increase in school attendance. Almost all families confirmed that their children's health had improved significantly after sleeping under a net.

4. We were happy to learn that between June and December 2012, there were no reported cases of malaria amongst pregnant women in the community of Matero. This is very encouraging as malaria can be fatal for HIV positive pregnant women.

5. People living with HIV are three times as likely to suffer from malaria, as compared to a person who is HIV negative. The use of bed nets and ARV medication has gone a long way in prolonging the life span of HIV positive children and adults. The results for people with TB are similar.   

Challenges Faced: Some of the challenges faced in the field are:

(i) Recipients of nets have enough information on the use of the nets but they have limited space as the same room is used as a bedroom during the night and a sitting room during the day. This implies that they have to hang the net before sleeping every night and remove it the next day.

(ii) Some of the nets are being used to keep away flies during the day.

(iii) Most beneficiaries wash the nets with normal washing powder when the nets get dirty and do not re-treat them with insecticide after washing. We are continuing to educate the people on the proper maintenance, washing and recommended frequency for re-treatment with insecticide.

Need For Nets: The need for nets for several thousand more nets is ongoing for the following reasons:

(i) In areas like Chunga and Zingaluma there are several water logged areas/sewers which are breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

(ii) Due to an unemployment rate upwards of 67%, the residents of the community are not able to afford a net. In addition, a high rate of HIV incidence increases their vulnerability to malaria.

Request for Funds: At this time we are raising funds to provide 1000 long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLIN’s) in the spring of 2013 and an additional 1000 nets in fall 2013. Please donate generously as your donation will go a long way in preventing malaria and keeping the children healthy and in school.   

To Sum: All beneficiaries interviewed are happy with the receipt of nets, and the activities organized on distribution day like demonstration of the proper use, maintenance, and re-treatment of nets. In addition, we provide ongoing health education during home visits. The recipients of nets hope that this program continues in 2013 and beyond and would like us to convey their thanks to donors.

Thanks again for your support for this program.

Links:

• Report on our distribution of nets in 2012
• Summary of Project Mosquito Nets
• Pictures of Project Mosquito Nets launched in Zambia