Use of mosquito nets: a caravan in the Agoenyivé district to boost awareness

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Extract from the article: To reinforce and boost awareness of the programme's various interventions, namely the continued use of long-lasting impregnated mosquito nets (LLINs), the National Malaria Control Programme has organised a caravan in the district capitals of the regi

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To reinforce and boost awareness of the programme's various interventions, namely the continued use of long-lasting impregnated mosquito nets (LLINs), the National Malaria Control Programme has organised a caravan in the district capitals of the regions. In Lome, an awareness caravan criss-crossed the streets of the Agoenyivé district on Friday 06 November 2023. As the convoy passed by, sound messages and leaflets were distributed to raise awareness of the need for people to sleep under an impregnated mosquito net at all times and in all seasons in order to better protect themselves against malaria. The aim is to achieve zero cases of malaria by 2030.

Motorbike taxis, taxis and a vehicle with a sound system criss-crossed several arteries in the Agoe area, including the Prefecture of Agoènyive, Carrefour cour d'appel, feu rouge stade Agoe, échangeur Agoe-Terminal, Catholiques Togblé, Echangeur, Légbassimé, Carrefour deemakpoé, Agoè Assiyeyé, 2lions and Limouzine. The caravan dropped off at the Agoe high school to maximise the dissemination of messages to the population.This social mobilisation strategy was used to raise awareness of malaria by providing the necessary information on the programme's interventions in order to promote behavioural change.  This was done through sound messages and by distributing flyers to the population.

For Kanda Dagou, Malaria Focal Point for the Agoenyivé District, after the free distribution of impregnated mosquito nets, it is one thing to have the net, but the ultimate objective is to use it to prevent the disease. « This is an awareness-raising caravan scheduled for the end of the LLIN distribution campaign.Organised every three years, its aim is to ensure widespread coverage of the population in order to protect them against mosquito bites, which are the vectors of malaria transmission. We want to encourage people to make good use of the LLINs available to them, and to pass on the message about all the strategies for combating the disease ».

At a time when infectious diseases belonging to the group of viral haemorrhagic fevers, characterised by their vectorial transmission, more specifically through mosquito bites, are increasingly recurrent in West Africa, it is time to launch an urgent appeal for the effective use of the mosquito nets that have been distributed, as prevention is often better than cure.

Agoè-Nyivé, a malaria-endemic area

Malaria is endemic in the Agoè-Nyivé district, and is present all year round.Flood-prone areas such as Togblékopé are more at risk. « This year we've had enough difficulties for one reason. The population of the Agoè-Nyivé district, which was planned on the basis of the 2022 census, was underestimated. As a result, the mosquito nets were not enough. Following pleas and with the support of the PNLP, additional mosquito nets were provided on three occasions, totalling 1,650 bundles.  Coverage in the Agoè-Nyivé prefecture stands at 117%. Despite this, demand is still there », noted Kanda Dagou.

According to a study « Use of insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets in the urban area of Agoe-Nyive in Togo » carried out in 2014, published on 12 June 2020 in the « Journal de la Recherche Scientifique » of the University of Lomé, 62% of heads of household used the insecticide-treated mosquito net and 38% did not. According to the results, during the study period, 93 (62%) of the 150 heads of household used the insecticide-treated net properly, 32 (21.3%) used the ordinary mosquito net and 25 (16.5%) used neither the insecticide-treated net nor the ordinary mosquito net.83.3% of heads of household were aware of the existence of ITNs. 80.7% knew the real causes of malaria and 78% knew that the means of prevention were protection against mosquito bites.

In Togo, the number of confirmed cases of malaria in 2021 gives proportional rates of 32% in outpatient care in health facilities, 64% at community level, 20% of hospital admissions and 8% of deaths.In the absence of a vaccine, impregnated mosquito nets provide effective protection against malaria.

William O.