The mosquito nets will be distributed to households across all 70 parishes in the district under the Ministry of Health’s nationwide mass mosquito net distribution campaign aimed at reducing malaria infections and related deaths.
Speaking during the handover ceremony at the Rubanda District Health Office, District Malaria Programme Focal Person Grace Turyakira said the Ministry of Health conducts the nationwide mosquito net distribution exercise every three years to replace worn-out nets and sustain malaria prevention efforts.
She explained that the allocation of mosquito nets follows the Ministry’s guideline of providing one net for every two people in a household, adding that the previous nationwide distribution exercise was conducted in 2023.
"The campaign is expected to improve household protection against mosquito bites and significantly contribute to reducing the burden of malaria in the district," Turyakira said.
Representing the Ministry of Health, Abirahmin Kananathan said the delivery of the mosquito nets marks the beginning of the implementation phase of the campaign.
He said the next steps will include training District Health Teams and Village Health Teams (VHTs), registering beneficiary households and distributing the nets to communities.
Kananathan urged district leaders, health workers and residents to support the exercise to ensure all eligible households benefit from the intervention.
Rubanda District Vice Chairperson Prossy Kesafari commended government for continued investment in public health programmes aimed at protecting communities from preventable diseases.
She said the district’s population has grown to 249,454 people, representing a 26.7 percent increase from the 196,896 recorded during the 2014 National Population and Housing Census, making the mosquito net distribution campaign timely.
"Rubanda District population has grown to 249,454 people, representing a 26.7 percent increase from the 196,896 recorded during the 2014 National Population and Housing Census, making the mosquito net distribution campaign both timely and necessary," Kesafari said.
She urged officials involved in the exercise to ensure the nets are distributed fairly, transparently and without discrimination.
Kesafari also encouraged residents to use the mosquito nets consistently and correctly to protect their families from malaria.
Assistant Resident District Commissioner Hillary Bindeba called on the National Medical Stores and district officials to ensure proper handling and temporary storage of the mosquito nets at parish level.
He urged implementers to speed up the distribution process, noting that some parishes have limited storage facilities.
"Those supervising the campaign should ensure that casual labourers are engaged to offload and transport the mosquito nets and are paid promptly and fairly for their services," Bindeba said.
The mosquito net distribution campaign is part of government’s broader strategy to reduce malaria prevalence, improve public health outcomes and ensure households have access to effective malaria prevention tools.
The exercise is expected to benefit thousands of families in Rubanda District while contributing to national efforts to eliminate malaria as a public health challenge.