On June 11, Project Muso’s Community Health Workers impregnated 929 bed nets, door coverings and window coverings with insecticide at six sites across Yirimadjo. Organizing regular bed net impregnation days will be one of the health workers’ many responsibilities with the launch of the Community Based Malaria Program on July 13.

 

Project Muso’s June 2007 malaria survey found that while 36.2% of Yirimadjo residents slept under a bed net, only half of those nets had been impregnated with insecticide.[1] The same ratio applied to Project Muso’s target populations, children under five and pregnant women: 49.3% of children under five slept under bed nets, but only 26.7% slept under an insecticide-treated net, and while 60.5% of pregnant women who slept under bed nets, only 27.5% slept under an insecticide treated net. 

 

While any bed net reduces an individual’s chances of contracting malaria, impregnation with insecticide greatly enhances effectiveness. Mosquitoes can penetrate small tears in untreated bed nets; during the rainy season, mosquitos are so numerous in Yirimadjo that they line the outsides of untreated nets, and bite those who sleep under the nets the moment they touch the net. By repelling and killing mosquitos, insecticide treated nets provide an important additional layer of protection from malaria infections.   High use of impregnated bed nets within a community can lower the number and lifespan of mosquitoes in the area, better protecting the entire community from malaria.

 

To address the disparity between bed net use and bed net impregnation in Yirimadjo, Project Muso’s Community Health Workers have been trained in organizing community bed net impregnation days. Prior to each scheduled impregnation, the women conduct outreach, informing the community of the resource and providing education about the importance of bed net impregnation. On the scheduled day, residents bring their bed nets and door and window coverings to a site near them where Community Health Workers provide free impregnation with permethrin, a powerful insecticide that lasts for six months.

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