By Golden Kang'oma

Salima, November 12, Mana:  Salima District Health Office (DHO) has embarked on a mass distribution campaign of Insects Treated Nets (ITN) in an effort to fight Malaria.

The campaign, which is targeting over 147,000 households, is being implemented through the Presidential Malaria Initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Speaking Monday during the launch of the campaign, Salima District Environmental Health Officer, Reuben Chikadza, said the campaign will run for seven days covering all the Traditional Authorities with an aim of reducing malaria cases.

“Through the campaign, a household will receive a maximum of four nets depending on its size," he said.

Chikadza asked the beneficiaries to make good use of the nets, saying it will be a waste of resources to use them on some other unnecessary things.

"When we talk about dangerous diseases, Malaria is one of them. It is my plea to everyone, mostly chiefs, to make sure that their subjects utilize these mosquito nets properly,” he said.

Salima ITN mass distribution Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Maness Chingoli, said the campaign has started very well and hopes that by end of the distribution period all targets will be met.

"We expect to distribute the nets within our targeted number of days. I am sure that within this period everyone who got registered will receive their nets," She said.

One of the beneficiaries from Senior Chief Khombedza, Pilirani Kaliza, hailed the initiative saying it will help in malaria prevention.

Nkhotakota had a similar campaign last week and some districts in the southern region are yet to receive.