Mass distribution of long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets to households in Sierra Leone
Working with partners to tackle malaria in the country
Karena – As dusk was settling in, Adama Kargbo, a mother of five in Kaponkie village, Karena District, northern Sierra Leone, breastfed her six-month-old twin boys and later sang a lullaby to put them to bed. The twins, Alusine and Alhassan, and their mother were about to sleep under a long-lasting insecticide treated bed net.
“I was supplied with three pieces of bed nets in February this year for my household when my twin babies were only three months old and from that time on, we have been sleeping under them,” said Adama as she covered the bed with a bedsheet and brought down the bed net that was hung over the bed from the ceiling so that it could cover the entire length and breadth of the bed.
Malaria remains the number one killer disease of children under five in Sierra Leone with over 100 deaths for every 1,000 children born, accounting for 25 per cent of the under-five mortality rate in the country and over one million hospital visits each year. One out of 10 babies born in Sierra Leone die before their fifth birthday. Malaria is the leading cause of death.
One of the surest ways of tackling malaria in the country and ensuring protection against the disease, is by sleeping under insecticide treated bed nets. Between December 2023 and February 2024, UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and with support from the Global Fund facilitated the distribution of over 5 million long lasting insecticide treated bed nets targeting at least 95 per cent of households in the country with a population of over 8 million people. The average household received two bed nets. The Catholic Relief Services, USAID, WHO and President’s Malaria Initiative also supported the process.
Three months later, Adama and her twins continue this life saving practice of sleeping under insecticide treated bed nets. “Since the day I collected the bed nets, I have been making sure that both my babies and I sleep under them at all times,” Adama happily narrated, “Sometimes, when I put my babies to nap in the afternoon, I subconsciously unwrap the bed net and place it over the bed since it is now part of my lifestyle”.
The bed net distribution exercise was backed by a robust Social and Behaviour Change campaign using multiple channels such as the radio, community engagements, posters, banners, and videos to create increased understanding and awareness on the importance of sleeping under insecticide treated bed nets to prevent malaria. Dozens of health workers and volunteers braved the odds to distribute the bed nets to people in hard-to-reach areas so that children and their families would be protected from malaria.
“Sleeping under insecticide treated bed nets is not the only means of protection against malaria,” said Dr Hailemariam Lagasse, Health Specialist at UNICEF Sierra Leone. “This good practice should be complemented by always keeping the environment clean to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. The recent introduction of the malaria vaccine for children under two years is another way of significantly reducing under-five mortality cases in the country. Seeking treatment from a community health worker or nearby health facility as soon as a child becomes ill is another way to save lives.”
Having lost two children to malaria in the past, Adama is also an agent of change in her community. She serves as a watch dog in her community to monitor the effective use of the long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets and discourages their improper use. Her most effective tool is her example as she breastfed her twins and prepared them for another good night under the long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets.
