This year’s Anti-Malaria Campaign has received mixed reaction from residents in Mumbwa district’s Nangoma constituency.
Nangoma Mission Hospital Director, Dr. Crispin Moyo, told ZANIS that 5,800 free mosquito nets from 2005 to date were distributed, and 2,750 were sold during this year’s exercise from the hospital.
Dr. Moyo said that the mosquito net distribution, coupled with the anti-mosquito spraying exercise, were designed to lessen the prevalence levels of the disease, and that pregnant women and children under five years were especially targeted because they constituted the highest segment of the mortality rate.
Dr. Moyo, however, lamented about what he termed “misdirected use of treated mosquito nets amongst certain village communities”, and expressed sadness on the use of mosquito nets for fishing activities.
He said that this practice hindered the entire objective of distributing treated nets to reduce malaria prevalence levels, and also impacted negatively on the marine life preservation of wetlands because fishing had its own stipulations regarding the type of nets.
Nangoma Ward area Councillor, Richard Kakoma (UPND), however, expressed dissatisfaction with the anti-mosquito spray campaign, charging that the exercise was not done extensively enough to cover much ground.
Mr. Kakoma complained that the personnel used in the exercise appeared to be in too much of a hurry, and that many parts of the ward were left unattended to from the time the exercise was launched two months ago.
Another councillor, Robbie Mutapwe, (MMD) of Mumbwa central’s Nalusangwe ward, observed that the exercise would have gained more impetus in his area if the co-ordinators had liaised with closely with him in his capacity as a civic leader.
Mr. Mutapwe lamented that coordinators of the exercise had over-looked his services, and that the involvement of ward councillors in such exercises was cardinal in guaranteeing success.
Number one
That’s a shame, we can lose all our fish that way
As long as it does the job!
People should also be educated about fish ecology when being handed the nets, policing is too difficult
Then they can eat as well as being free of malaris
i doubt it
Atlist they think and use their Initiatives. Next time give them untreated Mosquito net.
Sad reading
Imwe balekeni.
This is an indication that govermnet needs to come up with policies that respond to the needs pf the people especialyy the poor. The people are saying they do not need mosquito nets but a source of livelihlod which in turn empower them to be masters of their own development and hence more protection.!
Due to poverty what can they do use the nets to catch fish and sale and live a life mwe bwezani muno
What is really sad in this whole affair is that soon the waters will be depleted of fish and then hunger, and real poverty or is it the other way round, will set in. Zambia’s rural populace need education in a lot of areas otherwise they will continue to decide who the presidents of this country will be (rural vote syndrome)
Ni mumbwa mumbwa at work. next they will be using donated underware as slippers.
I dont know which river they are using for fishing because i far i know nangoma the only nangoma river has no fish. I was born and raised in nangoma,i wil cal Dr moyo to find out may be he meant catching grashoppers because they are plenty.
too bad
Too bad for sure.And that boat in the picture which is being used for fishing rightly belongs to PF.PABWATOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
What do you expect from Bantu Botatwe?
I don’t think that the mosquitoe net were mistaken for fishing net. It is called survival or # 3 rightly says initiative or # 7 says as long as it does the job.
The government should understand the frustrations people experience because of poverty and stop claiming the nets were mistaken for fishing nets.
Now before we comdemn these villagers, did anyone explain the use of these nets?? Thats the problem during campaign trails, distributing free items & encouraging people with increased productivity- things might just get lost in translation!!
Iwe chi Sonny Ericson Phiri # 1. ichindike. what is this number one thing all about?