Fighting malaria by making mosquito nets more accessible

Niger's government, in partnership with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), has launched an operation to reduce the incidence of malaria by selling bednets at subsidised prices, the National Anti-Malaria Programme (PLNP - French abbreviation) announced.

The operation began this weekend, when 6,000 mosquito nets were released for sale in the capital, Niamey, at 2000 CFA francs per unit - a quarter of their cost price of the nets, which is 8,000 CFA francs. [1 USD = 667 CFA francs.] According to the PNLP, 162,000 nets will be put on sale in September-October, in partnership with UNICEF and Japan. In January 2003, the African Development Bank is scheduled to give 200,000. The nets are imported but the People's Republic of China plans to set up a factory to manufacture them in Niger.

An average 850,000 people suffer from malaria each year in Niger and about 2,500 of them die, according to the PNLP. Children under the age of six years represent 60 percent of cases and 80 percent of deaths. Economic losses as a result of the disease have been estimated at almost six billion CFA francs (just under US $9,000,000).

The disease accounts for 80 percent of consultations registered by health services in the rainy season, July to October, and 30 percent during the rest of the year.