By Chukwumuanya Igboekwu, MD | Health Program Associate/Project Manager
As part of Preventing Childhood Malaria Death Project in Mashegu,PSJ Malaria Project Mobile Team launched a major malaria prevention and control outreach program in Faje village, a remote rural community of about 10,000 inhabitants. This took place on the 24th of February 2008.
On arrival at the Village, we paid courtesy visit to the village chief (Serikin Faje) and his council of elders who welcomed the project team and expressed his gratitude to all the donors who made financial donations that enabled his people to benefit from the project.
Thereafter the project team was taken to the village square where the community members were already gathered waiting for the mobile team to arrive. The village town crier had already gone round the village to announce to the entire villagers about our visit.
The Malaria control mobile team conducted the following activities in the community.
1) A community sessions program/ health education on malaria prevention with specific focus on behavior change and environment sanitation.The facilitators used the local language to educate the people how malaria is transmitted, early clinical signs and symptoms, the role of mosquitoes, the need for early diagnosis and treatment especially for children and how it can be controlled through environmental hygiene and sanitation.
2.) After a demostration session on how to use and maintain insecticide treated nets, We distributed 70 insecticide treated nets to 70 lucky pregnant women and nursing mothers with young infants (see photos attached).
3.) About 147 sick infants and under-five children were clinically diagnosed and treated for malaria by the medical doctor who accompanied the mobile team.
4.) Antimalaria drug prophylaxis were also administered to 321 children(both school children and out-of school children.
At the end of everything, the whole community were very grateful for evrything. The said we should thank all those who donated to the malaria project on their behalf.
In the words of a 19 year old mother of two- " I wish our government can remember us the way you people have remembered us. My one and half year old daughter almost died two months ago due to high fever. By the time we got to the health center in the neighbouting village, they said she was didn't have blood (anaemic). Now that I have been given an ITN, her four months old brother will not suffer from malaria the way she suffered. I am very grateful for this net provided to us free. May God bless those who paid for us".
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