Anybody who will be found misusing the insecticide treated mosquito nets for either catching white ants or fish will be arrested and sent to jail; President Yoweri Museveni said.
The President said this speaking at the final exercise of the Universal Distribution of Free Mosquito treated nets in Uganda to the last 2 districts of Wakiso and Kampala, at Mulago play grounds this week.
“We have unanimously agreed here that anybody that will be caught misusing treated mosquito nets meant for public health purposes, will be jailed,” Museveni said at the gathering.
The president encouraged everyone to always follow the saying “prevention is better that cure” to protect themselves from getting malaria.
“I last suffered from malaria in 1984 during the last days of the bush war. I always use the prevention is better than cure method by protecting myself from mosquito bites. The nets protect you from mosquito bites and also kill them. Always treat yourself to save life and not to allow your body to be a reservoir for malaria parasites,” Museveni said.
He further emphasized the three elements of containing the pandemic which include applying the prevention and better than cure method of using treated nets, indoor residual spraying and to get treatment once one is infected.
Speaking before the gathering, the Minister of Health, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, said Uganda aspires to eradicate malaria by 2020.
He urged all Ugandans to consistently sleep under the treated nets to avert cases of malaria.
The British High Commissioner to Uganda, Ms. Alison Blackburne, announced that her government is to provide 34 million British Pounds for the continuation of the anti-malaria programmes in Uganda.
The United States Ambassador to Uganda, Mr. Scott Delisi, was pleased to note that the exercise has so far yielded fruits as there is a significant decline of malaria since the exercise kicked off last year 2013.
