KAMPALA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- When one-and-a-half-year-old Sheila Mirembe developed a mild fever, her mother Pretty Ssentongo did not envisage malaria had attacked her.
"When we visited the doctor, he did some check-ups and informed me the baby was suffering from malaria," Ssentongoa, a resident of Mutungo, a suburb in the capital Kampala, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
The health worker gave Mirembe an injection and some tablets. Right now the toddler is recovering steadily, although still weak.
Ssentongo suspected her daughter got infected during a visit to some relatives' home, where they did not have a mosquito net to sleep under for two days.
"I think this when she was bitten by mosquitoes because at home we always sleep in the net, whether night or day," she said.
Ssentongo received the net during the government's nationwide distribution of free mosquito nets to all families, especially in rural and slum areas.
As the world commemorates World malaria Day on Thursday under the theme: Zero Malaria Starts with Me, mothers like Ssentongo are reminded to always ensure that children sleep under treated mosquito nets or else face the consequences.
Malaria is still the leading cause of death in Uganda, accounting for over 27 percent deaths, mostly of pregnant women and children under five years of age, according to ministry of health figures.
Ruth Aceng, minister of health, said in a statement issued to commemorate World malaria Day that the government is still on track in efforts to have a malaria-Free Uganda by 2030.
Under the National malaria Control Program, the government is operationalizing the Mass Action Against malaria (MAAM), which is a renewed effort towards sustaining the gains achieved in reducing malaria mortality through a comprehensive effort focusing on the individual and households levels, said the minister.
"We prioritize the household and the grassroots level as the most appropriate avenue for malaria prevention and control. We hope to reach out to every household with preaching on all malaria household desired behaviors," Aceng said.
"It is our belief that malaria is everyone's business requiring mass action at all levels by all stakeholders including households and communities," she added, noting that if all household interventions are put in action, it is possible to achieve a malaria free country by 2030.
Through the MAAM strategy, Uganda aims at reaching out to over 40 million people that are at risk of getting malaria.
According to the ministry of health, previous efforts to scale down the malaria prevalence have started paying off.
Figures from three national malaria Indicator Surveys show there has been a decline in malaria burden to 19 percent in 2014 from 42 percent in 2009.
A further downward trend is expected, according to Aceng.
Aceng said under the Integrated Vector Management control strategy, the ministry continues to distribute free mosquito nets every three years. The next distribution phase is scheduled for next year.
The ministry also continues to conduct Indoor Residue Spraying in selected districts in the northern and eastern parts of the country, according to Aceng.
In efforts to further combat the disease, Uganda signed an agreement with Egypt early this year to start a project that will help protect about 15 million Ugandans against the disease.
Egypt will establish a local production unit for larvicides that are used to kill the larva stage of mosquitoes that spread malaria.
