The Abia State Government has launched its 2026 Insecticide-Treated Net (ITN) campaign, with plans to distribute more than three million mosquito nets to households across the state's 17 local government areas.

The campaign was flagged off at the JAAC Building, Ogurube Layout, Umuahia, with Governor Alex Chioma Otti represented by his deputy, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu.

In his address, Otti described the initiative as an investment in human capital and productivity, noting that malaria continues to pose a serious health threat, particularly to children under five, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups.

He emphasised that insecticide-treated nets remain an accessible and effective means of preventing malaria, but stressed that distributing them would not be enough without consistent and proper use by households.

The governor directed healthcare workers, distribution teams, volunteers and local government officials to ensure that the exercise was transparent and equitable, with particular attention to rural and hard-to-reach communities.

He also urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, town unions, women’s groups and youth organisations to mobilise residents, address misconceptions about the nets and encourage their use every night. He further called for environmental sanitation and the elimination of stagnant water to reduce mosquito breeding.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, disclosed that malaria prevalence in Abia declined from 14.5 per cent in 2021 to 11 per cent in 2025, attributing the reduction to sustained government interventions.

Uche also highlighted the reconstruction of 200 primary healthcare centres, 185 of which have been completed, as well as the registration of nearly 300,000 residents under the revived Abia State Health Insurance Agency.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, represented by Dr. Nnenna Ogbulafor, said Abia had not experienced a mass distribution of mosquito nets on this scale in 10 years.

She explained that the distribution would adopt a door-to-door approach supported by digital tracking, beginning October 26. Under the arrangement, one net would be provided for every two people.

The campaign will also be complemented by larval source management and waste recycling initiatives supported by the World Bank.

Malaria Consortium’s West and Central Africa Programmes Director, Dr. Kolawole Maxwell, disclosed that approximately 5,000 personnel would participate in the distribution exercise.

He said the campaign would feature dual-active ingredient nets containing pyrethroid and chlorfenapyr, designed to help address insecticide resistance among mosquitoes.

Maxwell warned that the nets would be distributed free of charge and must not be sold or diverted from their intended beneficiaries.

He also announced the First Lady of Abia State, Mrs. Priscilla Chidinma Otti, as the state's ITN Ambassador, tasked with promoting public awareness, household ownership and consistent nightly use of the nets.