During the summer of 2008, I spent two months in Ntinda, Uganda, on an internship with the United Nations Association of Uganda. While there, I visited their Mukono rural branch, where I learned about some of their important projects which help save lives every day. One of the projects was aimed at training teenagers in basic health practices and sending them out to the community to disseminate this information. One major concern in Uganda is malaria, and one simple way to prevent it is through the use of insecticide treated bed nets. The teenaged health workers educated Ugandans house by house on the importance of bed nets. According to a recent study published in Acta Tropica (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001706X11000611), "Malaria is reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Uganda, accounting for approximately 8–13 million episodes per year, 30–50% of outpatient visits at health facilities, 35% of hospital admissions, 9–14% of hospital deaths (nearly half of those in children less than 5 years of age) and a great many deaths occurring outside of health care settings."
Ugandans are increasingly relying upon government health centers and NGOs for obtaining treated bed nets, and relying less upon the option to purchase these nets.
NothingButNets is an NGO that works to provide insecticide treated bed nets to Ugandans and other people most susceptible to contracting the disease. Watch a NothingButNets video, showing bed net distribution in Uganda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9S_vZBCNJM&feature=player_embedded#!.
But just as important as providing the treated bed nets is educating people about malaria and different ways to prevent and treat the disease. The government and other organizations such as the Humble School are key to providing this education.
Ugandans are increasingly relying upon government health centers and NGOs for obtaining treated bed nets, and relying less upon the option to purchase these nets.
NothingButNets is an NGO that works to provide insecticide treated bed nets to Ugandans and other people most susceptible to contracting the disease. Watch a NothingButNets video, showing bed net distribution in Uganda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9S_vZBCNJM&feature=player_embedded#!.
But just as important as providing the treated bed nets is educating people about malaria and different ways to prevent and treat the disease. The government and other organizations such as the Humble School are key to providing this education.
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