The Association for Community Malaria Monitoring, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) has launched a campaign to educate Nigerians, especially those living in rural areas, on the proper use of antimalarial-treated mosquito nets and the disposal of used mosquito nets.
Speaking at the launch of a study on the management of used long-lasting mosquito nets (LLINs) in Abuja yesterday, ACOMIN Senior Operations Manager Fatima Kolo said the study aimed to identify barriers to the use of mosquito nets by residents of affected communities, as well as ways to properly dispose of the nets.
The study was conducted by ACOMIN in Kano, Niger and Delta states with support from Vesterguard, Ipsos, the National Malaria Elimination Programme and the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR).
Kolo said the purpose of the dissemination meeting was to share the findings with partners and stakeholders, review the recommendations, and provide a roadmap for their implementation.
She said ACOMIN would also consider how these recommendations could be incorporated into future malaria control plans across the country.
She explained that most of the study’s findings reflect situations that are clearly present in communities, particularly those using insecticide-treated mosquito nets in Nigeria.
Kolo said people have mixed feelings about disposing of expired insecticidal nets. Most often, people are reluctant to throw out expired insecticidal nets and prefer to use them for other purposes, such as blinds, screens, or even for fishing.
”As we’ve already discussed, some people may use mosquito nets as a barrier to growing vegetables, and if mosquito nets already help prevent malaria, then other uses are also permitted, provided they don’t harm the environment or the people within it. So this isn’t surprising, and this is exactly what we often see in society,” she said.
The ACOMIN project manager said that in the future, the organization intends to conduct intensive activities to educate people on the proper use of mosquito nets and how to dispose of them.
While insecticide-treated bed nets are effective in repelling mosquitoes, many still find the discomfort of higher temperatures a major hurdle.
The survey report found that 82% of respondents in three states used insecticide-treated bed nets year-round, while 17% used them only during mosquito season.
The survey found that 62.1% of respondents said the main reason for not using insecticide-treated mosquito nets was that they overheated, 21.2% said the nets caused skin irritation, and 11% reported often smelling chemical odors from the nets.
Lead researcher Professor Adeyanju Temitope Peters from the University of Abuja, who led the team that conducted the study in three states, said the study aimed to investigate the environmental impact of improper disposal of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and the public health risks arising from their improper handling.
”We gradually realized that insecticide-treated mosquito nets actually helped significantly reduce malaria parasite infections in Africa and Nigeria.
”Now our concern is disposal and recycling. What happens to it when its useful life ends, which is three to four years after use?”
”So the concept here is you either reuse it, recycle it, or dispose of it,” he said.
He said that in most parts of Nigeria, people are now reusing expired mosquito nets as blackout curtains and sometimes even using them to store food.
”Some people even use it as Sivers, and because of its chemical composition, it also affects our body,” he and other partners added.
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Post time: Oct-23-2025