Firm covers 5m new mums for malaria

The New Mum Programme, introduced by pharmaceutical firm Reckitt Benckiser, brought prevention messages to half a million mothers in primary health centres, and another 10,000 in churches and mosques in five cities, the firm said last week.It comes as the firm launched its latest variant of insecticide—one with an automatic control system.The new variant, containing […]

The New Mum Programme, introduced by pharmaceutical firm Reckitt Benckiser, brought prevention messages to half a million mothers in primary health centres, and another 10,000 in churches and mosques in five cities, the firm said last week.
It comes as the firm launched its latest variant of insecticide—one with an automatic control system.
The new variant, containing up to 2,000 bursts of insecticide that can last up to four weeks, delivers insecticide in regular sprays to “provide continuous protection against crawling and flying insects,” said Reckitt Benckiser at the product launch in Abuja.
The insecticide in particular targets mosquitoes, which carry malaria—a disease “responsible for 60 percent of outpatient visits to health facilities, 30 percent of childhood deaths, 25 percent of deaths in children under one year and 11 percent of maternal deaths,” said Oguzhan Silivrili, the firm’s marketing director for West Africa, in comments delivered by a representative Iku Ejiro.
The firm boasts of partnerships with National Malaria Elimination Programme and the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives.
“This partnership spans from supporting the annual World Malaria Day commemorations to effective dissemination of behavior change communication messages, and ultimately increasing malaria visibility in Nigeria,” said NMEP coordinator, Dr Nnenna Ezeigwe, at the launch.
The automatic insect control system is considered safe to use in properly ventilated rooms.