SUCCESS STORIES

Indoor Residual Spraying Impacts Ugandan Communities

Nestled among a dense cluster of thatched huts, sits Alanou Nighty’s home where she and her nine children live. The thick mud walls of her small house support a worn and weathered grass roof that can hardly keep the rain out let alone the mosquitoes that transmit the leading cause of illness and death in Uganda – malaria.

Almost twenty years of conflict in northern Uganda has left thousands of families in situations similar to Alanou’s, forced to live in crowded IDP camps with abysmal living conditions and the constant threat of malaria. Malaria deaths during emergency situations often exceed the total number of deaths from the conflict itself and the lack of or damaged infrastructure makes access to treatment difficult or even impossible.

However, there is no shortage of hope in Alanou’s voice as she describes the recent Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) campaign implemented by RTI and funded by the President’s Malaria Initative (PMI).

“There was great, great, great progress here,” said Alanou when asked about the spraying that began in April of 2007.

In partnership with the RTI and the Ugandan Ministry of Health, the PMI will be supporting major IRS activities in the Kabale, Kanungu, and Apac Districts as well as selected IDP camps like Alanou’s. IRS is an incredibly effective means of preventing malaria and has been shown to dramatically decrease the incidence of the disease. The entire interior of Alanou’s house was sprayed with insecticide, including the walls, ceiling, entryway, and all other resting places for mosquitoes in an attempt to exterminate the insects and also protect her home from further infestation.

Nearly 400 spray operators, team leaders, supervisors, and health officials have been trained by RTI since the beginning of April 2006. Currently, 116 camps and more than 100,000 homes had been sprayed, protecting nearly 500,000 people, thanks to funds from the President’s Malaria Initiative.

“PMI is working really hard for the people of Uganda,” said Richard Ocan, field IRS supervisor for RTI, “PMI is truly making a difference.”

Alanou smiles as she watches her nine children scurry about the house doing chores, laughing, and playing games. “I am very thankful for the help that has been given to us by all of those working to stop malaria,” she said.

Thanks to funding from PMI, Alanou’s home and thousands more are safer from this deadly disease.