South Sudan’s Ministry of Health will receive 9.5 million mosquito nets for a nationwide distribution campaign ahead of the annual rainy season, UNICEF said Monday.
The initiative, aimed at reducing malaria-related deaths, is funded by the Global Fund and includes nets donated by the Against Malaria Foundation.
Ismail Kamil, deputy country representative for UNICEF in South Sudan, said 763,000 nets have already arrived in the capital, Juba. The remainder are in transit and will arrive in phases.
Once all shipments are received, nets will be stored at UNICEF hubs in Bor, Malakal, Rumbek and Yambio, as well as government warehouses in Wau and Gombo. Implementing partners will then distribute them door-to-door across the country.
The campaign aims to meet the national standard of one net for every 1.5 people, with a focus on protecting children under 5 and pregnant women, who are most vulnerable to malaria.
Kennedy Ganiko Baime, undersecretary at the Ministry of Health, described the shipment as a “major public health intervention” in a country where malaria remains a leading cause of illness and death.
He urged families to use the nets for sleeping only — not for fishing or farming — and warned that misuse would undermine the effort.
Yar Manyuon, director general for preventive health at the ministry, said malaria kills an estimated 18 people per day in South Sudan. He encouraged more people to seek testing at health facilities rather than self-medicating, to improve disease tracking.
Dr. Apal Toby Madut, director of the National Malaria Control Programme, said the distribution will be supported by community awareness campaigns to ensure proper use. He added that South Sudan is expanding other anti-malaria measures, including preventive treatment for pregnant women and vaccine coverage for children.
The campaign will use digital tools to register households and track nets in real time, UNICEF said.