Nets, as shown above, help prevent mosquito bites during the night when the disease-carrying insects are most active.

MYANMAR (formerly Burma) – Each night parents tuck their children into bed for a night of peaceful sleep. But for some, that's when the nightmare begins.

At dusk, disease-carrying mosquitoes are most active, attacking children and adults when they are vulnerable.

In tropical regions such as Southeast Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, the tiny insect often carries malaria, a disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted into the bloodstream when bitten.

It is the largest single cause of death in children under age five – claiming the lives of more than one million children each year in sub-Saharan Africa alone.

"Here in our village, few people can afford to buy mosquito nets," one Burmese villager said. "The only choice is to cover our bodies with our hand-made blankets."

However, during the summer months when mosquitoes are most active, taking cover under blankets is too hot.

"Either we let ourselves be bitten by the mosquitoes," the villager said, "or we endure the heat."

Thanks to Operation Blessing, families in Yangon, a suburban slum, Tanhlin and six villages in Mindone region of Myanmar will no longer have to make that choice.

More than 100 families received mosquito nets at a recent distribution.

When it comes to malaria, something as simple as a net can save lives. The insecticide-treated nets act as a safe and natural barrier to help protect families as they sleep.

More than 100 families received mosquito nets at a recent distribution to help protect against malaria.

"It's been three years that I have been mending my mosquito nets over and over again," one woman said. "There are holes all over and I kept trying to fix it."

When news arrived that free nets were being distributed in her village, the woman rushed out to find one.

"You know, it's hard to sleep without one of these," the woman said about the new net.

Last August, OBI launched a global campaign, Join the Net, with the goal of raising enough funds to purchase and distribute 100,000 nets to families living in high-risk regions.

Already, mosquito net distributions have taken place in Myanmar (formerly Burma), Senegal and Somalia.

For more information about the Join the Net campaign, visit www.ob.org/jointhenet.  

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be a part of OBI's ongoing medical relief efforts by making an online contribution to help those suffering from extreme poverty and sickness.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 1997- 2008 by Operation Blessing International of this page and all contents. No part of this site may be used without prior written consent from OBI. All Rights Reserved. Questions or comments? Email us at operation.blessing@ob.org.