Malaria: a familiar threat, a renewed push

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Malaria has long been part of daily life in Uganda, predictable, preventable, yet stubbornly persistent.

Now, with cases rising again, the government is mounting one of its most ambitious responses in years: a nationwide mosquito net campaign that aims to reach nearly every household.

The scale of the problem is hard to ignore. Uganda accounts for 4.7% of all malaria cases globally, meaning nearly 1 in every 20 cases worldwide occurs within its borders. In 2025 alone, the country recorded over 11.7 million cases and more than 2,300 deaths, with more than half of those deaths affecting children under five.

Even more concerning, the Ministry of Health said in a statement released April 9, infection rates are climbing again, rising from 9.2 % a few years ago to 12.5 % today, roughly 1 in every 8 Ugandans testing positive at any given time.

Behind those numbers are everyday realities: missed school days, lost income, overwhelmed clinics, and families navigating preventable illness. Health officials point to a mix of causes, changing weather patterns, weakening effectiveness of some interventions, and, increasingly, a drop in consistent prevention practices at the household level.

It is this last factor that the Ministry of Health is now trying to confront directly. At the centre of its strategy is a simple but proven tool: the mosquito net. When used correctly, officials say, these nets can cut malaria transmission in half and reduce deaths by about a quarter. For children, the impact can be even more significant, lowering the risk of death by up to 25 %.

The upcoming campaign will distribute 25.8 million nets across 130 districts, enough to cover nearly the entire population under the guideline of one net for every two people. In practical terms, that means most households will receive at least one net, and larger families several.

The effort builds on earlier campaigns that dramatically expanded access, moving from just 64 % coverage in 2010 to nearly universal coverage, 98 %, in recent years.

But access alone is no longer the main challenge. The Ministry acknowledges that many households already have nets but are not using them consistently or correctly. That’s why this campaign goes beyond distribution.

Teams of community health workers will move door to door, demonstrating how to hang and use nets properly, addressing misconceptions, and following up with families.

“We must take ownership of our own health,” the Ministry urges, calling on every household to ensure that “every member sleeps under a mosquito net every night”.

If successful, the campaign could ease pressure on health facilities, reduce household medical costs, and save thousands of lives, especially among the country’s youngest and most vulnerable.

Yet it also reflects a deeper responsibility: eliminating malaria will depend not just on government supply, but on everyday decisions made at home, night after night.