Buthidaung, Arakan State: The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) distributed mosquito nets to poor villagers of Buthidaing Township on December 8, said a village elder.

The UNDP distributed mosquito nets in Kagapa village of Buthidaung Township because it is a malaria prone area. Most of the villagers have been suffering from malaria for a long time. The poor people sleep without mosquito nets at night so they are prone to be afflicted by malaria.

The UNDP has distributed four pieces of mosquito nets to a family which has over eight members, two pieces to over five-member families and one piece to those with three family members.

In the rural areas of Buthidaung Township, 75 per cent of the villagers have been suffering from fever, according to a quack from Buthidaung Town.

The village has about 260 families, of them 100 families have been benefited. Those who received mosquito nets are extremely poor.  The UNDP will provide more mosquito nets to other poor villagers of Buthidaung Township soon, according to a local trader.

An old widow from the village said, “Earlier we had no mosquito nets. My family has three members including me. We were frequently afflicted by malaria earlier, but I hope that after receiving mosquito nets, we will be protected from malaria.”

Another old widower in the locality said, “We are thankful to UNDP for distributing mosquito nets to the poor villagers. We hope that it will protect us from mosquito bites.”