As Namibia continues to battle the rising malaria outbreak, native entrepreneur Urbano Shetunyenga (28) has launched Omwe, a brand new insecticide paper geared toward offering an reasonably priced and efficient answer to fight malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Shetunyenga, the managing director of Omwe Pesticides Investments CC, developed the product after figuring out a spot available in the market for cost-effective mosquito management strategies.
“Throughout my undergraduate research in London in 2017, I contemplated on a product that might contribute to the eradication of malaria in Namibia. I fashioned partnerships to carry revolutionary, cost-effective malaria vector management instruments to the nation,” Shetunyenga says.
Omwe, which is an Oshiwambo phrase for mosquitoes, was registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform in 2022, and is an insecticide-infused paper containing transfluthrin, an lively ingredient authorized by the World Well being Organisation.
It impacts mosquitoes inside 5 minutes and offers as much as seven hours of safety in a 10-square-metre house.
In contrast to conventional mosquito management strategies, Omwe doesn’t require electrical energy, educated personnel, or costly gear. Customers merely gentle the paper, extinguish the flame, and let the smoke repel mosquitoes.
“Omwe is a safer various to mosquito coils, because it doesn’t trigger allergic reactions and incorporates Bitrex, a bittering agent that stops unintentional ingestion by kids,” Shetunyenga explains.
He provides: “It really works in tandem with present strategies like long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying however offers an extra layer of safety.”
Omwe’s launch comes at a important time as Namibia faces an rising variety of malaria instances. The Ministry of Well being and Social Providers has raised considerations over the fast unfold of the illness, significantly within the northern areas, as a consequence of heavy rains and stagnant water creating excellent mosquito breeding situations.
Well being officers have urged the general public to reinforce malaria prevention efforts, together with utilizing pesticides, sleeping beneath handled mosquito nets, and eliminating standing water round houses.
“We want all palms on deck within the battle in opposition to malaria. That’s the reason I’m working to make Omwe accessible to low-income communities and collaborating with public establishments just like the Workplace of the Prime Minister and non-governmental organisations for subsidised distribution,” Shetunyenga says.
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Regardless of its potential, Shetunyenga acknowledges the challenges in bringing Omwe to the Namibian market, together with a prolonged registration course of and efforts to teach customers on its correct use.
He additionally plans to broaden Omwe’s availability via pharmacies, retail shops, and institutional partnerships, guaranteeing broader public entry.
“My precedence helps Namibia battle malaria,” he says. “As soon as we have now made an affect right here, I’ll contemplate increasing to different malaria-affected nations within the area.”
In response to the well being ministry’s govt director, Ben Nangombe, the rising variety of malaria instances in Namibia is because of individuals who had been contaminated exterior the nation’s borders and entered Namibia searching for therapy.
Nangombe says by 19 January, the nation recorded about 3 000 instances, making up 58% of all instances, and the remaining 42% (1 465) comprise people who’ve crossed the border.
This comes after the ministry stated it recorded 5 898 malaria instances, together with 840 hospital admissions and 28 deaths, between December 2024 and 19 January.
“Most of the instances we’re reporting are imported from elsewhere, primarily from Angola,” he says.
Nangombe calls on the general public to permit the ministry’s healthcare groups to conduct residual spraying of their houses to scale back the inhabitants of mosquitoes.
He says folks ought to go to their nearest hospital as quickly as they current with any malaria signs.
“For those who wait till you turn out to be sicker, that will result in the lack of life, sadly,” Nangombe says.
As Namibia continues to battle the rising malaria outbreak, native entrepreneur Urbano Shetunyenga (28) has launched Omwe, a brand new insecticide paper geared toward offering an reasonably priced and efficient answer to fight malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Shetunyenga, the managing director of Omwe Pesticides Investments CC, developed the product after figuring out a spot available in the market for cost-effective mosquito management strategies.
“Throughout my undergraduate research in London in 2017, I contemplated on a product that might contribute to the eradication of malaria in Namibia. I fashioned partnerships to carry revolutionary, cost-effective malaria vector management instruments to the nation,” Shetunyenga says.
Omwe, which is an Oshiwambo phrase for mosquitoes, was registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform in 2022, and is an insecticide-infused paper containing transfluthrin, an lively ingredient authorized by the World Well being Organisation.
It impacts mosquitoes inside 5 minutes and offers as much as seven hours of safety in a 10-square-metre house.
In contrast to conventional mosquito management strategies, Omwe doesn’t require electrical energy, educated personnel, or costly gear. Customers merely gentle the paper, extinguish the flame, and let the smoke repel mosquitoes.
“Omwe is a safer various to mosquito coils, because it doesn’t trigger allergic reactions and incorporates Bitrex, a bittering agent that stops unintentional ingestion by kids,” Shetunyenga explains.
He provides: “It really works in tandem with present strategies like long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying however offers an extra layer of safety.”
Omwe’s launch comes at a important time as Namibia faces an rising variety of malaria instances. The Ministry of Well being and Social Providers has raised considerations over the fast unfold of the illness, significantly within the northern areas, as a consequence of heavy rains and stagnant water creating excellent mosquito breeding situations.
Well being officers have urged the general public to reinforce malaria prevention efforts, together with utilizing pesticides, sleeping beneath handled mosquito nets, and eliminating standing water round houses.
“We want all palms on deck within the battle in opposition to malaria. That’s the reason I’m working to make Omwe accessible to low-income communities and collaborating with public establishments just like the Workplace of the Prime Minister and non-governmental organisations for subsidised distribution,” Shetunyenga says.
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Regardless of its potential, Shetunyenga acknowledges the challenges in bringing Omwe to the Namibian market, together with a prolonged registration course of and efforts to teach customers on its correct use.
He additionally plans to broaden Omwe’s availability via pharmacies, retail shops, and institutional partnerships, guaranteeing broader public entry.
“My precedence helps Namibia battle malaria,” he says. “As soon as we have now made an affect right here, I’ll contemplate increasing to different malaria-affected nations within the area.”
In response to the well being ministry’s govt director, Ben Nangombe, the rising variety of malaria instances in Namibia is because of individuals who had been contaminated exterior the nation’s borders and entered Namibia searching for therapy.
Nangombe says by 19 January, the nation recorded about 3 000 instances, making up 58% of all instances, and the remaining 42% (1 465) comprise people who’ve crossed the border.
This comes after the ministry stated it recorded 5 898 malaria instances, together with 840 hospital admissions and 28 deaths, between December 2024 and 19 January.
“Most of the instances we’re reporting are imported from elsewhere, primarily from Angola,” he says.
Nangombe calls on the general public to permit the ministry’s healthcare groups to conduct residual spraying of their houses to scale back the inhabitants of mosquitoes.
He says folks ought to go to their nearest hospital as quickly as they current with any malaria signs.
“For those who wait till you turn out to be sicker, that will result in the lack of life, sadly,” Nangombe says.
