289,957 cases of malaria recorded in Abuja

In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), malaria accounts for 70 per cent of outpatient visits, 40 per cent of admissions with a total of 389,957 cases reported, and a malaria prevalence rate of 35.4 per cent, according to the Mandate Secretary, Health and Human Service Secretariat (HHSS), Dr Abubakar Tafida.

Tafida made this disclosure yesterday, at a stakeholder’s interactive forum, organised by the Secretariat as part of activities to mark the 2022 World Malaria Day, with the theme: “Harness innovation to reduce malaria disease burden and save lives”, in Abuja.

He noted that this year’s theme was apt, as it is a clarion call by the World Health Organisation (WHO), for new investments and innovation to speed up the pace of efforts to control the malaria menace.

According to him, Nigeria accounts for 32 per cent of malaria-related deaths, as the disease is responsible for 60 % of admissions, 11 per cent of maternal mortality, 25 per cent of infant mortality and 30 per cent of under-5 mortality.

He adds: “The situation in the FCT is also critical. Stagnant waters, which are characteristics of the ever-enlarging slums across the FCT, are the breeding ground for the Anopheles mosquitoes, whose bites cause malaria.”

The HHSS Secretary, however, revealed that the FCT Administration has strategically and innovatively adopted a multi-pronged approach toward reducing/controlling the menace of the disease.

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” We have the free treatment and diagnostic testing of malaria cases in some selected primary health care facilities; free provision of malaria prophylaxis medicine, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for pregnant women.

“Free distribution of 168,000 long-lasting insecticides treated nets to communities and health facilities across the six FCT area councils for target population; and comprehensive and continuous public and community sensitisation programmes.

“Integrated supportive supervisory visits to health facilities across the FCT, to ensure quality malaria control service delivery; as well as quarterly review of malaria control activities in the FCT,” he affirmed.

Furthermore, he added that ” working together as a team, with stakeholders being very committed and harnessing creative innovations, FCT can become the first part of Nigeria to eliminate malaria.”

Also speaking, Dr Olusola Oresanya, of the Malaria Consortium, who delivered a talk on controlling malaria in Nigeria to the hundreds of participants consisting of health workers, supporting partners and students of the FCT School of Nursing, Gwagwalada, disclosed that Nigeria has the highest contributor of malaria burden (55.2 %) WHO African region.

She noted that the current recommendation is that controlling malaria should be a multi-pronged approach, hence it is not an isolated approach if the disease must be eliminated.

According to her, malaria is a treatable and curable disease, thus it is possible to defeat malaria in the FCT and Nigeria at large, amongst others with sustained net campaign, bringing in mechanisms to build up existing interventions for health issues, such as every effort counts in the quest to eliminate health challenges, especially malaria.