Investments in malaria control has created unprecedented momentum despite the fact that the scourge was a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children under five years and pregnant women.
Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr Mordi Ononye, said such investment had yielded remarkable returns in the past years in that malaria deaths had been cut by one-third within the last decade and incidence had reduced by 50 per cent in the same period as child mortality rates have fallen by approximately 20 per cent in the country.
In a statement which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune in Asaba shortly after the celebration of this year’s World Malaria Day held on Monday, Dr Ononye said: “Sustaining malaria control efforts is an investment for development, continued investment in malaria control now will propel Delta State on the path to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those relating to improving child survival and maternal health, eradicating extreme poverty and expanding access to education.
“The state needs significant strong partnership, integrated efforts and effective collaboration to further reduce the burden of the disease. Partnership provides an opportunity for the states and its partners, including local government areas and communities to scale up on achievements in malaria control and other diseases of public health importance.”
The theme for the 2022 celebration is ‘Advance equity, build resilience, end malaria” while the slogan is “ Every Effort Counts” with focus on prevention as a critical strategy for reducing the toll of a disease that continues to kill more than four hundred thousand (400,000) people annually.
The statement revealed that the implementation in the last decade had moved to the next phase which is the elimination phase stressing that since the year 2000, malaria prevention has played an important role in reducing cases and deaths primarily through the universal coverage of nets campaigns and its subsequent routine distribution and replacement campaigns among other measures.
“I am very much aware that Delta State is due for a replacement campaign and arrangements concluded for a successful campaign scheduled for the months of May and June, 2022.
“Whether you are a government, a company, a charity organisation or an individual you can roll back malaria and help generate broad gains in multiple areas of health and human development,” the commissioner revealed.
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