The Federal Government, on Sunday, attributed malaria as a major health challenge in Africa, killing many people, particularly women and children and reduce Africa’s workforce and lowering its productivity.
This problem, according to the government, is such that at some time, malaria was responsible for more deaths in Africa than any other disease.
Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, made this known at the African Union meeting on Science, Technology and innovation held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He, therefore, urged African nations to deploy nuclear technology in eradicating malaria from the continent.
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‘’The eradication of malaria is not something that can be achieved by either a single country or even a region in African.’’ He insisted.
Dr Onu, according to a statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations Unit, Mr Abdul Ganiyu Aminu, said that for the eradication of malaria to be effective, the solution must have a continental-wide application.
He said if that is not done, any success achieved can be reversed as people who are sick of malaria travel from one country to another.
The minister said the application of nuclear technology to eradicate malaria would sterilise the male Anopheles mosquitoes which would, in turn, be released to the environment to mate with the female mosquitoes.
‘’This will result in a gradual but continuous reduction of the population of the female mosquitoes which are responsible for transmitting the malaria parasites,’’ he explained.
Dr Onu said by continuously sterilising the male Anopheles mosquitoes and releasing them into the environment, the population of mosquitoes would continue to decline, ultimately leading to the eradication of malaria.
He, however, appealed to African nations to strive to rid the continent of malaria, adding that an Africa free of that malaria would be one of the most important legacies the continent must bequeath on children and generation yet unborn.
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