EXPERTS, in an analysis of malaria infection in children under-5 across the 36 states of Nigeria between 2010 and 2018, said there were significant reductions in malaria parasite prevalence in 25 states, but not in the remaining 11 states.
They declared that reductions in malaria infection in children under-5 have occurred in most individual states in Nigeria since 2010, but substantial geographical variation in the timing and extent indicate challenges to be overcome to enable global malaria reduction.
According to them, between 2010 and 2018, there were significant declines in prevalence in 25 of the states, most pronounced in the southern and north-central zones of the country, although there was a slight reduction in the more northern zones. Changes in the North indicated an overall reduction by more than 20 per cent.
They found that most of the reductions of prevalence in the southern states occurred before 2015 and stalled or were partly reversed by 2018 and reductions in the North were more gradual and continued in the later period.
The analysis indicated substantial sub-national variation in the extent and timing of reductions in malaria infection in young children, with an apparent dichotomy before and after 2015. It was in the February edition of BMJ Global Health.
According to them, the causes of the varying trends over time and among different states and zones of this large country need to be understood in order that global goals of malaria reduction may be more realistically formulated.
They declared that more detailed research on epidemiological determinants and malaria prevention is needed, as the use of preventive methods according to questionnaire-based surveys of household heads did not explain variation among states in the recent infection trends.
They stated: “Although Nigeria is the country with by far the largest burden of malaria globally, it is now clear that over the past decade there have been significant reductions in malaria infection prevalence in children under five years of age in all the major geopolitical zones of the country, and in most of the individual states.
“However, the relative reductions have been modest, and show substantial sub-national variation in their timing and extent. This highlights major ongoing challenges to achieve and sustain reductions in malaria infection, vital for global targets.”
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.
and then