Malaria: A public health emergency
Malaria is one of the most severe global public health problems worldwide, particularly in Africa and to be precise, Nigeria, which has the greatest number of malaria cases. This means that Nigeria suffers the world’s greatest malaria burden, with approximately 51 million cases and 207,000 death annually. That is, 30 per cent of the total […]
Malaria is one of the most severe global public health problems worldwide, particularly in Africa and to be precise, Nigeria, which has the greatest number of malaria cases. This means that Nigeria suffers the world’s greatest malaria burden, with approximately 51 million cases and 207,000 death annually. That is, 30 per cent of the total malaria burden in Africa. This is according to data obtained from the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) World malaria report 2014. The report further shows that; 97 per cent of the total Nigerian population is at the risk of infection.
Malaria has remained one of the most challenging public health phenomenon, which has stubbornly refused to be eliminated over the years despite several interventions by the national government and international organisations.
Several factors are to be blamed for the increasing rate of malaria infections in Nigeria. Among such factors are; self-medication, which results in drug resistance and treatment failure; inadequate provision and use of long lasting insecticide treated net (LLITN) among others.
Similarly, the most prevalent factors that have sustained the spread of malaria are global warming and climate change. Changes in temperature and precipitation (that is, rainfall) contribute to the breeding of malaria vectors in several homes and communities across Nigeria.
Furthermore, people’s attitudes have equally contributed to the spread of malaria among the Nigerian populace. Despite having the knowledge of malaria being an endemic disease Nigerians are still very reluctant when it comes to taking simple precautionary measures against its spread.
Proper sanitation and hygiene, which are very important in the control of the Anopheles parasite are very poor in most Nigerian households. This is a major contributory factor to the ravaging scourge of malaria in Nigeria.
One of the other factors that militate against the control and prevention of malaria is the lack of political will, leadership and funding from the government. It is obvious that the government lacks the will power and readiness to roll back malaria from our country. Imagine the propensity of attention, support, legislation and funding, which was put in place by the federal government in the fight against coronavirus. Whereas, malaria has been a public health emergency in Nigeria prior to the intrusion of COVID-19 into our borders the needed attention has not been given towards its control and prevention. This can best be described as a misplacement of priority.
If the same amount of time, energy and fund spent on the supply of vaccines and treatment of COVID-19 can be utilised in the development of genetic mosquitoes that are self-repellant to Plasmodium Falciparum and also in the research and development of vaccines against malaria, Nigeria would have gone a long way in its fight against malaria.
Let me call the attention of the federal, state, local government and other development partners and stakeholders to the fact that malaria is a public health emergency in Nigeria that deserves better resources and funding to tackle the menace. If we can declare a state of emergency on COVID-19 and pass through a series of lockdown and restrictions, then let us take the fight against malaria more seriously with determination.
Malaria is not just a disease of the common Nigerian but of all Nigerians.
Tijani Hassan Abdulkarim wrote via [email protected]