Use of mosquito nets quite discouraging – Ezeigwe

How many insecticide treated nets have been distributed?We distributed nets between 2009 and 2013 and then we started a replacement in the last quarter of 2013 and so far we have done seventeen states. The replacement happened after three years of the initial campaign, you know the nets will not be as effective when they […]

How many insecticide treated nets have been distributed?
We distributed nets between 2009 and 2013 and then we started a replacement in the last quarter of 2013 and so far we have done seventeen states. The replacement happened after three years of the initial campaign, you know the nets will not be as effective when they were first distributed, maybe some of them have torn so that is why you see that we are starting from the place where we began the mass campaign initially and now we are doing replacement campaign. But going forward, our emphasis is not going to be on mass campaign, we would straighten continues distribution so that we don’t need to do mass campaign all the time. So far, we have distributed over 80 million nets from 2009 till date.
You spoke about some difficulties concerning the nets, what are they?
Our greatest challenge and frustration is the way people refuse to use the nets or stop using them after awhile. We push out all these nets and yet the numbers of people using it are not encouraging. Usage is still suboptimal.
When more people use the nets, then we can get the optimal benefits. If over 80% of the population use the nets, it is even possible to interrupt transmission.
People saying malaria cannot be eliminated say it because they think mosquitoes cannot be eliminated, but you can still have mosquitoes and have a malaria-free nation. Once we are able to interrupt the transmission, then we have won the war. We have to get people to use the nets, otherwise we are just wasting time.
Tell us about government’s efforts to phase out monotherapy treatment for malaria?
Monotherapy is one of the challenges we have, people still take ordinary artesunate without combination or some still take chloroquine, so it is a problem for us. But we have gone far in trying to tackle that problem because recently we had a follow up discussion with NAFDAC and we have set up a committee to track what happens within the community, in the pharmacies;  so with this committee, we are monitoring pharmacies, chemist shops.  So anywhere we see monotherapy drugs, NAFDAC will take action.
Has the federal government-subsidised Artemisin combination therapy treatment accessible?
They are very accessible because with the support of global fund, you know we have this AMFN, it used to be called the LMFN programme, but now it is called the private sector co-payment mechanism whereby they subsidize these drugs from the source of manufacture and it comes into the country so that it can be sold at a prize that is not more that maybe N120 or N150, so they are available. If you go to many pharmacies, you will see it and it is the ACT that has the green leaf logo, so they are available in the chemist stores.
What is the prevalence of malaria in the country and how far has the government gone in eliminating it?
Well, I think I can only tell that we are on the right track, you know we still have a long way to go but we are on the right track. Before 2000, the prevalence of malaria in the country used to be more 50 percent, in fact as high as maybe 75 percent, but from 2010, in fact from that 2000 when the Roll Back Malaria initiative started, a lot of resources and commitment have gone into the fight, there has been a gradual reduction in prevalence. By 2010, the prevalence has reduced below 50 percent in most parts of the country, so now you find out that in over 80 percent of the country, the prevalence is actually between 10 and 49 percent and you see that it is coming down. In some places you see that it is 20 percent, 25 and some even 15, so we are on the right track.
Any plans to speed up vector control?
Vector control is the use of net we are talking about. We are talking about environmental management which is laviciding. This is the area we are looking to really adopt on a large scale in the country, so when that comes on board, as you know there a project that has been articulated to incorporate laviciding when it takes off across the country, we hope to make better progress. But of course other forms of vector control like IRS is also going on in this country though not on a very large scale to the point where we like, but it is happening in some states, especially Lagos, Rivers states and some other states that participated in the roll back malaria control booster project. So those are the areas we are looking at.
How much has the government spent on malaria control?
On malaria, you know it is not just the federal government, it is the federal government and the Roll Back Malaria partners. So in the last 10 years or so, we have spent like up to N2 billion.