When group took fight against malaria to Damboa community

The disease, according to experts, is a major hindrance to economic development and is commonly associated with poverty. Experts also said that malaria transmission can be reduced by preventing mosquito bites by distributing inexpensive mosquito nets and insect repellents or by mosquito-control measures such as spraying insecticides inside houses and draining standing waters where mosquitoes […]

The disease, according to experts, is a major hindrance to economic development and is commonly associated with poverty. Experts also said that malaria transmission can be reduced by preventing mosquito bites by distributing inexpensive mosquito nets and insect repellents or by mosquito-control measures such as spraying insecticides inside houses and draining standing waters where mosquitoes lay their eggs.

In Borno State, the disease, just like cholera, is a major problem terrorizing the people of the state, especially the rural dwellers and the people appeared not to have found a lasting solution to the problem. The disease, unlike cholera outbreak, which is a seasonal disease, happens most often and the people appear to have contributed to the problem due to lack of proper hygiene. Investigations by our reporter revealed that in most parts of the state, people’s attitude to basic hygiene is poor. For example, in Maiduguri and other parts of the state, thousands of people, mostly residing in compact houses built in clearly unplanned locations, have long formed the habit of dumping refuse on virtually everywhere including their abodes.

Health authorities believe that the resultant effect of this is the predominance of filth all over, resulting into spread of deadly diseases such as cholera and malaria. Poor environmental sanitation, according to experts, especially water stampede caused by blockage of drainages through the dumping of refuse by residents can make mosquitoes to makes the drainage system their abode.

In order to reduce the number of people who fall victim to malaria, a non-governmental organisation, Kodunga Islamic Centre (KIC), founded in 2002 by Senator Kaka Yale Male, recently takes the fight against malaria to rural communities in Borno State. Among those places visited was Damboa Local Government area of Borno State.

The Chairman of KIC, Sheikh Goni Ali Gabchiya, who was represented by the leader of the group, Kunduli Kawuri, while on an advocacy visit to the local government council, explained that 50percent of Nigeria’s population suffer from one episode of malaria every year.

According to him, about 300,000 Nigerian mostly children below the age of five, die of malaria every year and incapacitates over five million Nigerians annually, saying that is why the group was embarking on sensitizing the community against the disease. He added that malaria disease accounted for over 63 percent of all out-patients visit to hospitals.

“The economic impact of the disease in terms of cost to families, government and development partners is enormous. For instance, Global Fund spends millions of dollars on awareness creation campaigns, and providing control, prevention and treatment,” he added

Kawuri appealed to the council to contribute its quota to the fight against malaria by strengthening the role of sanitary and environmental health officers with bylaws to enforce sanitation and public health law in the area. “The lack of implementation of such laws is greatly hampering progress in our public health programmes,” he noted.

He also called on the council to provide free ante-natal clinic services across the local governments. This, according to him, would greatly aid in reducing the prevalent cases of child and maternal mortality.

The chairman of the council Tijjani Mafi, while responding, said the council was geared towards providing free ante-natal services and commended the group for bringing the fight against malaria to Damboa local government.

Among what the group did, Kanem Trust gathered, was enlightening the people on medication, proper hygienic condition and distribution of insecticide treated nets to the people of the community.

Alhaji Lawan Mustapha Aji, the District Head of Damboa, appealed to the people of the area to understand what malaria is all about and stop associating it with witchcraft and evil spirits which are common among the people.

He also called on the people to allow their pregnant women to attend ante-natal care clinics, adding that death and suffering during pregnancy and child birth among our women will be reduced.

The traditional leader also directed the village and ward heads to mobilize their communities in order to pass the message across in all mosques and hamlets across their domains.

Kanem Trust observed members of the group in a convoy of motorcycles in major streets in the area distributing handbills carrying messages about malaria to the people as part of the sensitisation against the disease.

The leader of the group while addressing a gathering in the area, also told the people to avoid using ‘‘mosquito coils’’ and buying of drugs from vendors who hawk their wares on the streets or across the towns and villages.

Kanem Trust investigations revealed that similar exercises have been embarked on by the group in some local government areas of the state which included Kodunga, Chibok, Bama, Askira Uba among others.