• AU, NMA urge stronger fight against disease
THE Federal Government is to establish 18 sentinel sites across the country for malaria vector surveillance even as the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched an emergency response to anti-malaria drug resistance.
Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, Thursday at a breakfast meeting in commemoration of the World Malaria Day, said Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya account for 47 per cent of annual global malaria burden with 116 million cases.
Chukwu said the Federal Government, in 2013, hopes to sustain routine Long Lasting Insecticide-treated Bed-Nests (LLIN) distribution, implement a nationwide larviciding, indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) as well as establish 18 sentinel sites across the country for malaria vector surveillance. "We will also scale up the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) as well as ensure the availability of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SPs) for pregnant women. In addition to this, we hope to scale up behavioural change communication as well as complete the Malaria Programme Review process," he said.
The minister noted that the country has so far distributed 51,703,880 LLINs and will continue to distribute nets. "However nets alone cannot lead to the expected outcome. We must diversify into other strategies such as IRS, larviciding and environment management. Awareness creation is being scaled up through the use of NIFAA (Nigeria Inter-Faith Association) as well as the investiture of Malaria Ambassadors."
He further stated: "In the African region, malaria is still of public health importance. Globally, it is estimated that there are about 247 million cases per year and Africa accounts for 86 per cent (212 million) while five countries in the world; Nigeria, DRC, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya account for 47 per cent of global burden (116 million), consequently there is the need for us to work harder than ever to rid the continent of the disease. Various strategies are being implemented in the control. But we need to move on to elimination and ultimately eradication. For Africato eliminate Malaria, our approach must be multipronged and integrated."
As part of the celebration, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) presented a proposal on how to reduce the burden of malaria in the country even as scientists identified plants that could be effectively used as repellents to prevent the malaria vector, mosquitoes, from biting the human host.
President of NMA, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, in a statement, called for increased commitment to the anti-malaria campaign from government at all levels, external partners, and Nigerians. "Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa and the acclaimed 'Giant of Africa' must now show the way in the fight to eradicate malaria from the African continent," he said.
Enabulele called for more strategic and robust planning, effective partnership and coordination with investment of more resources into the campaign to eradicate malaria and greater commitment to research efforts for development of malaria vaccine. "We believe that long-term success in the global campaign to defeat malaria will be greatly enhanced with improved investments in on-going research for development of an effective vaccine as well as research into ways of combating emerging threats such as parasite resistance," he said.
Celebrating the World Malaria Day yesterday, the Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Otumara declared in Asaba that efforts to tackle the scourge have yielded result, going by the reduction of malaria deaths by one third within the last decade in Nigeria while child mortality rates have fallen by approximately 20 percent,
He said the state government will continue to invest in the health of the people as a cornerstone for the Human Capital Development agenda of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan government.
Speaking at the ceremony in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, said due to the strategic placement of Africa as the new hub for the world's economy, it was imperative to accord malaria eradication priority and every support needed to overcome the alarming prevalence rate.
The Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) and the African Union Commission (AUC) have jointly urged African countries to increased their commitment against the fight against malaria
At the event co-hosted with African ministers of health to celebrate the continent's gains against one of the leading killer diseases, African countries were told to create innovative domestic and national health financing models just as they were warned not to continue to rely on external funding for health.
Speaking during the celebration, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, Dr. Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko, remarked: "This is a watershed year for Africa, which marks 50 years of the Organisation of African Unity and 10 years since the launch of the African Union. The 50th anniversary is observed under the theme 'Pan Africanism and African Renaissance', providing us with opportunities to take stock of the key milestones of the past 50 years and to project to the future.
"As we project into the next 50 years in the fight against malaria, we as Africans must create innovative domestic and national health financing models. We cannot and should not continue to rely on external funding for health. The experience of the last few years has shown that external funding is neither predictable nor assured."
The Guardian