It is cheering to know that malaria deaths have reduced significantly across the world. Of concern however is that Africa still accounts for 80 per cent of global malaria burden and 90 per cent of all deaths due to the disease.
The World Health Organisation, WHO, estimates that malaria deaths decreased significantly from 935,000 in 2000 to 438,000 in 2015. Further detail of the data reveal that Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, share about 41 per cent of the global malaria burden.
This has raised serious concern among stakeholders that are keen to see a turnaround in the reduction of new malaria infections and deaths in Nigeria. Malaria is a life-threatening blood disease caused by parasites transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito.
It is a disease that can easily progress from mild symptoms of fever, headache, joint pains etc. to a life threatening condition Malaria can kill within few days of developing, hence, requires urgent and appropriate treatment.
Highlighting some of the draw backs in the efforts to reduce malaria in Nigeria, the implementation partners of the Global Fund for Malaria programme lamented that the national fight against malaria was donor-driven rather than by governments in Nigeria.
The collaborating partners are the National Malaria Elimination Programme and the Society for Family Health, SFH. The Global Fund intervention is currently operational in 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states. Experts said there is not much on the ground in the states not covered by the Global Fund programme.
Speaking at an interactive forum for titled editors/online publications and bloggers, Dr. Godwin Ntadom, a public health physician at the National Malaria Elimination Programme, NMEP, of the Federal Ministry of Health, FMOH, and Dr. Ernest Nwokolo, Malaria Programme Director at the SFH, noted that socio-economic improvements (e.g., houses with screened windows, air conditioning) combined with vector reduction efforts were measures that led to the elimination of malaria in North America in the early 19th Century.
Use of DDT and efficient management of the environment resulted in the eradication of malaria in Europe and South America in the 1950s. DDT was one of the first chemicals in widespread use as a pesticide.
Ntadom submitted: “Sub-Saharan Africa demonstrated the least commitment due to Ignorance (causes and how to prevent malaria); inadequate resources; weak political commitment and poor communication.
According to Nwokolo, the partners plan increased communication to change attitudes and behaviours as well as to encourage increased environmental measures to eliminate the breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
However, speaking on concerns among the populace to the effect that malaria drugs arteminisin combination therapy, ACTs recommended by the WHO for the effective treatment of malaria was no longer tackling the disease, Ntadom debunked the claims, but observed that many with out malaria infection, take malaria medications.
He highlighted many instances where malaria tests show people that are free of the malaria parasites still went ahead to take malaria medicines. “If you take malaria medicines and you don’t have malaria, it wouldn’t work for you because fever and headache are products of many diseases. “There are over 500 diseases that will present as fever and headache.
Thyfoid, Yellow Fever, Ebola and others come with fever and headache. “So, if you have any other disease, other than malaria and you take that malaria medicine, your conclusion will be that the medicine is not working because you are not treating malaria.
Whereas, the medicine you have taken is meant to treat malaria.” Ntandom affirmed that there is no reliable symptom that can make you to be sure you have malaria.
Hence, the best practice, according to him, is for the person that suspects he has malaria to have his blood tested for the presence of the malaria parasites. He said the antimalarial that are deployed to Nigeria were senstitive in Nigeria and the entire Africa.
However, the only place that there is antimalarial drug resistance is in south east Asia (Thailand and Cambodia). Another, challenge about treating malaria is that the cost of the ACTs that is recommended is out of the reach of many less privileged persons.
However, speaking of the cost of malaria medication, Nwokolo advised citizens to look out for drugs with the green leaf indicator. He said that donors had subsidised majority of malaria drugs with the green leaf sign for the benefit of citizens.
He urged citizens not to be misled into buying the higher priced drugs in the erroneous assumption that they are of superior quality. “This is the biggest deception we are seeing in our country.
The Private Sector Procurement Mechanism means that the Global Fund pays money to the manufacturer. If the drug is supposed to cost one dollar, they pay 95 cents,” he said.
“The manufacturer sells the drug to people we call first-line users, who buy at five cents. When they come into the county we discuss with them so that they sell the drugs at nothing more than N100 and adult dose at 120.
The drugs have a sign- a green leaf logo”. Nwokolo said malaria drugs with the green logo are produced by the same company that produces expensive drugs. “Because you do not know about that, when you go to these pharmacies, they will sell the costly ones because they make a gain.
“People prefer the expensive ones because when the pharmacist brings the cheaper one for N200, and the expensive one, the person will ask for the expensive one because ‘he wants to know what he is buying.’’ He accused pharmacies of “maximising” the ignorance of the people.
By: APPOLONI A ADEYEMI
The Newtelegraph
ABUJA: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
PORTHARCOURT: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
LAGOS: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
STOP paying for airtime and electricity, Let your phone pay its bills with ScreenT
You may also like
FG Supports Robotic Surgery Expansion to Reduce Medical Tourism
Nigeria is taking another step toward strengthening specialised healthcare …
Complete Knee Replacement Rehabilitation Package in Lagos
Knee replacement surgery is a major step toward pain relief and improved mo…
NAMDA threatens strike over unpaid medical lecturers’ allowances
The Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) has warned…
Resident Doctors Signal End to Strike Threat After High-Level Talks with Gbajabiamila
The threat of a nationwide indefinite strike by the Nigerian Association of…
AMLSN Issues Strong Rejoinder to NAMDA on Public Service Establishment Matters
The Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) has rel…
