Malaria Remains Giant Killer In Lagos –Govt

As countries marked the World Malaria Day yesterday, the Lagos State Government has identified malaria as the highest killer in the state.

Disclosing this in Lagos at a news conference, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, called for proactive action against the deadly disease.

The commissioner confessed that he did not have the statistics of mortality arising from malaria in the state since it was not only in public hospitals that deaths arising from malaria parasites were reported.

“Malaria still remains the largest and most persistent killer disease in the state and accounts for 60 percent of total out-patients attendance at the health facilities.

“The most vulnerable groups are children under five and pregnant women. As a result, the devastating health and socio-economic consequences of this scourge remains a matter of great concern.

“Preventive measures have been put in place to combat malaria in the state. The Integrated Vector Management Programme consisting of the use of Long Lasting Insecticide Nets, LLINs, Indoor Residual Spraying, IRS, and larviciding operation have been deployed,” he stated.

The theme of this year’s celebration is Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria. The theme, according to health experts, marks an important and decisive point in the fight against malaria and underscores the need to consolidate on the gains on all malaria intervention.

According to Idris, residents of the state must take appropriate action he called Behavioural Change Community (BCC) activities in order to consolidate the gains made so far in malaria eradication efforts of the state government.

He said government’s huge investment in malaria control over the years had demonstrated that reduction in malaria morbidity and mortality could be achieved and sustained towards near zero deaths by 2015.

Idris explained that over 4.1million LLINs had been distributed to communities through integration into existing services with the distribution of nets to pregnant women who booked for antenatal care in public health facilities in the state.

“The Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) of long-lasting chemical insecticides on the walls and roofs of houses for the effect of curtailling malaria transmission is being implemented in six LGAs namely Ojo, Ikorodu, Badagry, Amuwo-Odofin, Kosofe and Ibeju-Lekki. This has been extended to 16 local council development areas and 48 wards.

“A total of 334,769 rooms have been sprayed in these LGAs with an estimated population of 3,570,113 being protected. Larviciding activities have also been implemented in Kosofe, Ikosi-Isheri and Agboyi-Ketu local council development areas which covers over 544 hectares of land with 934,614 estimated numbers of people being secured,” he stated.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga