The Anambra State Government says malaria-related under-five death rate has reduced from 77.8 per cent to 14.3 per cent from February 2022 to February 2023.
This disclosure was made by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike on Thursday in Awka, at a news conference to mark World Malaria Day.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that World Malaria Day is commemorated every April 25, to raise awareness about the vector-borne disease and to promote efforts to combat it.
The theme for 2023 is, ‘Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement’.
Dr. Obidike said, “In the last one year, Anambra has done extremely well in the fight against malaria and this is because Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration invested and put some interventions in place.
“In June 2022, the state government collaborated with Malaria Consortium to distribute 3.8 million mosquito nets to households and embarked on desilting of drains across the state. These interventions yielded positive results.
“According to data, under-five death rate due to malaria has reduced from 77.8 per cent to 14.3 per cent, and cases of malaria fever presented at the hospitals reduced by 30 per cent in one year.
“Mosquito nets use increased from 27 per cent to 57 per cent. The national benchmark for net use is 37 per cent. So, this shows that Anambra had gone ahead in the national benchmark. We need to sustain the momentum.”
The Commissioner urged residents to always make use of mosquito-treated nets, clean their environments as well as clear bushes to prevent malaria.
He also advised residents to visit hospitals for proper diagnosis and treatment of malaria, noting that the state government had subsidised the cost of treatment, especially for children.
“It is unfortunate to note that when people feel they have fever, they buy and take anti-malaria drugs without proper test and prescription. Drugs are chemical substance and it has effects inside the body.
“People should not consume anti-malaria drugs anyhow, it is dangerous.
“Fever can be a symptom of viral infection, tonsillitis or sepsis. So, we encourage people to go for tests before they start the treatment of malaria,” he said.
In his remarks, the Director of Public Health, Dr. Afam Anaeme said there is a need to intensify efforts to prevent the malaria scourge.
He said that the state government and its partners are not relenting in their efforts, adding that they are using resources at their disposal to tackle the killer disease.
(NAN)
