Government attacks malaria

With some one million Nigerians dying each year from malaria, the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo has decided to make rolling back malaria a key project for this year, Nigerian radio has reported.

The director for primary health care in the Nigerian Ministry of Health, Dr. Edugie Abebe, told IRIN on Friday the government had started meetings with various groups to reach consensus on strategies to control the disease, after which the government will seek community input in the fight.

“We are also looking at early diagnosis, at the use of mosquito nets and at pregnant women,” Abebe said.

Pregnant women with malaria, she added, accounted for 10 percent of deaths. The plan is to provide prophylactics over the short-term to these women, which will not compromise their natural immunity to the disease.

Statistics for malaria prevalence are stark.

Abebe said country hospital statistics showed that 30 percent of child mortality was due to malaria. About 60 percent of outpatients at hospitals come for malaria treatment. “It is the largest killer in the country, more than HIV/AIDS,” she said.

Nigeria’s AIDS rate is 5.4 percent of population over 18 years. The highest prevalence, 21 percent, is in Benue State.

However with malaria, all parts of the country suffer, with seasonal variations determining prevalence. More cases are reported during the April-to-September rainy season when still pools of water provide perfect breeding conditions for mosquitoes, which are the carriers of the disease.