3:24 AM
Anonymous
The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, has dislosed that Nigeria has the highest malaria cases in the world, adding that the country alone contributes 23 per cent, which is almost a quarter of the global malaria cases.
Chukwu, who was represented by Mrs Fatima Bamidele, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, stated this in Lagos, on Monday, at a dinner organised to mark the World Malaria Day, also disclosed that the country contributed about 11 per cent of maternal deaths and 30 per cent of child deaths, adding that 47 per cent of the global malaria burden came from just five countries, of which Nigeria is one.
He said the country had been making efforts to contain the scourge through measures such as massive distribution of long lasting insecticide-treated nets, saying 46.8 million nets had been distributed so far in 30 states of the country.
Other measures taken to combat malaria, according to him, included scaling up in the use of indoor residual spraying (IRS) and larviciding; massive distribution of anti-malarial medicines and commodities; capacity building for health workers at both national and states’ levels and the establishment of effective coordination structures at national and states level.
According to him, the Malaria Household Survey conducted in 2010 in nine states of Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Anambra, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Rivers revealed an increase in the percentage of households with at least one insecticide treated net (ITN) from 2.2 per cent to 88 per cent.
“There is also an increase in the percentage of children under five years of age who slept under nets the night preceding the survey from 3 per cent to 44.6 per cent,” he added.
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