Rivers State Government has reiterated its political will and commitment to reduce the disease burden of Rivers people.
Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo stated this in a goodwill message in Government House, Port Harcourt, to commemorate World Malaria Day 2022.
She noted that under the watch of the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, the prevalence rate of malaria has reduced significantly, noting that the state prevalence rate of malaria was 11.3percent against the national prevalence of 24percent.
According to the public health physician, Wike was the Grand Ambassador for Malaria Elimination in the state, saying that Rivers State was amongst the best five states in the country in terms of malaria control.
The deputy governor insisted that citizens must take responsibility to keep their environment clean, get rid of stagnant water, sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets, and test for malaria before medication in the quest to control and eliminate malaria.
The 25th of April each year is set aside by the United Nations under the auspices of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to commemorate World Malaria Day.
The theme for 2022 World Malaria Day is: “Advance Equity, Build Resilience, and End Malaria-Every Effort Counts”.
Meanwhile, the United States and Nigeria have over the past year jointly advanced the fight against malaria, despite immense challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A statement signed by the US Mission in Nigeria, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt, indicated that that “committed and courageous frontline health workers, especially nurses, midwives, and community health workers, across the country went the extra mile to ensure essential malaria services were sustained. Their efforts saved lives and supported community resilience.
“The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) has partnered with Nigeria to fight malaria since 2011, contributing $768million to date and $74million in FY 2021″.
PMI’s Annual Report, released, last Monday, showcased how the strong partnership between the United States and Nigeria enabled robust and effective malaria services to continue in FY 2021, even as COVID-19 caused enormous strain on the health system.
“Through PMI funding and programs, 58million bed nets, 130million fast acting medicines, and 82million malaria test kits have been delivered to clinics and communities since 2011. In addition, 24million preventive treatment doses were delivered to pregnant women and 13million doses to children during the rainy season.
“In the past year, more than 3,666 health workers received training that amplified their ability to detect and treat malaria, while strengthening the health system overall and providing key skills to fight COVID-19 and future pandemics”.
USAID Mission Director, Anne Patterson said, “I think what Nigeria is doing to advance more effective malaria prevention, treatment, and control is so important, especially the introduction of innovative tools to make better use of the data in real-time, and also to enhance quality of care via community-based health workers.”
Assisted by PMI investments, Nigeria is progressing its fight against malaria using proven and cost-effective methods that save lives and promise a more healthy and prosperous future for families and communities.
Acting U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator, Julie Wallace, said, “With perseverance and strong global commitment we can end malaria in our lifetime. The United States is proud of our work with Nigeria in combating this deadly, yet entirely preventable, disease.”
As part of our commitment to the reduction of the malaria burden and saving lives, the U.S Army Medical Research Directorate-Africa/Nigeria (USAMRD-A/N), also with support from the PMI, has been able to increase and strengthen the capacities of medical laboratory scientists in malaria microscopy, rapid testing, quality assurance, and laboratory supervision.
USAMRD-A/N is also joining the State Ministries of Health in Akwa-Ibom and Benue, the National Malaria Elimination Programme, and the Nigerian Ministry of Defense in launching the National Malaria Slide Bank (NMSB) Project.
The project would produce Nigeria’s first bank of validated, domestically developed slides for malaria microscopy training, external quality assurance, and future research purposes.