A Consultant Paediatrician at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Dr Mohammed Abdulkadir, has decried the prevalence of malaria in Nigeria in spite of government efforts.
Abdulkadir spoke in commemoration of the 2023 World Malaria Day in Ilorin on Monday.
He acknowledged efforts which saw the prevalence of malaria parasite in children under the age of five reduced from 42 per cent in 2010 to 23 per cent in 2018.
The don, however, regretted that Nigeria still account for 26.6 per cent of malaria cases in the world and 31.3 per cent of deaths caused by malaria across the world.
The paediatrician said Kebbi State is the most affected by malaria in the country.
“Kebbi accounts for 52 per cent of cases while Lagos State, which is the least affected, accounts for 1.5 per cent of malaria prevalence.
“While malaria is a cause of poverty, it is also a consequence of poverty and it disproportionately affects people who are experiencing poverty, exclusion and social disadvantage, despite being preventable, treatable and familiar to human kind since the dawn of time”, he said.
The Associate Professor noted that global economic downturn occasioned by COVID-19 experience and the Russia-Ukraine crisis has caused set-backs in the fight against malaria because donor countries prioritise their domestic needs over donating to the fight against malaria.
Abdulkadir noted further that malaria can be totally eliminated from Nigeria having been eliminated from some Asian countries.
“A similar feat can be achieved if the population intensifies the adoption of mosquito nets in Nigerian communities along with other strategies.
“Among the setbacks observed is that some beneficiaries of mosquito nets convert the insecticidal nets to fishing purposes, a situation which is the reflection of their social situation,” Abdulkadir said.