TACKLING THE MALARIA SCOURGE
The authorities could do more to reduce the malaria burden
Health authorities should be worried by the 2023 World Malaria Report, which reveals that nearly 200,000 deaths occurred in Nigeria last year. The country also carries the highest burden of malaria globally, accounting for approximately 27% of the global malaria burden and 31% of malaria deaths worldwide. “Children under five and pregnant women are the most affected, with a national malaria prevalence rate of 22% in children aged six-59 months as of 2021. In some regions, such as Kebbi State, this rate is as high as 49%”, the report states. With the environmental conditions and associated ailments, which have all combined to make malaria a scourge for both the young and old, and especially pregnant women and young children under the age of five years, the statistics of death from the disease in Nigeria remain startling.
In recent years, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), progress in reducing malaria has ground to a standstill. “Not only does malaria continue to directly endanger health and cost lives, but it also perpetuates a vicious cycle of inequity,” WHO reports. “People living in the most vulnerable situations including pregnant women, infants, children under five years of age, refugees, migrants, internally displaced people, and Indigenous Peoples continue to be disproportionately impacted.”
Earlier in the year, the federal government enlisted the support of some prominent business leaders to collaborate with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the National Assembly Joint Health Committees and women’s organisations in the country. Then Minister of State for Health
and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, emphasised the urgency of addressing malaria prevalence in a country that accounts for over a quarter of global cases and about a third of the more than 600,000 deaths worldwide, mostly affecting children and pregnant women. “It is sad to note that malaria contributes about 25 per cent to 30 per cent of childhood mortality and about 60 per cent of hospital attendance,” Alausa said. “Similarly, malaria is a major cause of absenteeism in schools, markets, and workplaces, as well as a significant out-of-pocket expense for most households in the country.”
The World Bank has revealed that over the past decade, 11 African countries have reduced confirmed malaria cases by more than 50 per cent. The bank has also reported steady progress in Nigeria. The National Malaria Control Programme is moving to increase access to malaria prevention, treatment services and community mobilisation to reduce the burden of the disease. However, combating Malaria requires multifaceted actions and partnerships involving public and private, international and civil society sectors.
Funding for malaria control globally is also inadequate. In 2022, US$ 4.1 billion – just over half of the needed budget – was available for malaria response. Globally the number of cases in 2022 was significantly higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, rising to 249 million from 233 million in 2019. In the same period, the African region saw an increase in cases from 218 million to 233 million. The region continues to shoulder the heaviest malaria burden, representing 94 per cent of global malaria cases and 95 per cent of global deaths.
The R21 vaccine launch in Nigeria marks a significant milestone in the fight against malaria, particularly for children. The vaccine rollout is being implemented in phases, starting with Bayelsa and Kebbi States, two states with significant malaria burden in the country. We hope the vaccine will eventually be available in other states. The health authorities should adopt the best possible strategy that will help in the efforts to eradicate the scourge of malaria from the country. But containing the disease will require multifaceted actions and partnerships involving public and private, international and civil society sector.
