By Fasilat Lawal, Zion Oyelade
Experts have advocated for more funding in the Health sector more collaboration with stakeholders to eradicate malaria in the country.
They made the call in commemoration of this year’s World Malaria Day in Ibadan.
A medical expert, Dr Olufemi Aworinde explained that malaria could be deadly if not well treated early, and mostly affects the vulnerable in the society who do not have access to medical care at the grassroots.
Dr Aworinde said, expectant mothers and children below the age of 5 are predisposed to malaria due to their low immunity .
Speaking on this year’s theme: Accelerate the fight against malaria for a more equitable world, Dr Aworinde called on African leaders to collaborate with one another and invest both capital and human resources in tackling
malaria scourge to reduce the burden of the disease and death in the Continent.
The medical practitioner called on government to allocate more fund to the Health Sector and also Partner foreign Organizations in the Sector
A pharmacist, Abiodun Ajibade, pointed out that the cost of Anti Malaria drugs was high, and canvassed that government should subsidize the drugs to make them affordable to the common man.
An environmentalist, Abiodun Adegoke advised people to Prevent malaria through clearing of mosquito breeding sources such as drainages and keeping their surrounding clean.
Some residents of Ibadan who spoke with Radio Nigeria equally called on government to control the prices of pharmaceutical products particularly, Anti malaria drugs and make insecticide treated mosquito nets available to the public.
A public health practitioner in Osun State, Doctor Funmilola Owolabi who promoted the merits of using insecticide-treated-net to fence around the bed before sleep said mosquitoes did have free-day while one had fallen into a deep sleep.
Doctor Owolabi said no one was excluded from using insecticide-treated-net especially the pregnant woman and babies who would be in need of care.
A nurse, Mrs Toriola Adeleke who frowned at the attitude of those who had received the net from government but had refused to use it accordingly said many would rather prefer to use the net for farming while others would cut it into pieces for domestic use.
Mrs Adeleke advocated more public sensitization that would make the people see the fight against Malaria menace as a collective fight.
She said Malaria had not only caused the death of many in the world but had also led to many structural deficiencies of the body, which was why there must be need to keep people abreast of harm the infection does.
Others who spoke with Radio Nigeria including a public affairs analyst and health provider, Mr Adekunle Omosogo who lauded the effort of the federal government under the administration of President Bola Tinubu for developing an home-grown medicine to combat Malaria said Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) was the recommended first line antimalarial medicine for uncomplicated malaria.
Mr. Omosogo advised that people should seek medical help from professionals first even if there would be need for the use of less efficacious medicines such as Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and chloroquine.
The theme for this year World Malaria Day is ‘Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world.
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