The Impact of Malaria on Public Health in Nigeria: Prevention and Treatment Strategies

By KINGDAVID JESSE

Malaria in Nigeria is that one consistent, recurring theme despite the many winds of change in the country. Let the government, weather or dollar value change, malaria will still be around. Nigeria is a malaria endemic region, due to our tropical climate and environment that aids the life-cycle of the mosquitoes that transmit the malaria parasite.

The definition is (of) public health is important to this discussion. According to the?World Health Organization?(WHO), “Public health refers to all organized measures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole. Its activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy and focus on entire populations, not on individual patients or diseases.”.? This means that whatever impacts the health of the population is a public health concern.

Malaria is not a contagious disease but yet places a great burden on public health with an estimated 68 million cases and 194 000 deaths due to the disease in 2021. Nigeria has the highest burden of malaria globally, accounting for nearly 27% of the global malaria burden.?Malaria has (in) Nigeria (has) accounted for 38.4% of global malaria deaths in children under five and (Nigeria) loses N646bn yearly to malaria.

So, how do we tackle this devouring canker-worm that affects all facets of our existence as a nation. The popular quote “prevention is better than cure” rings true now. We may not be able to change our climate but we can change our environment, enlighten and educate people, arm them with knowledge to prevent malaria and finally we can have prompt treatment systems that reduce the morbidity and mortality of malaria.

Prevention and treatment strategies would include:

• Public health education: this (is) the cornerstone of all forms of preventive strategies as it explains the why, what to do and how to do that are imperative in the prevention of malaria. This could be done in form of community outreaches, radio jingles, television adverts, flyers and other means of publicly disseminating information, as this will improve Community Engagement and Social Mobilization
• Government policies: that promote environmental sanitation [proper sewage disposal etc.] and the equipping of the primary health care centers to able to cater for the treatment of malaria comfortably like providing subsidized if not free rapid diagnostic kits and ACT drugs to these facilities. Adequate and proper funding to combat the malaria endemic.
• Non-governmental organization involvement as the NGO’s could be the middle ground between the government and the masses. NGO’s funding could provide the basic equipment used in the fight against Malaria such as mosquito nets, insecticides etc. They could also promote education on the form of malaria that affect pregnant women and children, bringing awareness to these situations.

There are other strategies that would be feasible but the important thing is that we all see Malaria as a problem that can be kicked to the curb and from there, we all begin to play our roles in making malaria an overcome problem. So first and foremost, what part are you playing to eradicate malaria?