ALI PATE URGES ACTION AS MALARIA CASES SURGE IN OGUN
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Ali Pate, the health minister, has expressed alarm over Ogun State’s rising malaria prevalence, which rose from 22% in 2018 to 25% in 2021.
In order to push the country toward a zero-malaria goal, he called for increased cooperation.
This statement was made on Monday in Abeokuta during the launch of the distribution of 3.1 million insecticide-treated nets, which were provided by the Society for Family Health in collaboration with the Federal Government, Ogun State Government, and other development partners. Pate was represented by David Oyeleke, a ministry director.
He emphasized that 31% of malaria deaths worldwide and 27% of the global malaria burden occur in Nigeria.
“While the national malaria prevalence dropped from 42 per cent in 2010 to 22 per cent in 2021, Ogun State has experienced an increase from 22 per cent in 2018 to 25 per cent in 2021,” he said. “This means we must intensify efforts, and the Federal Government is ready to support Ogun State in significantly reducing malaria prevalence and achieving a zero-malaria status.”
Pate emphasised the importance of the ITN campaign, urging residents to use the nets effectively. “We must encourage our people to collect these nets and sleep inside them to avoid mosquito bites that cause malaria. The success of this campaign lies in ensuring the nets are widely used,” he added.
Reiterating the need of using the nets, Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele pointed out that 40% of hospital admissions and 60% of outpatient visits are due to malaria.
“More troubling is malaria’s contribution to maternal and child mortality, including 11 per cent of maternal deaths, 25 per cent of infant deaths, and 40 per cent of deaths among children under five,” she said.
Salako-Oyedele gave the populace the assurance that the state administration will fight malaria by distributing treated nets and other measures. She urged locals, traditional authorities, and religious and community leaders to get involved by gathering and utilizing the given nets.
She advised homeowners to make sure they sleep inside the nets every night and to air them out in the shade for a full day before using them.
The Ogun State Government’s backing of the program was also commended by Dr. John Ocholi, Director of the Society for Family Health. In order to pick up their nets and begin utilizing them, he asked homeowners who had net cards to go to the specified distribution centers between Tuesday and Saturday.
“This is a strategic way to reduce malaria prevalence in the state. People must sleep inside these treated nets to protect themselves from mosquito bites,” Ocholi stated.
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