WHO advocates proper funding to get Nigeria to zero malaria
The World Health Organization WHO says the malaria vaccine given provisional approval by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC still needs to undergo more trials.
The trials are to be recommended by WHO.
WHO country representative to Nigeria Dr Walter Mulombo, during a media parley at the UN house in Abuja also restated the importance and efficacy of the vaccine adopted by countries like Ghana and Kenya.
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark world malaria day during Africa vaccines week and world immunisation week, Mulombo also emphasised the need for proper policy funding and education in the efforts to get Nigeria and Africa to zero malaria.
He noted that 96 percent of world deaths and 95 percent of world infections from malaria occurred in Africa, while Nigeria contributed to 79 percent of Africa’s unvaccinated children.
Meanwhile, a public health Parasitologist, Prof. Dennis Aribodor, has said the high cost of malaria drugs is pushing most families to the use of concoctions for the treatment of the disease.
The public health expert stated these in Awka as parts of activities marking this year’s World Malaria Day which takes place on April the 25th.
The essence is to ensure that children who are the most allergic to the infection are diagnosed and treated without any costs as most poor families have resorted to concoctions for treatment of the disease resulting in high rate of kidney failures.
Aribodor noted that according to world malaria report of 2022, Nigeria has the highest burden of malaria followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Aribodor then called on the government at all levels to declare the treatment of malaria free for children in all public health facilities in the country.