Environmental Specialist recommends governments to shift malaria elimination efforts to preventive measures

Hatch Pe Mr Francis Nwapa, MD of Hatch Pest Control and Environmental Service Ltd., has urged all levels of government to shift malaria elimination activities from curative to preventive measures.

Nwapa made the announcement during a three-day community mosquito control intervention project for pregnant and nursing women in Delta’s Ndokwa West Local Government Area.

He stated that the community mosquito control strategy was implemented to reduce the consequences of malaria among pregnant women and children under the age of five, who were the most impacted.

“Our organization’s goal is to shift focus from curative to preventive interventions in the fight against malaria by constructing modern drainage systems, sewer systems, dams, and sanitary landfills to discourage open dumping.”

“Then Nigeria will be on its way to controlling the malaria vector.”

“We urge residents to support our #EndMalariaInNigeria programme, which is being carried out in collaboration with Malaria Partners International (MPI), the Rotary Club of Kwale, and Hatch Pest Control and Environmental Service Ltd., in the form of a community Mosquito Control intervention.”

“We are focusing on reducing mosquito bites among 300 pregnant and nursing women in Ndokwa West LGA, Kwale, Delta.”

“The intervention is to perform indoor residual spraying in the homes of 300 pregnant and nursing mothers within the local government, as well as community drainage larviciding,” he explained.

According to him, the programme is required in light of increased malaria fatality rates among pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children aged 0 to 5 years in Nigeria.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the country currently records 300,000 fatalities from malaria each year, with malaria accounting for 30% of infant deaths, 25% of under-one-year mortality, and 11% of maternal deaths.

The MD described how specific historical preventive measures were made to reduce mosquitoes during the Panama Canal’s building, and how no fewer than 22, 000 lives were lost due to insects.

Nwapa stated that if African countries such as Lesotho, Mauritius, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Seychelles, and Tunisia were certified malaria-free, Nigeria could eliminate the over 200, 000 fatalities due by malaria.

“In 2023, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, and Belize were declared malaria-free by the World Health Organisation.”

“WHO grants malaria-free certification to a country after it demonstrates that it has stopped indigenous transmission of the disease for at least three consecutive years.”

“We urge all levels of government to immediately mobilise environmental health professionals to develop a national environmental health and water management plan that will address drainage and dam construction, as well as sanitary landfill construction, among other things.”

“This development will be a direct process of fighting mosquitos in Nigeria, and the government should also invest in primary health care and improve health worker remuneration.”

“The government should provide adequate funding for the Nigeria Vaccine Development Laboratory and the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research, as well as establish and adequately fund research centres in universities across the country.”

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the charity has also begun a three-day indoor residual spraying in the homes of 300 pregnant and nursing women in Delta’s Ndokwa West Local Government Area. (NAN)