The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, estimates that malaria may cost Nigeria $2.8 billion by 2030.
On World Malaria Day in Abuja on Tuesday, he predicted that malaria will cost Nigeria $1.6 billion in 2022.
He claimed Permanent Secretary Mamman Mamuda estimated 55 million malaria cases and about 90,000 malaria-related fatalities in Nigeria annually.
He calculated that 70% of malaria cases cost people N2,280.00 out of pocket.
Malaria control would boost productivity, health, school attendance, poverty, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Accordingly, we must continue to battle to achieve zero malaria by 2030, in line with the WHO’s Global Technical Plan,” he added.
Ehanire said this year’s celebration’s theme, “Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement,” was a call to the population, particularly those living in malaria-endemic zones, who accounted for most of the burden and deaths, to use the tools and tactics to reach those in need.
He said that malaria prevalence dropped from 27% in 2015 to 23% in 2018 and 22% in 2021; approximately 130.42 million long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINS) were distributed in 33 states; and 63 million children received seasonal malaria chemoprevention.
He said Nigeria had successfully applied to GAVI for the RTS-S malaria vaccine allocation, which was anticipated for April 2024.
Oxford University researchers just began developing a second malaria vaccine.
“This second vaccination, R21/Matrix M, has gone through the first and second phases of clinical testing in several chosen African nations with good results,” he stated. A phase III experiment is nearing completion.
Nigeria and other WHO member nations were urged Tuesday to prioritise malaria in health funding allocations.
To reverse these tendencies and expedite growth, “we must rethink and rejuvenate our strategy by investing, developing, and executing smartly.”
Even if the House of Representatives estimates 97 million malaria infections and 300,000 fatalities annually in Nigeria,
In her World Malaria Day message, WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr. Matshidiso Moeti said that malaria mortality remained unacceptably high and cases had increased since 2015.
Malaria killed 619,000 individuals in 2021; 96% of them were African.
She continued, “It is 6–20 times more likely to spread in mosquito-prone areas than the Omicron version of sars-cov-2.
In 2021, the WHO African Area had 234 million malaria cases and 593,000 fatalities, representing almost 95% of worldwide cases and 96% of deaths.
So, our region remains severely struck by this devastating disease, partially because too many people lack access to preventative and therapeutic therapies. Most African nations have unacceptably high health care costs, and 30% of the population cannot receive vital health treatments. The most vulnerable—young children and women—face significant disparities, whereas 80% of malaria infections and fatalities occur in children under five.
She said endemic nations and partners raised 50% of the projected $7.3 billion needed to combat malaria in 2021.
She added that the first WHO-recommended malaria vaccine for children, RTS-S, was saving lives. A WHO-coordinated pilot programme has vaccinated over 1.5 million children in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.
At least 28 African countries wanted to introduce the vaccine, with some starting in early 2024.
She also noted that the RTS and S malaria vaccine deployment had expanded beyond the three original nations and that numerous additional unique medicines were under development.
Yesterday, House of Representatives spokesperson Benjamin Kalu claimed four African nations, including Nigeria, accounted for almost half of malaria fatalities globally.
Though malaria has been reduced in Nigeria, significant effort remains to eradicate it.
He said the ninth National Assembly had recognised a lack of domestic finance and local content in anti-malarial medication manufacture and patronage as critical concerns.
To complement donor funding, the World Bank and Islamic Bank’s IMPACT programmes have authorised approximately $300 million.
“No critical goods have been acquired since the parliamentary resolution in December 2021 to utilise the loan facility.”
He claimed that the lukewarm attitude of the National Malaria Elimination Programme’s leadership and slow actions from the United Nations Office for Project Services, the procurement agency for Islamic Bank funding, and the World Bank had hampered urgent procurements of these commodities despite the availability of funds and locally produced commodities in Nigeria.
According to the House’s AIDS, TB, and Malaria Committee chairman, this has caused National Assembly members tremendous anxiety owing to a lack of procurement.
“In view of the aforesaid, the NMEP, UNOPs, and the World Bank are urgently called upon to fast track the procurements of these life-saving commodities to reduce the high burden of malaria in Nigeria, as reaffirmed in the 2023 World Malaria Theme”.
At a community outreach in Lugbe, FCT, Africa Youth Development Foundation Executive Director Arome Salifu observed that “many Nigerians are still not receiving the basic services.”
The Pest Control Association of Nigeria has encouraged the Federal Government to fight malaria using pest management.
“The way to proceed is to curb malaria and vector-borne disease from the source by attacking the vector and providing a sound environment,” said Terungwa Abari, head of the FCT branch of the organisation.
