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While Nigeria continues to have the highest burden of malaria prevalence in Africa, experts have worried about the poor quality of quality control.
According to them, Nigeria accounts for about 27% of the malaria burden in Africa, 30% of infant mortality and 25% of pregnant women's mortality, with more than 70% of external consultations in public facilities.
He made this statement at a symposium commemorating World Malaria Day 2019 organized by the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), in collaboration with the Nigeria Malaria Society and the Society for the Control of Mosquitoes in Nigeria. , on the theme "Zero Malaria starts with Me"
Bamgboye Afolabi, founder of the Foundation for Health, Environment and Development, said the poor quality control of pharmaceuticals, drugs, research, administrative management of malaria other antimalaria products had contributed to increasing the burden of the disease in the country.
He added that the lack of political will and policies aimed at regulating the influx of these antimalaria products by the government would continue to put the country in grave danger, due to the expiration of the delay, low doses and the poor quality of drugs flooding the market.
Alolabi, who is also chief researcher in the field of medical research, NIMR, said that "more than 20 million antimalarials are consumed by Nigerians, half of whom are fake, which poses a great danger to the health of the nation.
He cited a drug store, which contains more than 30 different types of antimalarials, with no research or approvals for consumption, adding that most of these drugs are imported into the country for the purpose of destroying lives and diseases. make money.
Afolabi lamented that no antimalarial drug is approved in Nigeria without prior confirmation through periodic research and evaluation in the country.
To ensure high quality antimalarial drugs in Nigeria, the government should collaborate with the local pharmaceutical industry to produce its own medicine, as studies have shown that antimalarial herbal medicines are grown in the country, in the country. waiting for their effectiveness.
"The biggest problem we have in Nigeria is that we do not manufacture anything, there is not a single manufacturer that manufactures genuine antimalarial in Nigeria, almost everything is imported from India, from China and other countries bring all these drugs to us Blacks, who do not care about their deaths, they think they can make money with blacks and Nigeria do not have any money. This should change if we are going to talk about the quality of pharmaceuticals, "he added.
He also deplored the quality of health services and the poor state of the health system, which would hinder the treatment of malaria in the country.
According to him, the economic burden of malaria in Africa is more than $ 20 billion, ranging from treatment to transportation to medical facilities, blood transfusion and death.
Dr. Jide Idris, state health commissioner of Lagos, said that despite the 2015 Malaria Indicators Survey in Nigeria, which revealed a decline in the prevalence of the disease, the Malaria remains a major public health problem in the country. for more than one in 10 deaths.
Dr. Abimbola Osinowo, head of the malaria control program, said that malaria was responsible for 30% of infant mortality and 25% of deaths among pregnant women, where the infection can be serious, adding that Lagos State had less than 70% of outpatient visits to public facilities.
He said that with malaria elimination interventions and the growing number of people in the state, the government has now "put the focus on environmental management and integrated vector control, including operational research for evidence-based programming and informed decision-making. "
However, he congratulated the Research Institute for its unwavering technical support to the state and efforts to reduce the threat of malaria in the country, adding that the war on the disease was a collective effort aimed at to achieve the zero malaria goal.
In her speech, Professor Babatunde Salako, Executive Director of NIMR, represented by Resaerch's Director, Dr. Stella Smith, stated that the World Malaria Report 2018, which estimated a significant number of malaria cases recorded in 2017, with 10 African countries the burden of the heaviest disease reveals inadequate levels of access and use of life-saving malaria products and interventions.
He said these gaps needed to be filled if there was definite defeat of malaria in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, where the percentage of malaria prevalence is the highest in the region.
The CEO badured that the research institute would continue to collaborate with other institutions and partners to ensure that high-quality antimalarials are delivered to Nigerians through the United Nations. its scientists and its facilities.
In his statement, Dr. John Puddicombe, President of the Malaria Society of Nigeria, lamented the government's lack of commitment to malaria elimination interventions.
He added that the lack of power was deterring community members from using treated mosquito nets, which emit heat, as well as inadequate infrastructure and drainage systems to discourage mosquito breeding.
Puddicombe said that if politicians sought votes in the corners of communities during the election period, the same efforts needed to be made to ensure that the malaria elimination campaign reached the bottom.
"There should be enough power supply all over the country so that people can put on their fans and then sleep comfortably under treated mosquito nets, otherwise we're just moralizing." Appropriate drainage systems should be put in place to discourage mosquitoes from reproducing and I want to believe that the country has the resources to put all these measures in place, "he said.
Speaking on the progress made in Nigeria in eliminating malaria, NIMR Malaria Research Group Director Dr. Samson Awolola said that progress had already been made through interventions in the field of malaria elimination. . The country is highly engaged, with the prevalence rate remaining high at around 27 percent.
Awolola said the government should increase its budget for research, which remains very poor, stressing that research in the country depends on international donors.
He said research was essential for the elimination of malaria in Nigeria, noting that the country could not continue to rely on donor confidence.
Awolola, however, asked the government to take over funding for research in the country and create an environment that would allow Nigeria to have a significant impact on the elimination of malaria.
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