Borno Health Commissioner with team of Experts
By Sam Kaye
Borno State Commissioner of Health Professor Baba Mallam Gana has called on experts in vaccine production to fast forward the production of vaccines for malaria which still contributes the highest in terms of mortality rate today.
He said that the production of vaccines for malaria and many other killer illnesses would reduce the mortality of Nigerians to malaria which is rated as 4000 people in a week.
The Commissioner revealed during a news conference in maiduguri recently that about 5.3% of residents of Borno die from Malaria based on yearly assessments adding that the maiduguri metropolis with a population of over 3 million people has the highest prevalence of the scourge in the state.
He traced the history of malaria day to April 25th, 2000, during the African Summit on Malaria in which about 50 African heads of Governments met in Abuja and committed themselves to intensive efforts to combat the scourge of malaria.
In that meeting he noted, they agreed to use the 25th of April of every year to draw attention to the menace of malaria and to solicit support for its control which is why the World Health Assembly (WHA) at its 60th session in 2007 instituted the World Malaria Day Celebration.
The Commissioner reminded health partners that the theme of this year’s commemoration is ‘Accelerating the fight against Malaria for a more equitable World’, while the slogan is ‘Lets change the narrative now!’ adding that the theme voices out the commitment of partners to the achievement of a malaria-free Nigeria while the slogan tells us that we can all take action and celebrate the successes attained in malaria control over the past years and end discrimination.
On the prevalence of malaria in the world, the Commissioner said that based on the World Malaria Report, Nigeria still accounts for more than 25% of the global malaria burden and 19% of global malaria deaths.
In Borno State, he said Persons confirmed of Malaria in 2023 stood at 527,305 with 15,036 being severe cases, figure for 2022 stood at 600,141 with 13,492 being severe cases figure, 2021 stood at 714,904 with 20,774 being severe cases according to the District Health Information Software (DHIS-2) routine data.
These figures he noted indicated that, there has been a downward trend in cases of Malaria in the past 3 years (2021, 2022 & 2023) in Borno State adding that the federal Government through the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and Borno Ministry of Health in collaboration with partners have made tremendous impact and achieved remarkable targets in the implementation of various interventions.
“I am pleased to inform you that, the state malaria elimination program has yielded better results as recently seen in the National Malaria Indicator Survey (NMIS) -2021 findings. Net ownership by household was 70.4%, Net use by Household was 36.7%, use by Children Under 5-years of age was 55.8%, Net use by pregnant women was 56.6%, Pregnant women who received Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPTp) at least once was 78.7%, prevalence of malaria in children under 5 by RDT was 18.6%
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“The state has had 7 rounds of uninterrupted Seasonal Malaria Chemo-prevention (SMC) intervention between 2017 and 2023 through the support of Nigeria Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), World Health Organization (WHO) and Malaria Consortium (MC) where over 2,000,000 children 3month to 5 years of age were reached every year.
“We have witnessed an uninterrupted supply of antimalarial commodities, especially the supply of Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits, Artemesinin Based Combinaition Theraphy (ACTs) and Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLINs) free-of-Charge to Pregnant women and chidlren under 5 and to newly resettled communities across the the State over the years.
“The State Government has finalised the engagement of a Non-Govermental Organization (NGO) to provide comprehensive Malaria services free-of- charge across the State on behalf of the State Government.” said the Commissioner.
In his remark, Borno State coordinator of the world health organization (WHO) Dr Ibrahim Salisu commended the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Professor Baba Mallam Gana, for his invaluable guidance and leadership to the entire health sector in Borno state.
He regretted that Infants and young children represent about 80% of the mortality, while studies show that children under the age of five from the poorest households in sub-Saharan Africa are five times more likely to be infected with malaria than those from the wealthiest households.
The WHO coordinator noted that in addition to children and women, other high-risk groups have been identified in some areas, such as migrants, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees adding that malaria remains a significant global health challenge, especially in regions with limited access to healthcare and resources.
“Despite notable progress, millions of people, particularly in developing countries, continue to suffer from this preventable and treatable disease. It remains a leading cause of illness, hospital admissions, and deaths, especially in young children and pregnant women.
“WHO supports Borno State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP) in wide range of areas including but not limited to capacity building of clinical health workers on malaria case management, providing technical support, drugs and commodities for Seasonal Malaria Chemoprophylaxis (SMC), community outreach and treatment by the Hard-To Reach (HTR) Mobile Health Teams (MHT) teams, Community Resource Persons (CORPS) amongst many others.
” WHO interventions in the State. These efforts contributes significantly to the fight against malaria in Borno State and underscore WHO’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to malaria prevention and treatment intervention in the state.
” Our team is acutely aware of the urgent need to address the inequities that persist in the fight against malaria. We recognize that marginalized communities bear a disproportionate burden of the disease, facing barriers to essential interventions such as insecticide-treated bed nets, diagnostic testing, and antimalarial treatment.
“However, amidst these challenges, there is hope. Our collective efforts have shown that malaria control and elimination are attainable goals. Through innovative strategies, targeted interventions, and partnerships at all levels, we have made significant strides in reducing the malaria burden and saving lives.
“Our approach will be multifaceted, addressing not only the biological aspects of malaria transmission but also the social, economic, and environmental determinants that contribute to its spread. We will prioritize community engagement, empowering individuals and local stakeholders to take ownership of malaria control initiatives and drive sustainable change.” said Dr Salisu