The minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi yesterday said the best measure to rid the environment of Malaria was to maintain a clean environment.
Abdullahi noted that the federal government was already in partnerships with local and international organisations to build a consensus that would evolve a sustainable technology to fight the disease in Nigeria.
According to him, Nigeria has the World’s highest malaria burden with annual reported cases of 51 million and 207,000 deaths representing nearly 30% of the total malaria burden in Africa.
He said that Malaria is of Global importance owing to large number of infections and deaths associated to it.
He quoted the World Health Organization (WHO) to have said that Nigeria has the World’s highest malaria burden with an annual reported cases of 55 millio and 207,000 deaths representing nearly 30% of the total maana burden in Pica.
He said it was also estimated that nearly 173 million Nigerians are at risk of being infected .
“This alarming situation brings along with it the economo conserades-N from work by infected adults, absence from School on the part of infected School Children are basic and prominent aspects of concern owing to the high rate of man-hour loss arising from this Similarly, it is estimated that Nigerians lose money running into hundreds of Billon Naira wherein every infected person treats just a bout of Malaria infection with an average of two thousand Naira twice every year.
“Several efforts are being made internationally, nationally and locally to combat the Malaria scourge. Only recently, the President and Commande Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhan inaugurated the Nigeria End Malaria Council (NEMC) where he mandated it to ensure successful implementation of the Council’s programme that should translate into N2 trillion savings from the estimated economic burden of the disease by 2030. This is indeed commendable.
“The Federal Ministry of Environment is solidly behind the President in achieving the onerous target set for the NEMC which is quite achievable with the right implementation of strategies utilizing collaboration and partnership.
“The decision for Nigeria to establish the EMC is indeed laudable on account of the importance the African Union attaches to it.
Continuing, he said the inauguration of the EMC coming barely five days to the World Mosquito Day was testament to the fact that the killer Arthropod is the Centre of attraction as Case management of Malaria has proven to be less effective in the control of the hyper endemic disease.
“Similarly, although control of the adult mosquito bite through the use of Insecticide-Treated (Mosquito) Nets is posting some gains, attaining the desired impact is not near and is unfortunately not too reliable, a strategy. It remains critical that hierarchically, effective Mosquito control takes the form of exclusion-removal of suitable vector habitat through sound hygiene and sanitation which stops breeding by preventing egg laying. life cycle control larviciding, to reduce/eliminate egg hatching; and oiling & adulticiding which is used for controlling pupacy and adulthood respectively.
“By nature, mosquito requires filthy, dirty and unkept environment to survive and reproduce undergoing metamorphosis – a four-staged development process involving egg, larva, pupa and adult that takes anywhere between a minimum of four days to a maximum of four weeks depending on the mosquito species, environmental conditions like temperature, moisture and of course degree of filthiness and water retention potential of the holding habitat.
“The advantage of mosquito life cycle control through environmental sanitation and physical attack is that in addition to malaria control, it also helps in tackling the menace of diseases such as yellow fever which is caused by Aedes mosquito species and encephalitis caused by virus-bearing culex species.
“Furthermore, the capabilities of harbouring not only parasites like plasmodium in the case of Malaria, make mosquitoes more dreadful. For instance, they can be intermediate host for filariasis, yellow fever and dengue fever. Though not of origin in Nigeria, Zika Virus, Dengue fever, West Nile fever and Rift valley fever may bea threat to Nigerian public health given the nature of human mobility Malaria was transported to the Americas by the enslaved Africans the set. The can further be seen from COVID-19 Pandanic whose virus was attented by People from just one City to all nooks and crannies of the Word
“Mosquitos are found in both domestic and wid environments in the d Wetlands such as water pools, swamps, shrubs marshes which hold wear a year serve as excellent breeding habitat for many species of mosque Again natural environments such as springs seeps rock pools, mes tales ree cate burrows made by various species of widife are ride-out for mosquitos For habitations of Man, harbourages for mosquitoes include discarded der open containers like empty bowl jar bucket doused yra abandoned motor ve motor boat household items and anything with 5 to 7 days water holding capability is a good ground for raising young mosquitoes. Also implicated are shallow, stagnant roadside ditches, burrow pts and earth excavations for read construction Agricultural ponds, flower pot saucers and clogged gutters.
“Another contributing factor for increased breeding of mosquitoes is the room station where rooms are poorly it over-crowded with human and matera in mainly densely populated urban areas of the country and in the rural areas. Mosquitoes find good harbourages in such bad conditions moreso where there are clamations around dwellings
“Arising from the foregoing therefore, is the need to prontics action towards malaria vector elimination or population reduction In this regard, 20 August is a day set aside for global commemoration of the discovery in 1897 that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.
“Since then, Word Mosquito Day presents us with an opportunity to raise awareness of the dangers of malaria-carrying mosquitoes and shine a spotlight on ongoing efforts in the fight against the world’s deadliest creature.
“It is therefore incumbent for Nigeria to jointhe fray in focusing attention on the CAUSE-the Mosquito rather than its effect and/or impact as presented by its bite on the human skin or the development of the plasmodium pathogen it injects inside the human host This is where my Ministry will stand firm
“As with other infectious vector-borne diseases, improved personal hygiene and environmental sanitation remain the best preventive measures of Malaria Specifically,”
He urged individual, family and community members to imbibe preventive measures such as keeping waste materials and junks away from village squares, huts, rooms; insect proof their rooms by using wire mesh to reduce mosquito entry into living and bedrooms; make sure that they do not keep derelict or disused materials in and around dwellings and regular cleaning and removal of waste and junk materials.
The minister further urged them to seek assistance of trained Environmental Health Practitioners on best ways of handling mosquitos and other animal disease vectors generally.
According to him, the ministry remain committed to the mandate of Disease Pest and Vector Management in Nigeria.
He said the ministry was entrenching sustainable programme focusing on eliminating and/or reducing breeding avenues for disease vectors which involves fostering collaboration with stakeholders including sub nationals, development partners; relevant Ministries. Departments and Agencies Civil Society, Community Leaders and others.
As the Ministry responsible for Environmental Health Matters, the minister said they were working to strengthening the Administrative and technical structures in order to emplace a robust and comprehensive Vector Control Programme with special emphasis on Mosquito control.
The strategies to be deployed, he said would include Integrated Pest and Vector Management as outlined in the National Environmental Sanitation Policy, 2005.
“Our roles on Integrated Vector Management as identified in the National Malaria Strategic Plan 20142022 will be played expeditiously and as diligently as possible in order to deliver”, he noted.
