WMD: Nigerian Govt urged to Procure malaria vaccines to reduce under-five deaths
To mark the 2022 World Malaria Day, the Nigerian Medical Association has urged the Nigerian Government to procure the World Health Organisation’s approved malaria vaccine for children.
READ ALSO: Nigerian Govt, others partner to harness innovation to end malaria
The President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Innocent Ujah made the call noting that the use of the long-awaited malaria vaccine for children will go a long way in reducing under-five malaria-related deaths in the country.
He noted that the WHO described the vaccine as a breakthrough for science, child health and malaria control because it can really help to reduce under-five deaths caused my malaria.
Besides the Nigerian Government, the researcher said the private sector also has a role to play in making the vaccine available to children in Nigeria.
The WHO in 2021 approved the first malaria vaccine in history.
WHO experts concluded that the vaccine, Mosquirix, could save tens of thousands of lives every year, noting that “the real-world test of the jab showed it prevented 30 per cent of severe cases of malaria even in areas with high uptake of other measures.”
WHO said the recommendation is based on results from an ongoing pilot programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi that has reached more than 800,000 children since 2019.
According to WHO, in 2019, there were an estimated 229 million cases of malaria worldwide with Africa accounting for roughly 94 per cent.
The global health body added that in 2019 alone, an estimated 409,000 deaths from malaria were recorded globally with children under the age of five accounting for an estimated 274,000, amounting to 67 per cent of the deaths.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, accounted for 23 per cent of malaria deaths – the highest in the world, according to the world malaria report.
WMD celebrated on April 25 annually, is a day set aside by the WHO to raise awareness on the mosquito-borne disease and examine efforts towards prevention, treatment, control and elimination of the illness.
The theme of WMD 2022 is ‘Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives.’
The NMA leader also called for the sustenance of other malaria control measures such as environmental sanitation, cleanliness and the use of insecticide-treated bed nets.
“Unfortunately, our environment is very dirty; if we are not doing things properly, the disease will remain with us.
“Again, research should be encouraged and documentation is very important. The use of insecticide nets is also key,” he said.
MTO/Punch
