Worried by the health implication of malaria on the lives of people, HACEY Health Initiative has sought ways to eradicate the illness.
To do this, the group has launched a project, ‘End Malaria Project’ in Lagos and Ogun States to address one of the root causes of malaria in communities, which is improper sanitation and unclean environments that facilitate mosquito breeding.
The project implemented in partnership with AIICO Insurance equips beneficiaries with education campaigns on preventive and control measures, strengthens the capacity of community health workers, provide free malaria tests and insecticide mosquito nets.
The Programme Team Lead, HACEY Health Initiative, Bamidele Oyewumi, said that despite being preventable and curable, malaria remains a significant public health concern globally, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions, with Nigeria, in particular, bearing one of the highest malaria burdens worldwide.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) in a 2023 report, over 249 million people are still affected with malaria with Nigeria having about 27 per cent of the five million increased deaths globally from malaria.
To curb this, he said the project aims to provide adequate information about malaria care, prevention and how best to respond to it, while expressing concern over self medication, which is rampant in rural communities.
“We aim to test over 1,000 people and provide over 1,000 households with free insecticide mosquito nets. The nets are a means to prevent malaria and we encourage them and their family to sleep under these insecticide-treated net, especially the pregnant women and children under five years because these are the demography that malaria affects the most,” he said.
Community Representative, Magboro, Ogun State, Dorcas Omiwole, who applauded the project, said malaria is deadly and expressed the importance of treating it swiftly before it escalates.
