Udora Orizu in Abuja
The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has urged the federal government to demonstrate strong political will towards eliminating malaria in the country.
A statement issued by the National President of NAWOJ, Ms. Ladi Bala, in commemoration of the 2021 World Malaria Day, noted that Nigeria bears the brunt of malaria burden and should, therefore, lead the campaign to stamp it out by 2030.
Bala also said that individuals must also take personal responsibility to eliminate malaria in the country, adding that zero malaria begins with every Nigerian.
The statement reads: ‘’According to the 2019 World Malaria Report, Nigeria had the highest number of global malaria cases (25 percent of global malaria cases) in 2018 and accounted for the highest number of deaths (24 percent of global malaria deaths).
“The NAWOJ says that this alarming figure is unacceptable and stresses that with this year’s theme: ‘Zero Malaria, Draw the Line Against Malaria’ is an indication that malaria is preventable, therefore every malaria death is unacceptable.
‘’So, if we are aiming for zero malaria by this year, there is the need for a strong primary health care system that must ensure access to malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment services. It is imperative for Nigerians to imbibe the culture of sleeping under insecticide treated mosquito net particularly pregnant women and children from age zero to five. Eliminating mosquitoes breeding sites as well as proper sanitation of surroundings will help in the fight against the disease.’’
