The rising cases of malaria will vitiate the goal of a world free from the disease in 2030, the deadline for eradicating the scourge. It is sad that after many years of considerable decline, malaria cases and deaths are now on the rise owing largely to inadequate funding and complications arising from the COVID- 19 pandemic. On the occasion of this year’s World Malaria Day (WMD), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria decried the rising deaths from these diseases. The 2022 WMD was aptly marked with the theme: “Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives.” Despite global, regional and national efforts to combat the scourge, the disease is a major cause of death in many countries, including Nigeria. The disease, according to WHO, led to 602,020 deaths in Africa in 2021. It also led to the death of 200,000 Nigerians, as well as the affliction of 61 million others in 2021. Experts also point out that climate change issues relating to rainfall, humidity and fluctuating temperature may move malaria transmissions to new areas that do not have the basic resources and preparations to prevent, detect and treat the disease. Similarly, new variants of malaria-carrying mosquitoes are reportedly on the increase in new countries through freight traffic. So much is the concern on the upsurge in malaria transmission that the Global Fund Executive Director, Peter Sand, observed on the occasion that: “more than ever before, Global Fund needs to support countries in their efforts to revitalise and sustain the fight against malaria.” He canvassed for more equitable access to all health facilities, more funding for malaria programmes, investment in new approaches and innovations and improved use of existing tools in curbing the spread of the disease. It is disturbing that Nigeria contributed 27 per cent of the global malaria deaths in 2021, making it the country with the highest number of cases and fatalities. The World Malaria Report claims that “over 60million Nigerians are infected yearly with the disease while an estimated $1.1billion is lost yearly due to malaria-related absenteeism and productivity losses”
To end the disease by 2030 deadline set by WHO, more innovations and investments need to be made to frontally combat the disease worldwide, especially in most endemic countries. The introduction of the new malaria vaccine and adequate deployment to needed areas can effectively boost the fight against malaria. The lives of more people and children could be saved through that. It is commendable that the malaria vaccine has been widely demonstrated to be safe and feasible to deliver. We believe that it will substantially reduce the malaria burden. Good enough, more than $155million has been made available from GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, for the purpose of procurement and delivery to GAVI- eligible counties in sub- Saharan Africa. Nigeria should not miss this opportunity as the vaccine will be an additional tool to reduce malaria deaths in children.
The World Malaria Day provides Nigeria and other malaria-endemic countries the opportunity to redouble their efforts to eradicate the scourge in 2030. Last year, El-Savador and China were reportedly certified malaria-free. If these countries can do it, we believe that Nigeria can do it. However, the National Malaria Strategic Plan aims to meet the WHO goal to reduce by 90 per cent the global malaria incidence and mortality rates by 2030. For Nigeria to achieve the goal, we need a new framework that will inject more funds into the nation’s malaria eradication effort. Patients should be promptly diagnosed and treated. More primary health centres should be established across the country for easier access to malaria treatment. The government can adopt other malaria control measures, including vector control, which has been proved to be so effective in malaria control in some countries. The use of insecticide treated mosquito bed-nets should be encouraged considering their cost-effectiveness. The National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) should be reinvigorated and made to work effectively. Massive fumigation of environment, distilling of gutters and discouragement of self-medication will go a long way in the war against the disease. Since Malaria is a major killer disease in Nigeria, government should also consider a major upward review of the annual health budget to take care of the growing challenge. In 2021, Nigeria’s budget allocation to health was N547 billion, about seven per cent of the budget. In 2022, the health allocation was N711.28 billion or 4.3 per cent of the entire budget. There is no way the paltry annual allocation to health can adequately take care of the health needs of over 200 million Nigerians. An enhanced budget allocation to health will make it easier for vulnerable people such as pregnant women, children, nursing mothers and the elderly to access free malaria treatment.