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By Raymond Ozoji, Awka
On the occasion of 2023 World Malaria Day, Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ben Afam Obidike, has advised the citizenry to always maintain a clean healthy environment, avoid self-medication and equally ensure that they continue to sleep under the mosquito treated nets distributed by the state government.
Obidike further advised that the citizens should maintain a clean environment devoid of stagnant waters where mosquitoes breed, desilt gutters, cut down grasses within the surroundings and ensure that they go to the hospital for proper diagnosis and test for malaria fever, when symptoms persist.
Obidike, who spoke exclusively with our correspondent on this year’s World Malaria Day, opined that the distribution of 3.8 million insecticide mosquito treated nets by the Soludo administration last year helped to reduce incidence of under 5 mortality due to malaria infections.
He said Anambra state recorded a drastic reduction from 77.8% in February last year to 14.3% in February this year, adding that government is working assiduously to procure more vaccines from malaria consortium to intensify the war against malaria parasites especially in under 5 children.
The Commissioner, who also disclosed that Anambra State Net Distribution last year was adjudged the best by the Federal Government, said the general hospitals are very functional and that people should go to the hospitals to ascertain the nature of fever they have as not all fever can be attributed to malaria fever.
The Commissioner noted that the use of insecticide mosquito treated nets was at 27% last year but increased to 57% this year, following the distribution of mosquito treated nets across the state.
He said Soludo has done so well in preventing mosquito bites by distributing the treated nets and that people should continue to use the nets as drug consumption is harmful to the body. He equally added that insecticide mosquito treated nets distributed by the state government have five-year lifespan and it is the best in malaria prevention.
The Commissioner informed too that the governor’s wife, Mrs. Nonye Soludo, who is the Ambassador of Insecticide Treated Net Use in Anambra, thanked the citizenry for using the mosquito nets, saying that the continuous use of the mosquito nets has increased from 27% to 57% in the last one year, which he said is above the 37% national benchmark for use of malaria treated nets.
