Nigeria Content Online

Millions of people
will be at risk if the failure of the new malaria treatment policy,
recently introduced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) spreads to
other countries of the world, a professor of Community Health and
Primary HealthCare at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital,
Oladipo Hunponu-Wusu, has said.

Because of the
increasing resistance of the Plasmodium Falciparum (malaria causative
agent) to older drugs like chloroquine, the WHO recommended the policy
of treating malaria with artemisinin-based combination therapies in
2004-5 and several malaria endemic regions have adopted the policy.

But in 2007, WHO
recorded a high failure rate of Artemisinin Combination Therapies
(ACTs) in treating Plasmodium falciparum (malaria causative agent) in
Cambodia and Thailand.

“This resistance would be disastrous for global malaria control,” Mr. Hunponu-Wusu said.

He lamented that
Nigeria, which is among the over 28 countries that have adopted this
treatment policy is yet to make progress, and a drug resistance which
is not yet discovered in Nigeria, may pose a serious threat to health.

“Despite the
African Summit in Abuja in 2005 and despite declaring 2000-2010 as the
decade to roll back malaria and reduce its morbidity and mortality by
half, we are in the last year and the statistics are not encouraging.”

According to the
WHO, there are 300-500 million cases of malaria each year, leading to
1.5-2.7 million deaths, 80 per cent of which occur in Africa.

Children under five and pregnant women are most vulnerable.

In Nigeria, the
Federal Ministry of Health, reports that malaria is responsible for 60
per cent of outpatients‘ visits in the country and about ₦32 billion is
lost yearly to its treatment and prevention.

Addressing resistance

Mr. Hunponu-Wusu said it is not through secondary or tertiary control that the disease will be eliminated.

“It is not by the
purchasing of drugs and more expensive drugs for the treatment of
malaria that this country can conquer or eradicate malaria.”

According to him, primary prevention is the key.

“I believe in the
primary prevention of malaria through the primary healthcare approach.
I see primary prevention is the saving grace; the salvation to be able
to control the disease.” Some primary prevention method, he listed ,are
vector control targeted at the environment; use of insecticide treated
nets, indoor residual spraying, larval control, clearing bushes and
getting rid of stagnant water or other breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Tolu Arowola, the Malaria Control officer of Lagos Malaria Control
programme said plans are already on for a pilot project in Lagos. “We
have begun the pilot project of the indoor residual spray in Lagos
State now, and we are hoping to scale up into more areas; it has been
effective,” said Mr. Arowolo.