World Malaria Day: Lagos promises to sustain malaria control activities

As we mark World Malaria Day, Lagos State Government has promised to continue to sustain and improve upon all activities geared towards malaria control.

This was stated in a press release signed by the state health ministry’s PRO, Jide Lawal. The release listed some of the activities embarked on by the state as the diagnosis of malaria cases and treatment with effective medicines, distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to achieve full coverage of populations at risk of malaria, and the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) exercise.

The ministry stated that Lagos State is currently the only state implementing the integrated vector management project which consists of three components; Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs), Indoor Residual spraying (IRS) and Larviciding.

Larviciding operation primarily attacks the mosquito larva and its ability to breed and has been implemented in Agboyi Ketu and Ikosi Isheri in Kosofe local government area.  Five rounds of larviciding spraying were carried out on over 544 hectares of land and 934,614 estimated numbers of people have been protected. 

It would be recalled that in 2011, the state government distributed 4.2 million LLINs with a target of two nets per household in mind through a mass campaign exercise.

The state has continued to implement the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) exercise in the last three years with the six local government areas of Ojo, Ikorodu, Badagry, Amuwo-Odofin, Kosofe and Ibeju-Lekki and their adjoining local council development areas benefiting from the intervention.

No fewer than 334,769 rooms have been sprayed in these local governments areas with an estimated population of 3,570,113 being protected.

“In collaboration with our partners, microscopes and Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits have been pushed into the system while Artemisinin Combination Therapy (ACTs) anti-malarias are provided free for treatment in all our facilities”, the release stated.

In line with this year’s world malaria theme: ‘invest in the future: defeat malaria’ and the slogan ‘Time is now’, a series of activities which include LLINs hanging-and-utilization campaign has been lined up to emphasize the role of all stakeholders.