KDSG to distribute treated mosquito nets

Kaduna State government would soon commence the distribution of mosquito treated nets as part of its campaign against malaria.
The state commissioner for health, Dr. Peter Everton, who dropped the hint yesterday at a one-day discussion forum to mark this year’s world malaria day organized by African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), said it will be distributed to the public free of charge.
The commissioner who was represented by the director, primary health care in the ministry, Dr. Ado Zakari revealed various measures taken by the state government to ensure that cases of Malaria attack were brought to minimum level in the state.
He also said a sizeable number of medical personnel have been trained while drugs worth millions of naira were purchased for the malaria control programme.
According to him, all the primary healthcare centres in the 23 local government areas of the state have been provided with the drugs while adequate personnel were also trained.
He appealed to media practitioners in the state to ensure proper enlightenment of the people on the malaria control programme of the state government.
Also speaking at the occasion, the guest of honour and managing director, New Nigerian Newspapers Limited, Alhaji Tukur Abdulrahman said the media was prepared to collaborate with governments in the current war against malaria.
Alhaji Tukur Abdulrahman who was represented by the Editor, New Nigerian, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, assured that the company’s management would do everything possible in ensuring that the public were adequately informed about malaria control programmes of the government.
He said the paper, having won many awards for publishing health matters in the past has created health pages in all the titles including Gaskiya Ta Fi Kwabo, the vernacular edition of the paper.
Tukur Abdulrahman, however, commended the efforts of AMMREN in joining the war to bring malaria to a total submission.
Earlier, the coordinator, AMMREN, northern zone, Malam Samaila Umaisha who gave the background of the organization said the NGO has its membership from Burkina Faso, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania.
Meanwhile, UNICEF says that malaria is still the number-one killer of children in Nigeria, but believes, along with its Government and Roll Back Malaria partners, that the deaths of thousands of children under five years old every year could be prevented by simple cost-effective measures including consistent use of long-lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets by families and anti-malaria treatment for pregnant women.
Malaria remains a major public health problem in Nigeria. An estimated 300,000 children die of the disease each year, and up to 11% of maternal mortality is caused by it—which represents one in every four deaths of children and one in ten deaths of pregnant women. It is estimated that about half the population of Nigeria adults suffer from at least, one episode of malaria annually while children under five years have as many as three or four episodes every year.
It revealed in its press release to mark the day that there are nearly 110 million clinically diagnosed cases of malaria in Nigeria annually, accounting for 60% of outpatient visits and 30% of hospitalizations stressing that it is not difficult to see that in addition to its direct health impact, the disease imposes a heavy social and economic burden: indeed, about N132 billion (about $900 million) are lost to malaria annually, UNICEF said.

(c) Reported by CECILIA KAFRAN & THOMAS ADEJO in the 25th April, 2010, edition of New Nigerian.

PICTURES:

1. Cross-section of participants at the forum with Dr. Ado at foreground

2. Sumaila Umaisha and the moderator of the occasion, Apus John.