By Donald Ojebo
In its bid to safeguard the health of Deltans and residents alike, Chairmen of the various Local Government Areas in the State have been called on to do everything humanly possible to ensure the success of efforts by the State Government to eliminate the scourge of Malaria .
His Excellency, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State made the call today in Asaba, during the official flag-off ceremony for the 2022 Insecticide Treated Nets for Malaria distribution campaign.
The Governor who was represented at the occasion by the State Commissioner for Finance, Chief Fidelis Tilije said Council Chairmen are expected to play supportive roles in the campaign by using their positions to facilitate the quick resolution of any challenge that may arise in the implementation period of the exercise in their Council Areas.
“I am counting on the usual support of our royal fathers, traditional leaders, religious and opinion leaders in their engagement and mobilization of households to embrace this nets’ distribution exercise” he added.
Dr. Okowa revealed that in the year 2019 replacement campaign, a total of 2.5m residents received the treated nets while in this year’s campaign, a total of 3.7m insecticide treated nets would be distributed across the State.
He said that Delta State is investing immensely in Malaria elimination programme through the procurement of Malaria medications including rapid diagnostic test kits and insecticide treated nets which are given routinely and freely to children under 5years of age and pregnant women at antennal clinics.
In her acceptance speech as Net Ambassador, Her Excellency, Dame Edith Okowa thanked the Federal Ministry of Health and Partners for collaborating with the State in providing Insecticide Treated Nets free of charge to households in Delta State to protect individuals and families from mosquito bites.
“As the Net Ambassador for Delta State, I promise to use different channels and resources to disseminate messages on the use of the insecticide mosquito nets to ensure that the various vulnerable groups are protected from mosquito bites while asleep” she assured.
She urged the residents to ensure they get registered, provide correct information to the health workers so that they can be given the nets within the mobilization and distribution period of between 2nd and 13th off June, 2022 and ensure the nets are hung under a shade for 24 hours before use.
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mordi Ononye in his address explained that Malaria is an acute febrile illness of public health importance caused by a plasmodium parasite transmitted by the bite of an infected female anopheles mosquito with manifestations such as fever, chills, fatigue, malaise, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and general body pain.
He said that the most vulnerable groups susceptible to this disease include young children who are yet to develop immunity to Malaria, pregnant women whose immunity has been decreased by pregnancy, the elderly and immuno compromised persons.
“To this end the State had received over 3.7 million Insecticide Treated Nets donated by the Federal Government and Global Fund to be distributed to all Deltans in the State and non-Deltans resident in the Delta State with the aim of preventing the contact with the causative organisms of Malaria which is the Mosquito thereby eliminating Malaria from the State” the Commissioner revealed.
Dr. Ononye stated that prevention is a critical strategy for reducing the toll of the disease that continues to kill more than four hundred thousand (400,000) people annually. “Malaria is preventable only when residents resort to the use of the Insecticide Treated Nets and observe environmental sanitation in order to prevent Mosquitoes from breeding in our environment”.
According to the Commissioner, “Malaria control have created unprecedented momentum and yielded remarkable returns in the past years. In Nigeria, deaths due to Malaria have been cut by one third within the last decade and the incidence has reduced by 50% in the same time period. Access to Malaria control interventions has improved most significantly. Overall, child mortality rates have fallen by approximately 20% while the maternal mortality rate is 11%”.
Dr. Ononye used the medium to plead with all residents to utilize the opportunity the mass campaign has provided to collect the Insecticide Treated Nets, hang them over your beds and sleep inside the Nets to prevent Mosquito bites which may result in Malaria and its effects.
“On behalf of the good people of Delta State i thank the Federal Ministry of Health, the Global Fund and other Partners who have in one way or the other complimented the State Government’s effort at reducing the burden of malaria disease” the Commissioner added.
