EndMalariaInNigeria: Federal Government gets 5,000 doses of anti-malaria drugs

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Federal Government gets 5,000 doses of anti-malaria drugs

The Federal Government’s fight against malaria received a boost at the weekend when it received 5,000 doses of anti-malaria regiment Maldox from Emzor Pharmaceutical Company.

The donation is to support the Transforming Intermittent Preventive Treatment for Optimal Pregnancy project in Ondo State to bridge the gap of doses of SP stock-out at health facilities.

Ondo is among the three top states in the country with the highest burden of malaria. The others are Niger and Ebonyi.

The project in Ondo is handled by National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and the Reproductive Health Division of Family Health Department, in collaboration with Jhpieg on TIPTOP project.

Malaria is responsible for about 11 per cent of pregnancy-related maternal deaths yearly in the country. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 27 per cent of children between six and 59 months tested positive to malaria by microscopy.

Similarly the World Health Organisation (WHO) study states that 25 per cent of malaria cases in the world occurs in Nigeria while 24 per cent of deaths resulting from malaria also take place in the country.

The Chief Executive Officer of Emzor, Mrs. Stella Okoli, presented the drugs to the Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorumibe Mamora, in Abuja.

The Minister commended the company for its gesture and urged other firms to emulate them by joining hands with the government to improve the health of the people.

He said: “Nigerians have the capacity to do so many things so far the enabling environment is there. We assure that we will do all that is possible to recover lost grounds.”

Also, the Permanent Secretary, Abdullahi Marshi, said the anti-malaria drug from Emzor would be taken to Ondo State to help fill the supply gap. He announced a promise of another 3,000 doses from the same company in the next three months to complete the gap as identified by the project in Ondo state.

“You will agree with me that this is a big boost to our public-private partnership in the fight against malaria. Today, we are witnessing the donation of 5000 doses of SP Maldox tablet from Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited towards the realisation of TIPTOP project in Ondo State. Emzor Pharmaceutical has also gone far with the WHO pre-qualification on the SP product currently on the bioequivalence studies,” Marshi said.

The CEO of Emzor said there was the need for the government to collaborate more with the private sector in addressing health challenges confronting Nigerians.

Also Emzor Executive Director Special Duties, Uzoma Ezeoke said the reason for their intervention is not just to save pregnant women, but also their babies. She said Emzor was responding to a call for assistance from the national malaria elimination programme.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Daily Malaria Nuggets

#ReportingMalaria Malaria is a life-threatening parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes. It was once thought that the disease came from fetid marshes, hence the name mal aria, ((bad air). In 1880, scientists discovered the real cause of malaria a one-cell parasite called plasmodium. Later they discovered that the parasite is transmitted from person to person through the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito, which requires blood to nurture her eggs.
#ReportingMalaria Malaria vaccine passes test in humans
#EndMalariaInNigeria With proper treatment, symptoms of malaria usually go away quickly, with a cure within two weeks. Without proper treatment, malaria episodes (fever, chills, sweating) can return periodically over a period of years. After repeated exposure, patients will become partially immune and develop milder disease
#EndMalariaInNigeria There's currently no vaccine available that offers protection against malaria, so it's very important to take antimalarial medication to reduce your chances of getting the disease. However, anti-malarials only reduce your risk of infection by about 90%, so taking steps to avoid bites is also important. -WHO
#EndMalariaInNigeria Nets are still on top: Insecticide treated nets are still one of the most cost effective tools to prevent malaria with the potential to reduce up to 50% of cases, despite the growing threat of insecticide resistance.
#EndMalariaInNigeria Prevention, treatment, research and diagnosis -countries need to invest in them to eradicate the malaria.
#EndMalariaInNigeria More research is being carried out to gain an even deeper understanding of the process of malarial recurrence.
#EndMalariaInNigeria Malaria occurs in nearly 100 countries worldwide. According to the 2013 World Malaria Report, there were more than 200 million malaria cases in 2012. An estimated 627,000 people died from malaria in 2012, 90 percent of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most of those who die from malaria are children under age 5.
#EndMalariaInNigeria Governments at the highest levels must be committed to reducing malaria
#EndMalariaInNigeria For first time, researchers can measure insecticide on surface of mosquito nets
#EndMalariaInNigeria Five types of Plasmodium parasite can infect humans. These occur in different parts of the world. Some cause a more severe type of malaria than others.
#EndMalariaInNigeria #Bite #Prevention Avoid mosquito bites by using insect repellent, covering your arms and legs, and using a mosquito net. Check whether you need to take malaria prevention tablets –if you do, make sure you take the right antimalarial tablets at the right dose, and finish the course.
#EndMalariaInNigeria "Malaria can be treated. If the right drugs are used, people who have malaria can be cured and all the malaria parasites can be cleared from their body. However, the disease can continue if it is not treated or if it is treated with the wrong drug. Some drugs are not effective because the parasite is resistant to them" -CDC.