In commemoration of this year’s World Malaria Day on Saturday, the Prince Ned Nwoko Malaria Eradication Project, has advised the federal government to pay equal attention given to COVID-19 to malaria to save lives.
Chairman of the Foundation, Prince Ned Nwoko, in a statement made available to The NEXT EDITION on Friday, said several people had died as a result of malaria in Nigeria.
He announced that his Foundation is initiating $750,000 research grant for malaria vaccine in five higher institutions in Africa as well as the fumigation of the entire country and environmental clean-up for the eradication of malaria in Nigeria and the African continent.
Nwoko, who used the occasion of the World Malaria Day to sympathise and empathise with sufferer of malaria, and wishes to commemorate with all victims of malaria in Nigeria and Africa, lamented that the disease had killed several millions of people in the continent and had continued to do so unabated.
Nwoko: “Malaria is a leading cause of death among low income countries and indeed remains one of the major public health threats to human existence in Africa.
“Africa accounts for 91% of all malaria deaths and with an estimated 57.5 million cases and 225,000 deaths per year.
“Nigeria accounts for 27% of the total African malaria burden. Within Nigeria, malaria is a major cause of illness, deaths, poverty and a significant drain on the economy and well-being of the Nation.
“It is estimated that 50% of Nigeria’s adult population will have at least one episode of malaria each year and children under five will have between two and four attacks annually.
“Children under five and pregnant women are most at risk for malaria-related morbidity and mortality, with 11% of maternal and 20% of under-five deaths attributed to malaria.
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“Poorer and more rural population are also at greater risk, with malaria prevalence higher among the lowest wealth quintile, ie 42.9% vs 4.4% among highest quintile and among rural populations, ie 35.6% vs 11.5% among urban population”
He, however, noted that the treatment and fight against malaria in Africa and Nigeria by both the private and public sectors had been substantial.
Nwoko stressed: “However, recent studies and statistics on the increasing ravaging effect of the pandemic on human existence have imperatively confirmed the urgent attention to rejig both private and public stakeholders’ commitment to ending the malaria scourge in Africa starting with Nigeria.
“The success stories and commitment of the nation states, particularly the white world in the fight against COVID-19 so far, have all proved that the malaria pandemic, which had been considered more of a black man’s illness, with a worrisome percent of fatality rate, particularly in Africa and Nigeria, can be a thing of the past if half of the urgent and financial resources put into fight against the recent attack of COVID -19 is similarly given to the fight against malaria pandemic.
“In line with the above and on the occasion of the commemoration of the year 2020 World Malaria Day, the Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation For Malaria ERADICATION In Africa wishes to enjoin all relevant stakeholders in the government, private individuals, the organised private sector, non-governmental organisations, donor agencies, etc, to team up and share in the vision and mission of the eradication of malaria in Africa starting with Nigeria through Ned Nwoko Malaria Eradication Project approach by funding a research grants of $750,000 for Malaria vaccine in five higher institutions in Africa, the fumigation of the entire country and environmental clean-up.”
