Dr Niyi Adewumi, Head of Maternal and Child Care, Lagos State Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, on Thursday proposed tripodal approach to ending maternal mortality occasioned by malaria.
Adewumi gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on the maternal health and malaria epidemics in Lagos.
NAN reports that United Nations has set April 25 every year as a day to mark the World Malaria Day. The theme for this year Malaria day is “Malaria Prevention Starts with me.”
On the issue of maternal mortality occasioned by malaria, Adewumi said that though malaria was a major contributor to mortality, yet it could be stemmed through enough observations.
“Malaria is a major cause of maternal mortality in Nigeria, yet we can all have all hands on the deck to combat it because it is worse off in pregnant women.
“Pregnant women are prone to malaria because they have some degree of lower immunity and if not tackle or treated on time, it can lead to death or other complications.
“Other complications might be a total mortality or the baby coming out stunted or deformed and what we call cerebral malaria.
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“What our pregnant women need to know is that they need to take care of their health as early as the first trimester to avoid complication, especially those that can be caused by malaria,” he said.
Adewumi said that malaria could be tackled by using mosquito treated net, use of malaria drugs such as Fancidar and early detection of the illness.
“Our pregnant women should make sure that they sleep under the mosquito treated nets which are now absolutely free for registered pregnant women now after registration.
“In case of any symptoms of malaria they should come to the hospital to get drugs for the malaria treatment or rather come to the hospital for check-ups.
“Pregnant women should tap into to subsidised government drugs for malaria treatment or rather come to the hospital for regular check-ups which is almost free now,” he said.
NAN
