Development Africa empowers against malaria

n furtherance of its commitment to eradicating malaria in the country, a non-governmental organisation, Development Africa, has organised a two-day anti-malaria campaign to commemorate the World Malaria Day.

Activities to mark the campaign, which held on Wednesday and Thursday ,included awareness lecture and training for persons drawn from government agencies, civil society, non-governmental organisations and corporate bodies.

Participants underwent malaria prevention and antenatal training, while the DA also gave out long-lasting insecticidal nets to pregnant women in Ikota Community in Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos.

The group also donated 8,000 Rapid Diagnostic Test kits to medical facilities across the country.

In his keynote address at the seminar which held at Protea Hotel, Ikeja, Country Director, Development Africa, Joshua Kempeneer, said though malaria is a preventable and curable disease, it is also deadly and has continued to claim thousands of lives every year, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Kempeneer said, “Since 2009, DA has executed anti-malaria campaigns in many states across Nigeria.

“So far, we have distributed 95,189 insecticide nets, trained 7,139 health workers and 3,827 community agents.

“We have also carried out over 70,000 Rapid Diagnostic Tests in communities across the country, with most of the beneficiaries being pregnant women and nursing mothers.

“Development Africa will actively continue its collaborations with the Federal Ministry of Health, National Malaria Elimination Programme and other Roll Back Malaria partners in the fight against malaria in Nigeria, and scale up activities across communities.

“We thank Protea Hotels for the continued partnership and support in the fight against Malaria.”

Also speaking during the seminar, the trainer, Dr. Edward Okobi of DA, stressed that effective tools to prevent and, where needed, to properly treat malaria, already exist.

“However, more funds are needed from donor bodies to make the tools available to the people who need them and to combat emerging drug and insecticide-resistant malaria parasites.”