About 1% of Nigeria ’s GDP lost annually to malaria scourge

...Over $100m spent on its eradication globally

 

It is disheartening that an estimated 800,000 people die annually from malaria globally. In Africa where malaria accounts for three out of 10 deaths in children and one out of 10 deaths of pregnant women, the disease is said to be the third single biggest killer of children. In Nigeria , about 25 to 30 percent of mortality in children under five is said to die annually to malaria scourge.

Beyond the death tolls, the scourge of malaria, no doubt, holds back economic and social development in Nigeria . Not only does it keep children away from school, it stops their parents from getting out into the fields, to harvest their crops and tend to animal husbandry.

As physiological changes of pregnancy and pathological changes due to malaria have synergistic effect on the course of each other, thus making the life difficult for the mother, the child and the treating physician, stakeholders in the nation’s health sector have identified affordable anti-malaria medicines and deploying policy on case management among other ways as imminent ways of addressing the parasite Plasmodium species in the nation’s bid to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target of reducing infant and maternal mortality by 2015.

In an interview with BusinessDay during the week-long activities to mark the World Malaria Day, sponsored by ExxonMobil in Lagos, Onyebuchi Chukwu, minister of Health, revealed that Nigeria continues to experience economic loss of 1 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – an economic term used to judge the growth rate of the economy and the overall economic health of the nation- to malaria scourge, which mostly affect communities where resources are not enough to control the spread of malaria.

While disclosing that fighting malaria not only saves children’s lives, but also yields many other health and economic benefits, Chukwu noted that government recently launched a new programme on Affordable Medicines For Malaria (AMFM), which marked a turning point in the effort to control malaria in the country as that is expected to tackle a major challenge of high cost of anti-malaria medicines.

According to the minister, “The strategy will ensure that anti-malaria medicines are made more available in the public health facility and at very low prices in private facilities. Those suffering from malaria will have quick access to inexpensive, effective anti-malaria treatment within 24 hours of onset of the infection.

“The cost of Artemisinin-based combination therapy at present under the scheme is N75 and can even go down as time goes on. The country is responding to these infant deaths by increasing appropriate malaria treatment for this target group by implementing AMFM and massive distribution of 63 million long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs).”

While lamenting the unacceptable maternal and child death rates relating to malaria in Nigeria , Babajide Coker, national coordinator, National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), explained that given the need to curb the spread of the disease, it has become necessary to change the case management programme to increase the efficacy of malaria treatment. According to him, once the work force is struck down by malaria, no production can take place which will result in economic loss to the country at large.

In his words: “As part of government’s effort to control the scourge of malaria in the country, it has strengthened the roll back malaria initiative by introducing policy on case management of the parasite. To date, the malaria programme with the assistance of its partners, the Global Fund, UNICEF, World Bank and others have scheduled the distribution of a total of 63million insecticides treated nets but in 2010 had a need gap of about 2.9million and need in 2011 to replace for another 15.8million,” Coker explained.

Taking a look at malaria control across Africa between 2004 and 2010, more than 400 million nets were delivered to malaria-endemic countries, with 290 million delivered since 2008 alone. These efforts led to real progress with countries systematically scaling up malaria prevention which saw significant reductions in the malaria burden at health facilities. Endemic settings such as Eritrea , Madagascar , São Tomé and Principe , Zambia and Zanzibar saw reductions of more than 50 percent in either confirmed malaria cases or malaria admissions and deaths.

With factors such as poor awareness and appreciation of the magnitude of the malaria burden to poor health facilities, practices by individuals and in communities as well as resistance to drugs and insecticides by malaria parasites, providing protection and care to every single child and those who is at risk, is critical if the country is to meet the MDG targets 4 and 5.

For Mohammed Aliyu, group medical director, Medical & Occupational Health Department, Mobil Producing Nigeria (Operator of NNPC/MPN Joint Venture), ExxonMobil has remained committed to the eradication of malaria around the world as it recognises that if left unchecked, malaria has debilitating effects on the social and economic well being of any nation.

Aliyu noted that ExxonMobil is one of the largest corporate donors to malaria efforts globally. Over the years, ExxonMobil and ExxonMobil Foundation has made cumulative contributions in cash grants and services worth over $100million in the fight to reduce the impact of the scourge worldwide.

“In Nigeria , ExxonMobil is working with partners (both local and international organisations) to drastically reduce the impact of the scourge of malaria in the country through efforts focused on prevention, education and treatment of malaria. Family Care Association is implementing the Nigeria Malaria Control and Preventive Programme (NCMPP) in seven states namely- Akwa Ibom, Cross River , Delta, Imo, Ondo, Lagos and Rivers. The programme commenced in 2010.

“So far, the milestones are as follows: 45,000 free long lasting insecticide treated nets have been provided to communities in these states, over 13, 000 persons have been tested for malaria using the Rapid Diagnostic Tests, 2,300 have received Artemisine Combination Therapy (ACT) treatments, etc. We are optimistic that with all the malaria control and prevention projects undertaken by ExxonMobil and its Foundation in communities across Nigeria, along with projects/programmes being implemented by other stakeholders and the Federal Government, the desired goal of kicking malaria out of Nigeria is not a long way from being realised,” Aliyu concluded.