Malaria control: Nigeria has a long way to go -ACOMIN

From: Femi  Oyelola, Kaduna

The Civil Society in Malaria Control Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) has said that, Nigeria still has a long way to go in achieving the control of the deadly malaria disease due to challenges confronting its intervention.

Kaduna State Program Officer, ACOMIN, Ogidi Nicodemus, made the appeal during his organisation’s bi-annual media, interactive session on the Global Fund malaria project held in Kaduna yesterday.

He listed some of the challenges to include   increased difficulty in accessing hard to reach communities due to insecurity affecting parts of the country and Drug resistance by malaria parasite.

Ogidi  however, said as part of efforts to address the challenges of malaria in the country, the group has been re-engaged by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) under the ongoing Global Fund (GF) malaria grant to continue implementing civil society components to thirteen states in the country with 8 Local government Areas  selected in each state.

According to him,  the 2021 World Malaria Report, nearly half the world’s population lives in areas at risk of malaria transmission.

He therefore called for aggressive support  from media organization in the ongoing efforts to eradicate malaria in Kaduna state.

Ogidi  further said  as part of efforts to address the challenges of malaria in the country, the group has been re-engaged by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) under the ongoing Global Fund (GF) malaria grant to continue implementing civil society components to thirteen states in the country with 8 Local government Areas  selected in each state.

In his remarks, the state Chairman of ACOMIN Diji Haruna  said with this scenario, it is therefore, germane that the media organisations and media practitioners join the efforts of the civil society organisations, development partners and government, especially in the area of media advocacy, education and sensitisation of locals on malaria prevention to change the narratives.

He Specifically, stressed that ACOMIN wants the media organisations and media practitioners to help in advocating for full implementation of budgetary allocations to malaria, increase budgetary allocation to malaria and educate the public on the need to imbibe malaria prevention practice as a lifestyle among others.

Community Based Organizations  who are implementing the program at the various communities agreed that the state government was doing a lot to eradicate malaria in the state with the support of development partners and civil society organisations.