Lagos Shifts Focus On Malaria To Elimination

Lagos State government has treated more than 978,000 malaria cases across its public and private health facilities in 2025, a figure officials say reflects stronger surveillance and better case tracking rather than a surge in infections.

This was revealed at a symposium organised by the state Ministry of Health to commemorate the 2026 World Malaria Day held at Alausa, with the theme “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can, Now We Must”.

The state says it is now moving beyond malaria control and is using technology, innovation and partnerships to push toward elimination.

Although the state had recorded significant progress with malaria prevalence declining to two per cent, the disease remained a major contributor to morbidity due to environmental conditions, population density, and behavioural practices that sustain transmission.

Officials noted that, through a partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Lagos had digitised 514 private healthcare providers, including pharmacies and medicine vendors, while recording only 5% malaria positivity within the network, further reinforcing the need for strict adherence to the “Test Before Treat” policy.

Delivering the keynote address, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, described malaria as one of the biggest global public health challenges, noting that about 260 million people contract the disease annually. At the same time, nearly 600,000 deaths are recorded worldwide.

According to him, Africa accounts for 95 per cent of global malaria cases. In comparison, Nigeria alone accounts for approximately 27 per cent of the global burden, making it one of the nations with the highest malaria burden.

The Commissioner, however, noted that Lagos had continued to distinguish itself from many other states through deliberate investments in public health interventions, surveillance, data-driven policies, and environmental management strategies targeted at malaria elimination.

He explained that despite Lagos being surrounded by water bodies and coastal environments favourable for mosquito breeding, malaria prevalence in the state had remained below two per cent in recent years, unlike neighbouring states such as Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo, where prevalence rates range between 20 and 30 per cent.

Prof. Abayomi disclosed that 15 years ago, about 15 out of every 100 Lagos residents carried malaria parasites, adding that the figure reduced to 10 per cent a decade ago and has now dropped significantly to approximately two per cent, a development he described as clear evidence that Lagos was winning the fight against malaria transmission.