Sanitation Effective In Malaria Prevention – Minister

As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate this year’s World Mosquito day, the minister of Environment, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi, has said that improved personal hygiene and environmental sanitation remain the best preventive measures of malaria.

The minister, who spoke at a press briefing to mark the World Mosquito day, Monday in Abuja, said although control of the adult mosquito bite through the use of insecticide-treated (Mosquito) Nets is posting some gains, attaining the desired impact is not near and is unfortunately not too reliable.

He said, “Effective mosquito control takes the form of exclusion-removal of suitable vector habitat through sound hygiene and sanitation which stops breeding by preventing egg laying.”

Word Mosquito day is commemorated on 20th of August every year to raise awareness about the dangers of malaria-carrying mosquitoes and shine a spotlight on ongoing efforts in the fight against the world’s deadliest creature.

Abdullahi said “It is therefore incumbent for Nigeria to join the fray in focusing attention on the cause (Mosquito) rather than its effect and/or impact as presented by its bite on the human skin or the development of the plasmodium pathogen it injects inside the human host.”

He urged individuals, family and community members to imbibe preventive measures by keeping waste materials and junks away from village squares, huts, rooms etc.

In his remarks, the minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said though Nigeria contributes to a quarter of global cases and deaths of malaria, the country is driving down the prevalence of the malaria and other vector borne diseases in the country.

Represented by the national coordinator’ Malaria elimination programme, Dr Perpetual Uhomoibhi, Ehanire said the country has been profiled for critical locations where indoor residual spraying is urgently required with about 25 states on the list.