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Tag: malaria

  • Malaria: The environment

    Malaria is a disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes. Without mosquitoes, humans would not have malaria except if another biting insect takes over the vector role of mosquitoes.

    Mosquitoes have an interesting life cycle which involves laying their eggs on water and the early stages of mosquito life, the larva and pupa, are aquatic.

    The eggs hatch and become larvae in the water within 2 days.  In about a week or two, the larvae become pupae, form which adult flies emerge in about four days.  Therefore any small collection of water lying around for a few weeks may be good breeding ground for mosquitoes.

    Some natural environments are good habitats for mosquitoes.  If you live near a pond, lake, swamp, or marsh, you can be sure that you need to keep your home sealed from mosquitoes.  Some kinds of trees have tree holes in their trunk that can hold a small pool of water for long and produce a constant supply to mosquitoes especially during the rainy season.  On the other hand, the eucalyptus tree has an aroma that repels mosquitoes and other insects.

    In farmlands, stagnated irrigation water may breed mosquitoes.

    Within the city, there are many conducive mosquito habitats. Some of these mosquito habitats are within infrastructures that humans build such as in potholes in the sides of roads where cars do not pass, or in holes and gaps on foot paths, or in street gutters.  Around human habitats, mosquitoes may breed in stagnant water in roof gutters, in open water tanks, and in waste products of human activities such as old tires, tin cans, plastic containers, etc. Plastic pollution is particularly interesting to watch as this may stagnate water for long in waste dumps and clogged drainage systems.

    To control the breeding of mosquitoes around your habitat, you need to get rid of conducive mosquito habitats.  Keep your environment neat and tidy.  This includes not having water-holding litter or trash; filling gaps and cracks that can hold water  in cement works, on fences,  or on the ground, etc;  and keeping old tires sheltered  from rain water.  Trash bins should be covered to avoid rain water from entering and settling at the bottom.  Open containers left exposed to rain should be perforated at the bottom so that they do not hold water.

    If you have a swimming pool, keep it chlorinated.  This limits the growth of microbial life that mosquito larva need to live on. If you have an ornamental pond, use a pump to stir the water frequently. If you have an unused fountain or any other body of water, you can make the water uncomfortable or toxic for mosquito larvae and pupae.  You may try any of the known means:  a few drops of dish soap or shampoo per gallon of stagnant water; one tablespoon bleach per gallon of stagnant water; up to 15% vinegar for a small body of water, etc.

    If you must live around a large body of stagnant fresh water, you may need to create your own environmental balance or ecosystem.  You need to have predators that feed on mosquitoes, their eggs, larvae, or pupae. Such include pond fish, insects and birds that eat mosquitoes. The  mosquito fish or gambezi (Gambusia affinis)  eats mosquito larvae but may be harmed by sprays and chemicals therefore the two solutions are not compatible.  If you breed fish that feed on mosquitoes, avoid spraying and adding chemicals to the water. Many larvae eating fish feed at the water surface, however catfish that is a bottom feeding fish may also eat the larvae. Ducks and geese may filter the water for larvae and pupae and can help control mosquito populations.  They also eat mosquito fish, therefore both solutions are not compatible. If you breed fish, you may have to leave out ducks and geese. Some frogs eat mosquito larvae.  Amongst insects, dragon flies are well known to eat mosquitoes and are nicknamed mosquito hawks. Many birds will also feed on mosquitoes around ponds, therefore make the environment peaceful and inviting for them.

    Selected bacteria can be used to kill mosquito larvae.  Some manufactured products containing Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis are available for selectively killing mosquito larvae and not other water life such as fish and frogs.

    Spraying the water with insecticides such as cypermethrin kills not only mosquitoes, but also other insects which may affect the availability of food for frogs and other animals.  Garlic juice is also known to repel mosquitoes and may be sprayed in an enclosed environment.

    Climate change can affect the life cycle of mosquitoes and the transmission of malaria and such changes need constant study.   However, it is known that some mosquito species are adaptable; the eggs, larvae, or pupae may lay dormant through unfavorable conditions and rejuvenate when conditions are conducive for them.

    Overall, making the environment non conducive for mosquito breeding is very important for limiting the transmission of malaria parasites.

    Dr. Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis.  For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Malaria: The Environment

    Malaria is a disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes. Without mosquitoes, humans would not have malaria except if another biting insect takes over the vector role of mosquitoes.

    Mosquitoes have an interesting life cycle which involves laying their eggs on water and the early stages of mosquito life, the larva and pupa, are aquatic.

    The eggs hatch and become larvae in the water within 2 days.  In about a week or two, the larvae become pupae, form which adult flies emerge in about four days.  Therefore any small collection of water lying around for a few weeks may be good breeding ground for mosquitoes.

    Some natural environments are good habitats for mosquitoes.  If you live near a pond, lake, swamp, or marsh, you can be sure that you need to keep your home sealed from mosquitoes.  Some kinds of trees have tree holes in their trunk that can hold a small pool of water for long and produce a constant supply to mosquitoes especially during the rainy season.  On the other hand, the eucalyptus tree has an aroma that repels mosquitoes and other insects.

    In farmlands, stagnated irrigation water may breed mosquitoes.

    Within the city, there are many conducive mosquito habitats. Some of these mosquito habitats are within infrastructures that humans build such as in potholes in the sides of roads where cars do not pass, or in holes and gaps on foot paths, or in street gutters.  Around human habitats, mosquitoes may breed in stagnant water in roof gutters, in open water tanks, and in waste products of human activities such as old tires, tin cans, plastic containers, etc. Plastic pollution is particularly interesting to watch as this may stagnate water for long in waste dumps and clogged drainage systems.

    To control the breeding of mosquitoes around your habitat, you need to get rid of conducive mosquito habitats.  Keep your environment neat and tidy.  This includes not having water-holding litter or trash; filling gaps and cracks that can hold water  in cement works, on fences,  or on the ground, etc;  and keeping old tires sheltered  from rain water.  Trash bins should be covered to avoid rain water from entering and settling at the bottom.  Open containers left exposed to rain should be perforated at the bottom so that they do not hold water.

    If you have a swimming pool, keep it chlorinated.  This limits the growth of microbial life that mosquito larva need to live on. If you have an ornamental pond, use a pump to stir the water frequently. If you have an unused fountain or any other body of water, you can make the water uncomfortable or toxic for mosquito larvae and pupae.  You may try any of the known means:  a few drops of dish soap or shampoo per gallon of stagnant water; one tablespoon bleach per gallon of stagnant water; up to 15% vinegar for a small body of water, etc.

    If you must live around a large body of stagnant fresh water, you may need to create your own environmental balance or ecosystem.  You need to have predators that feed on mosquitoes, their eggs, larvae, or pupae. Such include pond fish, insects and birds that eat mosquitoes. The  mosquito fish or gambezi (Gambusia affinis)  eats mosquito larvae but may be harmed by sprays and chemicals therefore the two solutions are not compatible.  If you breed fish that feed on mosquitoes, avoid spraying and adding chemicals to the water. Many larvae eating fish feed at the water surface, however catfish that is a bottom feeding fish may also eat the larvae. Ducks and geese may filter the water for larvae and pupae and can help control mosquito populations.  They also eat mosquito fish, therefore both solutions are not compatible. If you breed fish, you may have to leave out ducks and geese. Some frogs eat mosquito larvae.  Amongst insects, dragon flies are well known to eat mosquitoes and are nicknamed mosquito hawks. Many birds will also feed on mosquitoes around ponds, therefore make the environment peaceful and inviting for them.

    Selected bacteria can be used to kill mosquito larvae.  Some manufactured products containing Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis are available for selectively killing mosquito larvae and not other water life such as fish and frogs.

    Spraying the water with insecticides such as cypermethrin kills not only mosquitoes, but also other insects which may affect the availability of food for frogs and other animals.  Garlic juice is also known to repel mosquitoes and may be sprayed in an enclosed environment.

    Climate change can affect the life cycle of mosquitoes and the transmission of malaria and such changes need constant study.   However, it is known that some mosquito species are adaptable; the eggs, larvae, or pupae may lay dormant through unfavorable conditions and rejuvenate when conditions are conducive for them.

    Overall, making the environment non conducive for mosquito breeding is very important for limiting the transmission of malaria parasites.

    Dr. Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis.  For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Malaria: The human host with G6P DD

    Glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6P DD) is a condition that is most commonly found in malarial regions of the world – parts of Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. It is found in about 400 million people, and especially in males. In the USA, it is known to affect 1 in 10 African American males.  G6P DD is most common in black males in general. Black women may carry the gene for the deficiency but may not have the deficiency and transmit the gene to their children, who, if male, will definitely have the deficiency.

    G6P DD results from mutations in the G6PD gene. The gene provides instructions for making the enzyme and a mutated gene makes a variant enzyme or less enzyme.

    G6P DD is inherited through a recessive gene located on the X chromosome.  Males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome.  Females have two X chromosomes.  In males, a single mutated gene on the X chromosome produces the deficiency.  In females, it takes a mutated gene on both X chromosomes to produce the deficiency. Hence males are more likely to manifest the deficiency.  Fathers cannot pass X-linked traits to their male offspring.

    In Africa, one form of G6PD deficiency (G6PD A-) is common.  G6P DD is also known as “favism” because people with this condition are allergic to fava beans.

    G6PD is an important enzyme in red blood cells (erythrocytes) and helps the cells to function normally. Like many other enzymes, G6P is involved in the generation of energy through the processing of carbohydrates. In addition, it protects the red blood cells from formed harmful by-products (oxidants) triggered by infections, medications or other factors. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are byproducts of normal metabolism and GP6D is involved in production of chemical species that mop up ROS, preventing toxic levels of ROS in red blood cells.

    Scholars believe that a lack of G6P or a reduced amount of this enzyme function prevents the plasmodium from invading red blood cells.  It is thought that G6PD deficiency is associated with increased oxidative stress in red blood cells in G6P DD people compared to people without this deficiency. The parasite needs to invade the red blood cells to continue its life cycle.  The elevated oxidative stress is harmful to the parasite. The parasite may avoid cells that appear to have some oxidative stress.

    G6PD deficiency can lead to disruption of red blood cells by severe oxidative stress.  If new red blood cells are not produced at the rate of cell loss, hemolytic anemia results.            In neonates, prolonged jaundice may lead to neurological complications.

    Symptoms of G6P DD anemia include weak or rapid pulse; heavy, fast breathing; tea colored urine; enlarged spleen, sudden rise of body temperature; yellowish skin and mucous membrane; fatigue, paleness; and physical degeneration. Symptoms of the anemia are reversed by stopping the trigger, e.g. a drug.  A child with severe anemia may be hospitalized to get oxygen and fluids or in extreme cases, to get a transfusion of healthy blood cells. Severe cases of G6P DD anemia can lead to kidney failure or death.

    GP6 DD is identified in newborns through screening and children can be properly managed. Older persons can also be screened by measurement of G6PD enzyme levels in the blood, a complete blood count, serum hemoglobin test, and a reticulocyte count.

    People with G6P DD live a healthy life if they avoid triggers and have a safe diet. Hence, many African may not even know they carry such a trait while being strong against malaria.

    Some of the known triggers to avoid if one has G6P DD are camphor (moth balls), fava and some other beans, some types of red wine, tonic water because it contains quinine, and some soya products.  Diet that is rich in antioxidants is helpful.  Foods that should be included include fresh fruits and vegetables.  They contain antioxidant vitamins.

    Many Africans actually live healthy lives, in spite of G6P DD and are able to thrive in an environment where they are constantly exposed to malaria.

    Dr. Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis.  For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • About Malaria: The mosquito

    The word mosquito means “little fly” in Spanish.  This insect has adapted to living in various parts of the world, where there are humans.  There are about 3500 species or types of mosquitoes adapted to live in diverse environments, some on mountains and others in valleys. The Culiseta species, for example, may be adapted to cold regions and the Anopheles species may be adapted to hot regions.   In Africa, some of the species found are Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles arabiensis, Anopheles funestus, Culex pipiens, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Aedes aegypti.

    Mosquitoes are important to humans because they transmit microbes that cause various diseases: malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, West Nile virus, chikungunya, filariasis, tularemia, encephalitis, and various forest and river fevers.

    The presence of the mosquito around humans is stubborn because the female mosquito that feeds on human blood does so to nourish its eggs. They are apparently attracted to humans by the exhaled carbon dioxide and heat trail.

    The life cycle of a mosquito consists of four stages: egg, pupa, larva, and adult.  The complete metamorphosis takes about one month.

    The female mosquito may lay up to 300 eggs a day, and thousands of eggs in its lifetime.  The eggs of Culex and Culiseta species may attach together forming a floating raft. Anopheles and Aedes lay eggs singly and do not form rafts.

    The mosquito eggs are laid on fresh water surfaces – particularly on stagnant pools.  This can be on water trapped in litter, trash, potholes, tree holes, gutters, sewers, irrigation water, open water tanks, and unkempt environments.  One of the chief methods of malaria control is environmental management.

    The eggs hatch within 2 days into larvae (wrigglers) that move around and feed on minute aquatic plants and other microorganisms. The larvae of some species hang from the water surface because they need to breathe air from the water surface and one of the methods of controlling malaria or preventing malaria epidemics is by spraying water surfaces to create an oily film through which the larvae cannot breathe.  Larvae may protect themselves when disturbed by wriggling down into the water.

    The mosquito larvae pass through molting stages, shedding their outer parts or exoskeleton four times, growing to about 5 mm in length, and eventually become pupae. The stages between molts are called instars and can be a few days to two weeks long depending on the species, the water temperature, and availability of microbes for food.  The pupae undergo development within themselves for about 4 days, without feeding, until an adult fly emerges. Pupae breathe air at the water surface and are sensitive to light and disturbances. Pupae tend to tumble down into the water when disturbed, hence they are nicknamed tumblers.  Water bodies used for landscaping can be prevented from becoming mosquito breeding ground if landscapers introduce tiny aquatic animal species that feed on mosquito eggs, wrigglers, and tumblers.

    The eggs, larvae, or pupae of some mosquito species may lay dormant through unfavorable weather or bad conditions and rejuvenate when conditions are conducive.

    During emergence from pupae, males come out faster and stay nearby to quickly mate with females.

    About 30% males die on emergence and the rest of the males live for about one week, feeding on plant juices.  Females can live much longer, even up to five months, and travel far, even up to 40 km, in their life time. They feed on plant juices as well as human blood which they need to nourish their eggs.  Depending on the species, they may lay eggs once or several times in their life.

    Dr. Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis.  For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • About Malaria: The parasite

    For a long time, European explorers had known the West African Coast as the White Man’s grave.  This is because of the terrible fever they contracted from this region of the world.  They called it “bad air” or “mal aria” as they thought it was from the air.

    However, malaria disease appears to have been known by the Greeks and Romans more than 2,000 years ago who described patterns of fever that we now recognize as malaria fever.  The parasite that causes malaria, plasmodium, was discovered by Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran in 1880.  Mosquitoes became recognized as the vectors of the parasite for malaria in birds by British army surgeon Ronald Ross in 1897 who was given the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

    The Italian physician and zoologist, Giovanni Battista Grassi, was a pioneer in the science of parasitology, especially malariology.  “He was the first to describe and establish the life cycle of the human malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, and discovered that only female anopheline mosquitoes are capable of transmitting the disease” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Grassi).  Since then scientists have gained encyclopedic knowledge about the single cell (protozoan) malaria parasite, plasmodium, and its vector, the mosquito.

    There are several well studied types of Plasmodium which cause human malaria: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax, and Plasmodium malariae.  Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax cause the most severe malaria and they are found IN Africa, Asia and South America.  In Nigeria and many parts of West Africa, malaria is mainly caused by Plasmodium falciparum but Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale are also endemic.

    Plasmodium vivax is more prevalent in the Indian subcontinent and Central America.  Plasmodium malariae is found in sub-Saharan Africa, in much of southeast Asia and on the western Pacific Islands.  Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium brasilianum which infects monkeys are found in some parts of the Amazon Basin of South America. P. knowlesi which infects animals can rarely cause disease in humans.

    Some of the mosquito species, Anopheles gambiae, carry the plasmodium parasites and transmit them to humans without getting the disease.  In humans, depending on the degree and duration of infection, the parasites cause fever, liver and kidney failure, convulsions, coma, and death.  This is because the parasites lodge in different tissues of the human body. Plasmodium falciparum is the most dangerous and can kill rapidly, even within a few days, and may be responsible for infant deaths in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania.

    The female Anopheles mosquitoes which takes blood meals from humans ingests the parasite with the blood of infected people.  The female needs this blood meal to get nutrients for its eggs. The parasites taken with the blood live and reproduce within the mosquito. The infected mosquito then introduces the parasites into the next human beings that it bites.  This is done through its saliva that it injects first to facilitate blood sucking.

    Plasmodium may infect red blood cells in mammals, birds, and reptiles.  Apart from mosquitoes, some other biting insects such as mites may transmit plasmodia.  It is generally good to avoid biting insects in endemic areas.

    They life cycle of plasmodium is completed between the mosquito and human hosts.  The asexual reproductive process is within the human and the sexual process occurs in the mosquito. In human hosts, the plasmodium parasite can be found in various stages or forms: the blood parasites and the tissue parasites.  There is also the vector stage that lives in the mosquito.

    The Mosquito injects sporozoites into the human victim. Different forms of the plasmodium then emerge, passing through the liver (exoerythrocytic stages) and into the blood (erythrocytic stages ): tissue hypnozoites, blood and tissue schizonts, blood trophozoites, blood and liver merozoites, and gametocytes.  Gametocytes ingested by mosquitoes during a blood meal transform within the mosquito into, zygotes, ookinetes, oocyts and sporozoites.

    The size, shape and appearance of the forms are characteristic. For example, the microgametocytes presents a large nucleus that is ready for gamete production, the macrogametocytes present a cytoplasm with numerous ribosomes for protein synthesis.  Within humans, the plasmodium may become a hypnozoite, a long-lived dormant stage, that persists in tissues even when a person appears recovered from the disease.  Schizonts are vegetative forms which rupture to release daughter cells called merozoites that infect  red blood cells (erythrocytes).

    Merozoites can adapt to lodge in liver cells and can remain in the liver for more than one year. They later emerge from liver cells and enter into the blood as blood forms.  The malaria parasite is thus a serious health threat because it has developed ways of staying in the human body both as an active pathogen that can cause disease and alert the immune system and also as a dormant potential hazard that does not seem to readily alert the immune system.  Moreover, the different forms have different susceptibility to different types of drugs such that each drug in use can affect some forms and not other forms of the parasite within the body.  The more commonly used drugs such as artesunate destroy schizonts.

    Presently efforts are being made to produce effective malaria vaccines that can prevent malaria by inducing personal immunity. A malaria vaccine approved in 2015 is RTS,S, (trade name Mosquirix). However, it requires four injections, and its efficacy is low.

    Dr. Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis.  For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Over 81,640 Nigerians die of malaria annually, by expert

    Over 80,000 Nigerians die of malaria-related sicknesses annually, it was learnt. The implication is that every hour, nine persons die of malaria in Nigeria. This is as it was also learnt that the country records 53 million cases of malaria annually, representing 25 per cent of the global malaria burden.

    Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.

    According to the latest World malaria report, released in November 2018, there were 219 million cases of malaria in 2017, up from 217 million cases in 2016. The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 435 000 in 2017, a similar number to the previous year.

    Finance has, however, limited the country’s effort at dealing with malaria as the country continues to record more death despite all the forms of vector control including treated net.

    The head of programme, Management of National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Mr. Aro Afolabi, who disclosed this during a media chat in Abuja, noted that Nigeria will need a total of $108,237,465 to bridge the gap for 2019 to 2020. He disclosed this at a media chart organised by NMEP of the Federal Ministry of Health, with the theme: “Bridging the resources gap for malaria elimination,” held in Abuja. Mr. Afolabi, who was represented by Mr. Timothy Obot, said Nigeria records 53 million cases of malaria annually and accounts for 25 per cent of the global malaria burden.

    According to him, implications of unfilled gaps are risks of increased malaria morbidity and mortality; the threat of a weakened workshops with decreased productivity with consequences on development; danger of economic losses following years of investment; loss of confidence in public health programmes; and inability to use existing facilities to ensure sustainability of services beyond the tenure of donor funding. He further stated that Nigeria alone accounts for 53 per cent of the $1.3billion funding gap for essential commodities that include 76 per cent of the funding gap in Artemisirin Combination Therapy (ACT) and 86 per cent of the funding gap for rapid diagnostic test kits (RDTs).

    He stressed that Nigeria faces financial gap of N504 billion ($1.4b) to implement its national malaria strategy by 2020 (WMR). Earlier, Dr. Bala Mohammed, national coordinator, NMEP, said the national malaria prevalence dropped from 42 per cent to 27 per cent between 2010 and 2015. These outcomes were as a result of the synergy and support by government at all levels as well as investments by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), United States’ President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the U.K Department for International Development (DfID), World Bank, African Development Bank and other Roll Back Malaria (RBM) partners.

    According to him, this progress has, however, stalled based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2018 World Malaria Report (WMR), which shows a rise in estimated cases from 52.4 million in 2016 to 53.7 million in 2017, and an estimated additional 3 million cases in the country between 2016 and 2017. “In Nigeria, there is no doubt that most of the gains earlier achieved are gradually getting eroded. This is largely due to a number of factors, but chief among these is the inadequate funding and mobilisation of resource requirements that have limited access and coverage of intervention commodities. To arrest this negative slide and restore malaria control efforts back on track there is need for concerted efforts by all stakeholders to consolidate on the immediate past gains by improving on resource mobilisation,” he said,

    He pointed out that the only way out is to increase mobilisation of funds to enhance campaign, access and coverage of intervention commodities. He also stated that malaria remains life threatening parasitic disease that is transmitted through the bite of an infected female anopheles mosquito, and efforts are on to improve on the anti-malaria drugs being used to respond to the disease.

    The coordinator was hopeful that the situation could improve for better if stakeholders join the fight, through financial, expertise or logistics support. In a presentation, titled: “Bridging the resource gap for malaria elimination,” said Obot, who painted a gory picture of malaria situation in Nigeria. “There are over 53 million cases of malaria in Nigeria annually which accounts for 25 percent of global malaria burden. It means that one in every four Nigerians has malaria. There are 81, 640 deaths every year in Nigeria, approximately nine deaths per hour. Nigeria, undoubtedly, accounts for 19 per cent of global malaria deaths. It also means that one in five global deaths is recorded in Nigeria,” he disclosed.

  • Kano records 567 malaria-related deaths in 2018

    Kano state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Kabiru Ibrahim Getso has said that over 567 people died of diseases attributed to malaria in 2018

    Getso who spoke during a press briefing to mark the 2019 African Vaccination Week and World Malaria Day, also stated that the  Kano state government had spent over N500 million to combat and eliminate malaria in the state within the last two years.

    According to him, the money was spent through the distribution of free anti-malaria drugs to various health facilities across the state.

    He said, “94 per cent of confirmed uncomplicated malaria cases recorded in 2018 was treated with about 567 deaths attributed to the disease. In economic terms, malaria morbidity and mortality led to loss of billions of Naira in cost of drugs, hospital stay, man-hour loss, and other out-of-the-pocket expenses.”

    Read also: Foam company joins fight against Malaria, launches mosquito repellent

    “In Kano state, malaria is the single most common reason for outpatient consultations and visitation. It is estimated that in 2018, there were more than 1.3 million hospital visits (34.4 percent of OPD attendance) and one percent of the total public hospitals and admissions, as well as 54 percent of the referrals through the newly designed two-way hospital referrals system, were due to the menace of malaria.”

    He also said the Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s administration has also provided malaria diagnostic kits, free malaria prevention drugs to women, as well as distribution of free long-lasting insecticide-treated nets in all the 44 Local Government Areas.

    “Malaria can be easily prevented by limiting ones exposure to mosquitoes and mosquito bites, pointing out that the prime point of attack by mosquitoes is at night when people are asleep.”

  • Foam company joins fight against Malaria, launches mosquito repellent

    APART from its commitment to adding comfort to the lives of the people, Mouka Limited, Nigeria’s leading manufacturer of mattresses and other bedding products, has launched advanced range of insect repellents to keep mosquitoes away from Nigerians. This, it said, is part of its contribution towards the global campaign against malaria.

    The launch also coincided with this year’s World Malaria Day campaign.

    The annual World Malaria Day recognises global efforts towards controlling malaria. According to statistics, about 3.3billion people in 106 countries, mostly African children, are at risk of malaria globally.

    The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) latest world malaria report also revealed that no significant gains were made between in 2015 and 2017, with estimated number of malaria deaths in 2017 alone put at 435, 000.

    This, according to the world health body, calls for urgent action to get global response against the disease back on track. It also called on most affected countries to take ownership of the challenge.

    With the theme, ‘Zero Malaria starts with me,’ WHO joined the African Union Commission and other partner organisations in promoting a grassroots campaign aimed at keeping malaria high on the political agenda, mobilise additional resources and empower communities to take ownership of malaria prevention and care.

    Chief Executive Officer of the Mouka Limited, Raymond Murphy who spoke during the launch of the product in Lagos, said the product, ‘Mouka Mozzi’ insect repellents, would protect many Nigerians from mosquitoes.

    According to him, Mouka Mozzi also provides protection from bedbugs, mold, bacteria spores, spiders, cockroaches and dust mites. With each application, Murphy said a consumer could enjoy 24 hours protection for up to 3 months, which he said is not possible with insecticides.

    He said the company became actively involved in the world malaria campaign hence, the need for products that would keep Nigerians free from malaria. “For us it’s important because it’s part of our company culture and part of our values going forward to continue to invest in the research and development of mosquito repellent products here in Nigeria.”

    “With active ingredients extracts and after extensive research development and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Commission (NAFDAC) approval, we have developed an environmentally friendly product that can be used for all of the family from baby to kids to young adults to elderly citizens.

    “This product can be safely used by all in the domestic environment; it can be sprayed on mattresses; it can be spread on to fabrics like cloths, and it can be spread on clothing as well.”

    Murphy said the products have been made available in parts of the country including Sokoto, Kanu, Maidugiri, Abuja, the Southwest and Southeast; adding that consumers don’t have to travel too far from their homes to access a retail point.

    “Our strategic objective is to make sure that we have Mouka Mozzi range of products easily available nationwide as soon as possible,” he stated.

    He said the company already has about 350 active distributors across the country, including shopping malls.

    Dr. Omoniyi Kayode Yemitan, who conducted the chemical evaluation, efficacy and toxicological assessment of Mouka Mozzi, endorsed the products as safe for all members of the family, including pregnant women and young children.

    Yemitan, is of the Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutic and Toxicology at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. He explained that the active ingredient in Mouka Mozzi was extracted from plants, which makes it non-hazardous to humans.

    Representing the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olajide Idris, the state Malaria Elimination Programme Manager, Dr. Abimbola Osinowo said the state government has renewed its commitment to tackling malaria using a multi-directional approach, including environmental management and integrated vector control for prevention of malaria, adding that Mouka has taken a step in the right direction with the production of its repellents.

  • ‘Over 400, 000 cases of malaria reported annually in Lagos’

    Lagos State Ministry of Health Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Dr. Moyosore Adejumo, has said malaria is responsible for more than 70 per cent of the outpatient attendance in the state public health facilities with more than 400,000 cases reported annually.

    Breaking the figures further, she said there are more reported cases of malaria in children under five years and in pregnant women where the infection can be very serious due to the very vulnerable nature of these two segments of the population.

    Dr. Adejumo said this while speaking at the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) 2019 World Malaria Day celebration at Bariga Local Government Hall, Bariga, with the theme: “Zero malaria starts with me.”

    She stressed that the theme is apt at this time in view of the collective responsibilities of all stakeholders, including the governments at all levels, professional bodies, healthcare workers at all levels, civil society organisations, communities, corporate organisations  and even individuals to reduce the scourge of malaria. While explaining that the topography and ecologic features of the state, the abundant coastal features, rapid urbanisation and poor drainage are some of the major factors that contribute to the all-year transmission of malaria, she said over the years, the state government has demonstrated continued commitment to the control of malaria.

    On his part, AHAPN National Chairman, Dr. Kingsley Chiedu Amibor, said this year’s celebration is a collaboration between the national body and the state branch of AHAPN. Speaking on the topic: “Continued relevance of Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACTs) in the treatment of malaria”, he said in order to prevent progression of uncomplicated malaria to severe disease or death and prevent chronic infection leading to anaemia, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has since recommended ACTs as the first line of treatment of malaria globally. He, however, added that recent reports tend to suggest patients relapse after treatment with this group of medicines.

    Read also: ExxonMobil to battle malaria with $5.7m

    Dr. Amibor said there are five ACTs available for use against plasmodium falciparum malaria, adding that the choice of ACT should be based on results of therapeutic efficacy studies against local strains of plasmodium falciparum malaria. He listed the ACTs recommended by WHO to include, Artemether-lumefantrine (AL), Artesunate-amodiaquine (AS-AQ), Artesunate-mefloquine (AS-MQ), Artesunate–sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (AS-SP) and Dihydroartemisinine-piperaquin (DHA-PQP).

    Despite reported cases of relapse after use, Dr. Amibor insisted, ACTs remain the mainstay of treatment for plasmodium falciparum since there are no alternatives to artemisinin derivatives for now. He cautioned Nigerians to not take multivitamins containing vitamin C with the ACTs as they render them less effective if taken together. “A Nigerian study involving 80 malaria infected adult patients showed that co-administration of orange juice, grapefruit juice or vitamin C concomitantly with artesunate or amodiaquine severely diminished the efficacy and potency of the drugs,” he said.

  • Evans Therapeutics engages Lagos communities to eliminate malaria

    To stem the spread of malaria in the country, Evans Therapeutics Ltd, manufacturer and marketer of high quality pharmaceutical and healthcare products, organised a community sensitisation and awareness programme where residents of Isolo Local Government Area were tested and treated for malaria. The drug manufacturing giant said it embarked on the initiative in order to help Nigeria achieve the WHO’s 2030 target for malaria elimination.

    The residents, who came out in their numbers to partake in the early detection of malaria cases, were also given anti-malaria drugs. They also underwent several health check-ups to ensure they stay healthy. Speaking on the significance of the programme, Sesan Adebayo, marketing manager of Evans Therapeutics, said it was necessary to sensitise the community on the burden of malaria and create awareness on the economic impact as well as the disease prevention and drug use. He added that Nigeria is still struggling with malaria elimination because of people’s attitude towards the disease and the low level of knowledge towards drug use, noting that anti-malaria drug is being abused in the country.

    “One of the things we have identified is that malaria is highly over diagnosed in Nigeria and many times, people use anti-malaria when they don’t have the sickness. This is an environment where people have easy access to drugs; anybody can go to drug store to purchase anti-malaria drugs.

    “To conquer malaria, anti-malaria was made an over-the-counter drug, the only drug you can buy without prescription and people have abused that privilege. People will walk up to drug store without conducting test to request for anti-malaria drugs, with the assumption that they have malaria and then, not only will the drug refuse to work, they suffer the side effects of that medicine as well,” he stressed.

    While lamenting that the abuse of drugs has increased anti-malaria resistance in the parasites, he called for proper prescription and usage of the dosage in order to avoid negative implication on the health of individuals. “If anti-malaria is not properly used, the chances that the malaria parasite will develop resistance to that drug will increase,” he cautioned.

    Also speaking on ways to achieve zero malaria in the country, Gafar Yusuf, national sales manager, Evans Therapeutics, said it is imperative that every stakeholder plays a collaborative role in ensuring not only the reduction, but total elimination of malaria in Nigeria. To achieve the objective, he urged all health workers, companies, government and the community members need to work together. “It is not enough to set goals to eradicate malaria; everyone must play his or her own part in ensuring the success of achieving zero malaria,” he noted.

    As a pharmaceutical company whose goal is to ensure elimination of malaria among residents as part of its corporate social responsibility, Evans Therapeutics has brought testing and treatment of the disease to the communities, Yusuf said. This is in line with the 2019 theme, he added. “We don’t only manufacture but market sales of anti-malaria. It is important that we collaborate with the government and the people, and reach out to the grassroots by having direct contact with the communities.

    “That is why in our own small way as a company, we have carried out our anti-malaria campaign in Isolo Local Government Area by reaching out to residents and government workers and trying to make sure that they don’t only have knowledge of the parasites, but how to manage such when they have malaria,” he said.

    On how Nigeria can achieve near zero malaria by 2030, Yusuf lamented that the country was not able to meet or achieve the first policy of the WHO’s millennium development goal (MDG), which has now been changed to sustainable development goal (SDG), noting that the country must double its efforts in putting strategies in place for the people to ensure that before 2030, it attains minimal level of eradication of the disease, if not totally.

    On her part, Dr. Ajayi Temitope, medical officer of health, Isolo Local Government Area, said Nigeria isprone to malaria because of some peculiar  environmental factors and must ensure it increases awareness on the disease as most people misdiagnose malaria for other ailments. “People think that malaria has to do with fever and body pains; it also increases the rate of maternal and infant mortality. People just look at malaria as ordinary because it has been with us for a very long time and so they don’t take it serious. That is why they actually have issues with taking care of this scourge because Nigeria is actually endemic,” she said.

    She further stressed that Nigeria has neglected the preventive measures and focused on curative, which has contributed to the rise of the disease. Dr. Temitope, however, charged Nigerians to be mindful of their environment and ensure they stay clean and safe as well as use treated mosquito nets to prevent malaria.

    “Nigeria focuses on curative rather than preventive. This is why the malarial drugs are becoming resistant; it’s just like insecticides, once you use it for certain period of time, the organisms start creating genes that are resistant. That  is what has been happening, which is why chloroquine has been phased out over time and unfortunately, the same behaviour we had towards chloroquine is what we have put into the rest of the anti-malaria drugs.

    tal health would definitely go a long way rather than drugs, which become resistant eventually.

    “So people should focus more on the preventive aspect first and after that, then we can now turn to the treatment. After prevention, we will discover that people don’t have to come down with malaria and then the awareness has to continue because it is not every fever that is malaria,” she explained.