Take preventive measures to fight malaria – Expert

Mr. Yandeh Mairiga, an Environmental Expert, on Friday called for a new strategy to prevent and fight malaria in the country.

Mairiga, who made the call in an interview with the Newsmen in Kaduna, said current strategies have failed to bring down the malaria prevalence index nationwide.

He advised that rather than pursuing a curative approach to the fight against malaria, investment should be made in prevention by rolling back the agents that caused malaria.

Mairiga noted that the huge amount spent annually on the distribution of treated mosquito nets and other curative methods had not helped in reducing the scourge.

“We cannot always be in mosquito nets all day. With the heat and children playing outside, what will protect us then? Will it stop malaria?“.

According to him, the popular slogan of “roll back malaria“ is not working and should be changed to “roll back the mosquitoes“.

“While I don’t contest rolling back malaria, we must be more concerned with the agent that causes the disease and role it back.

“Most nets have an expiry period and by the time they expire, where they are dumped also poses another health issue.

“Most diseases are preventable and state should be models for environmental sanitation where doctors will sit dormant in hospitals without work.

“Enforcement powers should be given to environmental health workers to make residents clean their environment, evacuate drainages so as to prevent stagnant water.”

Mairiga suggested that state governments should also equip environmental health officers to conduct malariometric surveys in order to map out the most effective approach to eradicate malaria parasites based on the peculiarity of each area.