As the world marks this year”s World Malaria Day today, the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has urged Nigerians to avoid self-medication at this time the country is battling community transmission of COVID-19 as malaria share similar symptoms with the disease.
The medical doctors also urged Nigerians to use the period of the lockdown occasioned by the ravaging COVID-19 infection to clear drains and bushes around their homes as part of the precautionary measures to protect themselves from mosquitoes bites.
In a press statement jointly signed by the President of NMA, Dr. Francis Faduyile and the General Secretary, Dr. Olumuyiwa Odusote to mark the day with the theme: “ZERO MALARIA STARTS WITH ME”, the doctors also urged people to sleep under insecticide-treated nets.
The world Malaria Day is observed on April 25th each year to raise awareness of the global burden of Malaria, a preventable and treatable arthropod transmitted disease that puts half of the world at risk and kills a child every two minutes.
The theme of this year underscores the role everyone has to play in ending the scourge.
They stated that “Unlike COVID-19 that has affected almost the whole world; malaria’s endemicity in Nigeria and other tropical counties is associated with poverty and inequity, with the most vulnerable at greatest risk of dying.
“This, therefore, makes it imperative for extra efforts to ensure that whatever economic palliatives distributed targets the very poor and vulnerable in society. “
NMA noted that as the attention of the world was currently fixated on the ravaging COVID-19, governments at all levels should not de-prioritise the programmes and activities aimed at ultimately eradicating malaria but deplore more resources towards a malaria-free Nigeria. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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