Date: 2018-04-26

As Nigeria joins other nations to mark World Malaria Day, some parents in Ilorin have urged the Federal Government to provide to provide malaria medications free of charge.

The parents made the appeal in Ilorin on Wednesday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the occasion of the World Malaria Day.

They said the appeal became necessary in view of the high cost of treating the disease, especially by the poor in the society. Mrs Yetunde Aina said the disease had claimed so many lives, especially children and adults in the country, adding that it should not be seen as an ordinary illness.

"It is high time government came to the rescue of patients by making provision for free drug as relieve for them," she said. Another parent, Mr Idris Yusuf said "It is a bad idea to accept malaria fever as a normal thing in any family. It is not normal. It is a killer disease that should be erased from our corridor."

"Hospitals, health centres distributing mosquito nets are not enough. It is time to distribute free drugs to combat the illness.

"We expect government to establish a special malaria medical centre, where free drugs will be made available for patients," he said. Mrs Rofiat Balogun said malaria was the most underrated disease in Nigeria, adding that it had claimed many lives in the past. " Government should do something for us on time, to rescue the situation because many Nigerians prefer taking herbs since they cannot afford the price of drugs.

"Many die because they resort to traditional herbs which are harmful to health. They go for the cheaper options because of lack of fund," she said.

In Jos, Plateau, Mr Solomon Chollom, a Medical Laboratory Scientist, has said that retraining health workers and laboratory scientists in malaria diagnosis was key to combating malaria.

Chollom, who works with the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) in Jos, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Jos. He said such would strengthen the understanding of the disease, its effective diagnosis, treatment procedure, as well ultimate contribution to malaria control.

"The retraining of health workers and laboratory scientists is fundamental to building their skills and capacity.

"It will certainly have positive impact on the diagnostic and effective treatment of malaria as the plasmodium parasite which causes malaria usually manifest in various facets," he said.

He further called on the government to encourage researchers to develop a technology that could identify the resistant malaria; noting that some cases of malaria showed resistance to drugs.

Chollom also advocated increased awareness on the importance of sleeping under the Long-Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs), especially in the rural areas, to reduce contact with the vector that caused malaria. He also advised people to maintain the culture of having clean surrounding devoid of stagnant water, adding that stagnant water bred site for the mosquito vectors that caused malaria. (NAN)