WHO Reports Significant Decline in Malaria Death Rate in Nigeria
WHO Reports Significant Decline in Malaria In a positive development, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, announced on Monday that Nigeria has witnessed a remarkable 55% reduction in malaria-related deaths.
Dr. Moeti made this announcement during the launch of the 2022 Nigeria Malaria Report held in Abuja. In addition to the noteworthy decline in malaria mortality, Dr. Moeti highlighted other healthcare achievements in Nigeria.
WHO Reports Significant Decline in Malaria Dr. Moeti pointed out that Nigeria has made substantial progress in addressing HIV-related issues between 2015 and 2021, successfully meeting two of the 95-95-95 goals. Furthermore, there has been an improvement in tuberculosis intervention coverage, accompanied by an increase in case detection during the same period.
Dr. Moeti noted, “The African Region shoulders a significant portion of the global malaria burden, accounting for approximately 95% of all malaria cases and 96% of all malaria-related deaths in 2021. While Nigeria bears about 27% of the global burden of malaria cases, the nation has made considerable strides. Malaria incidence has decreased by 26% since 2000, dropping from 413 cases per 1000 people to 302 cases per 1000 people in 2021. Additionally, malaria deaths have plummeted by 55%, decreasing from 2.1 deaths per 1000 population to 0.9 deaths per 1000 population.”
Several factors have contributed to the continued burden of malaria in Nigeria, including the country’s large population, which poses challenges for scaling up interventions, suboptimal surveillance systems capturing less than 40% of malaria data, insufficient funding to ensure comprehensive interventions across all states, and a preference for private sector healthcare with limited regulation.
Dr. Moeti stressed the importance of gathering critical data and information for evidence-based investment and decision-making in efforts to combat malaria and other diseases. She emphasized that the report offers crucial insights into the status of malaria in Nigeria.
Looking ahead, Dr. Moeti urged the Regional Office to support the generation of data and evidence required to create similar reports for other diseases and conditions. This approach will empower countries to monitor interventions at both national and sub-national levels, facilitating targeted allocation of funds from donors and governments for the control of communicable and non-communicable diseases.
In response, Prof. Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, expressed the government’s commitment to enhancing health governance in Nigeria. Prof. Pate pledged to collaborate with development partners and the private sector to pool resources to improve health outcomes. He also highlighted the ministry’s plans to retrain approximately 120,000 health workers and update their standards of practice, emphasizing the importance of reducing the disease burden to improve the survival of affected individuals.
These developments signal significant progress in Nigeria’s healthcare landscape, offering hope for better health outcomes and improved quality of life for its citizens. For more update visit thedailycourierng