By Alice Etuka, Abuja
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Nigeria Country Representative, Dr. Walter Mulombo has said that Nigeria recorded 1.3 million Malaria cases in 2022, the third country with the highest number of cases in the world.
Mulombo who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Alex Chimbaru, disclosed this on Thursday, April 25, 2024 in his goodwill message at the World Malaria Day commemoration in Abuja.
He said: “According to the Global malaria report of 2023, in 2022, there were an estimated 249 million malaria cases in 85 malaria endemic countries, the WHO African region shoulders the heaviest malaria burden with a contribution of 94% and 95% of malaria cases and deaths respectively.
“The main countries contributing to the increase of cases in 2022 were Pakistan (+2.1 million), Ethiopia (+1.3 million), Nigeria (+1.3 million), Uganda (+597 000) and Papua New Guinea (+423 000)”.
The WHO Nigeria Country Representative averred that the fight against malaria was not just a health issue; but a matter of social justice and human rights.
He said, “by accelerating our efforts to expand access to life-saving interventions, improve health systems, and address the underlying determinants of malaria transmission, we can create a more equitable world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive”.
On her part, USAID Nigeria Deputy Mission Director, Sara Werth informed that since 2011, the United States Government contributed over $914 million USD to Nigeria averaging approximately $73 million a year.
This funding, she explained brought with it a wealth of expertise from across the globe to address the significant challenges in Nigeria.
Ms Werth therefore urged the government of Nigeria to recognise malaria as a priority within the sector wide approach (SWAp) and its significance to the achievement of the strategic vision for the health sector (2023 — 2026).
She also urged the government and private sector to invest in making malaria programming more efficient and
effective using data and other evidence to inform malaria implementation and
drive faster results.
Speaking earlier, The National Coordinator, National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP), Dr. Godwin Ntadom informed that the World Malaria Day was first commemorated in Nigeria by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2000 in Abuja where 44 heads of states were present. He further informed that April 25 every year was set aside to raise awareness of the global effort to control and ultimately eradicate malaria.
The theme of this year’s World Malaria Day is, “Accelerate the fight against malaria for a more equitable world”.
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