BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Cross section of stakeholders at the 2023 World Mosquito Day (WMD) in Abuja yesterday.
Environmentalists have called on the three tiers of government to increase investment in research and development to completely eradicate malaria in Nigeria.
This formed the crux of discuss on Monday in Abuja at a one-day symposium organised by the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON) in collaboration with Pest Control Association of Nigeria (PECAN) to mark the 2023 World Mosquito Day (WMD) with the theme: "Fighting the World's Deadliest Killer–The Mosquito".
News Rider reports that WMD was designated annually on August 20, to raise awareness on mosquito-borne diseases, effect on human health and global efforts toward the eradication of the vector.
It was also set aside to commemorate the contributions of a British doctor, Sir Ronald Ross, who discovered that female anopheline mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans in 1897.
The Dean, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Prof Godson Ana described malaria as a parasitic infection transmitted by anopheline mosquitoes, saying that most of the deaths occur in children under the age of five years.
In his presentation titled: "Fighting the World's Deadliest Killer –War Against Mosquito: Strategies, Gains and Setbacks", he noted that the war against mosquitoes should be concentrated more at the community level.
The guest speaker requested for more synergy among stakeholders across different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government in order to succeed in the eradication of mosquitoes.
Ana, who is also the President of Environmental Health Scientists Association of Nigeria harped on strong documentation of policies that would emphasize environmental management especially at the grassroots.
He blamed the rise in cases of mosquito-borne diseases to climate change, adding that areas with higher temperature would increase the transmission season and the rate at which diseases inside the mosquito vector develop.
The don listed setback in the fight against mosquito as environmental degradation, ecosystem disruption, loss of tourism potentials, increased loss of manhour in very highly endemic region, decreased productivity and poor economic turnover.
On the gains, he said: "Advancement in science, some scientific discoveries, slight reduction in mosquito population in some locations, and palpable improvement in manhour gain, productivity and economy.
He noted that conquering mosquito invasion and its impact requires sustained efforts, innovation and commitment from all Nigerians.
The Registrar of EHCON, Dr Yakubu Baba harped on investment in sewerage system, just as he stated that Nigeria has been at the forefront in the fight against malaria.
He recalled that the Abuja Declaration on Health ushered in the roll back malaria programme over 20 years ago.
On how Nigeria has fared since the Abuja declaration, he noted that little progress was achieved in leading the campaign towards the eradication of malaria in African continent.
He identified the total neglect of the vector, which is the deadliest killer as one of the factors militating against the control of malaria.
Baba said that the second gap is unfavourable government programmes towards mosquito control, adding that there is little or no activity at the Federal and State levels targeted at the control of mosquitoes.
He emphasised that Nigerian scientists are yet to unravel the species of mosquitoes available in the country, which he blamed on poor research in the bionomics of the vector.
Represented by Senior Technical Assistant to EHCON's Registrar, Isah Adamu, he informed that the fight against malaria would be more meaningful if more efforts are targeted at the mosquito.
He said though there are avalanche of regulations and guidelines controlling the practice of pest control experts, that such regulations and guidelines failed to attract the attention of policy makers especially in ending the malaria scourge.
The registrar disclosed that EHCON being a regulatory body is working tirelessly to set a standard and guidelines in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment on mosquito control programmes in Nigeria.
He commended the Federal Government for setting up Nigeria End Malaria Council that would unearth the primary prevention of malaria, instead of the secondary prevention which centered on the distribution of Insecticidal Treated Nets (ITNs).
“Studies show that even the mosquito treated nets beside the fact that they are not properly used by the target users, are also not comfortable for people considering the style of living in Nigeria.
“We are more outdoor in our activities than indoors, which suggests that between the hours of 5p.m when the anopheline mosquito begins to be active, most of us are outside and we cannot be moving about with mosquito net.
"A single bite could mean the introduction of a great number of parasites, so it is very important to bring to the front burner, the way forward to eradicate or control mosquito,” Baba added.
Currently, mosquitoes cause at least 2.7 million deaths every year and about 500 million cases of mosquito-borne diseases occur annually.
With over 3,500 species of mosquitoes, 90 percent of mosquito-borne illnesses occur in Africa, just as the most prominent diseases linked to mosquitoes include malaria, West Nile virus, yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika virus.
The National President of PECAN, Mr Olakunle Williams said that mosquities, seemingly small and inconspicuous have inflicted immeasurable suffering and claimed countless lives through the transmission of deadly diseases.
The Pest Control Officer hinted that diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, Zika virus and yellow fever continued to ravage communities, impeding progress and hindering socio-economic development.
He encouraged stakeholders to take collective action and tackle the menace, adding that PECAN in partnership with EHCON has been at the forefront of efforts to control mosquitoes and prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in Nigeria.
Williams sought a comprehensive approach to combating the global health challenge, adding that community engagement play a crucial role in empowering individuals to protect themselves and their communities from mosquito-borne diseases.
He called on the government to priortise research and innovation, strengthen surveillance and monitoring system, invest in capacity building and implement integrated pest management strategies.
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