UNIZIK Scholar Describes Malaria As A Preventable And Treatable Disease.
Malaria has been described as a preventable and treatable disease which when properly handled can be eradicated from Nigeria.
These were the views of a Public Health Parasitologist, Prof. Dennis Aribodor on the occasion of the 78th Inaugural Lecturer of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka held at the ASUU NAU Secretariat on Thursday, 23rd March 2023.
Prof. Aribodor stated that over the past two decades, there has been an expansion in access to World Health Organization (WHO) recommended malaria prevention tools and strategies with improvements in malaria fight but sadly progress in reducing malaria cases and deaths has stalled with regression already seen in Nigeria.
The scholar informed that the carrier of malaria parasite which is the anopheles mosquitoes has been described based on World Guiness Book of Records as the only animal that has caused more human deaths than any other single cause since the existence of mankind. He also stated that the female anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria in the process of obtaining blood meal needed to produce their eggs as they utilize the protein and iron in the human blood to produce their eggs in order to continue their existence in the world ecosystem.
Aribodor also disclosed that although there are 3600 different types of mosquitoes to be documented, only the female anopheles mosquitoes transmit the malaria parasite which causes headache, fever, vomiting, weakness, anaemia, abortion, low birth weight, stillbirth, convulsion and death.
Aribodor emphasized that the country is facing converging threats and financial constraints in the battle against the ancient scourge but despite the challenges there is need to continuously tell the malaria story to the people especially those with the keys to unlock human and financial resources needed for the malaria battle.
The Professor of Public Health Parasitology opined that there is need to set timelines and work together in addressing the challenges to malaria elimination so as to have a malaria-free society for the good of all.
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