Every April 25, the world observes World Malaria Day, one of the
eight official global public health campaigns currently marked by the
World Health Organisation (WHO). World Malaria Day, an offshoot of the
Africa Malaria Day was established in May 2007 by the 60th session of
the World Health Assembly, WHO’s decision-making body. The day was
established to provide “education and understanding of malaria” and
spread information on “year-long intensified implementation of national
malaria-control strategies, including community-based activities for
malaria prevention and treatment in endemic areas.” On this day, global
efforts to combat the malaria scourge are recognised. The theme of this
year’s commemoration is ‘End Malaria for Good.’ Ahead of the
commemoration today, the WHO yesterday disclosed that Ghana, Kenya and
Malawi will pilot the world’s first malaria vaccine from 2018, offering
it for babies and children in high-risk areas as part of real-life
trials. It is an injectable vaccine called “Mosquirix”. The WHO said the
vaccines was developed by British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to
protect children from the most deadly form of malaria in Africa.
Malaria, one of the leading cases of death especially among children
under the age of five and pregnant women, is caused by parasites that
are transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites that are spread to people
through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquito vectors. Of the 5
parasite species that cause malaria in humans, Plasmodium falciparum is
the most deadly. According to statistics, nearly half of the world’s
population is at risk of malaria. In 2015, there were roughly 212
million malaria cases and an estimated 430,000 deaths, the vast majority
of them babies and young children in sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan
Africa continues to carry a disproportionately high share of the global
malaria burden. In 2015, the region was home to 90 per cent of malaria
cases and 92 per cent of malaria deaths. Global efforts in the last 15
years cut the malaria death toll by 62 per cent between 2000 and 2015.
In Nigeria, the disease is responsible for 60 per cent outpatient visits
to health facilities, 30 per cent childhood deaths, 25 per cent of
deaths in children under one year and 11 maternal death. The financial
loss due to malaria annually is estimated to be about N132 billion Naira
in form of treatment costs, prevention, loss of man-hours etc, yet, it
is a treatable and completely evitable disease. These statistics are
startling and disturbing and should be a case of concern to
stakeholders. World Malaria Day is therefore an avenue to highlight the
need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for
malaria prevention and control. Medical experts have over the years
advised that early diagnosis and prompt treatment of malaria prevents
deaths. It also contributes to reducing malaria transmission.
The theme for this year’s World Malaria Day is apt as it captures the
entire essence of the campaign over the years, which is to bring the
malaria scourge to an end. It is in the light of this that we welcome
the vaccine initiative by the WHO, which we consider a practical and
radical approach towards ending the scourge. According to the WHO, the
pilot programme will assess whether the Mosquirix’s protective effect in
children aged five to 17 months can be replicated in real-life. It will
also assess the feasibility of delivering the four doses needed, and
explore the vaccine’s potential role in reducing the number of children
killed by the disease. Interventions in the form of diagnostic testing
and treatment have since 2000 seen to the reduction of deaths caused by
malaria but to bring it to an end, prevention, which is the step being
taken by the WHO is where all stakeholders should be focusing their
attention. The WHO said Malawi, Kenya and Ghana were chosen for the
pilot due to several factors, including having high rates of malaria as
well as good malaria programmes, wide use of bed-nets and
well-functioning immunisation programmes and that each of the three
countries will decide on the districts and regions to be included in the
pilots. It also said high malaria areas will get priority since these
are where experts expect to see most benefit from the use of the
vaccine.
The premise on which the WHO based its choice of the three countries for
the pilot underscores the need for other countries, including Nigeria,
to initiate new malaria programmes where they do not exist and
strengthen existing ones to position themselves for such interventions.
The National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) has been in operation in
the Ministry of Health but perhaps needs to tailor its programmes
towards proactive interventions. Existing strategies have not been
helpful in getting the intervention required to end the scourge and so
must be redeveloped to cater to the needs of the people. Access to
diagnostic testing and treatment should be seen not only as a component
of malaria control but as a fundamental right of all populations at
risk.
