The Kaduna State Government, on Tuesday, April 25, said it has recorded a two per cent reduction in under five malaria mortality rate.

The Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Mohammed-Baloni, said this at a press conference to mark 2023 World Malaria Day in kaduna.

Mohammed-Baloni, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Adamu Mansir, said Kaduna State also achieved 68 per cent refill rate order for all antimalarial commodities.

According to her, there is also a reduction of malaria test positivity rate from 33 per cent (NDHS 2018) to 16 per cent in 2021 (MIS 2021).

“We have achieved 68 per cent refill rate order for all antimalarial commodities (DHIS), and a reduction of malaria test positivity rate from 33 per cent (NDHS 2018) to 16 per cent in 2021 (MIS 2021),” she said.

The commissioner disclosed that Kaduna State procured anti-malaria commodities through the state health supplies management agency worth about N300 million as part of the government’s commitment to the counterpart fund obligation to the State Malaria Elimination Programme.

Mohammed-Baloni added that intersectoral, inter-agency, and robust partner collaboration helped in achieving integrated delivery of malaria services in Kaduna State.

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“The Ministry of Works has completed the massive clearance of drains in our communities; this is to reduce breeding of mosquitoes.

“We have also completed the distribution and monitoring of 269,040 ACTs, 260,000 RDTs, 3,333 artesunate injection, and 19,450 ITNs across 1,064 public health facilities, including 29 secondary and tertiary hospitals in the state.

“Also 72.2 per cent of clients who tested positive (RDT or Microscopy) to the parasite received treatment with ACTs in first quarter of 2022,” she stated.

The commissioner said the ministry had a robust partnership with international and national donor organisations, “and one of the 13 Global Fund (GF) supported states in Nigeria for the elimination of malaria.”

Mohammed-Baloni added that the Kaduna State Government has committed enormous resources to the health sector, saying: “We have, in line with the Universal Ward Health System, constructed 255 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), with one centre per ward, across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

She said the 1,064 public health facilities in the state were supported to provide free malaria services to residents but urged the people to take responsibility for their environmental hygiene, saying: “It is the primary prevention measure to control the malaria scourge.”

The commissioner also called on traditional leaders to be advocates of the correct use of Insecticidal Treated Nets, utilisation of life-saving interventions like the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention for children three to 59 months, which would commence in June across Kaduna State.

“The fight against malaria in the state and country at large is a collective effort. The recent breakthrough in malaria vaccines will complement our existing preventive measures and should be widely accepted by caregivers,” Mohammed-Baloni added.

The Star