Nigeria, Other African Countries Urged to Accelerate Anti-malaria Fight
- Health and medical experts say Nigeria and other African countries can achieve a malaria-free society by 2030
- These experts say deploying digital health inventions and gadgets can help accelerate the process of a malaria-free society
- This advisory aligns with World Health Organisation's (WHO) best practice to help curb and combat malaria
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As part of the effort and advocacy to achieve zero malaria by 2030, experts have continued to call stakeholders in the health sector to intensify the adoption and deployment of digital health innovations for the fight against malaria, especially in the African region.
This aligns with the 2023 Malaria Day theme; time to deliver Zero Malaria: invest, innovate, implement.
Source: Getty Images
To commemorate World Malaria Day 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) urged countries affected by malaria globally to accelerate the reach of high-impact tools and strategies to prevent, detect and treat malaria, focusing on reaching the most vulnerable, ensuring that no one is left behind.
Speaking during Insights- a public health webinar hosted by eHealth Africa, medical expert Dr Dennis Marke, a clinician and program manager at Systems Strengthening in the Ministry of Health and Science, reiterated the need to strengthen public-private partnerships to improve the fight against malaria through enhanced access to medical information, communication and health application in issues around malaria control.
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The webinar series tagged; insight titled “Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Investing in Sustainable Digital Health Innovations” fosters conversations with professionals within the public health space.
How digital health tools can combat malaria - Dr Dennis
During the discussion, Dr Dennis said digital health tools have proven instrumental in the seemingly unending antimalaria fight in the region.
According to him, mobile-based innovations through SMS messages have between 70-80% penetration in Sierra Leone and have effectively reached out to the population about the symptoms of Malaria and the need for testing.
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He said:
“In the 2017 mass campaign, we use rocket pro mobile applications to track the supply of medical equipment and drugs at our peripheral health units.”
Dr Dennis also mentioned other digital tools like solar power mosquito traps and district health information systems, which have been instrumental in laboratory analysis, research, surveillance and tracking of health interventions even in remote communities.
While admitting the existing challenge of internet connectivity in some hard-to-reach communities, he said:
"You can have this technology sitting out there, and if the cell phone penetration is the hardest to reach, the marginalized communities are not covered; that's a huge challenge".
He, however, called for proper coordination in delivering digital health interventions through effective mapping of digital health partners to identify their areas of strength.
This, according to him, will ensure unity of purpose and ensure all partners work towards achieving the overall goal of fighting against malaria.
Like Ghana, NAFDAC Approves R21 Malaria Vaccine for Nigeria
Meanwhile, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has approved the R21 malaria vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, made this disclosure on Monday, April 17, at a press briefing in Abuja.
This makes Nigeria the second country to approve the new malaria vaccine developed at the University of Oxford, after Ghana.
Source: Legit.ng
