The Kano State government’s fight against malaria is not yielding the desired result due to what the state describes as the “resistance of some residents to change.”
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa told a press briefing on the sideline of World Malaria Day on Monday, that 631 people died of malaria in the state in 2021.
96 more mortalities were recorded in the first quarter of 2022.
“In the year 2021, the outpatient attendance relating to malaria cases was 2,836,761 out of which 2,066,357 (97.5%) were diagnosed uncomplicated malaria and treated with ACTs and 631 mortalities recorded, while 96 cases of mortality were recorded in the first quarter of 2022,” he explained.
2.8 Million Malaria Patients Visited Kano Hospitals in 2021
The commissioner who was represented by the Director of Public Health and Disease Control at the state ministry of health, Dr. Hashiru Rajab, linked about 60% of outpatient visits and consultations in Kano hospitals and clinics to malaria.
He attributed more than 2.8 million hospital visits in 2021 to the disease.
He reeled out the state government’s efforts at curtailing its spread.
These include administering 13,110,365 free doses of malaria prevention drugs to children under five and the ongoing preparation to distribute another batch of eight million free insecticide-treated nets to residents.
Residents Sell N5,000 Mosquito Nets for N200
A previous eight million nets had earlier been distributed, but this is yet to lead to a drop in malaria cases.
Dr. Rajab told Nigeria Info that many residents divert the insecticide-treated nets.
“People are resistant to change, farmers are using these nets to cover their crops, some women are using these nets to make curtains instead of sleeping under them, because of the economic downturn. Somebody will be given a net worth of N5000, and they will sell it at N200,” he lamented.
He wants an attitudinal change in the residents and also admonishes them to take advantage of the next cycle of mass distribution of malaria prevention drugs, targeting 3, 193,002 children from July to October 2022.
