On this year’s World Malaria Day, health experts have raised the alarm that despite awareness of the disease, it is overdiagnosed and treated. They therefore called on Nigerians not to assume that every fever is malaria without proper diagnosis.
The Executive Director, of Westfield Development Initiative, (WDI) Mrs. Omobola Lana and the Medical Officer of Health, Itire- Ikate Local Council Development Agency, LCDA, Dr. Olufemi Oyekan raised the alarm during a medical outreach in commemoration of the 2024 World Malaria Day organised WDI in partnership with Diya, Fatimilehin & Co and Itire-Ikate LCDA.
Hundreds of community members were tested for malaria, high blood pressure, diabetes and the human immune-deficiency virus, HIV.
According to Medical Officer of Health, Itire- Ikate LCDA, Dr. Olufemi Oyekan the major problem in Nigeria is that most people assume every fever or headache is malaria and as a result, malaria drugs are consistently abused without proper treatment.
“Most of the things we are saying is malaria is not malaria. Everybody is rushing to take malaria drugs. Often than not, when we run this test for them, it’s almost always negative.
Oyekan called for more health education on malaria to stop the rush to the pharmacy for malaria drugs but seek help from the hospital, adding that the rule in malaria treatment is test and treat and not treatment without proper diagnosis.
“People should be seen by a physician, let them do appropriate tests. What we are advocating for malaria is to test and treat. If it is positive, we now treat it. If it is negative, it means it’s not necessarily malaria. It’s something else. But what we do in this part is that everybody goes to the pharmacy first and when they have used drugs and are not getting better, they will now come back to the hospital. So, we advise people that if they are not feeling well, please visit your nearest hospital. Let them do proper things. Let them test you. If it’s malaria, we’ll know we’ll treat it. If it’s not malaria, if it’s other things, we’ll find a solution to it.”
The Executive Director of WDI, Omobola Lana who noted that malaria is one of the number one causes of death among pregnant women and young children 0-5 in Nigeria, urged Nigerians to pay more attention to the environment by keeping it clean and dry.
Lana who noted that mosquito bites can be prevented by people sleeping under insecticide-treated nets said the war against malaria can be won even if all hands are on deck.
According to Lana smaller countries have won the war against malaria but it remains a deadly disease in the country and affecting the health and livelihoods of Nigerians and Africans as a whole.
Lamenting the number of people who die from malaria, Lana noted that Nigeria is a high-risk country for malaria mortality and their goal was to bring attention to the idea that malaria still needs attention.
Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/04/always-test-for-malaria-before-treatment-experts/
