April 25 is World Malaria Day. It is a day set aside by the United Nations to commemorate global efforts at providing effective control of malaria around the world. The theme for this year’s celebration is "Count Malaria Out" while the slogan is "Count Me In".

In a special broadcast to celebrate the day, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Otumara, identified malaria as a major public health problem in Nigeria that accounts for an estimated N132 billion economic losses from prevention, treatment and loss of man-hours.

Dr Otumara said malaria is the main cause of morbidity and mortality among children under five years and pregnant women, saying it is responsible for 30 percent of childhood mortality, 11 percent of maternal mortality and 60 percent of out-patients clinic visits. The Commissioner said the disease affects all strata of society and is usually contracted through mosquito bites, explaining that dirty and poor environmental sanitation encourage the spread of mosquitoes.

He listed strong partnership among stakeholders, integrated efforts and effective collaborations as measures that would reduce the impact of malaria in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goal on malaria agreed to by all member-state of the United Nations.

According to Dr Otumara, the Delta State Government has made positive impact in this regard through intervention packages such as early and prompt disease management, multiple preventive measures and selective vector control and environmental management.

The Commissioner gave a breakdown of the intervention packages to include purchase and distribution of 697,000 units of Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets (LLITNs) to pregnant women and children under the age of five.

In addition, he said the State Government has provided Artemisinin based Combination Therapy (ACTs) and Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine (SP) to children and pregnant women in all public and some mission health facilities across the state.

He also said the State Government has put in place plans to actively implement the selective vector control and environmental management of malaria and other endemic diseases, saying his Ministry has already initiated steps of cooperation with the Ministry of Environment at the state level and Department of Environment at the LGAs level.

In the spirit of achieving the human capital development goal of the State Government, Dr Otumara said his Ministry has been organizing capacity-building workshops for different cadre of health workers in both the public and private sectors, role model mothers and other stakeholders on early and home management of malaria.

While noting that a healthy workforce is a productive one, the Commissioner emphasized the need for more Public Private Partnership (PPP) and support in the areas of interventions, saying the State Government in this regard would acknowledge such gestures.