Children account for 61% malaria deaths globally – BACATMA

Bauchi State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Malaria (BACATMA) has said that children accounts for 61 per cent of all malaria deaths globally.

Executive chairman of the agency, Dr Mohammed Sambo Alkali stated  this Thursday while briefing newsmen on malaria response in Bauchi state to mark the 2019 World Malaria Day.

He said  Africa account for 90 per cent of the world cases of malaria and 91 per cent of malaria deaths. He added that Nigeria accounts for 25 per cent of global malaria burden and 19 per cent of the global deaths.

Alkali said malaria is a disease caused by a protozoan called plasmodium. The disease usually  affects children under five years of age, pregnant mothers, and people with low immunity.

The BACATMA chairman enumerated the symptoms of the disease to include fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting and loss of appetite. He added that severe malaria causes confusion, convulsions, loss of consciousness, lack of blood, yellow discoloration of eyes and bleeding.

” The treatment is with Artemism Based Combination Therapy (ACT) and  Malaria can be prevented through health education, early diagnosis and treatment, use of Long Lasting Insecticidal Net (LLINS), intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) for pregnant mothers, environmental management which include Indoor Residual Spray (IRS), outdoor spray of mosquito and other measures,” he said.

On the achievements recorded by the agency in eliminating the menace of the disease, Alkali stated that BACATMA distributed 3.8 million mosquito nets, conducted house to house campaign on nets utilization in 60 communities in the state in 2018.

He said as part of activities marking this year’s world malaria day, BACATMA would embark on environmental management in communities within the state capital and train personnel on the disease.

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