As the world marks the 2020 World Malaria Day, Mrs. Moji Makanjuola, Executive Director, International Society of Media on Public Health (ISMPH), has called for a check on malaria disease while Combating COVID-19 Pandemic.
In her address, Moji said Malaria poses risk to 97% of the Nigerian Population, with an estimation of 100 million of malaria cases and over 300,000 deaths annually.
“Let us therefore keep Malaria in view as we combat Coronavirus and its deadly evil gifts-COVID-19”, she said.
Moji who reiterated the call for frequent hands washing and other measures put in place by the authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19, added that, “let’s not touch our Mouth, Eyes and Nose, let’s cough elegantly into our Elbows”.
She also called on people to keep their environment clean to stop breeding mosquitoes that causes malaria as well as adhere to the social distancing measures.
The Executive Director who advocated for zero tolerance to Malaria noted that, “it is World Malaria Day again, even as the world grappled with COVID-19”.
“COVID-19 has taken a centre stage, with the world’s full attention on it. However, other diseases will neither go on recess nor vacation. “So we still have both communicable diseases (CDs)and non communicable diseases (NCDs) to contend with”, she added.
Moji who said Nigeria still have formidable malaria around even with the global emergency, COVID-19 pandemic maintained that, “every health worker and indeed all of us within the Malaria belt is at greater risk of being doubly jeopardized”.
Speaking on this year’s theme, ‘Zero Malaria starts with me’, Moji said “this underscores our need to beat malaria, to avoid the additional dangers posed to those health and non health workers”.
“The time to act to end malaria is now. “Zero tolerance to Malaria should begin with each and every one of us”, she advocated.
According to her, COVID-19 rides on pre-existing conditions to advance global notoriety for higher delivery of deadly impact.
