The Federal Government has established an advisory board and a ministerial task force on malaria elimination in Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a press statement by Senior Adviser, Media and External Relations to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Tashikalmah Hallah.
It said the advisory board and task force are to accelerate progress towards malaria elimination in the country.
Malaria, a life-threatening disease caused by parasites transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, occurs regularly and is widespread across Nigeria.
The World Health Organisation estimates that Nigeria had nearly 67 million cases in 2022, accounting for 27 per cent of the global malaria burden.
While inaugurating the advisory board and ministerial task force, the health minister, Professor Muhammad Pate, explained that malaria poses a significant burden on Nigerians in terms of mortality, morbidity, loss of work hours, out-of-pocket expenses, and government investments in treatments and interventions.
He said the challenge calls for a paradigm shift from the standard approach to a more proactive and result-oriented method of defeating this disease.
Pate further explained that this was why academics, malaria programme experts, development partners, private sectors, civil societies, business enthusiasts, policymakers as well as the political class were invited to a roundtable discussion to rethink the country’s approaches and strategic views on malaria.
He said the move culminated to the setting up of the Advisory for Malaria Elimination in Nigeria, among other agendas, and the Ministerial Task Force on Malaria in Nigeria.
The minister revealed that the Advisory on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria is chaired by Emeritus Professor Rose Leke of the University of Yaoundé, Cameroun, and members included Prof Dyann Wirth of the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr Soji Adeyi, President of Resilience Health System, Prof Ibrahim Abubakar of the University College, London, and Prof Peter Piot of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
He said the team is tasked to provide evidence-based advisory services and meet regularly to review programme evidence and provide guidance on aligning with best practices for malaria elimination.
They will also collaborate with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, and the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare to review implementation when necessary.
The Ministerial Task Force, Pate explained, would also consist of stakeholders from various sectors who have extensive knowledge of malaria implementation in Nigeria and are based in Nigeria.
He noted that the task force will contribute to the overall goal of the National Malaria Elimination Programme and work to reduce the incidence of malaria.