THE Nigerian Government has said that the country loses over $1.1 billion annually to malaria, describing the disease as a severe health and economic crisis.
The coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, who disclosed this during the inaugural meeting of the Advisory on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria ( AMEN) held in Abuja, on Tuesday, November 26, said malaria continued to have devastating effects on the country, not only in terms of human lives affected but also on the economy.
The minister further highlighted how malaria reduces productivity, increases out-of-pocket health spending, and worsens poverty.
“This is not just a health crisis; it is an economic and developmental emergency. Malaria reduces productivity, increases out-of-pocket health expenditures and compounds the challenges of poverty. The annual loss to Nigeria’s GDP from malaria exceeds $1.1billion, a stark reminder of the economic imperative of elimination,” the minister said.
He further noted that Nigeria accounts for 27 per cent of global malaria cases and 31 per cent of global malaria deaths, making it the worst-hit country.
“Malaria continues to exert an unacceptable toll on Nigeria With 27 per cent of global malaria cases and 31 per cent of global malaria deaths.
“Our country bears the heaviest burden of this disease. In 2022, over 180,000 Nigerian children under the age of five lost their lives to malaria – a tragedy we have the tools to prevent”.
The ICIR reports that malaria, caused by parasites transmitted to people through the bites of infected female anopheles mosquitoes, malaria, has remained a leading cause of illness and death in Nigeria despite numerous intervention programmes.
While it is a preventable and curable major public health issue affecting millions of Nigerians, the disease thrives in the country’s tropical climate, particularly in regions with poor sanitation and stagnant water, which provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Over 97 per cent of Nigeria’s population are at risk of the disease.
For instance, in 2021, there were approximately 249 million reported cases of malaria, leading to about 608,000 deaths.
Nigeria (26.6 per cent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.3 per cent), Uganda (5.1 per cent), Mozambique (4.1 per cent) and Angola (3.4 per cent) collectively represented half of the total malaria cases worldwide.
Also, Nigeria (31.3 per cent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.6 per cent), Tanzania (4.1 per cent), and Niger (3.9 per cent) together accounted for slightly more than half of all malaria-related deaths worldwide.
The ICIR also reported that despite concerted efforts and interventions, Nigeria continued to face significant challenges in its fight against the disease.
Some of the factors cited by the World Health Organisation (WHO) include climate change, humanitarian crises, low access to and poor health services, gender-related barriers, biological threats such as insecticide, drug resistance and global economic crises.
It also identified a lack of state ownership, poor budgetary allocations, and high out-of-pocket expenditures as contributing factors.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M