How PSHAN’s Malaria-to-Zero campaign is fighting malaria in Nigeria
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are four African countries that account for just over half of all malaria deaths worldwide: Nigeria (31.9%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (13.2%), the United Republic of Tanzania (4.1%) and Mozambique (3.8%).
Our mission at PSHAN is to help eradicate malaria by providing Nigerians with access to primary healthcare services, one region at a time.
“PSHAN’s launched its joint Malaria-to-Zero programme on World Malaria Day in 2016. The initiative was a collaborative effort between PSHAN, Access Bank, and the HACEY health initiative. Malaria-to-Zero aims to leverage an innovative financing platform to combine and leverage the resources, capabilities, and proven expertise of private sector organisations in our growing network to address market failures impeding the malaria elimination programme in Nigeria.” – PSHAN.
To read more about PSHAN’s Malaria-to-Zero campaign, visit https://pshan.org/malaria-to-zero-a-nigerian-outlook/.
What is malaria?
Malaria is a disease transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. The severity of the sickness depends on the species of the parasite. Symptoms of malaria include; chills, fever and sweating, usually occurring a few weeks after an individual has been bitten.
In 2020, malaria threatened about half of the world’s population. Infants, children under five, pregnant women, and patients with comorbidities like HIV/AIDS and weakened immune systems are at a higher risk of malaria.
Using Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) to eliminate malaria
Nigeria has a unique opportunity as it moves from malaria control to elimination to consider its goals, assess its achievements, and spur bold, creative approaches. Some of these include establishing public-private partnerships and PHCs to improve malaria outcomes and pave the way for Nigeria to eliminate malaria.
With the support of well-staffed and well-stocked PHCs, the spread of malaria can be tracked systematically. At the same time, the data collected can be used to identify vulnerable regions and individuals – providing an ideal setting for early detection and preventative plans. Early diagnosis and treatment of malaria can reduce disease, prevent deaths, and decrease transmission.
PHCs and governments working hand-in-hand
The ability for governments to track shifting disease patterns is made possible by improved monitoring of malaria cases and fatalities. This information assists health ministries in identifying the regions or population categories that are more at risk. Strong monitoring systems for the disease aid nations in developing efficient health interventions and evaluating the results of their malaria control programmes.
